A number of Africa’s finest sportsmen and women failed to make the Tokyo Olympic Games for a variety of reasons that in the most part had little to do with performance.



By Nick Said



The Tokyo Olympic Games were for some athletes the pinnacle of their career and a stage for outstanding achievements, but for others, the Japan National Stadium (the venue of the Games) will always represent a field of broken dreams.



A number of Africa’s finest sportsmen and women failed to make it to the Games, which was held from July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo, for a variety of reasons that in the most part had little to do with performance.



Amidst the ecstasy of winning a gold medal, there is always equal pain being felt elsewhere, leaving some of the continent’s top stars at a crossroads in their hugely successful careers. 



The most high-profile of these is two-time former 800-metersOlympics champion Caster Semenya, who failed in her bid to qualify for the Games in the 5,000-meters, having been forced into the longer distance by World Athletics’ regulations for athletes with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD) who wish to compete in races from 400-meters to a mile.



Athletes such as Semenya, Francine Niyonsaba from Burundi and Kenya’s Margaret Wambui, were forced into the sporting wilderness in their chosen distance in a ruling described by Come Damien Georges Awoumou, minister- counsellor at the Cameroon mission to the United Nations, as having the “same effect as apartheid, one of the international crimes against humanity”, which he said at a special debate on sports and human rights at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.



The latest to fall foul of the regulations were Namibian teenagers Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi, who were in blistering form in the 400-meters ahead of the games and seen as genuine medal contenders until World Athletics barred them from competing over that distance. Semenya is taking the fight, not just for herself, but all DSD athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone, to the European Court of Human Rights, who are likely to make a ruling later this year on whether the regulations should be suspended.



She has not given up on competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and there will be many other athletes from the global south hoping she wins.



“The ban doesn’t make sense at all. But hey, that’s none of my business. I’ll leave it up to the right people to handle the situation, I’ll keep fighting for my rights,” Semenya said in June to Belgian television after finishing fourth in a 5,000-meter race in Liège, Belgium.



“Of course I hope the rule changes. I’m an 800-meters runner. There’s no doubt about that. I keep hoping that I can run my preferred number (distance). But right now my focus is on being healthy. To be an inspiration for young athletes. I will continue to fight for my rights.”



Says a spokesperson at World Athletics: “For many years, World Athletics has fought for and defended equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls in our sport today and in the future. Throughout this long battle, World Athletics has always maintained that its regulations are lawful and legitimate, and that they represent a reasonable, necessary and proportionate means of ensuring the rights of all female athletes to participate on fair and equal terms. It has rejected the suggestion that they infringe any athlete’s human rights, including the right to dignity and the right to bodily integrity.”



Kenya’s David Rudisha, regarded as the greatest 800-meters runner in history and a double-Olympic champion in 2012 and 2016, missed the Tokyo Games after a succession of injury setbacks.



He was desperate to compete but had not run since 2017 following ankle, leg and back injuries, as well as a serious car accident in which his SUV was written off when he collided head-on with a bus in Nairobi.



His race to be fit and in shape to fight for a gold medal was hampered, in part, by the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant limited training and competition.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Covid-19 ruled Nigerian basketball star Michael Eric out of the Games after he admitted to battling with the after- effects of the virus.</blockquote>



Two of Kenya’s other current greats were also high- profile absentees as world 1,500-meters champion Timothy Cheruiyot and 2016 Olympic 3000-meters steeplechase winner Conseslus Kipruto both failed to make the team.



At the Kenyan trials, Cheruiyot, who had not finished worse than second in any race for four years, was passed down the final straight and finished fourth to drop out of contention.



Kipruto won the World Championship titles in 2017 and 2019, but soon after the second of those wins, was reportedly charged with sexual assault and has entered just three races since, without finishing any of them. Neither have commented on their futures.



South African long-jump silver medalist from the 2016 Games, Luvo Manyonga, a self-confessed former methamphetamine addict who missed the 2012 Olympics because of an 18-month drugs ban, cleaned up his act to be one of South Africa’s stars at the Games in Rio de Janeiro five years ago. But he was handed a four-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in June after missing three scheduled drugs tests having not provided details of his whereabouts as required by the AIU.



Covid-19 ruled Nigerian basketball star Michael Eric out of the Games after he admitted to battling with the after- effects of the virus, saying “my health and physical shape went through a traumatic experience”. It shone a spotlight on the effects the virus has on athletes’ bodies, and how it is not just performance that can suffer, but confidence too.



And then there were some who were simply not released by their employers to compete – among the most high-profile of these being Liverpool and Egypt striker Mo Salah.



He was desperate to feature at the Games, but Liverpool reportedly refused to allow him to travel as it would have meant a disrupted pre-season and start to the new English Premier League campaign.

Ian MacNicol Archive

If Not Tokyo, Then Paris 2024?

South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold at the Olympics in Tokyo on Friday, setting the tone for Uganda and Ethiopia following on the leader board. With more events still to unfold, there is still room for strong showings.



South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker brought home the continent’s first gold medal on Friday, in the process smashing the world record for the women’s 200m breaststroke, with a finishing time of 2:18.95.



The 24-year old became the first female South African swimmer to win gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in a quarter of a century, delivering a supreme performance to finish ahead of America’s Lilly King and Annie Lazor. Emotional at her victory, Schoenmaker was still in the water when she saw the scoreboards indicate she had set a new world record, and shrieked with delight before being congratulated by her rivals, and earning her second medal for the games so far after having won the silver in the women’s 100m breaststroke earlier in the week. Schoenmaker received a surprise congratulatory phone call from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday after her victory. Given the tumultuous few weeks the country has seen, the president had some supportive and unifying words for the swimmer, who was strongly celebrated back home.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="736" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-1024x736.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-52007" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-1024x736.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-300x216.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-768x552.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-1536x1104.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1331501475-2048x1472.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>TOKYO, JAPAN &#8211; JULY 30: Gold Medalist Tatjana Schoenmaker of South Africa during the medal ceremony of the 200m Breaststroke final on day seven of the swimming competition of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Aquatics Centre on July 30, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



 “You have lifted the country,” said Ramaphosa in a recording of the clip released by the Presidency, “Thank you so much. It was just unbelievable. You have done this for the country and for yourself and we honour you &#8230; we are really delighted to have seen this unbelievable performance.&#8221; South Africa leads the continent’s medals at the games so far, which has seen Ethiopia’s Selemon Berega win gold for the men’s 10,000m, and Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei set world records in three different events at the games so far. South Africa currently stands at one gold and two silver medals, Uganda with one silver and one bronze, and Ethiopia with one gold. With many of the athletics events still to come, there is still plenty of room for the teams to bring more success and glory to their countries.

