A Skater is Retiring

An excellent speed skater, Nao Kodaira, has stated of her retirement from skating. She has won the gold medal in 500m speed skating at the Winter Olympic Games in Pyong Chang in 2018. In the press conference, being asked about involvement in hosting the Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo, she answered she would take a distance from it so far. She also stated she won't be utilized for such an event. 

Olympic Games have been corrupted by businesses, IOC or politicians. The Tokyo Olympic Games held last year was typical for that. A few businessmen and executive staff of JOC etc have been arrested for bribery. Tsunekazu Takeda, the former head of JOC, has been suspected of corruption to host the Tokyo Olympic Games. He was suspected to bribe IAAF executives for that. A few politicians, including a former PM, are suspects for corruptions as well. A big advertizing agent named Dentsu might play a central role in these corruption scheme. I have been wondering why athletes won't question about it. 

I believe sports people who achieved some records in such as the Olympic Games won't express their views like Kodaira did since they might be concerned about their career after retiring their sports. Kodaira says she would go on teaching at a university, her mother school in Shinshu. She wants to climbing mountains there,

which she could not enjoy for fear of accidents. 

In the 500m speed skate race she won the 1st place, another skater from Korea, who had been expected to win in it, got only the 2nd place and started weeping in the rink. Kodaira has gently embraced her with the Korean national flag. Whatever country they belonged to and whatever place they got, it was a moving scene in fact. It was most impressive scene in that Olympic Games.