Updates from homes around the world: Shiffrin's song, Biles' giggle, Kipchoge training alone and more
Mikaela Shiffrin's lovely song, Simone Biles' laugh, and Usain Bolt's toilet roll challenge were some of the things helping us get through the day today. Enjoy!
Friendship, excellence, and respect are the three core Olympic values, and we have been touched by the way the sports world has responded to these challenging times.
Here's a collection of tweets, posts, memes, gifs, gags, and messages that inspired and made us smile today.
Come back tomorrow, we'll be bringing these live updates to you every day.
And don't forget to say hi, tell us how you're doing and send ideas, stories, and your own inspirations on Instagram or Twitter.
8pm - Thanks for following!
That's all from us for today, we hope you've enjoyed it.
Come back tomorrow for a brand new day of positive things people are doing around the world of sport.
7:45pm - Mikaela Shiffrin: "I wrote a song"
Mikaela Shiffrin - double Olympic gold medallist, five-time world champion, 66 World Cup wins.
Oh and she sings too.
Inspired by the response to the spread of coronavirus COVID-19, and particularly by the people in the Barilla food factory in Italy who continue going to the factory despite fear of contagion.
Because people need to eat.
Here's what she posted along with this beautiful song below:
"We are witnessing incredible acts of kindness and selflessness every day. The doctors and nurses helping the ill, and continuing to help the millions who have sickness and injuries not even related to this specific virus."
"The thousands of retired health professionals who have volunteered their services to aid the hospitals strained in space and resources. Those testing and developing treatments and vaccinations to this and every other disease."
"The firefighters, police force, and every other kind of public service worker and defender out there. Our service people from the Army, Navy, Air Force and beyond who unable to return home though they may feel torn in half by their obligation to protect our countries from afar and their longing to protect their families from home.
"In Italy, a lot of the food plants are slowing down production significantly because the workers are worried about going to work, even though these plants are held to an incredibly high sanitation standard.
"Yet, these food plants staying in production is essential for the general public to continue to have access to food... So I did a really small thing, in the grand scheme of everything."
"I wrote a song— inspired by the plant employees of my @barilla family continuing to put the public needs ahead of their own needs and fears, but it is a message to everyone.
Thank you."
7:20pm - The new handwashing challenge
Two-time Paralympian Melissa Stockwell completed Team USA's new handwashing challenge #WashWithUS
The challenge is to share your favourite Olympic or Paralympic moment while thoroughly washing your hands.
Stockwell nails it: Clean hands, great story.
6:55pm - The time the Dream Team lost
Remember Athens 2004 when Argentina's Golden Generation beat the USA basketball 'Dream Team'?
The USA had Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron, Carmelo...
No-one thought they could be beaten.
Not even Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola, and Andres Nocioni's Argentina.
You can watch the entire story here in this amazing documentary of the game that shook the world at the Athens 2004 Olympics.
In full and free to stream, no sign-up, no login, no fee.
Just click play below and enjoy!
6:15pm - Eliud Kipchoge: "It's really hard to train alone."
"It's now six o'clock," says Eliud Kipchoge in a video he recorded for the BBC.
"This is the third day since we broke up from camp due to coronavirus," says the only man in history to run a sub-two hour marathon and ever the team player.
"It's really hard to train alone because I value teamwork."
"It's a mutual interest, it helps me so much," added the reigning Olympic marathon champ who is staying fit by running alone at home in Kenya while in quarantine.
"But all in all is that I am keeping the directives and actually honouring what is required as Eliud is concerned."
"I am trying to quarantine myself, stay with the family and make sure that I don't mingle with a lot of people."
"But all in all is that I am trying to keep more fit myself and wake up as early as six o'clock to go for a run and make sure I stay fit."
Here's how Kipchoge won his first Olympic gold medal at Rio 2016:
5:59pm - Gymnastics is a superpower
When all those seats are taken.
5:15pm - Gymnasts get creative
Russian artistic gymnast Nikita Nagornyy posted this one, who would have thought that toilet roll could be so cool?
We're looking forward to watch these two go at it again:
4:40pm - Game!
Guess who.
3:40pm - The tea bag challenge
Scotland and Manchester City footballer Caroline Weir knows how to make a cup of tea.
First time too!
3:01pm Jesse Owens' German friend
Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we remember the incredible Olympic friendship that set an example of racial equality and respect to the world. ⠀
⠀
Jesse Owens and Luz Long became friends during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, despite the racial inequality in both of their home countries at the time.
After the Olympics ended, they continued their friendship through letters, even during the hardest years of World War II.
After Long’s passing in 1943, Owens travelled to Germany to deliver an important final message to Long’s eldest son, Kai, celebrating the life of his fellow athlete and friend.
