Why the Refugee Olympic Team feels more relevant than ever: 'We've all lived through collective exile'
Tokyo (CNN)As soon as the gun sounds at the start of his first Olympic 5,000-meter race, Jamal Mohammed knows his nerves will disappear.
"It's always like that," Mohammed told CNN Sport. "You can't really stay nervous after the gun goes; you just focus on running and following others."
In the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics, Mohammed has been taking his preparation for the 5,000-meter heats on Tuesday one step at a time. Sometimes, however, he pauses to reflect on where he's come from and where he is now.
In 2010, Mohammed left the Sudanese province of Darfur for Israel, undertaking a three-day journey that meant crossing the unforgiving landscape of Egypt's Sinai Desert on foot. After his father was killed by the Janjaweed, the government-back militia operating in Sudan, he had been forced to work from a young age to support his family.
Now settled in Tel Aviv, Israel, Mohammed has built a new life and a career in running.
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Having joined the Alley Runners, a club specifically designed to support the city's disadvantaged communities, seven years ago, on Tuesday he faces the biggest race of his life in Tokyo where he will compete for the Refugee Olympic Team.
Mohammed competes in the men's 5,000-meter heats at the 2019 World Athletics Championship.
At the Rio Olympics, where the refugee team debuted in 2016, 10 athletes competed under the Olympic flag. In Tokyo, the team has grown to 29 athletes competing across 12 different sports.
"I'm going to compete for 80 million people around the world who left their countries to go to find a better place for them and help them achieve their goals," Mohammed tells CNN Sport.
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"There are a lot of reasons why refugees left their countries. It makes me so proud to represent these people and let them know anything is possible. They are also able to achieve their goals. Anything can come true one day."
Mohammed's preparation for the Olympics over the past month has involved a two-week training camp at altitude in Italy and 10 days in Doha, Qatar, to convene with the Refugee Olympic Team.
Since the start of last week, he's been based at the Olympic Village in Tokyo, completing the final training sessions before his race.
Syrian refugee swimmer 'representing millions' 03:27
The Refugee Olympic Team, established by the International Olympic Committee, is comprised of athletes from 11 different countries, living and training in 13 host countries.
This year, with the Games taking place amid the Covid-19 pandemic, their stories and their inclusion in the Olympic movement feel more relevant than ever, according to Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
"We've all shared hardship and deprivation and separation from loved ones; we've all lived through a sort of collective exile," Grandi tells CNN Sport.
"All these young men and women, in addition to Covid, have behind them a history of deprivation, separation from loved ones, real, physical exile. Somehow they carried a double symbolism in that entrance in the Olympic Stadium (for the Opening Ceremony of the Games)."
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Photos: The best photos from the Tokyo Olympics
New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard competes in weightlifting on Monday, August 2. She is the first openly transgender woman to compete in the 125-year history of the Olympics.
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The United States' Carli Lloyd leaves the field after the Americans lost to Canada in a semifinal match on August 2. The US team was trying to become the first reigning World Cup champion to win Olympic gold.
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Denmark's Viktor Axelsen is applauded after receiving his badminton gold medal on August 2. He is the first player from outside of Asia to win Olympic gold in men's singles in more than 20 years.
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American Valarie Allman celebrates winning the gold medal in discus on August 2. It was the first gold in these Olympics for US Track and Field.
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This photo, taken underwater, shows Greece's Evangelia Papazoglou and Evangelia Platanioti competing in artistic swimming on August 2. Artistic swimming used to be called synchronized swimming at the Olympics.
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Jade Carey, a US gymnast who won gold in the floor exercise, places her medal over the neck of her father and coach, Brian, on August 2.
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Runners compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on August 2.
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Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim, left, and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi share the podium during a medal ceremony on August 2. They agreed to share the gold medal in high jump after they both cleared 2.37 meters but failed to clear 2.39. Beside them is bronze medalist Maksim Nedasekau of Belarus. No one was given a silver medal.
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Kyrgyzstan's Akzhol Makhmudov, top, competes against Tunisia's Lamjed Maafi in Greco-Roman wrestling on August 2.
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Cyclists from New Zealand competes in a team pursuit heat while China's Zhong Tianshi, left, takes a break on August 2.
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India's Neha Goyal embraces Navneet Kaur after a 1-0 win over Australia in a field hockey quarterfinal on August 2.
