Category Archives: Tokyo Olympic Games 2020

Tokyo 2020 U-turn allows social media teams to show athletes taking the knee

Posted on by
  • IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers overturn opening-day ban
  • @Olympics tweet picture of GB’s Lucy Bronze taking knee

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organisers have performed a U-turn over their stance to stop their social media teams from posting pictures of athletes taking the knee at these Olympic Games.

The decision comes after the Guardian revealed they had issued a diktat against showing such images just hours before Team GB’s women’s first football match against Chile on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Tokyo 2020 social media teams banned from showing athletes taking the knee

Posted on by
  • IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers gave instructions on Tuesday
  • Reference made to images from Team GB v Chile football match

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organisers have banned their social media teams from posting pictures of athletes taking the knee at these Olympic Games, the Guardian can reveal.

An insider said the message was delivered from on high on Tuesday evening Tokyo time, with a specific reference to Team GB’s women’s first football match against Chile, just hours before it kicked off in Sapporo on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

Olympic Games highlights: your day-by-day guide to the best bits in Tokyo

Posted on by

From the spectacular opening ceremony to the final gold in the marathon, via the pool, the beach and the stadium, your indispensable guide to the Games

The opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium will be spectacular but has been shrouded in secrecy so far. Because of Covid restrictions fewer athletes than usual will be joining the parade of nations. As usual Greek athletes will lead the march behind the flags with the Americans and French last before the entry of the host Japanese team. Like the final event of the Games it will be a marathon and a lump in the throat is inevitable.

That opening ceremony does not leave a lot of time for events on the first real day of competition although Britain’s rowers are quickly into action on the Sea Forest Waterway. The women’s quadruple sculls, Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, Hannah Scott, Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne and Lucy Glover are a strong combination and Team GB expect another healthy haul of medals.

The other events on the first Friday are the individual ranking rounds for men and women in archery at Yumenoshima Park. The six-strong British team includes Naomi Folkard who is competing in her fifth Games with the 18-year-old James Woodgate competing in his first Olympics. India will be hoping to build on their recent impressive World Cup displays.

Continue reading...

Olympics to begin but softball opener is unlikely to distract a fearful nation | Justin McCurry

Posted on by

With Covid cases mounting and local resistance escalating ever higher, the hope is that the actual action beginning on Wednesday will dampen down the criticism

The Olympic softball teams of Japan and Australia will have to produce something close to a classic this week if they are to divert attention from an increasingly chaotic build-up to the Tokyo Games.

In normal times memories of the scandals that blighted preparations for the Games – from allegations of vote-buying during the bidding stage to high-profile resignations over sexism – would shrink into the background as soon as the first pitch is delivered at the Azuma baseball stadium in Fukushima on Wednesday in the opening action from the Olympics.

Continue reading...

South Africa footballers test positive for Covid-19 in Tokyo Olympic Village

Posted on by
  • South Africa men’s squad in quarantine after three positives
  • Games president claims a ‘plan in place’ for village outbreak

Two South African footballers have become the first athletes in the Olympic Village to test positive for Covid-19, raising fears that the virus may force a growing number of competitors out of the Tokyo Games when they begin on Friday.

Related: Tokyo 2020: guide to the venues for the delayed Olympic Games

Continue reading...

Tokyo Olympics: Covid case found at athletes’ village, raising infection fears

Posted on by

Organisers in Japan confirm that a visitor from abroad who is involved in organising the Games has tested positive

A person has tested positive for Covid-19 at the Tokyo Olympics athletes’ village, organisers said, adding to concerns about infections at the Games which begin next week.

Related: Thomas Bach promises ‘safe and secure’ Olympics as Tokyo Covid cases soar

Continue reading...

Teenage skateboard superstar Sky Brown: ‘I begged my parents to let me go with Team GB’

Posted on by

When she lands in Tokyo, Sky Brown will become one of the UK’s first Olympic skateboarders – and, at 13, the team’s youngest ever member. Will her next trick be a gold medal?

