The Year of the Female Athlete may be upon us — finally. The upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics are set to provide women with the most opportunities to compete yet. This goes for all-female events, as well as a historic approval for the highest number of mixed-gender events the Games have ever allowed. The Tokyo Summer Olympics will be the first-ever gender balanced Olympics — and we are here for it. 

Tokyo Olympics News & Updates

As of this writing, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are on track to get underway on July 23, 2021. Despite being postponed a full year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Games continue to be referred to as the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics for marketing and branding purposes. Amidst concerns surrounding the ongoing global health crisis, Tokyo 2020 organizing committee president Seiko Hashimoto remains confident the Games will take place this summer.

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics will have strict safety protocols in place, including social distancing, limited face-to-face time and daily COVID-19 testing requirements for athletes. While officials have said only Japanese spectators will be allowed, concrete decisions about capacity and spectator protocols were deferred until June.   

1964 → 2021: Tokyo Olympics Legacy

Japan went down in history as the first Asian country to host the Olympics in the summer of 1964. The upcoming Games mark the second time the event will be staged in Tokyo. The Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics saw the last time officials relied on hand timing by stopwatch and the first time a fiberglass pole was used in the pole vaulting competition—a practice that continues to this day. The 1964 Games were first in history to be broadcast live via satellite, garnering the Olympic Games and its competing athletes greater global exposure than ever before.    

At the 1964 Olympic Games, torch bearer Yoshinori Sakai was chosen for his August 6, 1945 birth date — the day the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. Sakai was chosen to carry the flame in homage to the victims and as a call for world peace. He was 19 at the time. 

Female Athletes Going to Tokyo

TIY is all about uplifting women and — in case you can’t tell — we’re ecstatic to see so many awesome women competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Here’s a quick spotlight on 5 female athletes we’re keeping a close eye on this summer:

Lara Dallman-Weiss 

Lara Dallman-Weiss will be sailing for gold as part of the US national sailing team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Dallman-Weiss's amazing accomplishments include earning a spot as the 2016 Farr 40 North American Champion on Flash Gordon, placing 1st in the C&C 30 class at the 2016 Key West Race Week and placing 1st at the 2016 Etchells Pacific Coast Championship as main trimmer. Go Lara! 

Simone Biles 

Simone Biles hit the world by storm, earning four gold medals in gymnastics events at the 2016 Rio Olympics. This year, Biles could become the first U.S woman in any sport to win five gold medals at a single Olympic Games and the first woman to win back-to-back all-around Olympic titles since 1968. Knock it out of the park, Simone! 

Dina Asher-Smith

Dina Asher-Smith is arguably one of the greatest female athletes in modern history. The 25-year-old 200m world champion has been vocal about calling for greater exposure of elite sporting females. Regarded as the fastest British woman on record, Asher-Smith is a favorite to watch at this year’s Games. We’re rooting for you, Dina! 

Hollie Arnold 

Javelin champion Hollie Arnold competed on the Paralympic stage at the 2008 Beijing Summer Paralympics, the 2012 London Summer Paralympics and most recently, at the 2016 Rio Summer Paralympics. Arnold secured a first-place finish at the 2019 Dubai World Para-Athletics Championships and she’s training hard to take the podium in Tokyo this year. Three cheers for Hollie!

Lois Toulson

Lois Toulson made her Olympic debut in diving at the 2016 Rio Games. The 19-year-old won gold medals at the 2015 Baku European Games and the 2018 Glasgow European championships. This year, she’s aiming for Olympic gold. We love to see it, Lois!

TIY Supports Women All Around the World

Here at TIY, supporting female athletes is in our DNA. Our maximum hold, no-nonsense hair ties were specifically designed to help women exceed in sports by removing hair distractions. TIY hair ties are great for any hair texture, and we pride ourselves on making our products accessible to all — whether you’re on the field or in the office.

Stay tuned for an extra special podium-themed Olympic hair tie product we can’t wait to share with you. Join our TIY tribe for updates, inspiration and support and don’t forget to visit us online to shop TIY hair ties!