Swimming – Olympics: Day 7

Making A Splash And More Glory

TOPLINE The Tokyo 2020 Games are now in the path of a tropical storm, weather agencies warn, yet another threat athletes must face as they battle searing heat and a growing number Covid-19 infections, a far cry from organizers’ assurances of a “safe and secure” Games with “mild” weather.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Tropical Storm Nepartak&nbsp;<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/25/national/tropical-storm-nepartak/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">could</a>&nbsp;make landfall in Japan on Tuesday, the country’s Meteorological Agency forecast Sunday, which warned of heavy rain, strong winds and high waves.



It is&nbsp;<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/asia-pacific/564745-tokyo-olympics-threatened-by-tropical-storm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">possible</a>&nbsp;Nepartak could hit Tokyo or its surrounding region and organizers have moved&nbsp;<a href="https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/olympics-tokyo-braces-storm-snarls-091502305.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rowing</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/no-plans-reschedule-any-more-events-storm-approaches-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">archery</a>&nbsp;events from Tuesday to avoid the weather.&nbsp;



Officials say they have no plans to reschedule other events due to the storm and on Monday said they&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/news/possible-impact-of-tropical-storm-no-8-on-the-games" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expect</a>&nbsp;it to “have limited impact on the Games.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



In addition to the impending tropical storm, athletes are also dealing with outbreaks of Covid-19 and scorching heat and humidity as the Japanese capital endures a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/heat-wave-hits-tokyo-olympic-organizers-battle-keep-covid-rates-n1274899" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heatwave</a>&nbsp;that could make it the hottest Olympic Games on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">record</a>.&nbsp;



Despite Organizers<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/20/as-record-heat-threatens-tokyo-olympics-heres-what-climate-change-means-for-future-sporting-events/?sh=11a204d84fb2">&nbsp;taking steps&nbsp;</a>to mitigate the worst of Tokyo’s stifling summer, beach volleyball players complained the sand is too hot to play on, leading tennis players slammed the “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/tokyo-olympics-heat-11627186166" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brutal</a>” conditions on court and a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/heat-wave-hits-tokyo-olympic-organizers-battle-keep-covid-rates-n1274899" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Russian archer collapsing during</a>&nbsp;a qualifying round.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



On Monday, officials&nbsp;<a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Tokyo-2020-Olympics/Tokyo-heat-and-typhoon-compound-Olympics-complications" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;16 more people linked to the Games had tested positive for Covid-19, including three athletes, bringing the total since July 1 to 148.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



While the Covid-19 pandemic has been a major concern for organizers—leading to a year-long delay and an unprecedented Games devoid of spectators—Tokyo’s lethal combination of high heat and high humidity has been the overarching health concern for officials since before the city won its bid to host. Tokyo’s Medical Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>&nbsp;that holding the games in July and August was “a serious issue even before the coronavirus pandemic” and the last time the city hosted in 1964 events took place in October after the worst of the heat had dissipated. As&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/20/as-record-heat-threatens-tokyo-olympics-heres-what-climate-change-means-for-future-sporting-events/?sh=11a204d84fb2">climate change</a>&nbsp;pushes temperatures higher around the world, these issues will increase, as will disruption from storms.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h3>



Official’s touted Tokyo’s “<a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210712-heat-risks-add-to-challenges-for-tokyo-s-pandemic-hit-olympics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mild</a>” weather in the city’s successful Olympic bid. It beat out Doha, Qatar, which is due to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup in cooled statia in November due to the scorching heat. In the 2019 World Championships marathon, held in Doha, 28 out of 68 starters&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/49860159" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pulled</a>&nbsp;out due to the conditions, with one runner being taken away in an ambulance. The race had started at midnight in an attempt to avoid the worst of Qatar’s heat.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



Nepartak was initially forecast as a typhoon, though was downgraded to a tropical storm.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/20/as-record-heat-threatens-tokyo-olympics-heres-what-climate-change-means-for-future-sporting-events/?sh=11a204d84fb2">As Record Heat Threatens Tokyo Olympics, Here&#8217;s What Climate Change Means For Future Sporting Events</a>&nbsp;(Forbes )



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/07/19/did-olympic-athletes-need-to-be-vaccinated-no---and-now-more-are-testing-positive-for-covid-19/?sh=6fb0b9244db7">Did Olympic Athletes Need To Be Vaccinated? No — And Now More Are Testing Positive For Covid-19.</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/07/25/national/tropical-storm-nepartak/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tropical Storm Nepartak could make Olympic landfall near Tokyo</a>&nbsp;(Japan Times)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=6391c81f2a27">Top Golfer Jon Rahm The Latest To Pull Out Of Tokyo Olympics Due To Covid — Here’s The Full List</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/20/tokyo-olympics-fears-athletes-could-face-hottest-games-on-record?CMP=twt_a-world_b-gdnworld" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Olympics: fears athletes could face hottest Games on record</a> (Guardian)



By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff

Tokyo 2020 – Triathlon

Tokyo Olympics Threatened By Extreme Heat And Tropical Storm As Another 16 People Test Positive For Covid-19

TOPLINE Some of the youngest athletes in the history of the modern Olympic games are competing in Tokyo this summer, and despite their young ages, they’re not here to play—even just a few days into competition, they’re already breaking records in their events.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Tokyo’s youngest competitor was 12-year-old Syrian table tennis prodigy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/07/24/first-round-exit-for-12-year-old-table-tennis-prodigy-hend-zaza-the-youngest-athlete-at-tokyo-olympics/?sh=52e70d661cd9">Hend Zaza</a>, who exited the Games Saturday after losing 4-0 in her first round match against Austria’s Liu Jia.



The second-youngest Tokyo Olympian is 12-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/skateboarding/athlete-profile-n1315697-hiraki-kokona.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kokona Hiraki</a>, a Japanese skateboarder who is Japan’s youngest athlete to ever represent the country in a Summer Games.



Hiraki isn’t the only child skateboarder competing in Tokyo: she’ll go up against Great Britain’s&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/skateboarding/athlete-profile-n1440048-brown-sky.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sky Brown</a>, who just turned 13 this month, making her Team GB’s youngest Summer Olympics competitor ever.



Another one of the Games’ youngest competitors is China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/diving/athlete-profile-n1409063-quan-hongchan.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Quang Hongchan</a>, who is competing as a diver in the women’s 10-meter platform event at just 14 years old.