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Dutch runner Sifan Hassan celebrates after winning her 1,500-meter heat on August 2. Hassan won despite falling down at the beginning of the last lap. She tripped over another runner but got up and raced past the field.
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Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn leads the field on her way to a gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles on August 2. It's Puerto Rico's second-ever gold medal and its first in track.
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Chile's Humberto Mansilla competes in hammer throw qualifications on August 2.
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Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou competes in the long jump on August 2. Both he and Cuba's Juan Miguel Echevarria had a top jump of 8.41 meters, but Tentoglou won the gold medal because his second-best jump was longer than Echevarria's.
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Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade poses with her medals on August 2. During these Games, she won gold in the vault and silver in the individual all-around.
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Polish table-tennis player Natalia Partyka, who was born without a right hand and forearm, eyes the ball during a doubles match on August 2. In the foreground is South Korea's Choi Hyo-joo. Partyka has competed in both the Olympics and the Paralympics.
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Italian sprinter Lamont Marcell Jacobs wins the 100-meter final at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday, August 1. He finished the race in 9.8 seconds, winning the first 100 final since the retirement of three-time champion Usain Bolt.
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From left, the United States' Caeleb Dressel, Brazil's Bruno Fratus, Great Britain's Benjamin Proud and Italy's Lorenzo Zazzeri swim the 50-meter freestyle final on August 1. Dressel went on to win with an Olympic record time of 21.07 seconds. He won five golds in Tokyo.
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British diver Tom Daley, who has a whole Instagram account devoted to his hobby of knitting and crochet, works on a new creation while watching the women's 3-meter springboard final on August 1. On his Instagram Stories, he revealed he was making a "jumper," or sweater, for a French bulldog. Daley picked up the hobby during the pandemic.
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Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade won gold in the vault on August 1. Earlier in these Olympics, she won silver in the individual all-around.
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Germany's Alexander Zverev reacts after winning his gold-medal tennis match on August 1. He defeated Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-1.
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The United States' Isaiah Jewett, left, and Botswana's Nijel Amos help each other to their feet after falling during an 800-meter semifinal on August 1. They embraced and went on to finish the race together.
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Field hockey players from Spain warm up before their match against Belgium on August 1.
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During the medal ceremony for the women's shot put, the United States' Raven Saunders lifted her arms above her head and made an X with her wrists. When the silver medalist was asked what the gesture meant, she explained that "it's the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet." Saunders has been outspoken in the past about her desire to destigmatize mental health. "Shout out to all my Black people. Shout out to all my LGBTQ community. Shout out to all my people dealing with mental health," she said. "At the end of the day, we understand it's bigger than us and it's bigger than the powers that be."
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China's Fan Yilin competes in the uneven bars final on August 1.
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Dutch sailor Kiran Badloe jumps into the water to celebrate after winning gold in the men's RS:X category on August 1.
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Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas celebrates after setting a new world record in the triple jump on August 1. On her last jump of the night, she jumped 15.67 meters, breaking a record that had stood since 1995. It is Rojas' first Olympic gold medal.
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French boxer Mourad Aliev refused to leave the ring after he was disqualified in his bout against Frazer Clarke on August 1. His protest lasted about an hour. He was disqualified for what the referee determined was an intentional headbutt.
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Australian swimmer Emma McKeon dives into the pool at the start of the 50-meter freestyle final on August 1. She won her third gold in Tokyo and set an Olympic record time of 23.81 seconds.
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The United States' Raven Saunders competes in the shot put on August 1. Saunders, who stood out with her eye-catching mask and her green and purple hair, won the silver.
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Georgia's Iakobi Kajaia, left, takes on Russian Sergei Semenov in a Greco-Roman wrestling quarterfinal on August 1. Kajaia won the match.
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Divers warm up ahead of the women's 3-meter springboard finals on August 1.
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From left, Italy's Gregorio Paltrinieri, the United States' Bobby Finke, Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk, Germany's Florian Wellbrock and Great Britain's Daniel Jervis race the 1,500-meter freestyle on August 1. Finke won the gold after racing down Romanchuk and Wellbrock in the final 50 meters. Finke also won gold in the 800-meter freestyle earlier in these Olympics.
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US golfer Xander Schauffele hits a tee shot during the third round on Saturday, July 31. He went on to win gold, holding off Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini by one stroke.
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Members of the Dominican Republic's volleyball team line up before a match against Kenya on July 31.
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Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah celebrates after winning gold in the 100-meter dash on July 31. She set an Olympic record time of 10.61 seconds as she defended her title from 2016.
