Comparative Analysis of Classification Techniques on Olympic Games Datasets

Olympic game is a prestigious ceremony that occurs after every four years. However, due to the spread of coronavirus in 2020, the game was held in 2021, which is post-Covid. The main aim of this research is to find out if there was a difference in the performance of nations in Rio 2016 Olympics (pre-Covid) and Tokyo 2020 Olympics (post-Covid). Statistical analysis is carried out to find the correlation between the different variables. One of the highly correlated variables (Gold Tally) is removed while performing the classification analysis. The idea is to see if the classifiers are able to do the comparative analysis without it or not. The classification algorithms utilized in this research are Decision Table, Decision Tree, Naïve Bayes, and Random Forest. The datasets used in this research are imbalanced sets, which were later transformed to balance sets through under-sampling. Random Forest was able to give 100% accuracy in both datasets whereas the True Positive Rate (TPR) was also 100%. After doing the comparative analysis it was found that irrespective of pre and post-Covid, the performance of athletes did not change. This paves the way for other researchers to investigate if Covid had any impact on the performance of the athletes or not. In the future, more vast variables will be investigated to do a more detailed comparative analysis. © 2022 IEEE.

Sociological aspects of Tokyo Olympics

The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in July-September 2021 took place in a challenging social environment that seriously affected the public perception of events. When preparing for the Olympics in 2013-2019, the Japanese people actively supported the Games, which was confirmed by the results of numerous sociological studies. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began, followed by several waves of infection. The competition was postponed for a year. Vaccination in Japan was delayed compared to most G7 countries. Against this background, in the summer of 2021, the most dangerous Delta strain of coronavirus began to spread in the country, bringing the rise in mortality rates, and the overflowing of hospitals in large cities. In such a difficult epidemiological and social situation, surveys recorded a negative attitude towards the Olympics. However, during the competition, the majority opinion once again turned positive, mainly due to the athletic successes of the Japanese team and effective anti-virus control measures. The absence of spectators in the venues, most probably, did not affect the sporting achievements significantly. At least, Japanese Olympic team won a record number of medals. Infection prevention measures proved effective in limiting the transmission of the virus among the athletes and the Japanese service personnel. The economic and symbolic achievements of the Games did not meet expectations, as, during the Olympics, it was not possible to properly address its significance as the end point of the low-growth "lost decades", evidence of economic recovery after the triple disaster of 2011, and as a tool to increase Japan's tourist attractiveness. Therefore, during a pandemic, major sports events should be held primarily to train top-class athletes and to increase populace satisfaction with the success of the national team rather than to obtain direct economic benefits or improve the host country's image.

The Collages of Athens. The Representation of the City in the 21th Century

Since 2000s, Athens has been changed due to imponent urban transformations mainly provoked by the implementation of large-scale works in occasion of the 28th Olympic Games in 2004, then by the dramatic effects caused by the impact of the 2008 economic crisis and the imposition of austerity policies and, finally, by the unbalanced growth of the subsequent economic recovery that abruptly halted with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The city has rapidly changed not only its urban configuration, but also the way it has been perceived and represented. During these years, it can be registered a diffuse interest among architects and artists for the use of collage to represent Athens. While during the previous century in Greece collage was mainly limited to the representation of rural and mythological landscape, since 2000s many collaged images embed for the first time many urban features of the contemporary metropolis. This paper aims to present how collage art had been adopted by architects to describe, analyze, critic, and imagine the city as an attempt to find a proper tool to deal effectively with the emerging urban issues that had arose with the new status of Athens as a metropolitan city. In particular, the association between collage and the city will be investigated in relation with the periods of growth (2000–2008), decay (2008–2015) and economic recovery (2015–2020). © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Social media and inspiring physical activity during COVID-19 and beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted sport and events greatly with a shutdown of leagues and the postponement of events like the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. However, new media technologies, such as social media platforms, have provided an avenue for sport organisations and athletes to continue to engage with their consumers and promote physical activity during the absence of live sport. New media technologies allow organisations and individuals to share user-generated content and facilitate interactivity. This commentary intends to stimulate discussion, interest and research on whether social media could be used as a platform to inspire physical activity and sport participation and what strategies may be successful in engaging with consumers. Olympic sport and the campaigns National Olympic Committees have engaged in during lockdown are the focus of this piece. It is hoped that this piece provides a starting point for future research focusing on the adoption of new media technologies, like social media, to engage with and inspire people to become more active and involved in sport.