Another 14-year-old, Canada’s&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/swimming/athlete-profile-n1459618-mcintosh-summer.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Summer McIntosh</a>, set a new Canadian swimming record Sunday when she finished a 400-meter freestyle heat in 4:02.72.



<a href="https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/swimming/athlete-profile-n1869712-grimes-katie.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Katie Grimes</a>, a 15-year-old swimmer, is the youngest member of the U.S. swim team since gold medal recordholder Katie Ledecky, who debuted in the Olympics at age 15 and, now 24, called Grimes “<a href="https://www.insider.com/katie-ledecky-katie-grimes-video-usa-swimming-tokyo-olympics-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the future</a>” of the sport during Olympic trials.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surprising-fact">SURPRISING FACT</h2>



The youngest Olympian in the modern history of the games to win a medal was 10-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://olympics.com/en/athletes/dimitrios-loundras#" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dimitrios Loundras</a>, a Greek gymnast who helped his team win a bronze medal in team parallel bars at the 1896 Athens Summer Games. Loundras never competed in another Games, but did serve on Greece’s Olympic committee as an adult.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



There is no universal minimum age for Olympians set by the International Olympic Committee, but individual sports have eligibility limits. Gymnasts, for example, must be 16 years old to compete at the Games, while boxers must have turned 18. Olympic skateboarding, notably, has no minimum age requirement, opening the door for young competitors like Brown and Hiraki.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The young athletes competing in Tokyo this year are doing so during an unprecedented Games. After a year’s delay over the coronavirus pandemic, the Games are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/07/23/tokyo-olympics-opening-ceremony-in-photos-drones-fly-athletes-celebrate-in-muted-kickoff-to-summer-games/?sh=4307fcdd28ed">going forward</a>&nbsp;with strict pandemic protocols in place. On Sunday, organizers said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=2c142c9e2a27">137 people</a>&nbsp;connected to the Olympics had tested positive for coronavirus, including more than a dozen Olympians who have since been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=2c142c9e2a27">pulled from competing</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/07/25/see-skateboarders-and-surfers-make-their-olympic-debut-in-tokyo-photos/?sh=38389bc66e85">See Skateboarders And Surfers Make Their Olympic Debut In Tokyo</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/07/24/first-round-exit-for-12-year-old-table-tennis-prodigy-hend-zaza-the-youngest-athlete-at-tokyo-olympics/?sh=52e70d661cd9">12-Year Old Syrian Table Tennis Prodigy, The Youngest Athlete At Tokyo Olympics, Exits After First Round</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=2c142c9e2a27">Top Golfer Jon Rahm The Latest To Pull Out Of Tokyo Olympics Due To Covid — Here’s The Full List</a> (Forbes)



By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff

Table Tennis – Olympics: Day 1

Meet The Youngest Olympians Competing At The Tokyo Games

TOPLINE: <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/07/24/olympic-ratings-fall-sharply-nbc-says-17-million-watched-opening-ceremony-in-us/">Millions of people</a> all around the world are tuning into hours of Olympics events this week, but many athletes competing in Tokyo have taken to the app TikTok to show followers what it’s like at the Olympic Village during the Games, often going viral in the process.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



The first Olympic meme to go viral in Tokyo showed athletes jumping on beds in the Olympic Village in TikTok videos after rumors swirled that the bedframes were <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2021/07/19/the-anti-sex-cardboard-beds-of-the-olympics-explained/">made of cardboard</a> to prevent Olympians from having sex and breaking pandemic protocol—as Argentian basketball players Fran Caffaro and Tayavek Gallizzi proved in one viral video, the beds are <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@caffarof/video/6987334212575661317?sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6985254902423651845&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;is_copy_url=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sturdier than they appear</a>. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@caffarof/video/6987334212575661317" data-video-id="6987334212575661317" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@caffarof" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@caffarof?refer=embed">@caffarof</a> Trying the Olympic cardboard beds with 480 pounds ✅ <a title="olympics" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/olympics?refer=embed">#olympics</a> <a title="olympics2020" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/olympics2020?refer=embed">#olympics2020</a> <a title="olympics2021" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/olympics2021?refer=embed">#olympics2021</a> <a title="tokyo" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tokyo?refer=embed">#tokyo</a> <a title="tokyo2020" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tokyo2020?refer=embed">#tokyo2020</a> <a title="tokyo2021" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tokyo2021?refer=embed">#tokyo2021</a> <a title="argentina" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/argentina?refer=embed">#argentina</a> <a title="arg" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/arg?refer=embed">#arg</a> <a title="basketball" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/basketball?refer=embed">#basketball</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ Ball If I Want To - DaBaby" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Ball-If-I-Want-To-6973722766373570561?refer=embed">♬ Ball If I Want To &#8211; DaBaby</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
</div></figure>



Another Olympian to go viral on the platform was 18-year-old American diver <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tylerdownss/video/6987483523921759494?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowZOCeYM74c7smjs9j2t9d2hdqGShs15DmVJ6An2lCcWAf2bkIlxjyD4ymaqLKwRcdGgA%3D&amp;checksum=8faa4d9fa95d7d2172a291e052b5ffe615c27c2a49dc8d9d2aa96c615811a051&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAawoof_42mR5wsC_7K-cVTbyU_yuD_TYlZTWRUr1ihRZB__7r6cvd2kPiri1djYbt&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6987483523921759494&amp;share_link_id=EE332493-9D78-4F56-B9E4-9079FE689AC0&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1627137553&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=d8gk1d6c01khe4&amp;user_id=6743866028382520325&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tyler Downs</a>, who posted a relatable video about wanting to meet star gymnast Simone Biles, another member of Team USA, during the Games.



