Tokyo 2020 - ANOC Messages |
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Message from Acting ANOC President Robin Mitchell
As we ready ourselves for the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, we can look back fondly on what has been a wonderful two weeks of thrilling sport and unforgettable moments of solidarity and respect.
None of this would have been possible without the dedication and resolve of Tokyo 2020, the IOC and of course our gracious Japanese hosts. On behalf of our athletes, and the NOC family, we will be forever grateful to the people of Japan for staging such a safe and successful Games.
While we have one last day to enjoy, we have already been spoilt by the quality of competition on display here in Tokyo.
At the time of writing, 65 NOCs have won at least one Olympic gold medal in Tokyo. That includes Qatar Philippines and Bermuda who all won their first ever Olympic gold medals. We have also seen a record-breaking 93 NOCs win medals, including first time winners Turkmenistan, Burkina Faso and San Marino – the smallest ever country by population to win an Olympic medal.
There have been new sports and new disciplines and a greater focus on gender equality and youth than ever before. We have been treated to hundreds of world record and Olympic record-breaking displays and so many last second finishes and unexpected twists and turns which have kept us on the edge of our seats until the very end.
But of course, this Olympic Games, as all Olympic Games, is about so much more than finishing on the podium. It is about celebrating humanity and bringing the world together through our shared values. For all the records broken, there have been countless moments of friendship and sportsmanship from our inspiring athletes. Without fans, it was athletes who spurred each other on and showed great comradery, even in competition.
As ever, they have led the way and served as role models for us to follow. At a time of such difficulty and uncertainty in the world, the role our Olympians have played in bringing joy and hope to communities around the globe cannot be underestimated.
You, the NOCs, as always have done everything possible to support your teams and give them the very best opportunity to succeed. The atmosphere in the Olympic Village was fantastic and together you all sent a message of peace and unity.
As we prepare for the curtain to come down on Tokyo 2020 and the uncertainty which at times surrounded the Games, we can say with certainty it has embodied our new Olympic motto; that we really are Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together.
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ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg on her 26th Olympic Games
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 marked the 26th Olympic Games (Summer and Winter) I have had the honour of attending. Every edition I have attended has been special and Tokyo 2020 was no different.
We all owe so much to Tokyo 2020, the IOC and our gracious Japanese hosts. The Games brought the world together after a long time apart and gave the world’s best athletes the platform they deserve to showcase their talents. This is the magic of the Olympic Games; and it is something I have enjoyed at every edition I have been to over the last 50 years.
My first Games was Sapporo 1972 and now I am back in Japan at Tokyo 2020. In that time, the Games has evolved a lot. We have gone from 121 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to the proud 206-NOC family we are today. The number of athletes competing has risen from around 7,000 to more than 10,000. But, most importantly, we have gone from about 15% female athletes in 1972 to what will be full gender equality at Paris 2024.
You the NOCs, have become ever-more professional and as the demands of the athletes have increased, you too have increased the support you provide them. I have seen this support first-hand at the Athletes’ Village where I had the pleasure of staying at every Games from Sapporo to Vancouver 2010. When you add that all together, I have spent two years of my life in Athletes Villages – and what an amazing two years it has been!
The Village is the heartbeat of the Games; where athletes and NOCs live together in harmony; and where we are all united by our shared Olympic values.
While I was not in the Village in Tokyo, it was wonderful to meet with so many friends from our NOC family in Japan after such a long time apart. Tokyo 2020 was another very special moment on my Olympic Games journey and I hope I will be adding many more stops to this journey in the years ahead!
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ANOC enjoys meetings with NOCs during Tokyo 2020
After many months apart, ANOC took full advantage of the opportunity to meet with NOCs in person during Tokyo 2020.
During the Games, Acting ANOC President Robin Mitchell and ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg welcomed many NOC delegates to the ANOC office in Tokyo and met NOCs at other Games venues.
The in-person meetings allowed ANOC to share more details with the NOCs on its latest activities, understand NOCs' priorities and plans for the future, and discuss future collaboration.
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11 athletes from ANOC World Beach Games win Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020
A total of 11 athletes who competed in the ANOC World Beach Games Qatar 2019 won 10 Olympic medals here in Tokyo.
More than 50 Qatar 2019 athletes set out to compete at Tokyo 2020 and while all put in excellent performances, it was eleven who left with medals.
It was the 10km marathon swimming and kata where Qatar 2019 athletes were most successful, winning medals in both the men's and women's event.
In the women's 10km marathon swimming event, ANOC World Beach Games Champion Ana Marcela Cunha from Brazil won gold. Hungary's Kristof Rasovszky, who came 17th in the 5km open water swim at Qatar 2019, won Olympic silver.
In the women's kata, Qatar 2019 champion Sandra Sanchez of Spain won Olympic gold while Mo Sheung Grace Lau of Hong Kong won bronze. In the men's kata, Spain's Damian Quintero, who is also an ANOC World Beach Games champion, won Olympic silver, while fellow Qatar 2019 athletes Ali Sofuoglu from Turkey and Ariel Torres Gutierrez from USA won bronze.
For two debut sports at Tokyo 2020 - skateboarding and sports climbing - there was success for two Japanese ANOC World Beach Games athletes. Qatar 2019 champion Sakura Yosozumi won gold in the women's park final. Miho Nonaka who had won gold in sports climbing in Doha came away with silver in the women's combined final in Tokyo.