Later, he was best man at Kai Long’s wedding. ⠀
⠀
The Olympic Games have always been a place where people of different races, countries and creeds can come together in a show of excellence, respect and friendly competition.
2:40pm - Watermelon workout
The poor watermelon was worked out.
2:11pm - Aimee Fuller's indoor skateboard workout
Just because you can't board outside doesn't mean you can't work it inside.
"It’s amazing what you can do with little equipment," says Britain's two-time Olympic snowboarder Aimee Fuller.
"It’s time to do our bit and lay low and stay at home," she says, "grab your Brother or Sister, Mum/ Dad / Husband/ Wife’s 🛹"
1. Skateboard T- Press up. / option to do on knees
2. Skateboard Roll outs x10
3. Single leg step back lunges x10 each 🦵
4. Skateboard press-ups X10
"Repeat 3X. Let me know how you are all getting on... Sending all the love and positive vibes 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🛹🛹🛹. The addition of a skateboard adds a degree of instability /difficulty and a challenging fun element."
Fuller finishes with the #dontcrackunderpressure hashtag.
Did you see when Aimee ran a marathon in North Korea?
Watch it here.
1:40pm - The second all this is over
Yep.
Live blogger has been informed that this is from a few days ago and everyone's seen it already.
Live blogger doesn't care.
1:30pm - Still swinging
Venezuelan Chicago Cubs baseball star Willson Contreras and his brother are getting that practice in.
1:05pm - Aaron 'Wheelz' Fotheringham
This is another amazing episode or Body+.
12:31 - He plays table tennis with the bat in his mouth
Ibrahim Hamadtou - the inspirational Paralympian who plays table tennis with his mouth
Ibrahim lost both arms in a train accident when he was just 10 years old.
But that has not stopped him from becoming a table tennis champion. Like most Egyptian children he began by playing soccer, and moved on to playing table tennis as a challenge.
He was introduced to the world as one of the most inspiring athletes from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and he's not giving up on his dream of a Paralympic medal.
With a silver medal from the 2013 African Para Table Tennis Championships, there's much more to look forward to from Ibrahim's journey.
Watch his story right here:
12:04pm - Bringing the horse home
French gymnast Cyril Tommasone qualified for his third Olympics last October, and he's not letting the French lockdown stop his training.
He brought his pommel horse home and shared this workout with us.
Magnifique.
11:55am - "And if you don't have a weight, just use your cat"
Morgan Hurd's Saturday workout - with a little help from her cat.
If you want to see more of Morgan's gymnastics journey, check out our All Around series which follows Morgan and two other teenage gymnast stars dreaming of Olympic glory.
11:45am - Still laughing at this
Two hours later...
11:28am - Celtic football club set up fund
Celtic Football Club in Glasgow, Scotland, have created a fund of £150,000 (About US$175k) for charities/food banks to help poorer families and the homeless.
11:19am - Sarah Sjostrom's glute burn
Get active this Saturday, 3-time Olympic medallist Sarah Sjostrom has posted her glute burner she uses before she gets in the pool or the gym, with some useful tips below.
10:51am - Cristiano Ronaldo's reminder
With the audience that some athletes have on social media these days, it gives a direct channel to influence the behaviour of millions of people.
Football superhero Cristiano Ronaldo has over 208 million followers on Instagram and he's posted some good advice on staying safe during these troubled times.
"Hi guys, just a little message and reminder of the steps we must all follow to protect ourselves and our loved ones," he writes, "Please stay safe."
Ronaldo uses the hashtags #stayhome #staysafe
10:20am - Michael Phelps joins COVID-19 relief
Yesterday Simone Biles joined and posted an initiative allowing athletes to help and donate to coronavirus COVID-19 crisis relief.
Now Michael Phelps has joined the cause to boost the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) COVID-19 Response Fund.
After Biles donated a leotard of hers to be auctioned, Phelps offered up a "game worn" swim cap and goggles.
"In order to give back during this challenging time, I’m donating a “game worn” suit cap and goggles to www.athletesrelief.org," begins Phelps' piece.
"YOU can donate for a chance to win with all proceeds going directly to the CDP’s COVID-19 Response Fund," it continues.
"I’m also challenging my fellow athletes to join in!"
"Leave a comment below with a signed item you’d like to donate and we’ll add it," says Phelps, using the hashtag #StrongerTogether
Here's the link to donate to Phelps' initiative: https://pledgeit.org/phelps-relief
9:45am - Simone Biles giggles, you will too
Try not to laugh.
9:30am - Usain Bolt's toilet roll challenge
Yesterday, Leo Messi nearly melted the internet with his toilet roll.
How did eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt do?
Judge for yourselves...
Morning all, Ken here bringing you all the latest from around the world of sports, showing you how our Olympic family is keeping it upbeat. Stay safe, stay positive.