American rugby player Ilona Maher has posted a variety of behind-the-scenes videos of the Games to her TikTok account—in one, she describes scouting the Olympic Village for a “tall foreign demigod”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ilonamaher/video/6988449598331292933?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgow7QAObZXXM7GgvVsgCfc1ajnhQ%2FTqFW4rp8tmF53rsnVvHy4Z8F%2Bgt%2Bb3YNklcdcjGgA%3D&amp;checksum=3267ca6e011fd4fbbe682bc0e8d877db285d345f7dd7b8ccc95eaeb274f61ca9&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAawoof_42mR5wsC_7K-cVTbyU_yuD_TYlZTWRUr1ihRZB__7r6cvd2kPiri1djYbt&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6988449598331292933&amp;share_link_id=0F65B3AE-1FC5-4C61-81BD-8CF13AD90AAB&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1627139729&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=d8gk1d6c01khe4&amp;user_id=6743866028382520325&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">athlete to marry</a>, and in another she shows off the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ilonamaher/video/6987899983349468421?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowcnp4waqdE1Ssr%2BGeXdaF%2Fm4Rgi0tFXODlCpQ4IScJXBB8XDE2CjnZJgU1cYXmryEGgA%3D&amp;checksum=7d197536761b74e810a6c5c8810da5b43f95d111619795531eedabd7ad12f799&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAawoof_42mR5wsC_7K-cVTbyU_yuD_TYlZTWRUr1ihRZB__7r6cvd2kPiri1djYbt&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6981535158310636806&amp;share_link_id=98A16295-D4F3-4037-BAD7-585089AE4336&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1627173431&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=d8gk1d6c01khe4&amp;user_id=6743866028382520325&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ralph Lauren and Nike gear</a>&nbsp;Team USA athletes were gifted.



American fencer Courtney Hurley posted a video showing the room she shares at the Olympic Village with sister and fellow Team USA fencer Kelley Hurley, pointing out how the their sides of the room&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thishurleygurrl/video/6988762823237192965?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgow3JB%2F9buF7YtzxqYOACq90UfMLtmWk6%2BQ4q8vRbXcV6TCfeQb%2FAzDaErU93ho0IwIGgA%3D&amp;checksum=01b42ed0de7c93acb9da248aecaa7862df3b2a58271dd3de2d43a5a8bcc1535d&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAawoof_42mR5wsC_7K-cVTbyU_yuD_TYlZTWRUr1ihRZB__7r6cvd2kPiri1djYbt&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6987706776510565637&amp;share_link_id=B7CB069C-0530-49AE-AF70-FBAE97B56E8D&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1627213849&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=d8gk1d6c01khe4&amp;user_id=6743866028382520325&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">differ in neatness</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@thishurleygurrl/video/6988762823237192965" data-video-id="6988762823237192965" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@thishurleygurrl" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thishurleygurrl?refer=embed">@thishurleygurrl</a> This will be our third Olympics together&#8230;I&#8217;m not getting any better🥲<a title="olympicgames" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/olympicgames?refer=embed">#olympicgames</a> <a title="olympics" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/olympics?refer=embed">#olympics</a> <a title="olympicspirit" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/olympicspirit?refer=embed">#olympicspirit</a> <a title="foryoupage" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryoupage?refer=embed">#foryoupage</a> <a title="fyp" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed">#fyp</a> <a title="teamusa" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/teamusa?refer=embed">#teamusa</a> <a title="tokyoolympics" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tokyoolympics?refer=embed">#tokyoolympics</a> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - N." href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6807611482092751621?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; N.</a> </section> </blockquote> <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
</div></figure>



American swimmer Regan Smith and several teammates used a spare moment during practice at a Tokyo pool to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@regansmith40/video/6988345232916090117?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowGG4HT8HB%2F4q6UjX4zzBaGsds6d1SfVwApvin%2BmEHazHHh%2F4xGCOwTmlZT8cx21gpGgA%3D&amp;checksum=7ab48b0191c49a5b3e39fd5076a853649bb0b9beba207a68efce6a6c77cd3a20&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAawoof_42mR5wsC_7K-cVTbyU_yuD_TYlZTWRUr1ihRZB__7r6cvd2kPiri1djYbt&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6988345232916090117&amp;share_link_id=0C9786E2-1B37-45C8-862C-14A34CC973C9&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1627137510&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=d8gk1d6c01khe4&amp;user_id=6743866028382520325&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">jokingly recreate</a> a video that went viral last year of a baby being <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/davidmack/viral-tiktok-of-baby-being-thrown-into-pool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tossed into a pool</a> during an infant swimming lesson.



Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns responded to a video from Australian rugby player Kennedy Cherrington about athlete hairstyles,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@tillykearns/video/6985395534529940742?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgowZyYjpAP7r6LlAhiEvfdKQ4iPXh9D8fgCLM8yJsXnPHpGek3d4ve2IUBzEVO%2F5M2OGgA%3D&amp;checksum=a8c3128e6c627a8c52d2a021d69185bca4f8867769f2544ad6d0e04953877c38&amp;language=en&amp;preview_pb=0&amp;sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAawoof_42mR5wsC_7K-cVTbyU_yuD_TYlZTWRUr1ihRZB__7r6cvd2kPiri1djYbt&amp;share_app_id=1233&amp;share_item_id=6985395534529940742&amp;share_link_id=F0A272D2-F24D-48D2-A5C5-3A6B796B9108&amp;source=h5_m&amp;timestamp=1627215155&amp;tt_from=copy&amp;u_code=d8gk1d6c01khe4&amp;user_id=6743866028382520325&amp;utm_campaign=client_share&amp;utm_medium=ios&amp;utm_source=copy&amp;_r=1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poking fun</a>&nbsp;at the tight swim caps water sport competitors wear.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Olympian TikTok videos give viewers an inside look at the Olympic Village during an unprecedented Games. With host city Tokyo reporting an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/07/22/tokyo-reports-its-highest-covid-case-count-since-january-on-eve-of-olympic-games/?sh=18e18b307e06">increase in new cases</a>, athletes undergo regular testing and follow strict protocol to prevent new infections. According to organizers,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=2c142c9e2a27">137 people</a>&nbsp;had tested positive in relation to the Olympics on Sunday. Most recently, top golfers Jon Rahm from Spain and Bryson DeChambeau from the U.S were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=2c142c9e2a27">pulled from the Games</a>&nbsp;after being diagnosed with coronavirus.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/25/top-golfer-jon-rahm-the-latest-to-pull-out-of-tokyo-olympics-due-to-covid---heres-the-full-list/?sh=2c142c9e2a27">Top Golfer Jon Rahm The Latest To Pull Out Of Tokyo Olympics Due To Covid — Here’s The Full List</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/07/23/at-least-100-us-athletes-unvaccinated-as-tokyo-2020-olympic-games-kick-off/?sh=1a860519617a">At Least 100 U.S. Athletes Unvaccinated As Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Kick Off</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/07/19/did-olympic-athletes-need-to-be-vaccinated-no---and-now-more-are-testing-positive-for-covid-19/?sh=6fb0b9244db7">Did Olympic Athletes Need To Be Vaccinated? No — And Now More Are Testing Positive For Covid-19.</a> (Forbes)



By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff

Opening Ceremony – Olympics: Day 0

Olympians Go Viral On TikTok For Showing Behind-The-Scenes Of Tokyo Olympics

TOPLINE Three foreign athletes residing in the Olympic village and 16 other people linked to the Tokyo Olympics have tested positive for Covid-19, the games’ organizers announced on Friday, marking a record daily rise in cases tied to the event just hours before the opening ceremony is scheduled to kick off.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



According to the organizing committee, the three infected athletes include two from the Czech Republic and one from the Netherlands,&nbsp; who are now undergoing a 14-day period of isolation,&nbsp;Kyodo News&nbsp;<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/6d30a069f5aa-19-olympic-linked-covid-cases-reported-on-opening-ceremony-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.



