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Astronauts on the Space Station Held Their Own Olympics, Had Some Unique Games

With this year’s edition of the Olympics over, there’s a long way to go until the next round. So meanwhile, astronauts are keeping us entertained. They decided to give us a little taste of what the Olympic Games would look like in space.
Space Olympics on the International Space Station 6 photos
Photo: Thomas Pesquet/Twitter
Space Olympics on the International Space StationSpace Olympics on the International Space StationSpace Olympics on the International Space StationSpace Olympics on the International Space StationSpace Olympics on the International Space Station
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who’s currently on the International Space Station (ISS), posted on his Twitter an Olympics version that was “out of this world.” The astronauts offered quite a show on Friday, adapting the event to their location and conditions, and using the lack of gravity to their advantage.

So viewers could watch the space crew competing in a synchronized space swimming game, weightless sharpshooting, lack-of-floor routine, and a no-handball competition. These were not your usual routines and they were in fact harder to master than you would imagine. Take the “lack-of-floor” one for instance, which one of the astronauts was able to complete without touching anything. Not an easy thing to accomplish when you’re floating in zero gravity, with minimum control.

On the other hand, while they didn’t have any Olympics’ equipment and facilities, they also didn’t have to worry about the problems we had to face down here, from heatwaves to pandemics and so on. Not to mention the “competitors” were fit for the job, because, well, they’re astronauts. You don’t get to go to space if you’re a couch potato.

Their Space Olympics were a demonstration of teamwork and crew cohesion, as explained by Pesquet in a tweet.

And because the Olympics ended this Sunday, the astronauts also held a closing ceremony. Thomas Pesquet also played the national anthem of France on saxophone, as France will be the next country to host the Olympic Games in 2024.

This year’s edition took place in Tokyo between July 23 and August 8. The United States got the largest number of medals (113), including gold ones (39 of them). China was in second place with 88 medals, of which 38 were gold ones. Japan took third place, with a total of 58 medals (27 gold ones).

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About the author: Cristina Mircea
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Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars.
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