After attending the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 as a Young Change-Maker, Rio 2016 modern pentathlon gold medallist Chloe Esposito talks to Olympic.org about her family’s strong ties to the YOG

By George Hirthler

Tokyo 2020’s array of fantastic, modern venues should generate some extraordinary atmosphere next summer – but few will rival the Saitama Super Arena. Already one of Japan’s most famous venues for major sporting events and concerts, at the Games it will host the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments (together with the Aomi Urban Sports Park).

Suzanne Lenglen – undoubtedly the greatest French female tennis player of all time. World champion at the age of 15, a six-time winner at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon and the first real global tennis star, she won the women’s singles tournament 99 years ago at Antwerp 1920, losing only four games in the process. She also claimed gold in the mixed doubles with Max Decugis, and bronze in the women’s doubles alongside Élisabeth d'Ayen.

Nicolas Massu made history during the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. This Chilean tennis player, ranked ninth in the world at his best, won the first gold medal for his country in doubles with Fernando Gonzalez, before doing it again in singles, the first double gold medallist in tennis in the modern era. Fifteen years later, he remembers everything…

Fifteen years ago the Olympic Games Athens 2004 were considered a “homecoming”: Greece was the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games and host of the inaugural Olympic Games of the modern era in 1896. Despite challenges related to the post-Games use of some of the Olympic venues, the Games did not disappoint their hosts: they created wide-ranging benefits, some of which the Greek capital continues to enjoy to this day.  

With one year to go, we asked the International Federations what they were especially looking forward to about the upcoming Olympic Games. Here is what they answered.