It’s unclear how many athletes have been identified as close contacts to the three positive cases, but they will not be required to enter isolation and will be allowed to compete if they test negative within six hours of the start of their events.



The 16 other people who tested positive include three contractors and three members of the media, the organizers said without offering additional details.



A total of 106 Covid-19 cases linked to the Olympics have been recorded since July 1, when the organizers started offering daily updates.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



1,979. That’s the total number of Covid-19 cases&nbsp;<a href="https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;in Tokyo on Thursday, the highest daily count since mid-January. After flattening out last month, cases in Tokyo began to rise in July, forcing the Japanese government to impose a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/07/08/japan-declares-covid-emergency-in-tokyo-olympics-likely-to-have-no-fans-in-attendance/?sh=561896294e7c">state of emergency</a>&nbsp;in the national capital.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



The steady rise in the number of cases linked to the Olympics has raised questions about the adequacy of the safety measures put in place for the mega event. Experts have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/olympic-village-covid-19-infection-bubble-already-broken-health-expert-2021-07-20/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>&nbsp;that the Olympic’s Covid-19 bubble has already been breached and it could lead to a larger outbreak that may spill into the Japanese population. Visiting athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are expected to follow a stringent set of pandemic-related rules which were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/archive/2021/06/?sh=47defdb81f67">unveiled last month</a>. Under the rules, all participating athletes and officials will be screened for the virus daily and are required to provide saliva samples at set times. Athletes, who can only stay in officially approved accommodations, will have their movements restricted and will be subject to GPS tracking by officials.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/6d30a069f5aa-19-olympic-linked-covid-cases-reported-on-opening-ceremony-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">19 Olympic-linked COVID cases reported on opening ceremony day</a>&nbsp;(Kyodo News)



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/olympic-village-covid-19-infection-bubble-already-broken-health-expert-2021-07-20/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Olympics-Athletes&#8217; village COVID-19 isolation bubble already &#8216;broken&#8217; &#8211; health expert</a> (Reuters)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

Nineteen New Olympic Covid-19 Cases Reported On Opening Ceremony Day Including Three Foreign Athletes

TOPLINE The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday announced that it will ban the sale of alcohol at venues and stringent rules that spectators attending the games will have to follow as Tokyo enters its final month of preparation before the games begin on July 23.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the Tokyo games’ organizing committee, told reporters that the organizers have decided to ban the sale of alcohol at games venues following “experts’ advice” and added that event sponsor Asahi Breweries agreed with the decision.



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/tokyo-olympics-alcohol-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;Japan Times, the games’ organizers had been considering a plan to allow the sale of alcohol with some restrictions but the initial plan provoked public outcry in the country.



Spectators coming to venues will be required to wear masks and face temperature checks—attendees who display high temperature or any other Covid symptoms will not be allowed to enter and received no refunds.



Because of Japan’s summer heat, spectators will be allowed to remove their masks at outdoor venues if they can ensure there is a two-meter gap between them and other spectators, Kyodo News&nbsp;<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/3b3748b7440a-tokyo-marks-1-month-until-pandemic-hit-olympics.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.



Inside the venue, spectators are barred from making direct contact with others, cheering loudly, giving high-fives, towel-waving or asking for autographs from athletes.



All attendees will be asked to retain their ticket stubs or ticketing data for at least two weeks after they attend an event as the organizers plan to post the seat number and date of attendance of any attendee who tests positive after the event.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



“The festive mood will have to be suppressed—that has become a major challenge,” Hashimoto told reporters&nbsp;<a href="https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics-2020/no-booze-no-autographs-tokyo-2020-unveils-fan-rules-with-a-month-to-go-2470267" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;AFP. “People can feel joy in their hearts, but they can&#8217;t be loud, and they have to avoid crowds. Those are the areas where we need to be creative, and we are putting in a lot of effort to come up with a new way of celebrating.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike did not make a public appearance on Wednesday as she has taken a break from official duties and is resting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tokyo-governor-koike-taking-break-this-week-due-fatigue-nhk-2021-06-22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">due to severe fatigue</a>. Citing sources Kyodo News reported she was admitted to hospital in the capital on Tuesday.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



After weeks of speculation, the organizers Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/06/21/domestic-spectators-can-attend-tokyo-olympics-attendance-to-be-capped-at-10000/?sh=2b784d306950">announced</a>&nbsp;that domestic fans will be allowed to attend events at the Tokyo Olympics, but venues will have a spectator limit of 10,000 or up to 50% of capacity to minimize the risk of spreading Covid-19. The decision came as Tokyo and several other Japanese regions exited their Covid state of emergency. However, the Japanese capital is expected to remain under a quasi-emergency state until July 11. The cap on attendance at the Olympic events mirrors the rules laid out by the Japanese government for all other large events like music concerts and local sports—although the serving of alcohol is allowed at these other events. Following the announcement, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide told reporters that if a new state of emergency is declared during the games due to the pandemic, the event may then have to take place behind closed doors. Suga’s sentiment was echoed by Koike, who said the organizers will revisit the decision and consider going forward without any spectators should there be a “major dramatic change in the infection situation.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-2020-tokyo-olympics-olympic-games-coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-b0c7951989b4b0b61ddde7f8ec9c8429" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo shapes up to be No-Fun Olympics with many rules, tests</a>&nbsp;(Associated Press)



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/tokyo-olympics-alcohol-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Games organizers backtrack, banning alcohol at Olympic venues</a>&nbsp;(Japan Times)



<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/e6ab72f27ed6-feature-tokyo-olympic-chief-pins-hopes-on-smooth-opening-in-1-months-time.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Olympic chief pins hopes on smooth opening in 1 month&#8217;s time</a> (Kyodo News)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Venue Tour

No Alcohol, No Autographs, No Cheers: Tokyo Olympics Organizers Unveil Rules For Spectators

Japan, a tea-drinking nation, is one of South Africa’s biggest importers of rooibos tea. In 2018, a record high of 2,000 tonnes of the homegrown blend was shipped off to the land of the rising sun.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



A tea room filled with reverence for the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. 