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Jamaica dominated the 100 meters, winning all three medals. Behind Thompson-Herah were Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson. Fraser-Pryce won this event in 2008 and 2012.
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Switzerland's Belinda Bencic serves to the Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova during the gold-medal tennis match on July 31. Bencic won 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
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Poland won the Olympics' first-ever mixed relay in the 4x400 meters. From left are Kajetan Duszynski, Natalia Kaczmarek, Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and Karol Zalewski.
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US diver Hailey Hernandez competes in the 3-meter springboard on July 31.
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Japan's Shoichiro Mukai, left, and Germany's Eduard Trippel compete in team judo on July 31.
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American swimmer Caeleb Dressel competes in the 100-meter butterfly on July 31. He finished in 49.45 seconds, winning gold and breaking his own world record in the process.
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Russian fencers celebrate after winning gold in the team sabre event on July 31.
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Sweden's Armand "Mondo" Duplantis competes in the pole vault on July 31. He holds the world record in the event.
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Dutch field hockey players run from sprinklers after pre-match warmups on July 31.
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Kenya's Mercy Moim spikes the ball during a volleyball match against the Dominican Republic on July 31.
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Spanish tennis player Pablo Carreño Busta celebrates after he defeated Serbia's Novak Djokovic to win bronze on July 31.
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Members of New Zealand's rugby team hug after defeating France to win gold on July 31.
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US swimmer Simone Manuel leaves the pool after failing to qualify for the 50-meter freestyle final on July 31. In 2016, Manuel became the first African American woman to ever win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming.
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The United States' Katie Ledecky leads Australia's Ariarne Titmus during the 800-meter freestyle on July 31. Ledecky won the event for the third straight Olympics. Titmus took the silver.
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The United States' Kendra Harrison races a 100-meter hurdles heat on July 31.
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Team Israel celebrates winning the bronze in the judo mixed-team event on July 31. France won the gold and Japan won the silver.
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Lydia Jacoby's goggles fell off while the American was competing in the mixed 4x100-meter medley relay on July 31. The US team finished fifth in the event. Great Britain won the gold.
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Great Britain's Charlotte Worthington competes in BMX freestyle on July 31. She would go on to win gold.
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Great Britain's Jessica Learmonth competes in the mixed relay triathlon on July 31. Great Britain won gold in the event, which was the first of its kind in Olympics history.
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The world's top-ranked tennis player, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, reacts during his semifinal match against Germany's Alexander Zverev on Friday, July 30. Zverev won 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, ending Djokovic's quest for a "Golden Slam." Djokovic has already won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon this year. He was looking to add an Olympic gold and then a US Open title later in the year. The only person in history to win all five in one calendar year was Steffi Graf in 1988.
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US players celebrate after they defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout July 30 to advance to the semifinals in women's football.
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Swimmers compete in the 1,500-meter freestyle on July 30.
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A robot shoots a free throw during halftime of a women's basketball game between Belgium and Puerto Rico on July 30.
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Dominican baseball players Gustavo Nunez, left, and Julio Rodriguez collide as Rodriguez catches a ball during their 1-0 win over Mexico on July 30.
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Ethiopia's Selemon Barega won the 10,000 meters on July 30 after a thrilling sprint on the final lap.
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Australian diver Esther Qin competes in the 3-meter springboard event on July 30.
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Athletes compete in the Olympic debut of the 4x400-meter mixed relay on July 30.
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Lea Yanitsas, a goalkeeper for Australia's water polo team, tries to block a shot during a match against Spain on July 30.
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Russian rugby player Anna Baranchuk reaches for the ball during a match against New Zealand on July 30.
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Morocco's Mohamed Tindouft falls while competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on July 30.
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South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker is congratulated by some of her fellow competitors — from left, American Lilly King, American Annie Lazor and South African Kaylene Corbett — after winning gold in the 200-meter breaststroke on July 30. She broke the world record, finishing with a time of 2:18.95.
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US gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee competes on the balance beam during the individual all-around final on Thursday, July 29.Lee is the fifth straight American to win gold in the event going back to the 2004 Olympics.
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The Czech Republic's Jiri Prskavec reacts after winning gold in the kayak final on July 30.
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Australia's Saya Sakakibara receives medical attention after a crash in the BMX racing semifinal on July 30. She was leading the race when she went down. American BMX racer Connor Fields was also injured in a semifinal race.
