2020 Summer Olympics

We sure are here at IndieGala. The opening ceremony for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is scheduled for today and we’re excited about it. The 2020 Summer Olympics was the first such tournament in the modern-day era of the sports tournament to be postponed. As the title would suggest. But rather than just being canceled, as was the case in the past the 2020 Olympics was moved for one year. And as you may already know, the main reason for the last year’s postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics was (and still is) the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (more on that here). One year later, here we are.

But it’s not like I haven’t written about sports before. Different types of sports. Here at IndieGala I covered Golf (check it out here), Tennis (here), Football (here) and Basketball (here of course). Aside from mutants, vampires and killers, sport is one of my most frequent topic.

2020 Summer Olympics

Fear About The 2020 Summer Olympics

Yes, originally the 2020 Summer Olympics Games were to happen last year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic shook things up, and frankly is still doing that. So, the Olympic officials decided to postpone the games for one year. Fast forward to 2021, the games are about to open, but things are not looking any better now. First and foremost, the games will be held without an audience in the stands. That’s one precaution for the spread of COVID-19, while the other is massive inoculation that’s going on in Tokyo. But we’re sad to report that even with all of the measures, there are over 70 confirmed positive cases in the Olympic village.

There are some calls to cancel the 2020 Summer Olympics, but it would appear that even with all the fresh new cases of COVID-19, the show will go on. But while we wait for the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 Summer Olympics in Brisbane… Let’s have a look at something that we at IndieGala know all too well. Video games and movies.

2020 Summer Olympics

2020 Summer Olympics And A Few Cool Video Games

Yup. We have plenty of great sports-related video games here at IndieGala. Much like with the Olympics itself, we have a smorgasbord of great sports games to pick and choose from. Whatever you fancy, we probably have it. Basketball? Check. Basketball Pro Management 2014 is available for purchase. Football? You name it. Just go here for our Football selection. We have an abundance of great football games. Hey, even golf, which is making a return to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Our finest golf video games are available here. Volleyball and Tennis? Yup. Spike Volleyball is available here, and so are a bunch of interesting Tennis games that we have on hand. They’re available for purchase here. Go crazy!. And enjoy!

2020 Summer Olympics & 6 Great Movies

Yup. Along with the selection of awesome video games, we also have a cool selection of movies to add here. There are 6 very different movies on this list. But every single one of them has one thing in common. All of them have the theme of the Summer Olympics in them. However, some of them are dramas, some of them are comedies, and some of them are even documentaries. Scroll down to find out more.

Richard Jewel

A Clint Eastwood biopic about a real-life event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta is always a good idea. Not just it has Eastwood behind the camera. But because it has a great cast in front of it as well. Paul Walter Hauser plays the titular role. That of Richard Jewel of course. A security guard at the 1996 Olympics that found a bomb under the stands, and went from a hero to a villain in a short amount of time. The police, FBI and the media will make him the bad guy of the story, and later accuse him of planting the bomb himself. This is a great movie, filled with great performances. Most notably from Hauser and the Oscar winner Kathy Bates. It’s a must-watch.

Fun fact: In real life, reporter Kathy Scruggs struggled with depression and addiction. She died of an overdose in 2001.

Athlete A

A documentary film. Although not a movie about any particular Olympics, the movie is filled with Olympians. However, at the same time, it’s a horrific story about the years of abuse within the USA Gymnastics team. The documentary follows a team of investigative journalists from The Indianapolis Star as they broke the story of doctor Larry Nassar. A doctor who sexually assaulted young female gymnasts. Athlete A is a hard movie to watch, but at the same time, it’s one of the best that came out in 2021.

Fun fact: Athlete A was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2020. But the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bronze

Let’s continue the list on a lighter tone, shall we? The Bronze is a sports comedy, but yet again it has gymnastics in the center of the story. Not to mention a great cast. But yes. Melissa Rauch plays a washed-up, foul-mouthed former gymnastics bronze medalist who will take on a new job. Training the future star in USA gymnastics. It’s not going to be easy, and the team around her will not make her job any easier. Melissa and her husband Winston wrote the script for The Bronze and besides her, Sebastian Stan has the male leading role. Yup Bucky is here too. It’s a good movie and deserves to be on this list.

Fun fact: Sebastian Stan did all but two of his stunts in the movie.

Munich

Steven Spielberg’s biopic movie Munich deals with the dark side of the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The 1972 Olympics was marked by a horrific event. The kidnapping and subsequent killing of 11 Israeli Olympians. The attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September occurred at the Olympic village, but the movie deals with the ramifications of that event. Or rather with the Israeli government’s secret retaliation against the Palestine Liberation Organization after the Munich massacre. Much like the rest of the movies on this list, Munich is filled with a great cast. Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Geoffrey Rush just to name a few. This is a fantastic movie and if you haven’t seen it by now, do it.

Fun fact: Guri Weinberg played his own father. He is the son of Moshe Weinber. The Israeli wrestling referee and former champion, who died in the massacre when Guri was just one month old.

Nadia

And we’re down to the last two movies on this list. Which are coincidentally the oldest movies on this list. Both of them are from the ’80s but only Nadia is a TV movie. And as the title suggests, Nadia is a biopic about Nadia Comăneci. The celebrated gymnast that captivated the world with her perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. However, the movie follows her rise in the world of gymnastics as a small child. All the way up to her comeback at the 1979 World Championship. Johann Carlo plays the older Nadia, while Talia Balsam, Conchata Ferrell and Jonathan Banks are in the supporting roles. Despite the effort that went into the movie, the real Nadia was not consulted and she publicly dismissed the movie.

Fun fact: When aired in Romania, the audience rates were so high that people asked for two more airings in the same week.

Chariots of Fire

Officially the oldest movie on this list. And another historical drama of course. But this time about the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics. The first is Eric Liddel. A devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God. And the second one is Harold Abrahams. An English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. It’s worth mentioning that this is one of the finest movies of the ’80s and even more iconic is the film score by Vangelis. Not to mention, it’s one of the most decorated movies on this list. With 4 Oscar wins and countless other nominations. It’s a true masterpiece too.

Fun fact: In real life, Eric Liddell introduced Harold Abrahams to Sam Mussabini.

Are You Hyped About The 2020 Summer Olympics?

Which is your favorite sport at the Olympics? And which is your favorite Olympics-themed movie? Let us know in the comment section. We’d love to know.

logo olympics GIF by Isabella Carapella

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