so let's see what he does. the protesters also marched central lima in favor of the precedent. some say it's time to turn the page and focus on the control problems. while there is growing discontent among some precedent, gassy, you know, at the presidential palace working and remain silent. i deanna sanchez. i just see that you might be to ah hop on the hour. and these are the top stories. more fighting in the middle of laska, one of the afghan cities, the taliban is trying to capture. i've got to stop governments as special forces and us as strikes are helping troops in the streets. thousands of civilians fled to neighboring canada. he's more from james bay's out diplomatic editor in cobble lasers information we have is that heavy battles continue in the center of alaska guy. we understand the current fighting is around the headquarters of africa.

intelligence in laska gotten also around the prison. and the suggestion is that maybe the taliban are trying to break into the prison so they can break out some of the inmates because we believe that there are taliban detainees. there. certainly the government is claiming one victory, which they say is the death of one of the taliban commanders. now the headlines, china has attacked a us offer of temporary refuge for people from hong kong president, job island says anyone from hong kong residing in the us will be allowed to stay for another 18 months by fighters in california were struggling to contain a fire. that's destroyed, most of a star town with local dixie. fire is $40000.00 to flee their homes. after burning for nearly 3 weeks. wildfire burning across pots of grief of false more evacuation . the capital athens. fire fighters continued their efforts throughout the night to stop the flames. from reaching populated areas and intense heat wave,

an drought fueling the blazes, of which is seen several firefighters sent to hospital. if you refuse to grow, rebels have seized control of the ancient town of lee bella, and the north baton of the unesco was heritage site. and its sacred for millions of ethiopian orthodox christians and health authorities in the philippines still trying to reassure unvaccinated people that they can leave their homes. after false news reports cause panic. huge numbers of people jammed the vaccination centers. in manila, i had a new lockdown that started on friday. rumors had spread that unvaccinated residence would be deprived of aid payments, and wouldn't be allowed to leave that home. you go, you're up to date with the headlines to this hour on out to 0. inside story of the next, the u. s. has withdrawn the majority of its troops from america the longest war, leaving the battle for control. the african military be able to hold its ground against the taliban, and the afghans to help the american war effort relocated to the us. what was the

future hold for that special coverage for not going to song on al jazeera. it's an a limping gains like never before. no crowds of supporters in tokyo, because it's coven 19. but plenty of politics. how's that affected? great sporting events. this is insightful. ah, ah! hello, welcome to the program. i'm hasn't seen as the tokyo olympics come to an end this sunday a year late because of the coven, 19 pandemic. some athletes and their nations are celebrating their metals, while others will be looking at where they can improve in 3 years time. in paris, what is arguably been the world's biggest sporting events has always been a chance for nations big and small to showcase themselves on the grandest of stages

. historically, the prestige of the athletes, metal podium has been an opportunity for governments to promote a kind of soft power of culture and influence rather than the hard power of wealth and military might. but have some countries now cross that line and do the game still have the same impact for the metal winning nations. and the hosts will be asking those questions and more with our guests in a moment. but 1st, let's take a look at some of the major events involving the games and politics. in 1936 nazi germany hosted the olympics, but it only allowed what it referred to as the area and race to represent germany further marginalizing its jewish population. in the 1900 sixty's apartheid south africa was banned from competing in what was the tokyo olympics. but only after it had already been allowed to use an all white team to compete during the same decade

in 1968 in mexico, american athletes use their podium, wins to raise awareness about racism. a move that had them kicked out of those olympics. and in 1980 the united states led a boy called the games in moscow as a response to the soviet union's invasion of afghanistan. the army now being that the us invaded afghanistan 21 years later the while for more on this i'm joined by our guests in london, ontario, richard barker, adjunct fellow and olympic scholar and co director of the proposed olympic research network. in tokyo, we have barbara holt, his deputy director of german institute for japanese studies and editor of japan to the lens of the tokyo olympics. and in doha, ross griffin, middle east,