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Indonesian badminton players Apriyani Rahayu and Greysia Polii react after winning their quarterfinal match on July 29.
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From left, US gymnasts Grace McCallum, Jordan Chiles, Simone Biles and MyKayla Skinner cheer for teammate Suni Lee after her gold-medal performance on July 29. Biles, the defending champion, withdrew from the event because of mental-health concerns. Correction: This caption has been updated to include Grace McCallum, who was previously misidentified by Getty Images.
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British field hockey players prepare to defend a penalty corner during a match against the Netherlands on July 29.
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American swimmer Caeleb Dressel, top, competes in the 100-meter freestyle final on July 29. With an Olympic record time of 47.02 seconds, he won his fourth career gold medal and his second in Tokyo. He won the race by just .06 seconds.
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American gymnast Suni Lee takes a selfie with silver medalist Rebeca Andrade, center, and bronze medalist Angelina Melnikova after winning the individual all-around on July 29. Andrade is the first Brazilian to ever medal in women's gymnastics. Melnikova is Russian.
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Tunisia's Mohamed Hammed picks an arrow during archery competition on July 29.
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US beach volleyball player Sarah Sponcil stretches out for a ball during a match on July 29.
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US swimmer Katie McLaughlin places a silver medal around the neck of teammate Katie Ledecky after the 4x200-meter freestyle relay on July 29. The International Olympic Committee created a contactless medal ceremony, asking athletes to put their medals on themselves. Some athletes have been putting the medal on their teammates.
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Canadian fencer Eleanor Harvey, left, competes against France's Ysaora Thibus in a foil team quarterfinal on July 29.
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Italy's Cristina Chirichella serves the ball during a match against Argentina on July 29.
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Brazil's Bruna de Paula is defended by Spain's Lara González Ortega during a preliminary round handball match on July 29.
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Japanese golfer Rikuya Hoshino tees off to start his first round on July 29. The Olympic golf is taking place at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Japan.
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From left, the United States' Bobby Finke, Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk and Germany's Florian Wellbrock dive in the water at the start of the 800-meter freestyle final on July 29. Finke won gold after a late rally.
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China's Sun Yingsha waits for a serve from Japan's Mima Ito during a table-tennis semifinal on July 29. Sun won to advance to the final.
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BMX racers compete in the women's quarterfinals on July 29.
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Spain's Cristina Ouviña, center, is defended by a group of Serbian players during a preliminary round basketball game on July 29.
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Japanese badminton player Arisa Higashino, top, hits a shot toward China's Huang Dongping in a mixed-doubles semifinal on July 29.
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US swimmer Katie Ledecky celebrates after crushing the field in the 1,500-meter freestyle on Wednesday, July 28. It was her sixth career gold medal and her eighth Olympic medal in all.
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Ledecky led the field for most of the 1,500-meter freestyle, and she finished the race more than four seconds ahead of silver medalist Erica Sullivan, a fellow American.
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Japanese gymnast Daiki Hashimoto competes during the individual all-around on July 28. Hashimoto won the gold.
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Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev receives medical treatment during his third-round singles match on July 28. Midway through the match, the Russian — known for his dry humor and sarcasm — approached the chair umpire to ask what would happen if he died. Medvedev went on to win the match over Italy's Fabio Fognini.
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Poland's Lukasz Przybytek and Pawel Kolodzinski compete in the 49er sailing competition on July 28.
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Serbia's Dusan Domovic Bulut, left, competes for the ball with Belgium's Rafael Bogaerts, center, and Thibaut Vervoort during a 3-on-3 basketball game on July 28. Serbia won the game for a bronze medal.
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American divers Michael Hixon, left, and Andrew Capobianco compete in the synchronized 3-meter springboard event on July 28. They won silver. China's Wang Zongyuan and Xie Siyi won gold.
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From left, Jacquelyn Young, Stefanie Dolson, Kelsey Plum and Allisha Gray celebrate after they won gold in 3-on-3 basketball on July 28. This was the first year that 3-on-3 was an Olympic event.
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Swiss cyclist Marlen Reusser competes in the time trial event on July 28.
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Fiji players celebrate after winning gold in rugby sevens on July 28.
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Kazakhstan's Bekzad Nurdauletov gets hit by Russian boxer Imam Khataev during their light-heavyweight match on July 28. Khataev won 4-1.