Mental health services at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games during the COVID-19 pandemic

This letter discusses the provision of mental health services at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health service at the polyclinic in the Olympic village was open three times a week from 10 am to 7 pm. Five board-certified psychiatrists were assigned to work in rotation, and on-call telephone support was provided during the absence of a physician on duty. Eight patients visited the polyclinic for mental health services during the Olympics. Among them, three were athletes and five, members of the team staff. During the Paralympics, two patients, both of whom were members of the team staff, visited the polyclinic for mental health services. Thus, 11 people were examined at the polyclinic throughout the Olympic and Paralympic games. All patients, except for one, met the diagnostic criteria for Adjustment Disorder. During the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, those who tested positive for COVID-19 had to follow quarantine rules which possibly took a toll on their mental health. The organizing committee of the games announced that a total of 863 athletes and officials had tested positive, of which 41 were athletes. Those who tested positive for COVID-19 were promptly quarantined at a designated isolation facility. Although holding the Olympic and Paralympic games under pandemic conditions appears unprecedented, future games may need to be held in similar circumstances. Therefore, it is critical to summarize the issues ahead of the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. While it is uncertain whether the pandemic will be under control by then, we suggest that the psychological support system for athletes and officials should be further developed and expanded. The polyclinic at the 2020 Games consisted of only psychiatrists and lacked clinical psychologists. Therefore, the importance of deploying well-trained psychologists among the policlinic staff should be emphasized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

How Covid changed sport – a case study of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games

This essay aims to document how world sport has changed since Covid. It is based on an ethnography conducted during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Using field research in Japan, it seeks to highlight the challenges in Olympics coverage going forward while also arguing that Covid has meant the media must be much more focused and knowledgeable to be able to cover the Games well.

When COVID-19 struck the world and elite sports: Psychological challenges and support provision in five countries during the first phase of the pandemic

The authors operated in professional roles related to preparations for Tokyo 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world. The purpose of this article is to share applied experiences and reflections from different parts of the world of psychological challenges and support strategies adopted in elite sports during the first phase of the pandemic (i.e., March to August 2020). Common themes included motivational issues, stress and anxiety, loss of routine, life-balance challenges among athletes, but also benefits of extended preparation time and recovery. Variations in support strategies and consequences from the effects of COVID-19 occurred across countries. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Tokyo 2020 Olympics sustainability: an elusive concept or reality?

The Olympic Games continue to be a creator of adverse environmental impacts for host communities. Given the role that the Olympic Games play in sustainability due to their size, the number of people attending, new construction and infrastructure, and the extensive exposure by the media, this study investigated the Tokyo 2020 Games by evaluating the efficacy of their ecological sustainability efforts. Methods for this study were framed by the conceptual model of Muller et al. Specifically, the model is grounded on the three general aspects of sustainability: ecological, social, and economic. Compared to all Olympic events from 1992 through 2020, results from the present research indicated that Tokyo 2020 Olympics may have been the most ecologically friendly Games. This ecological record is significant, but it may be an unrealistic benchmark, given that the lack of attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced much of the ecological sustainability scores.

Olympic Games, media coverage and brand image/performance from fan and gender perspectives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore and test certain assumptions concerning the role of the media in its coverage of the Olympic Games, US men's and women's basketball in particular, and its perceived impact on brand image of the athletes' performance from a fan's motivational and financial perspective.Design/methodology/approachUses and gratifications theory and sport fan motivation scales were used to identify potential impacts of media coverage and branding on athletic performance. Based on a study of 143 working professionals that identified themselves as Olympic sport fans in the Pittsburgh, PA metropolitan area, several hypotheses were tested.FindingsThe most to least important factor-based constructs found from a PCA (Principal Components Analysis)/factor analysis included competitiveness, fan commitment, media connections, media impacts, demographics and financial impacts. When using the construct athletic performance at the Olympic level as the dependent variable, results suggested that competitiveness, media connections and fan commitment were significant for males only, while only media connections for significant for females. Males were found to be more player-centric than females, willing to be more focused on the competitive nature of the Olympic Games and to dedicate more money for such activities.Originality/valueFocusing on Olympic Games and associated athletes' competitive nature opens a unique perspective from fan's gender perspective.

Hosting Olympic Games under a state of emergency: are people still proud of their country?