editor of into the international general of the history of sports. good to have you all with us. so barbara, let me start with you, then since you are where it's happening right now. i think it's fair to say this is not the, the olympics that japan had envisioned when they were awarded the games in tokyo back in 2011 in the middle of a, of a pandemic. no spectators, lots of domestic opposition to this with, with protests. and so on, but you know, given all of those limitations, can it still be seen as a success and how is that success measured? well, that is a difficult question and that really depends on which stakeholder is being given that question i. so for the i a see if they will, most definitely say this is going to be a success because their main income comes from tv. right. and it's

a tv only around now. well, if you talk to the japanese population thing in a very, very different as they are being shut out from the games they're being held there, there were very cautious about the possibility of different buyers and bars, new mutations coming into the country, 200 countries coming into their city. when you look at the japanese government, the costs are tremendous. when you look at the sponsors, a lot of them have now declined tv ad. they kind of step back because they didn't want the negative fall out from this. so really pen, you're talking to ross griffin, we talk there and talk about about this whole idea of soft power and how nations use the lympics as a stage to promote that sort of, of soft power with,

with you know, the accomplishments of athletes. but in terms of the host nation, japan, what impact has has, has hosting the olympics in, under these conditions had on, on what they were hoping to get out of these games. i think the games has been successful from metrics point of view for the japanese. and if the committee there are higher in the table, then they would historically be so it's giving them a chance to demonstrate that they are accomplished in other fields such as metix. they would be, it would be stereotypically, stereotypically, be conceived as technology and, or areas like that. it shows loza shows that they can compete or support alongside the other g 7 nations. if you look at the middle table, it's got the usual character as of china, america, britain, australia,

and are known as the rational and the committee and japan is sitting. there's some very comfortably alongside them. i think their 4th or 5th currently in the metals table, which is, as i said, historically much higher than they normally would be. yeah, great bring you mentioned there is an interesting example that we can come back to in terms of their, their sporting achievements at the olympics over the last few years. but i want to get the view of richard. now on this, what do you think should be the legacy of the tokyo olympics? i think they can be called the compromised lympics to the television olympics. i personally thought they should have been delayed another year to had the full effect with the fans there and spectators from overseas. but that didn't happen. so we have to live with it now. and so i think the legacy will be got to call it. you hiccups along the way, we've only got 5 days to go. we'll see what happens with the paralympics, but as the compromised or television olympics that went ahead the ios,

the pushed forward on that delay till the 2022 could have occurred. but that didn't . so they're gonna be back on track, and as you pointed out, there's only 3 years to pairs to next summer game and less than 6 months till the beijing winter games. but that might be another political hot potato between now and when they take place barbara. so you nodding in agreement to, to some of that about this idea of the day, perhaps they should have been delayed another year to 2022. so you can get all the crowds in there. we'll talk, talk a little bit more about that. what you think that yeah, well, i mean the hopes and wishes that japan connect it with these games where many falls on the one hand or, or say one, it's 40000000 tours from abroad getting into the country in 2020 and now the country has been completely knocked except 2 of them pick related people for a year and a half. right?

so that is huge so they can showcase themselves. they can't get any financial benefits from selling the state. so there's a non weekly, it's really, really difficult. and it's difficult to balance for the people who have been over half a 1000000 people happens in their jobs. and of course, it's hard to tell people to and that's what the japanese government has been doing over and over in the many states of emergency. please. you know, due south restraints don't go out, don't drink alcohol, right. don't go to the restaurants, don't mean go. but then the world comes together in the city. and so that's why partially my receive this large increase now and over. but ross griffin, how important is achievement of metals at the olympics for 4 countries? and i suppose it does depend to, to an extent on which country you're talking about. i mean if he,