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Chinese weightlifter Shi Zhiyong celebrates July 28 after winning gold in the 73-kilogram weight class. He lifted 166 kilograms in the snatch and 198 kilograms in the clean-and-jerk, setting a new world record total of 364 kilograms.
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Japan's baseball players celebrate a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Dominican Republic on July 28. It was the first baseball game of these Olympics.
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Japan's Megumi Murakami competes in a beach volleyball match on July 28.
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A crowd watches equestrian action on July 28.
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Australia's Ariarne Titmus swims her way to gold in the 200-meter freestyle on July 28. She also set a new Olympic record, finishing in 1:53.50. It is her second gold of these Olympics, as she also won the 400-meter freestyle.
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Egyptian fencer Ziad Elsissy celebrates a team sabre win on July 28.
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US gymnast Simone Biles wears her warm-up gear after she pulled out of the team all-around competition on Tuesday, July 27. Biles withdrew after stumbling on the vault, Team USA's first apparatus of the night. She cited mental-health concerns for her withdrawal. "I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being," she told reporters.
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A tattoo of the Olympic rings is seen on the back of South African swimmer Brad Tandy on July 27. Many of this year's athletes are sporting a wide range of ink.
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A man sits among rows of empty seats as he watches table tennis at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on July 27.
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US gymnast Simone Biles performs on the vault during the team all-around event on July 27. She stumbled on the landing and withdrew right after that, saying she wasn't in the right frame of mind to compete. "It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head," she told reporters.
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An underwater view shows the United States' Delaney Schnell, left, and Jessica Parratto after a dive in the the synchronized 10-meter platform event on July 27.
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Turkish archer Yasemin Anagoz competes on July 27.
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French slalom canoeist Marie-Zélia Lafont competes in the K-1 semifinal on July 27.
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Japan's softball team celebrates with head coach Reika Utsugi after winning the gold-medal game against the United States on July 27. Japan won 2-0.
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Russian gymnast Viktoria Listunova performs on the balance beam during the team all-around competition on July 27. She won the gold medal along with her teammates Vladislava Urazova, Angelina Melnikova and Lilia Akhaimova. Russian athletes at these Olympics are officially recognized as members of ROC, an abbreviation of the Russian Olympic Committee. That's because in 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency banned Russia from all international sporting competitions, including the Olympics, for doping non-compliance. Russian athletes can't compete under their country's name, flag and national anthem until December 2022.
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German table-tennis player Timo Boll serves during a match on July 27.
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Taiwanese weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun reacts after winning gold in the 59-kilogram category on July 27.
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A man in Yokohama, Japan, walks past the Olympic rings lit up at dusk on July 27.
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The United States' Carissa Moore celebrates after she won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in surfing on July 27.
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American Regan Smith swims the final of the women's 100-meter backstroke on July 27. She won the bronze.
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American Haleigh Washington, left, spikes the ball during a volleyball match against China on July 27. The United States won in straight sets, 29-27, 25-22, 25-21.
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Norway's Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen compete in the 49erFX sailing competition on July 27.
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US diver Jessica Parratto cries after she and teammate Delaney Schnell won a silver medal in the synchronized 10-meter platform event on July 27.
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Estonian fencer Katrina Lehis, left, squares off against Italy's Mara Navarria in the team epée semifinals on July 27.
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Russian swimmer Evgeny Rylov wears a cat-themed mask as he waits to receive his gold medal on July 27. Rylov won the 100-meter backstroke.
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Brazilian surfer Italo Ferreira competes in the gold-medal final on July 27. He won gold despite his board breaking on his first wave.
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Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka reacts during her third-round loss to the Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova on July 27. Osaka, who lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony, had 32 unforced errors in the match. It's the first time she has lost in a hard-court tournament since the 2020 Australian Open.
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Lydia Jacoby, left, is congratulated by fellow American swimmer Lilly King after winning the 100-meter breaststroke on July 27. Jacoby, 17, is the first-ever Olympic swimmer from Alaska, and she was not expected to win the event. King, a race favorite who won the event at the 2016 Olympics, finished with the bronze this time.
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Brazil's Ana Paula Rodrigues Belo attempts to shoot during a handball match against Hungary on July 27.
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Bermuda's Flora Duffy celebrates after she won gold in the triathlon on July 27. It's the first-ever Olympic gold medal for an athlete representing Bermuda.
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From left, Hungary's Katinka Hosszú, the United States' Alex Walsh and China's Yu Yiting take part in a semifinal race for the 200-meter individual medley on July 27. Walsh won the race.