The sun is setting on another hazy summer evening in Oceanside, California, a city 35 miles north of San Diego, and a tiny figure is flying through the sky. She bends her knees, clutches the end of her skateboard and comes gliding down an enormous ramp, her sun-bleached surfer hair bouncing in the wind.

“That was sick!” Sky Brown shouts, as she makes an immaculate landing. The skateboarder is ranked third in the world and on 4 August will take to her board to represent Team GB at the postponed Tokyo Olympics. When she competes in the women’s park event, she won’t just be one of the UK’s first ever Olympic skateboarders, she will also be Team GB’s youngest ever summer Olympian. Aged 13 years and 23 days, she will surpass Margery Hinton, who was 13 years and 44 days when she swam at Amsterdam in 1928.

Continue reading...

Thomas Bach promises ‘safe and secure’ Olympics as Tokyo Covid cases soar

Posted on by

Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, has said a “safe and secure” Tokyo Olympics will be a show of global solidarity during the pandemic – on the same day as infections in the host city reached their highest level for almost six months.

The discovery of a coronavirus cluster at a hotel where dozens of Brazilian team members are staying has increased concerns about infections spreading over the summer.

Continue reading...

Fukushima to ban Olympic spectators as Covid cases rise

Posted on by

U-turn deals blow to Japan’s hopes of using Games to showcase recovery from 2011 tsunami

The Fukushima prefecture of Japan will bar spectators from the Olympic events it hosts this summer owing to rising Covid-19 infections, its governor said on Saturday, reversing a position announced two days earlier by organisers.

The decision deals another blow to Japan’s hopes of using the Olympics to showcase its recovery from a devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the northern coast in 2011, destroying a nuclear power station in Fukushima in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Continue reading...

Spectators banned from Olympics as Tokyo Covid emergency declared

Posted on by

Japanese prime minister says Tokyo’s fourth state of emergency will begin on Monday

Olympic organisers have decided to ban spectators from the Tokyo Games after Japan’s prime minister declared a state of emergency in the host city.

The news was confirmed by the Olympic minister, Tamayo Marukawa, following talks between the government, organisers and Olympic and paralympic representatives - although he left open the possibility that some venues outside Tokyo could still have fans.

Continue reading...

There is a light that sometimes goes out: the Olympic torch protests

Posted on by

A woman attempted to extinguish the torch’s flame in Japan with a squirt gun – and she’s far from the first to stage a protest during the torch relay

Are you kind of, sort of, not really into the fact that the Olympics are still going to happen later this month in Tokyo despite the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that the vast majority of our planet’s 7.8 billion people remain unvaccinated, with alarming outbreaks cropping up worldwide?

If so, you’ve got a friend in Kayoko Takahashi.

Continue reading...

Usain Bolt: ‘I would have run under 9.5 seconds with super spikes’

Posted on by

The Jamaican legend on the importance of Black Lives Matter, his 800m challenge and lessons of parenthood

The fastest man in history is pondering just how much more destructive he could have been in the super spikes that have swung a wrecking ball at so many world records. Briefly, there is a battle between Usain Bolt the diplomat and Usain Bolt the competitor. The competitor wins. “Me and a friend were talking about this the other day,” he says. “And I was like, ‘should I be upset?’ Because I know over the years everyone has tried to make spikes different and better but …”

Bolt stresses he is not worried about the current crop shredding his 100m world record of 9.58sec or his 200m best of 19.19sec. Yet he sounds uneasy about where the arms race in shoe technology will lead. “How can I argue if World Athletics decide that it’s legal? I can’t do anything about it. The rules are the rules. I don’t think I’ll be fully happy, but it’s just one of those things.”

Continue reading...

‘The rules are the rules’: Biden addresses Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension

Posted on by

US president Joe Biden weighed in on the suspension of sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson over marijuana use, saying Saturday “the rules are the rules”.

The US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) confirmed Richardson’s suspension on Friday after the sprinter known for brightly-colored hair and record-breaking speed tested positive for cannabis during her 100 meter US trials in June.