But first, the facts. To understand tea-drinking in Japan,
it is important to go through the following motions, starting with the communal
practice known as chadō (the way of tea) that is older than 800 years, in
which, in a hand-decorated cast iron bowl, green powder, known as matcha, is
whisked to make a dark green tea to be offered to guests. 



Tea was first brought to Japan from China in the seventh
century for medicinal purposes, and was regarded as a commodity that was
exclusively accessible to the noble and elite. 



According to Japanese historical beliefs, Myōan Eisai, a
Buddhist priest who introduced the school of Zen Buddhism to Japan, was one of
the first to inculcate the culture of tea in Japan. 



He wrote a book on the health benefits of drinking tea, as
well as the cultivation and preparation of green tea. 



By the thirteenth century, the tea drinking culture grew in
popularity among warriors and the elite, and by the sixteenth century, tea had
become a favorite for all social classes. 



Tea schools opened and the art of making tea gradually
evolved to more than just being a spiritual practice in Japan. 



It became one of respect with shared peace and friendship. 



The tea room is traditionally surrounded by a garden with a
tranquil atmosphere, emphasized by dull flowers without strong scents, to avoid
distraction.



A low entrance into the tea room suggests that guests are to
bow as a gesture of respect for the ceremony. 



Every movement, gesture and aesthetic, from the preparation
to the enjoyment of the tea, is designed to express friendship and
harmony.&nbsp; Guests watch on as the host
shares the moment and finally presents it to them, kneeling on cushions.



Once the bowl has circulated among the guests, it is handed
back to the host.The tools are cleaned and the ceremony is closed.



The Red Bush



Over 14,000kms away, across the Indian Ocean, a South
African enjoys a hot cup of ‘red tea.’



Its preparation may not be as dramatic as it is in Japan,
but it evokes the same sense of calm and serenity. It’s simply made by adding
tealeaves or a tea bag into a cup of boiling water, a few teaspoons of sugar
and having “a date with time”, as Swaady Martin, the founder of Yswara, an
African tea and teatime company, puts it. 



Martin, who has been in the tea industry for seven years,
with a focus on gourmet African teas, has tasted and sourced blends from
Malawi, Kenya and Rwanda but the South African rooibos is her favorite. 



“Rooibos is not a tea, it is a plant. I find it a miraculous
and wonderous plant. The fact that it only grows in one region of South Africa,
and that it has all these incredible properties, makes it a plant I love
dearly. I drink rooibos almost every day,” she says.&nbsp; 



Located in the heart of Johannesburg’s central business
district (CBD), Martin’s tea room, which is currently being refurbished,
embodies what she calls a meditative appeal that coincides with the tranquil
properties of tea. 



Tea lovers step into a room filled with silence and walls
done up in light pink hues representing a sunset in the desert.&nbsp; 



This is to encourage focus on the tea, as it represents the
removal of&nbsp; barriers between the
different social classes. 



“We have suffered in South Africa and also around the world,
with so much exclusion, the one thing that was important for Yswara was to give
inclusive luxury. For me, inclusiveness means being in a place where everyone
could have access.



“Being in town (CBD) was just that expression of being in
the midst of everything and everyone; and at the junction of what represents
the new South Africa,” Martin says. 



A South African Rooibos Council (SARC) industry fact sheet
published in 2018 states that the country’s geographical areas provide the perfect
environmental conditions for rooibos cultivation. 



The plant can be found in the Cederberg and Sandveld regions
of the Western Cape and the Bokkeveld area of the Northern Cape.



“The vital characteristics of this environment are the
Mediterranean climate with a winter rainfall between 200mm and 450mm per year;
deep, coarse and acidic sandy soils; and temperatures that can range from zero
degrees Celsius in winter months, to up to forty-five degrees Celsius in
summer,” the report says. 



Due to the indigenous properties of the Rooibos bush,
industry regulations stipulate that the term ‘rooibos’ be used responsibly. 



“The terms ‘Rooibos’, ‘red bush’, ‘Rooibostee’, ‘Rooibos
tea’, ‘rooitee’ and ‘Rooibosch’ may only be used when the dry product, infusion
or extract is 100% pure rooibos. Furthermore, the notice stipulates that the
above terms (referring to rooibos) can only be used when the product was grown
in the geographic area as described in the application, i.e., the winter
rainfall area of South Africa,” the SARC report states. 



This uniquely-grown product is becoming&nbsp; a big deal across the globe, and the
tea-drinking nation, Japan, has fallen in love with the health benefits that the
South African tea provides. 



In 2016, rooibos exports increased to over 30 countries
across the globe; with Germany, Netherlands, Japan, the United Kingdom and the
United States (US) being the biggest importers. 



In 2018, one of the largest tea-drinking nations recorded
over 2,000 tonnes that were shipped into the Japanese shores, making it the
largest export since rooibos was first introduced to the Japanese 39 years ago.




For Martin Bergh, the Managing Director of Rooibos Limited
and the Chairperson of the SARC, the tea has been up against competition in the
Japanese tea market, which has over 26 different types of teas to consume,
ranging from the traditional green tea varieties to Jasmine and Barley, or the
sacred Mugicha. 



“The general trend toward natural health and wellness
products continue to exert a growing influence on purchasing patterns in the
region and as more of Rooibos’ health benefits become known in the East, we
anticipate the demand for the product to grow,” says Bergh.



Bergh points out that the Japanese are purists and therefore
prefer to drink rooibos tea unflavored, without milk or sugar.



“In the past, rooibos was consumed more in summer for
hydration, but has now become an all-year-round tea product consumed by all age
groups. A market as big as Japan’s 126 million-strong tea-loving population, is
always eager to experiment with new products. 



“Local retailers like Peacock Coffee &amp; Tea Traders have
adapted to the experimental flavors to quench the insatiable thirst of the
local and international market.” 



Kelebogile Monyaysi, the manager at Peacock Coffee &amp; Tea
Traders in Rosebank, Johannesburg, attentively prepares a cup of tea when we
visit. 



The loose tea leaves are cautiously stirred in a tea pot and
served at a small coffee table. &nbsp;



One half of the store is dedicated to coffee and the other
for tea. 