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France's Endy Miyem is defended by Japan's Himawari Akaho during a basketball game on July 27. Japan defeated France 74-70.
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Russian swimmer Evgeny Rylov celebrates after winning the 100-meter backstroke on July 27. His countryman Kliment Kolesnikov won the silver.
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Members of the media are pictured in the foreground as Indonesia's Marcus Fernaldi Gideon, bottom left, and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo play a badminton match against Taiwan's Lee Yang, top left, and Wang Chi-lin on July 27.
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South Korean fencer Kang Young-mi, right, is congratulated by her teammates after they defeated the United States in the epée quarterfinals on July 27.
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US water polo player Johnny Hooper takes a shot during the team's 20-3 win over South Africa on July 27.
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From left, Russian gymnasts David Belyavskiy, Artur Dalaloyan, Nikita Nagornyy and Denis Ablyazin react after winning gold in the team all-around on Monday, July 26.
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Japanese table-tennis players Jun Mizutani, left, and Mima Ito celebrate their dramatic victory over China in the mixed-doubles final on July 26. Mizutani and Ito came back from two sets down to win 4-3, clinching the final set 11-6. The win ended years of Chinese dominance in the sport. China had won every Olympic title in table tennis since South Korea's Ryu Seung-min triumphed in the men's singles competition at the 2004 Athens Games.
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The Philippines' Hidilyn Diaz reacts after winning the 55-kilogram weightlifting competition on July 26. It's her country's first-ever Olympic gold medal. Prior to Diaz's gold, the Philippines had claimed three silvers and seven bronzes. Diaz won one of the silvers in the 2016 Olympics.
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The sun sets in Tokyo on July 26 as Belgium plays the Netherlands in a men's 3-on-3 basketball game. The event is making its Olympic debut this year.
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Volunteers sit in mostly empty stands during archery competition on July 26.
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The Czech Republic's Lukas Rohan competes in a canoeing semifinal on July 26.
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Fencers Sofia Pozdniakova and Sofya Velikaya, both representing the Russian Olympic Committee, compete against each other in the individual sabre final on July 26. Pozdniakova, a two-time world champion and daughter of Russian Olympic Committee President Stanislav Pozdniakov, defeated Velikaya 15-11.
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Spain's Adrian Gavira Collado waits for a serve during a beach volleyball match on July 26.
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Hong Kong fencer Edgar Cheung looks at his gold medal after beating Italy's Daniele Garozzo in the men's foil final on July 26. It was Hong Kong's first gold at the Summer Olympics in 25 years.
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Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus edges the United States' Katie Ledecky to win the 400-meter freestyle on July 26. It's the first Olympic medal for Titmus, the defending world champion in the event. Ledecky won the event at the 2016 Olympics, where she set a world record that still stands today.
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Three US swimmers — from right, Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni and Bowen Becker — celebrate after winning the 4x100-meter freestyle relay on July 26. Not pictured is teammate Zach Apple, who swam the anchor leg.
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Japanese skateboarder Momiji Nishiya grinds a rail during the women's street competition on July 26. The 13-year-old won gold in the new event, a day after fellow Japanese skateboarder Yuto Horigome won gold on the men's side. She is one of the youngest gold-medal winners in Olympic history. She is just months older than the current female record-holder, American diver Marjorie Gestring, who was 13 years and 267 days old when she won gold at the Berlin Games in 1936.
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Iran's Meisam Salehi spikes the ball during a volleyball match against Venezuela on July 26.
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British divers Tom Daley, left, and Matty Lee compete in the synchronized 10-meter platform event on July 26. They won the gold.
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Norway's Kristian Blummenfelt lies on the ground wrapped in finish-line tape after he won the triathlon on July 26. On the right, silver medalist Alex Yee of Great Britain hugs bronze medalist Hayden Wilde of New Zealand.
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Norway's Richard Andre Ordemann is kicked in the face by Jordan's Saleh Elsharabaty during a taekwondo bout on July 26. Elsharabaty won 5-4.
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The US softball team celebrates its 2-1 win over Japan on July 26. The two teams will meet again in the gold-medal game July 27.
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Eldric Sella Rodriguez, a middleweight boxer with the Refugee Olympic Team, lies on the ground after being knocked down by the Dominican Republic's Euri Cedeno Martinez on July 26. The fight was stopped in the first round, and Cedeno Martinez was declared the winner.
