Five things Dallas Morning News readers should know about the Tokyo Olympics

Hello Dallas Morning News readers,

Here is sports reporter Callie Caplan checking in from Tokyo.

I’ll be in Japan with photographer Vernon Bryant for the next three weeks to cover everything about Texas during the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

Belated hello from Tokyo, where coverage of the Olympics during the pandemic is going as smoothly as you’d think.

So far we have:

– Sat on a plane
– Was essentially detained at the airport by the Japanese government
– Tested a lot (negative 🙌🏻)
– 1 day quarantine ended from 3-14 pic.twitter.com/6h9F6SbhW3

– Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) July 19, 2021

The games officially start on Friday and last until August 8th.

Here are some details on what to expect from our coverage and some links to breaking stories to catch up on local athletes and storylines.

You can find all of our Olympic stories during the Games here.

Who are the most notable Texans?

The highest-profile athlete at the Games is also one of the greatest athletes of all time in Texas: Simone Biles, who lives this spring and trains at her family’s World Champions Center Club outside of Houston. If everything goes according to plan at her second Olympics, Biles will be the favorite for gold in five disciplines: as an individual winner in the all-around, jumping, floor and balance beam finals and with the USA in the team competition.

Biles’ groundbreaking success since winning five medals at the 2016 Rio Games has created the “Simone Biles Effect” with elite gymnasts, including Olympic teammate Jordan Chiles, who have moved from across the country to train with her .

Luka Doncic hasn’t been to Dallas long, but he will offer fans from North Texas to Slovenia some must-see Olympic moments. The Mavericks’ 22-year-old superstar has promoted the Slovenian national team to their first ever men’s Olympic basketball appearance and showed in the qualifying tournament last month that his penchant for shining brightest under pressure could position Slovenia as a surprise, even against more talented teams to go deep.

What are you most looking forward to?

Several North Texas will make their Olympic debut.

Jasmine Moore has improved her triple jump distance by nearly two inches since graduating from Mansfield Lake Ridge in 2019.

Hailey Hernandez is about to travel to Tokyo to take part in the women’s 3-meter springboard dive between her spring graduation at Southlake Carroll and her enrollment in Texas this fall.

Tom Scott, who visited Jesuit, TCU, and UT-Dallas, has long been nicknamed “Captain America” ​​for his success with the US karate program, and now he is using what is probably his one-off Olympic shot. Karate will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo but has already been removed from the 2024 Games.

How do you go about reporting on Olympics under a strict pandemic protocol?

Lots of planning.

Prior to our trip to Tokyo, Vernon and I had to go through two COVID-19 tests, get certificates to present to the Japanese government, sign up for two health and location tracking apps, and collect a few other documents.

Our Olympic media entitlements serve as our Tokyo entry visa, which does not allow foreign travelers outside of Olympic participants, staff and media while the city remains in a state of emergency for COVID-19.

Then there are more than three days of hotel quarantine and two weeks of severe restrictions on access to public transport and non-Olympic venues.

Since families, friends and supporters are not allowed in the stands – or even in Japan – we are here to deliver exciting reports, perspectives and pictures to all of our readers who follow from home. We’ll cover everything about Texan athletes, trends and connections, with a focus on those with connections to Dallas and North Texas.

What other local news should we know?

Until a few weeks ago, that note would have included a section about Sha’Carri Richardson, the 2018 Carter graduate poised to become the next great American sprint star.

When the women’s 100 meters in athletics begins on July 30, the event will be fascinating not because of Richardson’s fashion, flair, and bravery, but because many will wonder what could have happened if the Dallaser-born woman didn’t take a drug test marijuana use would have passed the Olympic Trials after she unexpectedly learned of her birth mother’s death, which disqualified her from the US team.

But keep Richardson’s name in mind, as she has vowed these games will be the last major competition without vying for gold and benefiting from the Olympic dreams she had been working towards on an Oak Cliff track since she was nine Has.

How can we watch live or in prime time?

The good news: advances in modern streaming technology have resulted in rights holder NBCUniversal presenting all events live on one of its channels, including the network’s Peacock platform.

That’s not so good: only a few finals of the swimming and athletics events are broadcast live at prime time. While there will be options to watch all competitions live, it may require some extra caffeine and a different sleep schedule over the next few weeks.

Tokyo is 14 hours ahead of Dallas.

Click here for a full TV schedule.

Twitter: @CallieCaplan



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