The smell of freshly-brewed coffee overpowers the aromatic
smell of tea. 



Tea sets range from vintage English style ceramics to
Japanese cast iron teapots.



A selection of rooibos tea blends with various flavored
options, ranging from organic rooibos to creamy caramel, as well as herbal
blends. 



This includes a Nelson Mandela range. 



The caffeine-free tea, according to Monyaysi, is popular in
the Japanese markets because of its natural healing qualities. 



Despite coffee being a popular beverage for sit-in
customers, rooibos tea is the most sought after locally too. 



“It (rooibos) is the center of attraction. This is a word
that they (tourists) can grab and not forget, so when they walk in here, it is
all they ask for,” she says. 



It took some time for Monyaysi to be stirred by tea.&nbsp; 



“I was not much of a tea-drinker. I only started to enjoy
tea when I began working here. Now, the first thing in the morning, I have to
drink a cup of tea and in the evening, before I go to bed. It is a habit – if I
don’t drink tea, I get a headache,” Monyaysi says, preferring the original
rooibos blend. 



Jessica Bonin, the founder of Lady Bonin’s Tea, a Cape
Town-based company that sources, blends, packages and distributes full leaf
teas, either loose or in biodegradable tea bags, offers more on the world’s
fetish for rooibos.



Lady Bonins’ teas and herbals are sourced locally and
internationally from farms that are organic without adding additives or
products that harm the environment. 



The rooibos is sourced by using a method known as “wild
pickings” – the process of collecting the rooibos that grows naturally in the
mountains. Due to the increase in demand for rooibos and rooibos products
globally, commercial farmers have scaled production unsustainably, leaving
environmental and societal damage in their wake. 



Bonin says that in countries like Japan and Thailand, black
tea is preferred, and it is predominantly used for the health benefits – making
it a herbal infusion. 



“They are buying it solely on the principle that it is a
caffeine-free, non-tea beverage. People are buying it as an alternative and
they are transfixed by its health properties. 



“It is enabling people who naturally use plants as medicine
for many years. In any Western country, you will need to justify the health
benefits, but in the Asian countries, it is the medicine they are interested
in. People are very healthy in Japan,” she says.



&nbsp;Although Bonin is
facing difficulties&nbsp; entering the export
market in Japan due to the high number of monopolies and conglomerates in the
industry, small amounts of exports also go to Germany and the US. 



Rooibos is a unique product that has infused the signature
South African taste and its ambience with the rest of the world. 



The Japanese may have their unique tea-drinking ceremonies and traditions but in Germany and the other countries that import the plant in millions, rooibos offers a cupful of experience that is incomparable and uniquely South African.  



&#8211; Gypseenia Lion

Wild Rooibos

What’s Brewing In Tokyo?

Every time she visits, the Princess of Africa is blown away by the love, respect and order she finds in Japan. 

FORBES AFRICA meets singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian Yvonne Chaka Chaka, fondly called the ‘Princess of Africa’, in her home office in the wealthy suburb of Bryanston in the north of Johannesburg in South Africa.
Framed pictures of her travels and accolades as a musician and humanitarian adorn the walls.
On her desk are a stack of magazines, some of them in Japanese.
One of the covers has Chaka Chaka posing with a mic in one hand, the other held out.
The cover line reads: ‘We love Japan. Hold my hand and we will walk together’.
<blockquote>“I love the Japanese so much and they really love me back,” says Chaka Chaka glancing at the magazine. And she has traveled to Japan too many times to count.</blockquote>
But nothing beats the first time she visited the country.
Ten years ago, she was invited to attend the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD).
Traveling from the City of Gold, Johannesburg, to high-tech Tokyo, she could immediately tell she had entered brand-new territory.
The language, the food, the cultures were so different.
“Japan is just too nice. There are so many people but it is so clean,” says Chaka Chaka.
“I remember my first time when one of the organizations that we worked with, wanted me to go to a place called Kamaishi, where there was an earthquake and I agreed and said that’s fine,” she says.
Little did she know it was going to be a trip she would never forget. She traveled with her humanitarian advisor.
“They said we were going on a train. Ah I was so angry. I said, ‘what! I don’t get in a train’.”
Chaka Chaka prefers road travel but she nevertheless obliged.
“So we got to the station and I saw people with suitcases and I don’t like carrying suitcases. So we did and we got onto the platform and it’s just packed and packed.
“The station there is like the airport, it’s massive but with more people on the trains. It’s like hundreds of platforms and ‘I’m like, I don’t want to be here’.”
They were about to board the Shinkansen, Japan’s high-speed railway, which is a bullet train. 
To her surprise, it exceeded her expectations.
“We got into the train and the order!” she now exclaims.
“There’s so much order it hurts.”
“When the train comes, it stops right here and people queue, there’s no chaos.”
Chaka Chaka watched in awe as everyone waited in a line.
“Arigato gozaimasu [thank you],” she hears some of the staff say to the passengers and bow in respect.
“You know that bending, it shows the love and respect. Everything is just respect, order, cleanliness and meticulous. The Japanese are so meticulous and there’s a lot that we can learn,” says the singer.
During her trip, she also visited Kumamoto which is a city on the Japanese island of Kyushu. They were just recovering from heavy rainfall that had caused floods and landslides.

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“Families were staying in makeshift houses and parents brought their kids to a place where I was talking. And it was so amazing. These kids were like three-year-olds and four-year-olds and they would leave their shoes and you would see hundreds of shoes packed nicely,” she says.
“They are taught from such a young age… and they don’t take what’s not theirs.”
“I had the chance to sit with the advisor of the prime minister and I was asking them, ‘how do you get things so much in order?’ And they said, ‘you know, we teach kids from school. When children finish at school they clean the classes’.”
The famous African was also impressed by the recycling bins available throughout the towns, a bin for every kind of waste.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/travel/2018/09/28/executive-travel-wajes-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Executive Travel: Waje’s South Africa</a>
“That one is for paper, that one is for bottles and that one is for this… And I was feeling so bad because I had finished and I threw in a bottle of water in the wrong bin,” she recalls, laughing.
“There’s a lot we can learn from just loving ourselves, respecting ourselves, respecting time and respecting culture. The Japanese still abide by their culture, you know. I mean they wear their kimonos with love,” she says.
She also had the chance to wear her own kimono, which she enjoyed.
That first trip gave her so much insight she frequently visited Japan.
The one place she often visits is Kamaishi to support children affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that tore the city apart.
She has even been given the title of ambassador to Kamaishi City.
Her last visit in March was to Masaka, a central region in Japan, where she was with a Japanese NGO for children called Ashinaga. Her next trip will be in March next year and she is already looking forward to it.
As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Chaka Chaka has the opportunity to travel to numerous countries, but it’s clearly the land of the rising sun that has marked many a new dawn for the Princess of Africa.