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Athletes dive into the water at the start of the men's triathlon on July 26. A broadcast boat prevented all swimmers from starting, forcing a restart. It was the first-ever call of its kind in an Olympic triathlon.
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Japan's Hifumi Abe celebrates after winning gold in judo on Sunday, July 25.
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The Tokyo 2020 logo is reflected in the backboard as France's Evan Fournier rises for a shot on July 25. France upset the United States 83-76 in what was both teams' opening games. The US team hadn't lost an Olympic game since 2004.
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Chinese weightlifter Chen Lijun celebrates on July 25. He won gold in his 67-kilogram weight class after lifting 187 kilograms — an Olympic record — in the clean-and-jerk. His total lift of 332 kilograms edged Colombia's Luis Javier Mosquera Lozano by one kilogram.
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Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten celebrates after completing the road race on July 25. She thought she had won the gold medal, not realizing that Austria's Anna Kiesenhofer had broken away from the pack and finished first. Cyclists race without earpieces at the Olympics, and that played a part in her confusion, she said. But she was still "really proud" of her silver medal.
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US equestrian Adrienne Lyle rides Salvino in the dressage competition on July 25.
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Great Britain's Adam Peaty competes in a semifinal of the 100-meter breaststroke on July 25. Peaty, the world-record holder in the event, went on to win gold in the final. He also won the event at the 2016 Olympics.
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US gymnast Simone Biles stumbles on a balance beam dismount during the qualification event on July 25. She still qualified for the event finals, and the United States finished second in qualification for the all-around. "Obviously, there are little things we need to work on, so we'll go back and practice and work on that just so we can do our best performance at team finals (on Tuesday), because that's what matters," Biles said.
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American Anastasija Zolotic celebrates after winning gold in taekwondo on July 25. She is the first US woman to win Olympic gold in the event.
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Staff members prepare for judo competition at the Budokan arena in Tokyo.
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Spanish judoka Alberto Gaitero Martin is bandaged during his bout against Ukraine's Georgii Zantaraia on July 25.
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China's Zhang Changning spikes the ball in a preliminary-round volleyball match against Turkey on July 25.
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Mexico's Dallas Escobedo warms up before a softball game against Italy on July 25. Softball is back at the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
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American gymnast Simone Biles performs on the vault during the qualification round on July 25. The team all-around final is Tuesday, and the Americans will look to defend the gold they won at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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American swimmer Chase Kalisz celebrates after winning gold in the 400-meter individual medley on July 25. It was the first medal for the United States in this year's Olympics.
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Brazilian surfer Italo Ferreira rides a wave during an early heat on July 25. This is the first year that surfing is in the Olympics.
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Japan's Naomi Osaka hits a forehand during her first-round match against China's Zheng Saisai on July 25. Osaka won 6-1, 6-4.
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Kimia Alizadeh, a taekwondo athlete representing the Olympic Refugee Team, kicks Iran's Nahid Kiyani Chandeh during her first match on July 25. Alizadeh was born in Iran and became the country's first female athlete to win an Olympic medal when she won bronze at the 2016 Games. But she defected last year amid searing criticism of the regime in Tehran. Alizadeh defeated Chandeh 18-9.
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Marina Nekrasova, a gymnast from Azerbaijan, competes on the uneven bars during the qualification round on July 25.
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Italy's Alessandro Velotto moves the ball during a water polo match against South Africa on July 25.
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Japan's Yuto Horigome competes in street skateboarding on July 25. Horigome went on to win the first-ever Olympic gold medal in skateboarding.
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Hungarian fencer Flora Pasztor, left, competes against Algeria's Meriem Mebarki on July 25.
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Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty, the world's top-ranked player who won Wimbledon earlier this month, reacts during her first-round lossto Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo on July 25. Sorribes Tormo won 6-4, 6-3.
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Australian swimmers celebrate together after they won gold in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay on July 25. They also set a new world record (3:29.69). Clockwise from left are Meg Harris, Emma McKeon, Bronte Campbell and Cate Campbell.
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German beach-volleyball players Julia Sude and Karla Borger play Switzerland's Anouk Vergé-Dépré and Joana Heidrich in an empty Shiokaze Park on Saturday, July 24.
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Hend Zaza, the youngest Olympian this summer, competes in table tennis on July 24. The 12-year-old Syrian was knocked out in the preliminary round, losing 4-0 to Austrian Jia Liu.
