Let the games begin.
Friday morning’s opening ceremony marked the official start of the Tokyo Olympics, which will run through Aug. 8, and a plethora of former Arizona Wildcats and Tucson natives will represent their respective countries during the pandemic-affected event. (Some are already competing).
Here’s a list of current and former Arizona Wildcats and Tucsonans to keep an eye on during the Olympics:
Baseball
Manny Barreda
Country: Mexico
Connection: Barreda, a pitcher, attended Sahuarita High School. He was a 12th-round pick of the New York Yankees in 2007.
Schedule: Thursday, 8 p.m., vs. Dominican Republic; Friday, 8 p.m., vs. Japan.
Pitcher Manny Barreda, a Sahuarita High School product, is part of Mexico's Olympic baseball team.
Ian Kinsler
Country: Israel
Connection: Kinsler attended Canyon del Oro High School, graduating in 2000, then played 14 seasons in the major leagues before retiring at the end of 2019.
Schedule: Thursday, 3 a.m., vs. South Korea; Friday, 3 a.m., vs. United States.
Softball
Kelsey Harshman
Country: Canada
Connection: Harshman (then known as Kelsey Jenkins) played at Sabino High School, graduating in 2014.
Schedule: Saturday, 10:30 p.m., vs. Japan; Sunday, 10:30 p.m., vs. Italy; Monday, 9 p.m., bronze medal game; Tuesday, 4 a.m., gold medal game.
Giulia Koutsoyanopulos
Country: Italy
Connection: Koutsoyanopulos is a UA infielder.
Schedule: Saturday, 4 a.m., vs. Japan; Sunday, 10:30 p.m., vs. Mexico; Monday, 9 a.m., bronze medal game; Tuesday, 4 a.m., gold medal game.
Dejah Mulipola
Country: USA
Connection: Mulipola was an Arizona Wildcats catcher from 2017-21, leading the UA to two appearances in the Women’s College World Series.
Schedule: Saturday, 6 p.m., vs. Australia; Sunday, 6 p.m., vs. Japan; Monday, 9 a.m., bronze medal game; Tuesday, 4 a.m., gold medal game.
Taylor McQuillin
Country: Mexico
Connection: McQuillin was an Arizona Wildcats pitcher from 2016-19.
Schedule: Sunday, 4 a.m., vs. Italy; Monday, 4 a.m., vs. Australia; Monday, 9 a.m., bronze medal game; Tuesday, 4 a.m., gold medal game.
Danielle O’Toole
Country: Mexico
Connection: O’Toole was an Arizona Wildcats pitcher from 2016-17.
Schedule: Sunday, 4 a.m., vs. Italy; Monday, 4 a.m., vs. Australia; Monday, 9 a.m., bronze medal game; Tuesday, 4 a.m., gold medal game.
Men’s basketball
Josh Green
Country: Australia
Connection: Green played the 2019-20 season with the Arizona Wildcats and was a first-round pick of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
Schedule: Sunday, 1:20 a.m., vs. Nigeria; Wednesday, 1:20 a.m., vs. Italy; July 31, 1:20 a.m., vs. Germany; Aug. 2, 6 p.m., quarterfinals; Aug. 4, 9:15 p.m., semifinals; Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., gold medal game; Aug. 7, 4 a.m., bronze medal game.
Nico Mannion
Country: Italy
Connection: Mannion played the 2019-20 season with the Arizona Wildcats and was a second-round pick of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
Schedule: Saturday, 9:40 p.m., vs. Germany; Wednesday, 1:20 a.m., vs. Australia; Friday, 9:40 p.m., vs. Nigeria; Aug. 2, 6 p.m., quarterfinals; Aug. 4, 9:15 p.m., semifinals; Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., gold medal game; Aug. 7, 4 a.m., bronze medal game.
Former UA standout Steve Kerr is assisting head coach Gregg Popovich on this year’s U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.
Steve Kerr
Country: USA (assistant coach)
Connection: Kerr played at the UA from 1983-88, leading the Wildcats to the 1988 Final Four. His No. 25 jersey is retired at McKale Center.
Schedule: Sunday, 4 a.m., vs. France; Tuesday, 9:40 p.m., vs. Islamic Republic of Iran; July 31, 5 a.m., vs. Czech Republic; Aug. 2, 6 p.m., quarterfinals; Aug. 4, 9:15 p.m., semifinals; Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., gold medal game; Aug. 7, 4 a.m., bronze medal game.
Women’s basketball
Ify Ibekwe
Country: Nigeria
Connection: Ibekwe, a forward, played at the UA from 2007-11.
Schedule: Monday, 9:40 p.m., vs. USA; Friday, 1:20 a.m., vs. France, Aug. 1, 6 p.m., vs. Japan; Aug. 4-5, 6 p.m., quarterfinals; Aug. 5-6, 9:40 p.m., semifinals; Aug. 7, 12 a.m., bronze medal game; Aug. 7, 7:30 p.m., gold medal game.
A California native, former Wildcats forwward Ify Ibekwe, right, is playing for Nigeria in this year's Olympics.
Shaina Pellington
Country: Canada
Connection: Pellington is an Arizona Wildcats guard.
Schedule: Monday, 1:20 a.m., vs. Serbia; Wednesday, 6 p.m., vs. Republic of Korea; July 31, 6 p.m., vs. Spain; Aug. 4-5, 6 p.m., quarterfinals; Aug. 5-6, 9:40 p.m., semifinals; Aug. 7, 12 a.m., bronze medal game; Aug. 7, 7:30 p.m., gold medal game.