if you look at the example of great britain and the, the decision that was made back in the late ninety's, they had a, they had a terrible olympics back in 1996. they won one gold medals finished. i think it was 37th in the podium and a decision was made right off to that to, to, to pump a lot more money into, into grass roots sports into sports that, that would help them win a limb. pick old metals. and since then, they've had a huge measure of success and, you know, you know, getting into the metals podium in, in, in sort of, around $56.00 in the, in the meadows table, pretty much every olympics in beijing. so it does show you that this kind of thing does matter for a country's prestige and with britain, we're not, we're not talking about china or, or, you know, authority on authoritarian nation. it is, it is a kind of projection of soft power, isn't it 1st? and so many of these countries, oh,

it very much. it is. the middle table is always something that's very keenly watched by spectators. i imagine arbitrations as well. it's important to note though that every different, every country has a different agenda. when it comes to the metal, the traditional superpowers of sports, america, china and russia would always be looking to use a middle table to start their own spin on society that their own social model is better than others. but when it comes to nations, particularly britain coming out of the backdrop of what seems to be a very confused and bonded branch of process. many experts deemed to be a very, very poor mishandling of the corporate and demick. this is something that bars johnson and his peers in the conservative government can cling on to say, look, we're doing something right. you know, i'm not exactly sure how they're translate. 15 or 16 gold medals and the political capital. but that's the job of the politicians to do. this trickles all the way

down to states that wouldn't be as large or establish does. the britons of the world are to china's are the americans. you look at what it is. it's confusing when you look at the man and lympics platform because they're designated as chinese type in the olympic metal there. but taiwan, by any other name, it's important to know that there are 20 turn on that natural table. in the d. use mega events sporting events, such as your intakes, to establish a sense of choosing a sense of identity outside of the umbrella of more dominant neighbors that wish to bring them back in. and that's where middle tables, they really are important for a little and larger missions to assert a sense of national identity for whatever agenda is deemed necessary at the time. a barbara, when we talk about national identity, the did, the opening ceremony is always a big opportunity is, isn't it for, for, for,

for that house nation to kind of set out their store. it's kind of, it's a huge p r spectacle in, in that sense, what did you, what did you make of, of what we saw in tokyo, almost a couple of weeks ago. now. i thought the symbolic power and many of these ideas and the opening, their money were really strong. and for example, you had asked earlier about, you know, the goals and hopes and desires of the other one was to show how inclusive japan and now diverse japan is and inclusion you could really see in the opening ceremony in regards to having a lot of people with disabilities wheelchairs participating in the ceremony. you had now me also got lighting the cauldron, who is multi racial japanese and that has huge symbolic power as

well as the japanese flag bearer who is a basketball player. and he's also multi racial and, and so to choose these 2 and these very both positions really supported this desire of showing how diverse japan has become. rick, what do you make of this idea that's been put out that you know, the soft, the whole soft power thing doesn't matter so much that we have the same impact that he used to for countries and, and it's become more about the personalities when you, when you look at what happened with simone biles, that the american gymnast and her decision to not to compete in certain events because she said she was looking out for her mental health. that,

that is something that got a lot, a great deal of coverage in the media and had some asking whether this is this is really more of a platform for has become more of a platform for athletes than, than their nations. what, what do you make of that idea? of course the athletes commission has gotten more power phone. they just voted some new members on as a change them around. so they definitely increase their profile, the athlete side in the whole and 6 issue with respect to politics. has changed, of course, because we haven't seen a boycott since 84 when it was the tit for tat when the soviet lead nations didn't come to l. a. and that was in the sort of punishment for the americans and their boy, supporters not going to moscow. so boycotts having occurred. so we got 88 so they were boy ready and everyone went wow, this is great. know boycotts, normal,

lympics and i think you've identified has gone back to more of an athlete focus now i was noticed the other day there was a chinese competitor in one of the sports. and another aspect is treating that competitor, you know, just as if they were any other athlete around the world that could have been some, some adam off city there because issues are going on and in beijing with respect to the, a winter games in 2022, but yeah, they just seen the athletes or athletes and they don't really want to do too much in terms of the flaming situation there to train when metals and they kind of stay out of the reform. there has only been, i think one settle will small protests that they didn't want to occur, but they've put things in place to punish athletes about might do that. but yeah, i think we've seen that old dominion boy thoughts and issues that happen that's gone more to an athlete focus barbara, people say that that sport, that politics should, should have no business being involved in sport touring and vice versa. but do you think that's perhaps a naive view?