Yvonne-Chaka-Chaka-2_KM

Executive Travel: Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s Japan

Japan’s surprise last-minute defeat of the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup last year was glorious. South Africans were a bit put out but soon recovered, and that game is now legendary around the world for Japan’s courage, skill and daring.
In Japan, only 900,000 people watched the game live. That jumped to an astonishing 25 million for the team’s next match, and by the end of their pool games, a quarter of the country’s 126-million population had watched a game.
Now the island country prepares for a sterner test: hosting the World Cup in 2019.
“You ask what are my concerns?” the CEO of Japan Rugby 2019, Akira Shimazu responds over a cup of hot, green tea at his stadium office in Tokyo. “They are many.”
His gaze is direct as he ticks them off on his fingers.
“This is the first rugby cup in Asia. The first in a non-traditional rugby country.”
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“We were told by World Rugby that the England World Cup was record-breaking and ground-breaking (‘it broke the ground’ says the translator) and we must do better. But it is difficult for us to have the same style and do it the same way. We have a unique Japanese way to do things.”
“Then we are far away, very far away from England, Europe and South Africa. People must travel far.”
A shortish, squat man, built like a brick outhouse, Shimazu’s expression does not change much. But his eyes light up when I ask if he is optimistic. Sepp Blatter, I tell him, always maintained South Africa’s Football World Cup would be ‘the best ever’ despite many doubters.
“You know Invictus?” he asks. I nod. Everyone in Japan mentions the movie based on John Carlin’s book. The man responsible for the success of Japan’s Rugby World Cup says, “Our cup will be Invictus 2. Yes, Invictus 2!”
Shimazu is flanked by two of his lieutenants for the tournament. They don’t say much, it being the Japanese way to allow only the CEO to speak in a meeting until he invites them to contribute. All three are hugely optimistic, while aware of the many problems.
I am in Japan with two objectives: to see if Japan is ready and keen on rugby, and to see what problems tourists from Africa might face.
Tokyo’s brilliant new international stadium will not be ready on time because of cost overruns, so the final will be played in nearby Yokohama, about a 45-minute drive from Tokyo.
This is a city that’s keen on tourism, keen to host the Springboks, keen to host the media center, as they did for the Football World Cup in Tokyo.
Kozue Nakayama has a fancy title of Director General, Culture and Tourism Bureau, City of Yokahama. She assures me the city is taking the rugby very seriously.
“The final game will be at our Nissan Stadium. We are the city with the best relations with Africa,” she says proudly. “We will have to prepare all our signs in English, for the rugby and the 2020 Olympics the following year. And we have a program to teach all our taxi drivers to speak English by 2019.”
Her English is excellent. Seems ambitious to teach all the taxi drivers, but this is a city that decided all schools in its precinct must study at least one African country.
So what is like for visitors to Japan from Africa?
This is the third-biggest economy in the world, a first-world country where things work, where stuff is expensive, where a language barrier exists and where food is different.
It is also the most polite society on the planet, people are incredibly helpful, trains run on time, and nobody dreams of answering a cellphone on the train as it may disturb others.
I ask young South Africans studying for Master’s degrees, courtesy of the Japanese government, to tell me of their difficulties and experiences.
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“This place has the most amazing food,” says Patrick Leslie, doing a Master’s in Business Economics. “Appointments to companies here are lifelong commitments, by both sides. The whole culture is based on trust. And on ‘how can we help each other?’ which is great to experience.”
“You certainly don’t need a car, just hop in a taxi or bus or train, it will take you home. And it is always safe.”
Randall Reddy, studying a Master’s in Civil Engineering (Mechatronic train dynamic systems) at the University of Tokyo to go with his Master’s in Mechanical Material Sciences, says Japan is all about networking.
“They use resources well, don’t waste them. It is not about fast cars, it is about living well.
And the food is fantastic – I have put on five kilograms. You don’t have to give up red meat, there’s a lot of it. You end up with a great variety of food. Nor does it have to be expensive.”
Leslie chips in: “More restaurants now have English menus, and by the rugby in 2019 and the Olympics in 2020 they will all have.”
So what should I tell people at home?
“Tell them come see the Boks take the World Cup back&#8230; Tokyo no longer makes the top 10 most expensive cities. It’s not cheap, but not too bad. Japan has not had inflation for 20 years. You can find bargains everywhere. And no tipping.”
Sushi in Japan is a very different experience from sushi outside the country, yet the essence is the same. At a restaurant the chef will talk to you about the fish he serves you, one piece at a time. He chooses it, you do not, he puts on wasabi and soy, you do not – only the Americans ask for extra wasabi, one chef tells me conspiratorially. And once that happens, the chef will stop chatting to them.
At a very small (8 seats) restaurant in the earthquake area of Ishinomaki, where the tsunami took away his original restaurant, I ask the chef if he knows about rugby.
“Yes,” he says seriously. Then looks at me, and adds: “We beat you!” with a roar of laughter.
To give you a small taste of the exaggerated Japanese politeness you encounter everywhere, all the time, my guide on the Shinkansen train, traversing Japan at about 300km/h, explains to me in a normal voice in the First Class compartment how to eat eels.
The train manager came next to us, then, to my surprise, knelt on both of his knees in the corridor next to our seats, as if to royalty.
A man of about 45, he apologized profusely, bowed deeply while kneeling until his head almost touched the floor, then lifted his arms and placed one hand over the other in a T-shape. The horizontal top hand then pushed the vertical bottom hand down a little, then a little more.
This was his way of asking us to be a bit quieter, as we may disturb passengers by talking instead of whispering. Profuse apologies for asking us to be quiet. Extraordinary.
In a hotel lobby, if you ask for anything, the person will often run to get it. Run, not walk.
Of course cheap hotels are a bit different. You can get a four-sleeper for about 10,000 yen ($90) in Tokyo, but beds are right up against each other, really four duvets on a floor with a communal shower. But neat, tidy, clean.
So will Africans flock to Japan to support Kenya or South Africa or Namibia? Should they?
The first answer is hopefully they will, and the second a resounding “Yes!”
The 2019 World Cup may be the next Invictus and it may not be. Whatever happens, Japan is ready.

Tag: Tokyo

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