Athletics
Nobuko Oshiro: Okinawa’s only female karate grandmaster
Training in karate was not always easy for Nobuko Oshiro, who faced bullying and harsh treatment from her instructors as one of the few women in the sport. Now at 77, she is Okinawa’s only female grandmaster and runs a renowned dojo, inspiring students from around the world.
Runners honor Boston in first international marathon in Bethlehem
Over the weekend, runners gathered in Bethlehem to run the city’s first-ever marathon. While the realities of the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the Boston Marathon attacks influenced the events, the races went off without any problems.
According to history, world politics always on display during Olympics
A total of 38 world records were broken and 962 medals handed out at the London Olympics this year. The Games start and ended without a hitch, despite early concerns about security. But author and historian Kenneth Davis says that while the Games avoided any sort of incident, the tensions of international politics were still visible.
The Fastest Man in the World? Doping and the Future of Usain Bolt
Jamaica is heralded for its cultivation of outstanding sprinters and has produced its share of stars. Before Usain Bolt captured the title of world’s fastest man in May 2008, fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell held the title in the 100 meter. And Jamaican track star Sherone Simpson was just shy of the fastest when she won […]
Remembering the Atlanta Olympics in the Wake of Boston Marathon Bombing
An international sports event, attended by thousands of athletes and many more thousands of fans, all ripped apart by a bomb: the footage from yesterday’s Boston Marathon was eerily reminiscent of the bombing at the Atlanta Olympic Games. On July 27, 1996, a bomb ripped through Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, in the midst of the […]