To Survive the Pandemic, a Secret Nintendo Cafe Is Secret No Longer

Toru Hashimoto’s Tokyo spot is a showcase for items he kept while working for the video game company. It used to be a members-only hideaway, but financial strain has forced him to open up.

The Moving Moments as the Paralympics Ended

Sights from Tokyo as the Games wrapped up.

Dispatch From the Paralympics

What happened in competition during the first week of competition in Tokyo.

A Swimmer’s Journey From Afghanistan to Refugee Camps to the Paralympics

Abbas Karimi, who was born without arms, eventually made it to the U.S. and realized his dream of competing internationally.

A Swimmer’s Journey From Afghanistan to Refugee Camps to the Paralympics

Abbas Karimi, who was born without arms, eventually made it to the U.S. and realized his dream of competing internationally.

How This Paralympic Archer Found a Bull’s-Eye Without an Arrow

Lia Coryell often questioned whether life with a debilitating disease was worth living. But then she found a purpose, and it goes way beyond shooting arrows at targets.

Allyson Felix Has Joy, and a 10th Olympic Medal

She has matched Carl Lewis as the most decorated American athlete in track and field.

Seven Olympic Moments Worth Revisiting

A spicy rhythmic gymnastics finale. A 62-year-old medalist. A former prodigy with a gold. The Olympic magic was spread across sports.

Can the Olympics Take the Heat?

Plus: squirrel acrobats, gecko navigators, hair thieves and other natural overachievers in the Friday edition of the Science Times newsletter.

It’s Not Just the Medal. It’s the Payout.

Bonuses for winning Olympic medals can be as high as $740,000 for some athletes. Others have to be satisfied with a nice letter from the king.

Shot-Putter’s Gesture Renews Controversy Over Podium Protests

Raven Saunders of the United States crossed her arms over her head. A second athlete, the American fencer Race Imboden, accepted a medal with a symbol drawn on his hand.

Olympic Success Gives Hong Kong an Emotional Lift in Hard Times

As China clamps down on its civil and political rights, Hong Kong is finding solace and hope in its best-ever Olympic showing.

Sponsorships in Hand, These Athletes Rely on Their Watches

Lots of competitors are paid as brand ambassadors, but sometimes the connection to a timepiece goes beyond just a paycheck.

Jill Biden, Changing the Fashion Game

Cheering the American Olympians, the first lady broke with recent sartorial customs.

The 1964 Games Proclaimed a New Japan. There’s Less to Cheer This Time.

The country has changed vastly from that hopeful moment nearly six decades ago, and the Olympics this time around have come to represent something different and not entirely positive.

Olympics Virus Cases Raise Tricky Questions About Testing

Frequent screening of healthy, vaccinated people will pick up even the mildest infections. How much testing is too much?

‘Anti-Sex’ Beds in the Olympic Village? A Social Media Theory Is Soon Debunked

The coronavirus has forced a number of social distancing measures at the Summer Games, but the recyclable cardboard beds provided by organizers are not one of them.

A Digital Cat Is Melting Hearts (and Napping a Lot) in Japan

The calico prances and dozes on a 26-by-62-foot LED billboard in Tokyo. It has drawn crowds in real life and sparked joy on social media.

Spectators Will Be Barred at Tokyo Olympics Amid New Covid Emergency

Organizers announced in June that domestic fans would be allowed, despite concerns that the Games could be a superspreader event. A sudden rise in cases upended those plans.

Sha’Carri Richardson, Not Chosen for U.S. Relay, Will Miss Tokyo Olympics

The star sprinter, who lost a chance to run in the 100-meter individual event after failing a drug test for marijuana, could have been chosen for the relay team. But officials decided not to include her.