Dein erstes Forum » e its utilized for the people of Tokyo, and

In July and August, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on body image.Ugh. You dress like a boy, I remember my mom complaining during numerous department store visits. I felt more comfortable in jeans than in itchy tights and a skirt.Growing up, I resigned to filling the role of the bro-chick archetype and never allowed myself to explore my femininity. Now, Im more aware of my gender. Theres nothing like training in Muay Thai -- which involves striking with hands, shins, elbows and knees -- to make you realize you arent one of the guys.As a female, navigating spaces populated and designed mainly for men can be difficult. After all, fighting is heavily associated with masculinity. And long before Muay Thai was the national sport of Thailand, the physical exercise was developed for hand-to-hand combat in actual warfare. Muay Thai requires mental doggedness.We all know there is a certain challenge with being a woman in this world. Not surprising, women remain a minority of combat sport practitioners.In November 2015, I started Muay Thai. I outgrew the cardio-focused, no-contact gyms. I wanted to train to fight at a combat gym that developed professional Muay Thai fighters, as opposed to a fitness center that just offered workout classes.When I joined?New World Combat gym in Fort Worth, Texas, I knew I was entering a predominately masculine space, but what I didnt realize was how, somewhat paradoxically, doing so would ultimately allow me to fully step into my feminine energy.While training at the gym, my daily interactions constantly reminded me of my womanhood. I had to tell my male training partners to strike harder, as it was obvious they reduced their power. They didnt want to hurt me, one man once told me.Well, they did kick harder than I did, but you best believe I was able to take a strike. I can kick pretty damn high, too. I am motivated to train twice as hard as the guys.As much as I practice Muay Thai, because I love it and not for the approval of others, any athlete can tell you that there exists an underlining desire for the esteem of your coach. I am no different.While I continue to notice an ever-growing respect from my gym mates, I often cant help but feel my coach is more dedicated to the success of my training partners, for the sole reason that they are males.I have cried in my car post-training, wondering what I have to do to gain his respect. Every now and then I am overwhelmed with frustration, feeling like my technique is up to par with my male training partners tactics. Ive felt my coach was holding me back because he didnt believe I could hang with the boys.I wanted to be viewed as a fighter, but like I once held on to the tomboy label, I now welcome the title of female fighter. As one of only three women at the gym, I feel a responsibility to represent what women fighters are capable of doing in the ring.I cater my training to account for the realities of my slender body type. When I was younger, I worked to hide my feminine traits in hopes of receiving some sense of acceptance and validation in male-centric spaces. I now openly embrace my femininity in and outside the ring.Gender is fluid and not a spectrum with tomboys on one end and girly girls on the other. I love shoes, but I also love taking off my shoes and kicking people in the face.Yvonne Cruz is a freelance writer, designer, and blogger based out of Fort Worth. You can follow her Muay Thai journey and work on both Instagram and Twitter follow @TejanaMaluca. Mike Ditka Jersey For Sale .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park. 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TOKYO -- The Japanese government approved a 150 billion yen ($1.5 billion) contract Friday to build a new main stadium for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a project that has been delayed by more than a year.Officials said the stadium construction would begin in December after an earlier plan was scrapped because of spiraling costs and an unpopular design.The Japan Sport Council, a government-funded organization operating the project, said the stadium was scheduled for completion at the end of November 2019, still five months behind schedule. The delay forced a venue change for the Rugby World Cup that Japan is also hosting in 2019.The cost of an earlier design by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid had risen to 265 billion yen ($2.65 billion), more than twice the initial forecast.The 150 billion ($1.5 billion) contract is just below the 155 billion ($1.55 billion) ceiling set this time for the contractors, a joint venture among Taisei Corp., Azusa Sekkei Co. and the office of Kengo Kuma, an architect who designed the new stadium.Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa told reporters she would ensure steady progress of the construction.Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she would closely monitor the expensive project that thhe city is also part-funding.ddddddddddddFor the burden we have to share, I will ensure its utilized for the people of Tokyo, and raise my voice when necessary, she said.A sports ministry panel is discussing how best the stadium can be used after the Tokyo Games.The stadium delay is part of Japans troubled preparations for the Olympics, underscoring a widespread lack of cost-control. The Japanese organizers have also faced a bribery scandal. They are now also bracing for a possible delay in the construction of roads linking the main Olympic venues near a new fish market project, which has been hit by a construction scandal and tainted underground water.The Tokyo metropolitan government is currently reviewing the ballooning cost because of concern about its financial burden and the impact on Tokyo taxpayers.The city-appointed panel of outside experts warned in a report Thursday that the total cost could exceed 3 trillion yen ($30 billion) without a drastic cost-cutting effort, and suggested using existing facilities instead of building new ones that could likely end up as white elephants. ' ' '