Continue reading...

Sha’Carri Richardson out of Olympic 100m after positive cannabis test

Posted on by
  • American star tested positive after US Olympic trials
  • Texan has been hailed as most exciting sprinter since Bolt
  • Richardson may still run in 4x100m relay in Tokyo

The American sprint sensation Sha’Carri Richardson will miss the women’s 100m at the Olympics after accepting a one-month ban for testing positive for marijuana at last month’s US trials.

The 21-year-old was regarded as one of the favourites for a gold medal, having run the sixth fastest time in history this year, but her sanction means that her US trials victory is struck from the books.

Continue reading...

Japan’s emperor voices concern about Covid spread during Olympics

Posted on by

Naruhito said to be ‘extremely worried’ and shares widespread public unease over the Games

Japan’s emperor has voiced concern over the possible spread of coronavirus during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in an unexpected intervention in the debate over holding the Games in the middle of a pandemic.

Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum throne in 2019 after his father, Akihito, abdicated, said he shared widespread public concern about the Games, which open in a month’s time.

Continue reading...

Covid live: Delta variant likely to represent 90% of infections in EU by September, says disease agency

Posted on by

European centre for disease control warns it is vital for people to get fully vaccinated as the summer holiday season begins

Here is the latest on the Covid situation in Australia:

Related: Morning mail: Sydney awakes to restrictions, vaccines wasted, John McAfee dead

The US will ship three million doses of the Johnson & Johnson one-jab Covid-19 vaccine to Brazil on Thursday, the country with the second highest coronavirus death toll in the world, a White House official said.

The shipment - part of Washington’s pledge to donate 80 million vaccines - will depart Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on an Azul Airlines flight, bound for Campinas, a city in southeastern Brazil about 100 km (62.14 miles) from Sao Paulo, Reuters reports.

Continue reading...

Tokyo Olympics organisers ban alcohol sales after public outcry

Posted on by

Games officials faced accusations the event was getting preferential treatment while other Tokyo businesses still faced alcohol restrictions

The organisers of the Tokyo Olympics have been forced to abandon plans to allow the sale of alcohol at venues after public outcry.

The president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said on Wednesday that the decision had been made to ensure the Games were “safe and secure” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Continue reading...

Tokyo 2020 will allow up to 10,000 domestic fans into Olympic venues

Posted on by
  • Olympic organisers cap fans at 50% of venue capacity
  • Spectators could still be cut if infection situation worsens

Thousands of Japanese spectators will be allowed to attend events at the Olympic Games this summer, organisers said on Monday, despite warnings from health experts that crowds risk fuelling a surge in coronavirus cases.

The president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said attendance would be capped at up to 50% of a venue’s capacity or a maximum of 10,000 people.

Continue reading...

Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will be first trans athlete to compete at Olympics

Posted on by
  • Hubbard has been included in New Zealand’s weightlifting team
  • ‘I am grateful and humbled,’ says 43-year-old in statement

The New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is set to make history and headlines, plus an enormous amount of controversy, after being confirmed as the first transgender athlete to ever compete at the Olympic Games.

The 43-year-old will be a live medal contender when she competes in the
women’s super heavyweight category on 2 August. But Hubbard’s inclusion
will also frustrate those who believe she has an unfair advantage
over her rivals, having gone through male puberty before transitioning in
2012.

Continue reading...

Uganda Olympic athlete arriving in Tokyo tests positive for coronavirus

Posted on by

Infection in team that had been fully vaccinated is first Covid-19 case detected among athletes visiting for next month’s Games

A member of Uganda’s Olympic team has tested positive for coronavirus and was barred entry into Japan, in the first detected infection among athletes arriving for the Tokyo Games, due to open in five weeks.

The athletes, who arrived on Saturday night at Tokyo’s Narita airport, were all fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca and had negative PCR tests before boarding, the Asahi newspaper reported, quoting an anonymous cabinet secretariat official.

Continue reading...