10 things you need to know today: August 8, 2021

Olympics wrap up with closing ceremony, Taliban reportedly take key Afghan city, and more

Olympics closing ceremony.
(Image credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

1. Olympics wrap up with closing ceremony

The 2020 Olympics officially wrapped up on Sunday in Tokyo with the closing ceremonies. The Tokyo Games were under scrutiny for the past year as the world dealt with the coronavirus pandemic. There were concerns about whether the International Olympic Committee and Japan should have called the whole thing off, but the spectator-less two-week event appears to have gone more or less according to plan, with few COVID-19 infections reported within the Olympic bubble. In terms of the actual athletic events, the United States took home the most overall medals with 113, while also edging China for most golds at 39 thanks to late victories from the women's basketball and indoor volleyball teams.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.