because when, when we look through history, the to have never been far apart. and when you have a stage as large as the olympic games, that's always going to be an opportunity for certain people, whether they be countries or individual athletes to, to, to, to put forward their, their agenda, so to speak. what do you, what's your take on that? i think that's, of course did you talk to each other? i don't think there could be such a mega event. the world's largest matter event without serious involvement. apology because there's so much money involved and national prestige. that is being pushed in certain agenda and i think that strong tie those strong ties. i think they're not going to get any less over time. ross griffin, what, what's your take on that in the way, in terms of the way a different different countries approach that narrative like

politics, sports have always been intertwined. husband men as particularly, enjoy the games given the sheer prestige surrounding the event. this goes back to the early 1900. you had iris athletes at 1906 games, protesting british colonization. they brought their own flag. and this resurfaced again in 1972. when you are a cyclist, an ultimate recycling team, in the 72 games interact with the road race. you've already mentioned the games evolving south africa and already sixty's and jesse on and the 70 or $36.00 unit games also. so it's always, it's always been a part of the olympic games. i know that the try to minimalize or diminishes the amount of products or any opportunity for protest in this games and bar. the american shop puts us was mentioned earlier. i don't think i haven't seen any signer seen of it in these game so far. i don't think you can

eliminate a completely once you have people in these games, human beings are always going to have some risk of protest. this is just a part and parcel of feelings against a speaking, a protest and politics. richard, i know this was mentioned earlier about the, the, the winter games that are coming up in beijing in early 2022. and the real possibility of, of some sort of international boy called there because of the chinese government treatments of the weaker people back in 2008 when when china hosted the summer elim picks there again, there were concerns raised about human rights record. but of course, nothing happened there. the gains were seen as a huge success for china, a thing different this time around them. yes they are. i come from australia and

curly and canada, and they've got 2 issues with shy at the moment the. the australians had. so many tariffs, but on their trade with china, china bullying, australia, small nation with lots of lar, raw resources that they need. and candace had the to michael was to katie and diplomats are being held there in the been over a year. and so they've got that issue and will that be resolved before the beijing games, both of those aspects of the sterling situation and the kn situation. and there's talk a boycotts moving the games, delaying another year. the national epic trinity is don't want that. they just want to compete, they don't want politics to enter into it, but we can't help and avoid that. that might occur because of the strong political, you know, problems that are at the moment. china won't want to give up the game saying that all this money is 1st time games will be in a same city for winter and summer. that's the 1st and they've got the infrastructure done, and they'll, they'll run technically

a very good gains. so they don't want that to occur in this. they move against china might be willing to a lot of the olympic movement. it's a shame that current 1st on the metal kelly. so the world doesn't want to see that neither does the i o c, and i don't want to see that. so we're in a situation an interesting 6 months to see if or be a lobby to have some changes occur for the beijing games. an interesting 6 months. barbara, what, what do you think is likely to happen with those winter games in the 2022. what i wanted to mention because you earlier said that, you know, the post on me was only by one. and i think maybe richard said that, but that ideally would have been better to postpone it for 2 years. but it was decided against and you know, there were many reasons why, but one probably is also that japan really wanted to all of them because there's always been that rivalry between japan and china and to be the 1st nation to hold

