Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

1 Article：
EDITORIAL | Applauding the Greatest Olympians as a New Generation
Claims its PlaceDirections: Read the following article aloud.
The various athletic events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are now going full tilt. So far, they
have delivered some surprising results.
In judo, the Japanese team started off very well, with Naohisa Takato setting the stage by
picking up Japan’s first gold medal by winning the under-60-kg class in men’s judo. Likewise,in the under 48-kg women’s event, Funa Tonaki nabbed a silver medal.

Just when everything seemed to be going well, Japan was dealt a huge shock. Defending
individual all-around Olympic gymnastics champion Kohei Uchimura, the symbol of Japanese
gymnastics and a superstar known as “King Kohei” in world gymnastics circles, lost his grip
and fell from the horizontal high bar.
A seven-time Olympic gold medalist, Uchimura was taking part in his fourth straight
Olympics, although this time concentrating on this one event. His failure to advance to thefinals meant that he was finished competing in these Olympics.
The outcome may seem cruel, but this is the fear and drama of the Olympics. If you are goingto have winners, you must also have losers.
That holds true for Uchimura, as well as for athletes in any other sport. His loss this timearound does nothing to diminish his great achievements, or the way his “beauty inmovement” style of gymnastics has inspired Japanese gymnasts.
The right way to watch sports is to congratulate the winners and express our deep
appreciation for the losers. Such an illustrious loser as Uchimura deserves an especially large
round of applause.

Source：EDITORIAL | Applauding the Greatest Olympians as a New Generation Claims its Place
https://japan-forward.com/editorial-applauding-the-greatest-olympians-as-a-new-generation-claims-its-place/
本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。

Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

1 Article：
EDITORIAL | Applauding the Greatest Olympians as a New Generation
Claims its PlaceDirections: Read the following article aloud.
In the runup to the Olympic Games, controversy raged over whether the Tokyo 2020
Olympics should go ahead during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following statement especiallydrew criticism: “Instead of saying we can’t do something, I would like to see us consider how
we can make it happen.” It was the sentiment of an athlete and should not have been thesubject of the wrath of Olympics opponents.
In Uchimura’s case, he had already successfully pulled off maneuvers of great technicaldifficulty three times in a row during the qualifying rounds of the gymnastics competition,
demonstrating the technique in which he released his grip on the bar, including the“Bretschneider.” It was at that point in the competition round, as he was engaged in a
twisting technique, that he lost his grip and fell.
Yet, after disastrously crashing to the floor, Uchimura picked himself up and finished hisroutine. It was just what you would expect from one of the greatest gymnasts in history.
Uchimura’s mishap once again made us aware of what a burden the one-year postponementof the Olympic Games has placed on the athletes. At age 32 and with a history of injuries, thisdelay has proved especially harsh for Uchimura.
Or take the case of weightlifter Hiromi Miyake, who won a silver medal at the 2012 London
Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro. Competing in her fifth
Olympics, the 35-year-old only succeeded in one or her lifts, and quickly announced that she
was retiring from active competition. Miyake, too, had been plagued by injuries since Rio, andthe one-year postponement did not help matters.
We would hope that the opinion makers and politicians who advocated that the Tokyo
Olympics be postponed for two years or four years, without giving any consideration to theathletes, will realize the insensitivity of some of their remarks.
On the bright side, during the preliminaries the young members of Japanese men’s artisticgymnastics team, who grew up revering Uchimura, put on a solid collective performance bybeating out China for second place overall in the team competition based on total points forthe six medal events. (The Russian Olympic Committee team took gold.) Moreover, Daiki
Hashimoto came in on top in the men’s all-around competition.
Now is the time for us to express support for both the superheroes who are retiring, andcheer on the young athletes who are stepping forward to take their places.
Source：EDITORIAL | Applauding the Greatest Olympians as a New Generation Claims its Place
https://japan-forward.com/editorial-applauding-the-greatest-olympians-as-a-new-generation-claims-its-place/
本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。

Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

2

Key phrases and vocabulary

Directions: First repeat after your tutor and then read aloud by yourself.
1. take part in 参加する
You can take part in a variety of activities from crafts to computer games.
2. deserve ～を受けるに値する、～にふさわしい、(称賛・報いなどを受けるのが)当然である
After all that hard work, you deserve a vacation.
3. controversy 論争、議論、物議
This decision will create a controversy, but it’s necessary to improve our financial situation.
4. in a row 連続して、立て続けに、1列に並んでFirefighters work two 10-hour day shifts and two 14-hour night shifts in a row.
5. on the bright side 明るい側面としては、物事の良い面・メリット(を見れば)
I was always trying to look on the bright side even when I was going through a tough time.

3Questions
Directions: Read the questions aloud and answer them.

1. How did Kohei Uchimura lose his chance to go up to the finals?
2. What controversy arose before the Olympic Games?
3. What was the most memorable moment or interesting news you have heard
about the Olympics?
4. If you were able to go watch the Olympic Games, which event would you
like to watch?

本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。

Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

4

日本語関連記事：【主張】五輪競技本格化

偉大な敗者に拍手を送る

東京五輪は本格的に各種目の競技が始まった。
柔道では男子６０キロ級で高藤直寿が今大会日本選手団１号となる金メダルを首にかけた。女子４８キロ級でも渡名喜風南が銀メダルを獲得した。
そうした中でショックだったのは、日本の体操界、スポーツ界の象徴的存在だった内村航平が鉄棒から落下したことだ。種目別の鉄棒一本に絞って４大会連続の五輪に臨んだ内村は予選敗退が決まり、これで大会を去る。
残酷なようだが、これがオリンピックの怖さであり、ドラマである。勝者がいれば、必ず敗者がいる。それが競技の真実でもある。だが、オールラウンダーとして五輪の個人総合で連覇を飾り、美しい演技で日本の団体を牽引（けんいん）してきた内村の偉業は損なわれない。

観戦の基本は「勝者には祝福を、敗者にはいたわりを」だ。内村のような偉大な敗者には盛大な拍手を送りたい。
新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大をめぐって開催への賛否が渦巻いた東京五輪について、「できないではなくて、どうしたらできるかを考えてほしい」と話して心ない非難を浴びたこともあった。
それはアスリートを代表して述べた言葉であり、批判の対象となるべきではなかった。
予選では難度の高い「ブレトシュナイダー」などの手離し技を３連続で成功させた直後、ひねり技で鉄棒を握り損ねて落下した。それでも続行した演技で着地を見事に決めたのは、さすがだった。

改めて大会１年延期の難しさを思う。度重なる故障で満身創痍（そうい）の３２歳に、１年の延期がどれだけ負担だったか。
選手の事情などお構いなしに、２年、あるいは４年の延期を主張した識者、政治家らには、自身の発言がどれだけ無神経なものだったかを知ってほしい。
５大会連続出場、２大会連続メダルの重量挙げ女子、３５歳の三宅宏実も試技を失敗して記録を残せず、現役引退を表明した。三宅も故障と戦いながら、苦しい延期の１年間を送ってきた。
一方で体操の予選では、内村を仰ぎみて成長した若い代表メンバーが６種目合計で中国を抑えて首位に立った。個
人総合でも橋本大輝がトップに立っている。

英雄の退場、若者の躍進、その全てに声援を送りたい。

出典：【主張】五輪競技本格化 偉大な敗者に拍手を送る
https://japanforward.com/japanese/%e3%80%90%e4%b8%bb%e5%bc%b5%e3%80%91%e4%ba%94%e8%bc%aa%e7%ab%b6%e6%8a%80%e6%9c%ac%e6%a0%bc%e5%8c%96%e3%80%80%e5%81%89%e5%a4%a7%e3%81%aa%e6%95%97%e8%80%85%e3%81%ab%e6%8b%8d%e6%89%8b%e3%82%92/

本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。