The purpose of this research is to identify the fluctuation of national pride during the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Previous research has found that hosting mega sporting events increases national pride. However, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were held under a situation different than that considered by conventional research. The Tokyo Olympic Games faced opposition from public opinion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research involved two surveys conducted before and after the Tokyo Olympic Games. The results showed that people's national pride increased. Furthermore, the impact of the Tokyo Olympic Games varied across individuals. Respondents who were anxious about COVID-19 experienced a smaller increase in national pride due to the event than those who were less anxious about COVID-19. This research concludes that hosting mega sporting events can increase national pride, but this effect is limited in the context of severe social issues. The limitations of this research and directions for future research are discussed.

Gathering narratives: athletes' experiences preparing for the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games during a global pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the Tokyo Olympic Games postponement, has created unprecedented challenges for Olympic level athletes. Given the adversity athletes have faced since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the construct of psychological resilience is a useful framework for understanding athlete experiences during this time, and is conceptualized by Fletcher and Sarkar as an individual's ability to protect against the negative effect of stressors. The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of Canadian athletes preparing for the Tokyo summer Olympic Games during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Interviews were conducted with 20 Canadian athletes across individual and team sports. The participants spoke of the multiple ways they were taking care of themselves and developing resilience throughout the pandemic, highlighting the complexity involved with managing an adversity. Four narratives illuminate the athletes' experiences: the critical role of context, the essential nature of social support, the importance of being more than an athlete, and the relevance of learning to reflect on one's life. For these athletes, factors such as Olympic qualification, stage of their career, physical and mental health, and access to resources influenced their experience of the pandemic, demonstrating the importance of both individual and environmental factors when exploring resilience. Importantly, the athletes did not manage this adversity on their own, but received strong support. Therefore, sport psychology consultants can assist an athlete's development of resilience by providing expertise and taking into account an athlete's personal context.

Issues of gender in sport leadership: reflections from Sub-Saharan Africa

Globally, a gender gap in sport leadership exists despite global reforms, leadership and key strategic actions. This paper reports on the leadership dimension of the 2021 follow-up study to the 2014 baseline study on gender leadership and participation in sport within southern Africa. It reports on changes over time in selected sports (athletics, basketball, boxing, football, and judo as recorded in the 2014 study, with the addition of netball in the 2021 research) and within five countries (Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe). A purposively selected sample group completed an online survey (N = 41), followed by structured interviews conducted with 45 decision makers from relevant government entities and national sport organisations. Findings indicate that Covid-19 had little effect on leadership composition across organisational types. Government entities spearheaded ‘gender reform' with 47.7% female representation at the executive level. National Olympic Committees had 24.1% women in leadership and national sport federations 27.7% with the latter showing an increase of 6.7% since 2014. Men dominated in sub-committees (62.2%) and emerged as leaders in netball – a sport featuring 98% female participation. Key recommendations address the gender gap in sport leadership from the regional level.

Infectivity of Omicron BA.5 Comparison with Original Strain and Other Mutated Strain of SARS-CoV-2 in Japan

Background: Earlier studies have indicated the BA.5 sublineage of Omicron variant strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as more infective than BA.2. Object: This study estimated BA.5 infectivity while controlling other factors possibly affecting BA.5 infectivity including vaccine effectiveness, waning effectiveness, other mutated strains, Olympic Games, and countermeasures. Method: The effective reproduction number R(t) was regressed on shares of BA.5 and vaccine coverage, vaccine coverage with some delay, temperature, humid-ity, mobility, shares of other mutated strains, counter-measures including the Go to Travel Campaign, and the Olympic Games and associated countermeasures. The study period was February 2020–July 22, 2022, using data available on August 12, 2022. Results: A 120 day lag was assumed to assess waning. Mobil-ity, some states of emergency, vaccine coverage and those with lag, and the Delta and Omicron BA.2 pro-portions were found to be significant. The omicron BA.1 proportion was significant, but with an unex-pected sign. The estimated coefficient of BA.5 was negative but not significant. The Go to Travel Campaign was significantly negative, indicating reduced infectiv-ity. The Olympic Games were negative but not sig-nificant, indicating that they did not raise infectivity. Discussion: The obtained estimated results show that BA.5 did not have higher infectivity than the original strain. It was lower than either Delta or Omicron BA.2 variant strains. That finding might be inconsis-tent with results obtained from earlier studies. This study controlled several factors potentially affecting R(t), though the earlier studies did not. Therefore, results from this study might be more reliable than those of earlier studies. © Fuji Technology Press Ltd.