lots not anymore. and emmett, but and demi games was really important for japan and not to give that to china. but you know, i don't know what's going to happen to the next 6 months. it's their everyday things change so much. i would not dare to give any assumptions what we're going to be seeing in the next 6 months. fair enough. ross griffin, if, if, if some sort of a boy called does happen, and i'm not saying it will for china and in 20 for beijing in 2022. what, what will be the ramifications of that? you think i thought it's hard to say my own personal opinion. i think money talks in these things, so i don't see any boy. i don't see any boy happening. i don't see any delay in the game happening. if contracts are signed by television, companies, and sponsors,

i think the games are going to go ahead if you want some hint as to how things could panel i think looking at the russian olympic committee team as it's called. and these games might give you some clue me in all of these because this incredibly unfair to punish the needs i think, who have spent their entire lives. not just for your segments, training for each of these individual games. so it was a boy called would be largely symbolic, with the athletes still being allowed to compete or abuse under the mish mash or different color track suits and songs instead of items that we currently see the rational in the committee, which is still a russian team. it has all the markers of nationalism down to the red, white and blue tracks. it's that they were on the 40 and, but it's just not called a russia team on the middle stable. yeah. what, what do you make that richard the fact that russian athletes are still essentially allowed to compete,

they just can't compete under the russian flag. does that seem like a sort of can't compromise that the didn't really address the issue? yes, it definitely was a small slap on the wrist. so for all caps and purposes there, they've got a team there. can't play their anthem, but you know, they can count on the metal tally. although it's under r o c instead of russia. it's really a small slap and the rest, some of the things american swimmer said, i wonder what, what happened. i that rushed nasty wasn't here hinting at some drug issue still there. but the athletes, the ones that are punish, so it's a small slap and the rest, i think, very shortly we'll see russia back in full swing and very well in beijing. which those games will be interesting as we got the 6 months to see. and the only thing they talked about some countries is some minor changes to how they might support the games. for example,

politicians and keep people from countries might not go to beijing, they might stay home. so they wouldn't have this. china wouldn't bail use the, you know, the, or of all the top officials in the world, politicians and others coming. so there could be some things that occur with respect to that athletes may be doing some type of protests or the others despite the regulation. so yeah, money talk to ross said, so it's rob said, so it's, it's going to be interesting. i don't want to see them cancel and so i think, but go ahead. will be interesting 6 months between now and then. all right, we'll have to leave it there. thanks very much. sure. all 3 of you, richard barker, barbara walters and ross griffin, thanks so much to be on inside story and thank you. as always for watching, remember you can see this program again any time by visiting our website. i just got call man for further discussion, go to our facebook page, facebook dot com forward slash a j inside stored. you can also join the conversation on twitter handle. there is

a j inside school for me, haven't seen on the whole team here by from the a multi $1000000.00 online sex and the philippines, his black mailing men from around the world, $11.00 east, uncovered. how small time syndicate became a terminal empire on al jazeera all this on the united states is ending its 20 year military presence in afghanistan. but for the country, one of the one piece showcase that you didn't trailblazing environmental policy, able to with the country of all credit from a 3rd way to the vaccine rollout. the latest developments as the corona virus pandemic continue to spread around the world witness showcase of award winning

documentaries that bring work issues into focus to human stories with political and economic tension writing zambia head to the pope. as the company takes to define the future. august on a job. the in 2011 algae, 0 games rare access to the piano gang on academy. and some of north korea's brightest young stars. ah, what did it take to serve a national propaganda machine? a compelling portrait of the privileged lives of the countries elite, rewind, north korea. cinema of treme analogy, the around the u. s. has withdrawn the majority of its troops from america, the longest war, leaving the battle for control. the african military be able to hold its ground against the taliban, and the afghans to help the american war effort relocated to the u. s. the future

hold for that special coverage for not got a song on al jazeera. ah . a bazaar burns in central alaska, one of the afghan cities where government troops are fighting to repel the taliban . ah, can all santa maria here in doug with the world news from al jazeera, china was accusing the united states of violent interference, granting temporary refuge to people from hong kong. also a historic us gold mining town has all been wiped out by one of the biggest wildfires ever.