Why India’s Women Olympians Remind Me of My Father

A Delhi School Principal Was Early to Champion Sports for Girls, a Commitment That's Still Bearing Fruit

It’s been nearly 10 years since my father died, but watching Indian athletes at the Rio Olympics has brought his memory rushing back to me.

When I was a child, the kids in my New Delhi school called my father kallu or “blackie”—he was a very dark skinned Indian man, and he also happened to be the principal of the school. Kids will always find a mean moniker for their school principals, no matter how revered and popular they might be.

But something changed in 1984, when the Olympics were …

By Moira Mayer Shourie | August 22, 2016

Will Environmental Crises Segregate Sports?

Snowless Mountains and Poisoned Beaches Will Drive a Wedge Between Athletes of Different Classes

By Andrew Dana Hudson | August 10, 2016

In Brazil, Olympic rowers and sailors will chase gold through dying rivers and poisoned lagoons. Even amid all the crises piling up on this year’s games—unfinished infrastructure, political drama, financial …

Even “The Girl From Ipanema” Can’t Save Rio’s Olympic Train

Why the Faltering Subway Line Exemplifies Brazil's Broken Promises

By Stephen Kurczy | August 4, 2016

When the self-proclaimed greatest legacy infrastructure project of the Rio Olympics is a new metro line that stops eight miles short of the actual Olympic Park, you already know there’s …

L.A.’s Forgotten Avenue of the Athletes

Thirty-Two Grimy Bronze Plaques Are All That Remain of a Grand Vision to Create a Walk of Fame for Sports

By David Davis | August 4, 2016

Walking along Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles the other day I stumbled across an old acquaintance. On a small bronze plaque embedded into the sidewalk was the name Jimmy …

Russia Goes for Gold in Hooliganism

The Future World Cup Host’s Latest International Sporting Event Antics Only Deepen the Kremlin’s Sense of Isolation

By Joshua Yaffa | June 30, 2016

In authoritarian political systems, sports take on outsized importance. After all, national greatness is part of the bargain. A measure of democratic freedom is traded for strength and victory, whether …

L.A.’s Athletic Ambitions Are Faster, Higher, Stronger

The '84 Olympic Games Were a Huge Success, 2024 Would Be the Greatest Ever

By Anita L. DeFrantz | October 15, 2015

I am very excited about the Los Angeles’ 21st-century bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. My excitement is not just about the stadiums that will fill to …

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