Risk Assessment of Large-Scale Sports Events in the Context of COVID-19

This paper assesses the potential risks of epidemic situation and public opinion during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games by analyzing the epidemic situation and public opinion of the Tokyo Olympic Games. The results show that there is a strong time-lag correlation between the COVID-19 epidemic and the public opinion of the Tokyo Olympics. For the epidemic situation, the multi-agent modeling method is used at the city level to simulate the possible spread of diseases in the city where the event was held. At the Olympic village level, the modified the SEIR transmission model is modified to simulate the virus transmission in the Olympic Village during the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. At the end, the risk analysis of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games is carried out based on the time series prediction model. © 2022, Editorial Board of Journal of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. All right reserved.

COVID-19, sustainability and Olympic Games: which lessons can we learn from Tokyo 2020?

Purpose>This paper aims to understand how the sustainability theme has been incorporated into the new Olympic planning guidelines based on analysing the case of Tokyo (2020), which was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approach>For this, field research using the case study method was carried out that involved 21 in-depth interviews with experts from different entities affected by the event.Findings>As a result, it was possible to identify that some characteristics already presented in the Tokyo project came to break away from the gigantism observed in the past Olympic editions in an attempt to demonstrate alignment with the new principles brought by the IOC (2020) and 2020 + 5 Agenda that had as one of its main objectives to simplify the Olympics, making the event more sustainable and accessible for future host societies.Originality/value>At the end, some trends for the future of the Olympic Games are also presented in order to guide future studies in the area, as well as help the future host cities and their companies in planning their investments.

Hosting Olympic Games under a state of emergency: are people still proud of their country?

The purpose of this research is to identify the fluctuation of national pride during the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Previous research has found that hosting mega sporting events increases national pride. However, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were held under a situation different than that considered by conventional research. The Tokyo Olympic Games faced opposition from public opinion due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research involved two surveys conducted before and after the Tokyo Olympic Games. The results showed that people's national pride increased. Furthermore, the impact of the Tokyo Olympic Games varied across individuals. Respondents who were anxious about COVID-19 experienced a smaller increase in national pride due to the event than those who were less anxious about COVID-19. This research concludes that hosting mega sporting events can increase national pride, but this effect is limited in the context of severe social issues. The limitations of this research and directions for future research are discussed.

Necessity and challenges for the post-pandemic Hangzhou Asian Games: An interdisciplinary data science assessment.

Background: The postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games has reignited controversy over whether it is necessary and safe to hold. This study aimed to assess its necessity for Asian elite sport and the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic through joint data science research on elite sports and public health Internet big data. Methods: For necessity, we used seven pre-pandemic Asian Games to investigate its long-term internal balance and six pre-pandemic Olympic Games to examine its contribution to the external competitiveness of Asian sport powers through bivariate Pearson correlation analyses between sport variables and holding year. For challenges, we used Johns Hopkins COVID-19 data and Tokyo 2020 Olympic data to quantify the past impact of the pandemic on elite sport by another correlation analysis between pandemic variables and the change in the weighted score of medal share (CWSMS), built a transferable linear regression model, transferred the model to Jakarta 2018 Asian Games data, and eventually forecasted the possible impact of the pandemic on the results of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Results: The proportion of gold medal countries in the Asian Games showed a long-term upward trend (Pearson r (7) = 0.849, p < 0.05), and the share of medals won by Asian countries showed a significant increasing process (Pearson r (6) = 0.901, p < 0.05). The cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths (CND) was most significantly correlated to CWSMS (Pearson r (100) = -0.455, p < 0.001). The total Olympic model output of Asian countries was 0.0115 in Tokyo 2020 and is predicted to be 0.0093 now. The prediction of CWSMS in Hangzhou was 0.0013 for China, 0.0006 for Japan, and 0.0008 for South Korea. Conclusion: We documented that Asian Games played a significant role in the long-term balanced internal structure and the increasing global competitiveness of Asian elite sport. We proved that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the Olympic performance of countries worldwide, while the competitive performance at the Hangzhou Games would be less affected than the world average level. This study also highlights the importance of interdisciplinary data science research on large-scale sports events and public health.

Effects of long-haul transmeridian travel on physiological, sleep, perceptual and mood markers in Olympic team support staff.

