JAPAN has done a wonderful job in hosting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics despite the risks and restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

       Paris is the venue of the next (2024) Olympics. The French with their flair for fashion, novelty and creativity will surely make it a thrilling event. It is hoped that by then the pandemic would have become history.

       The Tokyo Olympics was a muted affair due to the lack of spectators in the stadiums amid fear of an upsurge in Covid-19 infections in Japan.

       It is not known whether global viewership of the Tokyo Olympics was high given the fact that many countries were under partial or full lockdown, which might have driven people to watch the Games on television, computers or their mobile phones.

       A number of the world’s top athletes did not turn up because the pandemic had disrupted their training programmes, which meant fewer Olympic or world records were broken in Tokyo.

       The photo finish between China and the United States for the gold medal tally was exciting. In the end, the US pipped China by just one gold medal. The US won 39, China 38 and host nation Japan, enjoying home ground advantage, 27 and was third overall.

       It was a great show by the Japanese participants despite the shocking early exits of sports idols Naomi Osaka and Kento Momota.

       Malaysia was hoping for a gold from keirin cycling world champion Datuk Azizulhasni Awang but ended with a silver. Syabas to this dedicated and patriotic cyclist.

       Perhaps the greatest testimony to the Olympian symbol of sportsmanship and friendship was when high jumpers Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim (pic) asked the officials if they could share the gold medal instead of doing a “jump off” to decide the sole winner after they simply could not outdo one another. The two athletes hugged each other joyously when their request was granted.

       This was an illustrious display of sportsmanship that enraptured the global audience.

       Many would now think that if an Olympic gold medal could be shared between two equally worthy competitors, could this be emulated in other sports such as football? Could FIFA and other sports organisations bring back the concept of joint champions that was abandoned a long time ago?

       In the recently concluded Uefa Euro2020, England and Italy duelled it out to extra time but could not decide the winner, which was finally decided by penalty kicks. Italy won, to the heartbreak of the millions of football-loving English fans.

       If both Italy and England had been declared joint champions, there would have been an enormous outpouring of joy in both countries.

       V. THOMAS , Sg Buloh, Selangor