'The Olympic Charter contradicts many indigenous physical activities'

Down To Earth speaks to Christian Wacker, president, International Society of Olympic Historians, about indigenous people at the Olympics

What would the ancient Greeks think of an Olympics with no fans?

In many ways, they’d view the prospect as absurd

Simply Put: A childhood of heavy lifting

Tokyo’s gamble with its Olympic architecture needs to be appreciated

This first of a two-part series examines the use of timber in designing the games village and venues rather than concrete

Tokyo’s gamble with its Olympic architecture needs to be appreciated: Part 2

This second of a two-part series examines the environmental benefits of reusing of old buildings as the games venues rather than constructing new

Amid COVID-19, doubts raised over hosting of Tokyo Summer Olympics

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held from July 24, 2020

Tokyo 2020: How the Paralympics have evolved from rehabilitation to spectacle

Should athletes with impairments cease to be known as Paralympians and simply be Olympians?

The Tokyo Olympics will be the games of all mothers

Now that pregnancy no longer marks the end of an athlete’s career, many elite athletes not only return to sport, but go on to break …

Olympic swimming in the Seine highlights efforts to clean up city rivers worldwide

The growth in awareness of the important role that blue spaces play in human health and wellbeing comes alongside a revival of the popularity of …

COVID-19 scare at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

As many as 71 people involved with the event tested positive

‘Super bacteria’ found at Brazil Olympic venues, beaches

They can cause infections, meningitis and lead to death

The Tokyo Games prove that the Olympics are less relevant than ever

Our world is on fire, a pandemic rages on and the rich keep getting richer. In such a context, how can the Tokyo Olympics be anything other than …

How do Olympic athletes stack up against invertebrates? Not very well

Once you take the relative sizes into account, it’s clear invertebrates have the winning edge

Tokyo Olympics: Sports science the ‘ultimate winner’

Sports and sports science have been complementing each other for the last three decades when technology was given top priority to maintain …

The Paralympics is changing the way people perceive disabilities

People with disabilities are less restricted by their own impairments than by the barriers put on them by the society

Why Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand deserve to compete (and win) at Rio 2016

After much suspicion and derision, women with hyperandrogenism can compete in international events

How ‘Golden Boy’ Neeraj Chopra got caught in India’s caste cauldron

A number of caste groups have tried to claim Neeraj Chopra as their own ever since he won the gold medal at Tokyo; the cancer of caste is alive …

Gene's-eye view of Olympics

Scientists are peering into the genomes of top athletes to find out which genes can spill their secrets of success. How much of athletic …

The Olympics won’t spread Zika around the world

The chance that someone at the Rio games will import the virus to their home country is low

Why certain parts of India churn out the best sportspersons

Haryana, with just two per cent of India's population, accounts for 20 per cent of its Olympic contingent

Filthy water, toxic air don’t make Rio Games environment-friendly

Large amount of untreated sewage continues to flow into Guanabara Bay, where the Olympic sailing events will take place

Why have Olympic pools turned green?

Organisers said the discolouration was caused by drop in alkalinity in the pools

Gene doping can change the nature of sports

It involves injecting a gene helpful in boosting athletic performance into the cells of a person. The International Olympic Committee says it …

‘Drop Dow’s name from Olympic sponsors’ list’

Sports ministry writes to International Olympic Committee

Beijing steps up to check air pollution

Environmental protection bureau fines polluting industries a record US $4.2 million in 2014