The objective of this study was to holistically examine the impact of long-haul transmeridian travel (LHTT) on perceptual, mood, sleep and physiological markers in Olympic team support staff travelling to Japan for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. An observational descriptive study design was used. Nine support staff members of the Irish Olympic team (2 M/7 F; age 34.3 ± 8.3 y (mean ±SD)) embarked on a long-haul (LH) eastward flight across eight time-zones from Ireland to Japan (approx. 24 h total travel time), to work at the Irish Team's 2020 Summer pre-Olympic Games camp, postponed to July 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic. Perceived jet lag and travel fatigue symptoms, mood states and salivary markers for circadian rhythm and stress were assessed in the morning and evening during the week prior to travel as baseline (BL) measures and on days 1 to 8 (C1-C8) and day 15 (C15) post-travel. Night-time sleep (duration and quality) was monitored via actigraphy monitors and self-report sleep diaries. Participants perceived themselves to be significantly jet lagged for six days post-travel (p < .05). Morning sCort decreased by 66% on C1 and remained significantly lower than BL until C6 (p ≤ .03). On arrival participants perceived sleep to be worse than BL on arrival (C1, C2, C4, C5; p ≤ .04), with significantly shorter sleep duration (C2, C3, C6; p ≤ .01) and lower sleep efficiency (C2, C6; p ≤ .04) recorded by actigraphy, all normalizing by C7. Negative changes in mood states were evident in the evening time following LHTT, with significant elevations in confusion (C2, C3, p ≤ .02), fatigue (C2, C3; p ≤ .03) and depression (C3, C7; p < .05) and reduction in vigour (C2, C6, C7; p < .05). Following LHTT in an eastward direction across eight time-zones, it took seven days for perceived jet lag, physiological markers for circadian rhythm and sleep to normalize in Olympic team support staff. Despite alleviation of jet lag and fatigue and return of sleep to normal by C15, vigor remained low, indicating a "submerged" mood profile in these Olympic team support staff. These findings highlight the need to put strategies in place before and after LHTT for the Olympic Games to assist Olympic team support staff to maximize sleep, minimize stress and assist with expediating recovery from jet lag and travel fatigue, allowing them to perform optimally in supporting Olympic athletes in their final preparations for the Games.

Cross-Border Transmissions of the Delta Substrain AY.29 During Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, postponed for the COVID-19 pandemic, were finally held in the summer of 2021. Just before the games, the Alpha variant was being replaced with the more contagious Delta variant. AY.4 substrain AY.29, which harbors two additional characteristic mutations of 5239C > T (NSP3 Y840Y) and 5514T > C (NSP3 V932A), emerged in Japan and became dominant in Tokyo by the time of the Olympic Games. Variants of SARS-CoV-2 genomes were performed to extract AY.29 Delta substrain samples with 5239C > T and 5514T > C. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to illustrate how AY.29 strains evolved and were introduced into countries abroad. Simultaneously, ancestral searches were performed for the overseas AY.29 samples to identify their origins in Japan using the maximum variant approach. As of January 10, 2022, 118 samples were identified in 20 countries. Phylogenetic analysis and ancestral searches identified 55 distinct introductions into those countries. The United States had 50 samples with 10 distinct introductions, and the United Kingdom had 13 distinct strains introduced in 18 samples. Other countries or regions with multiple introductions were Canada, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines. Among the 20 countries, most European and North American countries have vaccination rates over 50% and sufficient genomic surveillances are conducted; transmissions seem contained. However, propagation to unvaccinated regions might have caused unfathomable damages. Since samples in those unvaccinated countries are also undersampled with a longer lead time for data sharing, it will take longer to grasp the whole picture. More rigorous departure screenings for the participants from the unvaccinated countries might have been necessary.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection upon Leaving the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Objective Just before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan, the number of people infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), started to increase at an unprecedented rate. This study investigated the effectiveness of vaccines in large-scale sporting events under difficult circumstances, such as during adherence to a bubble system and confinement inside the Olympic/Paralympic Village. Methods In collaboration with medical clinics inside and outside the Village, a prospective cohort study was conducted among overseas participants using the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 upon leaving Japan. Results A total of 12,072 foreign participants were enrolled, 13 (0.11%) of whom had a positive PCR test result. None of these cases were broadcasters or members of the press, were tested outside the Olympic Village, or had a history of COVID-19 infection. The effectiveness of full vaccination and vaccination at least once (≥14 days ago) was 74% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6-93%) and 81% (95% CI: 30-95%), respectively. Three breakthrough infections with the Delta variant were observed in 6,485 fully vaccinated participants (0.05%). The positivity rate was 0.09% among adherents to the bubble system and 0.28% among non-adherents, but this difference was not significant. Conclusion These findings indicate that even huge sporting events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games can proceed while pandemics are ongoing in the host country by combining countermeasures such as vaccination, frequent testing, social distancing, and adherence to a bubble system.