Olympic Daily News: 7 July 2020

The 10th movie in the James Bond franchise – The Spy Who Loved Me – was released on this day, 43 years ago. The film starred Roger Moore as Bond.

007 would later make an appearance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, as he (now portrayed by Daniel Craig) and Queen Elizabeth II parachuted into the Opening Ceremony.

British gymnasts speak out about coaching abuse

Less than two weeks after the release of the Netflix documentary ‘Athlete A,’ which chronicles the abuse of hundreds of young gymnasts at the hands of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, British gymnasts are now stepping forward to share their experiences with abuse in the sport.

Catherine Lyons, the 2014 junior European floor exercise champion, and Olympian Lisa Mason describe coaching methods that included body shaming and physical, verbal and emotional abuse.

“My coach put me on the bars until my hands ripped and bled; my hands would then be pulled down and surgical spirit would be poured all over them,” Mason told ITV.

Lyons says their experiences are part of a larger, systemic issue.

“I think it’s a broken system,” she said. “I think there is a culture that allows abuse to occur in gyms and I think that stems from the very core of the governmental body of British gymnastics. I think that this culture has been ingrained into the sport.”

Olympic champ Carolina Marin offers medals to healthcare workers

Spain’s Carolina Marin, the reigning Olympic badminton champion, wants to say thank you to her country’s healthcare heroes.a

"I offered all my medals to them when I was talking to them as they are in fact the real heroes in Spain, they deserve every applause and accolade," Marin told The Indian Express.

A three-time World champion before winning gold at Rio 2016, Marin is hoping to defend her title next summer in Tokyo.

"Winning the Olympics was a dream that I and my coach had seen and my entire team had put together with unbelievable hard work for the four years to get to that gold in Rio – now my goal is set again," she said.

Japanese baseball and football leagues set to welcome back fans

Japanese baseball and football fans: get your tickets ready. Officials announced Monday that they will start allowing fans at their games this week, according to the Associated Press.

For the time being, stadiums will be allowed 5,000 fans or 50% capacity (whichever is less). There are plans to allow 50% capacity regardless of the number, starting August 1.

Japanese baseball began its season June 19 and football league resumed play Saturday, having played one round of matches in February.

Trivia Tuesday

Yesterday, we asked in which winter sport at Great Britain earned the most Olympic medals. That would be figure skating where the nation has five golds, three silver and seven bronze.

Here’s today’s question.

When was the first Opening Ceremony held at the Olympic Games?

1. 1896

2. 1900

3. 1904

4. 1908