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Fans wait at the finish of the men's cycling road race on July 24. The Fuji International Speedway, in Oyama, Japan, is one of the five Olympic venues open to fans this year.
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Nigerian gymnast Uche Eke competes on the horizontal bar on July 24.
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Chinese fencer Sun Yiwen celebrates with her coach Hugues Obry after winning gold in the épée on July 24.
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Chinese weightlifter Hou Zhihui competes on July 24. She set an Olympic record in her 49-kilogram weight class, lifting 94 kilograms in the snatch round and 116 kilograms in the clean-and-jerk.
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China's Yang Qian, the first gold-medal winner of these Olympics, celebrates on July 24. She finished first in the 10-meter air rifle.
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Badminton players compete amid rows of empty seats on July 24.
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A staff member picks up the mouthguard of Great Britain's Peter McGrail during a boxing match on July 24.
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Cyclists compete in the men's road race on July 24. Ecuador's Richard Carapaz won the race after breaking away in the final 10 kilometers.
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During a break in his first-round match, Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev cools down with a mobile air conditioner and a towel with ice cubes. "It was some of the worst (heat) I've ever had," he said after he beat Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik.
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Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lights the Olympic cauldron at the end of the opening ceremony on Friday, July 23.
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Fireworks go off after Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron.
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An overhead view of Osaka lighting the cauldron. The cauldron was designed in the shape of a cherry blossom.
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The Olympic flag is raised near the end of the opening ceremony.
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Live performers pose as the triathlon pictogram during the opening ceremony. There are 50 sports taking place this year in the Tokyo Olympics, and all of their pictograms were acted out by the performers.
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Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, makes a speech during the opening ceremony. At left is Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee.
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Japanese jazz composer Hiromi Uehara plays the piano during the opening ceremony.
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The Olympic flag is carried toward the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony.
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Japan's Emperor Naruhito delivers a speech and formally opens the Olympic Games.
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Members of the Refugee Olympic Team march during the parade of nations.
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Tongan flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua made headlines for going shirtless at the 2016 and 2018 opening ceremonies, and he was at it again in Tokyo. He will be competing in taekwondo.
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Athletes from the United States march during the customary parade of nations.
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During one portion of the opening ceremony, there were 1,800 drones flying over the stadium to form a globe in the night sky. As the glowing drones soared over the stadium, performers sang "Imagine" by John Lennon.
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Athletes from various nations sit during the opening ceremony.
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Athletes from Team Norway take part in the parade of nations.
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The Olympic teams from every country watch performers on stage.
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US athletes hold an American flag during the parade of nations.
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Russian athletes pose for a photo during the opening ceremony.
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A police officer is seen in the mostly empty stadium on July 23. Organizers said that for the opening ceremony, only 950 VIPs would be present in a stadium that can seat nearly 70,000 people.
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French athletes march during the opening ceremony.
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A member of Egypt's delegation enters the stadium during the parade of nations.
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British flag-bearers Hannah Mills and Mohamed Sbihi lead out the team during the opening ceremony's parade of nations. Sbihi, a rower, made history as Great Britain's first Muslim flag-bearer.
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Greece's athletes march into the stadium to kick off the parade of nations.
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Dancers take part in the start of the opening ceremony.
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People perform during the opening ceremony.
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The Japanese flag is carried during the opening ceremony. After the Japanese National Anthem was sung, a moment of silence was called to remember the global victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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A performer acts during the opening ceremony.
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The start of the ceremony reflected the isolated training that many athletes had to do during the pandemic.
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Jill Biden, the first lady of the United States, takes part in a moment of silence during the opening ceremony.
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A lone performer is seen during the start of the opening ceremony.
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A police officer gestures toward a small group of people who were protesting the Olympics outside the National Stadium on July 23. A significant portion of the Japanese public opposes holding the Olympics in the middle of a pandemic.
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Fireworks explode over the stadium as the opening ceremony got underway.
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In Europe, the pandemic has exacerbated the migrant crisis. Humanitarian organizations say that pushbacks at borders in countries such as Greece, an absence of sea rescues in the Mediterranean, and unhealthy quarantine arrangements have created huge challenges.
Restrictions on movement, as well as the closure of transport routes and processing centers, have made travel harder and more dangerous.
"The refugee issue, the migration issue, the issue of people on the move out of different necessities has become so politicized, so manipulated by unscrupulous po...
……Read full article on CNN Edition - Sport
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