Tokyo 2020: Best sports documentaries to watch to get in the Olympics mood

All the best sport documentary’s to watch as Tokyo 2020 kicks off (Picture: Docbay Documentraies/Amazon Prime Video)

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are upon us, and with the games set to begin on Friday, theres no better time to get in the sporting mood. 

The 2020 Summer Olympics were due to take place last year but had to be moved due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

The athletes have now touched down in Tokyo where they have been completing their final training sessions before the games begin in earnest on July 23. 

If the games themselves are not enough, there is also a host of incredible sporting documentaries to whet your appetite too. 

Here are some sports documentaries that are a must watch: 

Steelers: The World’s First Gay Rugby Club 

Steelers is available on Amazon Prime (Picture:Amazon Prime Video)

Steelers follows the journey of three members of the world’s first gay rugby club as they go on their own journeys of self discovery. 

Narrated by an Australian reporter who moved to the UK to escape depression, Steelers follows a lesbian coach fighting misogyny, a prop who discovered he was a drag queen through the club and the struggles of a semi-pro player who spiralled into depression after his coming out didn’t go to plan.

Being Serena 

Being Serena gives an intimate insight into the sports star’s life (Picture:HBO)

This five-part documentary gives a rare insight into the life of tennis champion Serena Williams after she confirmed she was eight weeks pregnant when she won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title in 2017. 

As well as delving into her incredible career, the documentary also gives access to Serena’s family life, work as a businesswoman and investor as well as her pregnancy, new motherhood and marriage to Alexis Ohanian. 

Andy Murray: Resurfacing 

Resurfacing looks at Andy Murray’s road to recovery after a devastating injury (Picture:Amazon Prime Video)

Andy Murray: Resurfacing tracks the tennis star’s devastating injury between 2017 and 2019, giving a glimpse at him at his most vulnerable. 

Viewers are granted access to Andy’s home and even the operating theatre as he works to come back from injury. 

Head Above Water

The 2021 documentary series shows viewers the life of an Olympic swimmer through the eyes of Australian swimming icons. 

The documentary follows reigning champion Kyle Chalmers, two-time Olympian Bronte Campbell, as well as former Olympics star Ian Thorpe and musician Cody Simpson, who is aspiring to get to the Olympics as a swimmer himself. 

Countdown To Tokyo

Countdown to Tokyo looks at individual athletes and the venue (Picture: Amazon Prime Video)

This 2020 documentary charted the road to the Tokyo Olympics, profiling some of the athletes and exploiting the venue and issues the games would face.

With the long-awaited games finally about to kick off, now is the perfect time to re-watch Countdown To Tokyo. 

Running For Good 

Fiona Oakes took on the toughest footrace on earth (Picture: Amazon Prime Video)

Running For Good follows world record marathon runner Fiona Oakes as she attempts to complete the ‘toughest footrace on earth’ through the Sahara Desert while also setting a new global record in endurance racing. 

The feature-length documentary sees her take on the Marathon Des Sables, a 250km race through the scorching Sahara Desert against the odds, after being told at 14 that she would never walk, let alone run, and having had 17 knee surgeries including the removal of her right kneecap. 

The Last Dance 

The Last Dance divided some of the players (Picture: Netflix)

This 10-part docs-series charts basketball star Michael Jordan’s career and the Chicago Bulls, with never-before-seen footage from his final season with the team in 1997 and 1998. 

Over 90 people were interviewed to create the documentary, but some stars including Scottie Pippen were not happy with the final outcome. 

Icarus

Icarus was an Academy Award winner (Picture: Netflix)

While exploring the world of illegal doping in sports, filmmaker Bryan Fogel happens upon a major international doping scandal in this 2017 documentary. 

The captivating film went down so well after premiering at Sundance Film Festival, it was awarded the US documentary special jury award (Orwell Award) and later the Academy Award for best documentary feature. 

Team Foxcatcher 

Team Foxcatcher told the story of Dave Schultz’s murder (Picture: Netflix)

This dramatic documentary tells the story of billionaire John du Pont and his involvement in the USA’s Olympic Wrestling team’s success by creating expensive training facilities for them at his home, called Foxcatcher.

It also follows the USA’s most successful wrestler at the time, Dave Schultz, whose loyalty to John would end up costing him his life after John spiralled into paranoia. 

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