Olympics
Anne Hidalgo’s socialist reign of error in Paris
A photograph, taken in June 2014, has become emblematic of Anne Hidalgo’s Socialist rule of Paris. In the picture stands…
Was the Tokyo Olympics a success?
Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s Prime Minister, is a hard man to read. He has a sum total of one facial expression…
Switch over to Eurosport: BBC's Olympic coverage reviewed
I’ve not been allowed anywhere near the TV remote control this week because of some kind of infernal sporting event…
Letters: The problem with the ‘alpha migrants’
Here illegally Sir: Unfortunately, Charlotte Eagar misses the point (‘The alpha migrants’, 31 July). The Channel migrants may be ‘bright…
Simone Biles, Plutarch and an Olympic trial
The outstanding gymnast Simone Biles has pulled out of several Olympic events, saying: ‘I just don’t trust myself as much…
Should Simone Biles listen to Novak Djokovic?
I’ve always been a Spectator reader, so I’m delighted to be writing a diary about the Olympics from Tokyo. My…
Guy Verhofstadt claims Olympic gold for the EU
Who is on top of the gold medal table at the Tokyo Olympics? China? The United States? According to former European…
In defence of Novak Djokovic
Why does no one like Novak Djokovic? If Roger Federer is the player that even non-tennis fans can’t help but…
Why do the Japanese still seem so ambivalent about Naomi Osaka?
It had all started so well for Naomi Osaka. Dressed in the colours of the Japanese flag, the tennis star…
The ancient Greeks had no time for losers
Every red-blooded Englishman has believed that exercise in the open air is the finest prophylactic against popery, adultery and the…
The uncomfortable truth about the Nazis and the Olympics
The uncomfortable truth about the Nazis and the Olympics
Tokyo's doomed Olympics could be the worst yet
The Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics, which begins on Friday, looks set to be one of the worst in the event’s history. A…
For the sake of athletics, the Olympics must not be delayed again
Whatever became of athletics? It’s fallen nearly as far as show jumping and that is a long way. But the…
Olympics' organisers could regret banning 'taking the knee'
Knee-taking and fist-raising protests have been banned at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, with the International Olympic Committee warning athletes who flout the rules…
How the West can avoid Beijing's propaganda trap
This time next year the Winter Olympics will have drawn to a close. Beijing will have become the first city…
Japan Olympic chief resigns over sexism. But did he have to go?
Yoshiro Mori the 83-year-old former Japanese prime minister has resigned from his position as president of the Tokyo Olympic Organising…
Is it all over for the Tokyo Olympics?
Any long-term resident of Japan will know that ‘reading the air’, as the locals put it, is an essential skill…
Face time
The inimitably pukka voice of Jacob Rees-Mogg echoed through Radio 4 on Thursday morning. He was not, though, talking about…
Emil Zátopek: a legend from athletics’ golden age of innocence
The story of the Czechoslovak runner Emil Zátopek is a tale from athletics’ age of innocence. Without the aid of…
Downton Abbey on skis: Eddie the Eagle reviewed
I once forced some pals on a skiing holiday to spend an afternoon off the slopes watching Chalet Girl. Suffice…
Would I have broken my neck for a bit of TV fame?
Not long ago I was asked if I wanted to participate in a Channel 4 reality show called The Jump.…