The COVIDLympics, Day Five: Storm Clouds On The Horizon

• Doesn't sound like it's just some USA viewers getting miffed.  Italy has fallen well short of expectations in the first five days, and some kvetching is happening.
• Simone Biles is out of the all-around.  No surprise.  Really thinking coverup or fix here -- and, right now, I think NBC setting her up to fail may be part of this.   
• US Women's Water Polo was defeated in pool play 10-9 by Hungary -- their first loss in four Olympics.
• Continuing the trend of Team USA hitting the wall in these Olympics:  This is setting up, by some estimates, to be the worst Olympic swim meet for the USA since 1960!!!  They had 16 gold and 33 medals in the pool in Rio.  They have 17 medals in Swimming so far, but only 4 gold in 17 events.  There are 18 swimming finals remaining.
• On the other hand, the Netherlands had their best day in their Summer history.  Eight medals today across three sports.
• Hidilyn Diaz is another of those stories of how an unexpected gold medal sets someone up for life in a smaller country.  After winning her gold medal, the first for the Philippines, the country has given her the equivalent of $600,000 and also two new houses...
• At least one Norwegian canoe capsized during competition today.
• Tokyo has just recorded a new record today -- a record number of COVID-19 cases.
• Former track coach and predator Alberto Salazar has been life-banned from sports by the American SafeSport for sexual and emotional abuse.  If you don't think some of THOSE chickens are also coming home to roost in these Games for Team USA so far (speaking generally)... 
• Another inappropriate captioning in the South Korean coverage.  OK, what the fuck is going on over there?   
• A Congressional committee on human-rights abuses in China has brought US Olympic sponsors over the fire for supporting the Beijing Winter Games.  Would I 100% rule out a boycott here for next winter?   
• Japan has won their sixth gold medal in judo in these Games - leading to probably topping the medal table for most golds through five days of medal competition.
• A Swiss sprinter has been banned from the competition for drugs.
• There has been increasing concern of the heat in the tennis events -- not only was today's competition pushed back into the afternoon to try to compensate, but Daniil Medvedev said it wasn't close to what was needed to be done, claiming the heat could be lethal to himself or another competitor.  Medvedev almost passed out -- another player had to withdraw due to heatstroke.  88 degrees but felt like 99 with the humidity.
• USA has won the inaugural women's 3x3 basketball gold medal.  Kinda gives you an idea of the difference between women in this country, who actually play basketball, and men, who play jordon Ballhogball.   
• And, as midnight falls in Japan:  The gold medal race, at least for now, appears to be a four-sided affair:  Japan with 13, China with 12, USA 11, and don't look now, the Russians have 7.
• Total:  USA 31, China 27, Russia 23, Japan 22.
• 95 of the scheduled 339 events have been completed.
• No new maidens today, either gold or total medal.  Still only two gold maidens and a total maiden so far in these Games.
• Thirty-five nations have a gold medal.
• Sixty-two have medaled.
• As much as the USA has disappointed, their medal total has largely completely matched the first five days in Rio.  Only one fewer medal in the total, 32 vs. 31.  11 golds in both Games.
• Eleven more nations have medaled in the first five days in Tokyo than did the first five days in Rio.