Lastly, on the penultimate day of the Games, Qatar's ANOC World Beach Games silver medallists Ahmed Tijan and Cherif Younousss won bronze in the men's beach volleyball.
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Burkina Faso wins first ever Olympic medal
Burkina Faso won its first ever Olympic medal in Tokyo, as Hugues Fabrice Zango won bronze in the men's triple jump. Gold was won by Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo and Zhu Yaming of People’s Republic of China took silver.
Zango managed a best jump of 17.47m to secure the historic bronze. Pichardo managed 17.98m while Zhu Yaming reached 17.57m. Read more
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Uganda secures first women's Olympic gold medal
Uganda's Peruth Chemutai won gold in the 3,000m steeplechase at Tokyo 2020 to become the first ever woman from the country to win an Olympic gold medal.
She made this piece of history with a time on 9:01.45, beating Team USA's Courtney Frerichs and Kenya's Hyvin Kiyeng.
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Namibia wins first ever women's Olympic medal
Christine Mboma won silver in the women's 200m final at Tokyo 2020, making her Namibia’s first female athlete to win a medal at the Olympic Games. Mboma set a new Namibian and under 20 world record time of 21,81 seconds.
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NOC Highlights - Americas |
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Triathlon brings Bermuda's first ever Olympic gold medal
Bermuda's Flora Duffy won her country's first ever Olympic gold medal as she was the first to cross the finish line in the women's triathlon at Odaiba Marine Park.
It was Bermuda's first Olympic gold medal and second Olympic medal of any colour. Read more
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Yulimar Rojas wins Venezuela's first women's Olympic gold medal
Yulimar Rojas won Venezuela's first women's Olympic gold medal in style at Tokyo 2020 as she set a new world record in the women's triple jump with a distance of 15.67m.“I am lost for words, I can’t describe this feeling and this moment. Gold medal winner, with an Olympic record, and a world record. Wow. It is a fantastic night," Rojas said. Read more
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Neisi Dajomes Barrera becomes the first woman to win Olympic gold medal for Ecuador
Neisi Dajomes Barrera won the women's 76kg weightlifting at Tokyo 2020 to become Ecuador's first woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
She finished with 263 points courtesy of a 118kg lift in the snatch and 145kg in the clean and jerk. Read more
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Philippines wins first ever Olympic gold
Hidilyn Diaz won the Philippines' first ever Olympic gold medal when she claimed top spot in the women’s 55-kg weightlifting category at Tokyo 2020.
In the clean and jerk, Diaz lifted a total of 224kg, one more kilogram than opponent Liao Qiuyun of People's Republic of China. Read more
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Qatar wins first ever Olympic gold medals
Team Qatar celebrated its first ever Olympic gold medals at Tokyo 2020 as it won gold in both the men's 96kg weightlifting and men's high jump.
Fares Ibrahim Elbakh won gold in the men’s 96kg weightlifting and set two new Olympic records in the process. While Mutaz Barshim shared gold in the men's high jump with Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi Read more
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Turkmenistan wins first ever Olympic medal
Turkmenistan won its first ever Olympic medal on 27 July, with Polina Guryeva of Turkmenistan claiming silver in the women's 59kg Olympic Weightlifting at Tokyo 2020 as she manged a total lift of 217kg.
It was not enough to beat Chinese Taipei's Kuo Hsing-chun won lifted an Olympic record of 236kg. Andoh Mikiko of Japan won bronze with a total lift of 214kg. Read more
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San Marino wins first ever Olympic medal
San Marino's Alessandra Perilli won bronze in the shooting women's trap at Tokyo 2020 which is the first Olympic medal the country has ever won. San Marino has a population of approximately 34,000 and becomes the NOC with the smallest population to win an Olympic medal.
"We've gone through this whole process and won this medal as a team. Now the first person I've like to say thank-you too is Luka, my coach. Read more
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Netherlands wins record fourth Olympic gold in women's hockey
The Netherlands won a record fourth Olympic title at Tokyo 2020 cementing their position as the most successful hockey nation at the Games.
"That's a dream that's come true. Never thought about scoring a goal in the Olympic final but what actually matters is the gold medal," Dutch defender Van Geffen said.
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Anna Kiesenhofer wins Austria's first cycling medal in 125 years
Anna Kiesenhofer of Austria won her country's first cycling medal in 125 years with an incredible performance on her Olympic debut in the women's cycling individual road race.
The 30-year-old led the race for the final 40km winning with a a time of 3:52:45 - a minute and 15 seconds ahead of silver medallist Van Vleuten of Netherlands, Italy's Borghini a finished 14 seconds further behind. Read more
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Fiji wins gold and bronze in men's and women's Rugby Sevens
Fiji won its second Olympic gold medal in men's Rugby Sevens in consecutive Olympic Games having previously won at Rio 2016. Two members of that Rio 2016 winning team, who also received the 2016 ANOC Award for Best Male Team, were part of the team here in Tokyo. Fiji's women's team also won bronze in Rugby Sevens at Tokyo 2020. Read more
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Lisa Carrington becomes New Zealand's most successful Olympian of all time
New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington won three gold medals at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to become the most decorated Olympian in her country's history with six Olympic medals and five gold.
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Emma McKeon becomes Australia's most decorated Olympian of all time
Emma McKeon won gold in the women's 50m freestyle to take her medal tally at Tokyo 2020 to seven and become Australia's most decorated Olympian of all time.
McKeon swam a record 23:81 in the 50m freestyle which broke her own Olympic record of 24:00 she set on the previous day. Read more
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