Men’s diving
Rafael Quintero
Country: Puerto Rico
Connection: Quintero dove at the UA from 2013-16.
Schedule: Aug. 5, 11 p.m., men’s 10-meter platform preliminary; Aug. 6, 6 p.m., men’s 10-meter platform; Aug. 6, 11 p.m., men’s 10-meter platform final.
Delaney Schnell qualified for this year's Olympics in two events.
Women’s diving
Delaney Schnell
Country: USA
Connection:Schnell, a 2017 Tucson High graduate, competes for the UA. In March, she was named the Pac-12 diver of the year
Schedule: Monday, 11 p.m., women’s synchronized 10-meter platform final; Aug. 3, 11 p.m., women’s 10-meter platform preliminary round; Aug. 4, 6 p.m., 10-meter platform semifinal round; Aug. 4, 11 p.m., 10-meter platform final round.
Delaney Schnell qualified for this year's Olympics in two events.
Dwight Dumais
Country: USA (coach)
Connection: Dumais is the UA’s diving coach.
Men’s swimming
Daniel Namir
Country: Israel
Connection: Namir is an Arizona Wildcats swimmer.
Schedule: Tuesday, 4:17 a.m., men’s 200-meter relay (heats 1-2); Tuesday, 8:26 a.m., men’s 200-meter relay final.
Brad Tandy
Country: South Africa
Connection: Tandy swam at the UA from 2013-16.
Schedule: Friday, 3:02 a.m., men’s 50 freestyle (heats 1-10); Friday, 7:11 p.m., men’s 50 freestyle semifinal; July 31, 6:30 p.m., men’s 50 freestyle final.
Women’s swimming
Felicity Passon
Country: Seychelles
Connection: Passon is an Arizona Wildcats swimmer.
Schedule: Thursday, 4:08 a.m., women’s 200-meter backstroke (heats 1-4); Thursday, 7:35 p.m., women’s 200-meter backstroke semifinal; Friday, 6:37 p.m., women’s 200-meter backstroke final.
Anna Heller
Country: Seychelles (coach)
Connection: Heller is a UA assistant coach.
Men’s golf
Rory Sabatini
Country: Slovakia
Connection: Sabatini played at the UA from 1994-98.
Schedule: Wednesday, 3:30 p.m., individual stroke play first round; Thursday, 3:30 p.m., individual stroke play second round; Friday, 3:30 p.m., individual stroke play third round; July 31, 3:30 p.m., individual stroke play fourth round.
Women’s golf
Bianca Pagdanganan
Country: Philippines
Connection: Pagdanganan played at the UA from 2017-19, and was part of the Wildcats’ 2018 national championship team.
Schedule: Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m., individual stroke play first round; Aug. 4, 7:30 p.m., individual stroke play second round; Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m., individual stroke play third round; Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., individual stroke play fourth round.
Men’s track and field
Abdi Abdirahman
Country: USA
Connection: Abdirahman graduated from Tucson High in 1995 and competed for Pima College (1996-97) and the UA (1998-99), earning All-American honors. He continues to train in Tucson under former UA track coach Dave Murray.
Schedule: Aug. 7, 3 p.m., men’s marathon final.
Edgar Rivera-Morales
Country: Mexico
Connection: Rivera-Morales, a native of Agua Prieta, Sonora, was a high-jumper at the UA from 2010-13.
Schedule: Thursday, 5:15 p.m., men’s high jump qualification; Aug. 1, 3:10 a.m., men’s high jump final.
Women’s track and field
Karolina Pahlitzsch
Country: Germany
Connection: Pahlitzsch competed in hurdles for the UA from 2018-19.
Schedule: Friday, 5 p.m., women’s 400-meter hurdles; Aug. 2, 4:35 a.m., women’s 400-meter hurdles semifinals; Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m., 400-meter hurdles final.
Gia Trevisan
Country: Italy
Connection: Trevisan ran at the UA from 2013-15.
Schedule: Aug. 5, 3:25 a.m., first round of women’s 400-meter relay; Aug. 7, 5:30 a.m., women’s 400-meter relay final.
Former UA athlete and current Wildcats volunteer assistant Sage Watson is competing for Team Canada.
Sage Watson
Country: Canada
Connection: Watson competed at the UA from 2016-17, and remains with the Wildcats as a volunteer assistant coach.
Schedule: Friday, 5 p.m., women’s 400-meter hurdles; Aug. 2, 4:35 a.m., women’s 400-meter hurdles semifinals; Aug. 3, 7:30 p.m., 400-meter hurdles final; Aug. 5, 3:25 a.m., first round of women’s 400-meter relay; Aug. 7, 5:30 a.m., women’s 400-meter relay final.
Men’s rugby
Brett Thompson
Country: USA
Connection: Thompson played football (2009-10) and rugby (2009-12) at the UA.
Schedule: Sunday, 7:30 p.m., vs. Kenya; Monday, 2:30 a.m., vs. Ireland; Monday, 7:30 p.m., vs. South Africa.
Men’s BMX
Corben Sharrah
Country: USA
Connection:Sharrah is a Tucson native and Amphitheater High School (2014) and UA (2018) graudate.
Schedule: Thursday, 7 p.m., men’s quarterfinals; Friday, 7 p.m., men’s semifinal and championship.
Men’s water polo
Alex Obert
Country: USA
Connection: Obert is a UA graduate student.
Schedule: Saturday, 10 p.m., vs. Japan; Monday, 6 p.m., vs. South Africa; Wednesday, 10 p.m., vs. Italy; Friday, 10 p.m., vs. Hungary; Aug. 1, 7:30 p.m., vs. Greece.
