Olympics

Olympics-Athletes’ village COVID-19 infection bubble already ‘broken’ – health expert

TOKYO (Reuters) -The so-called bubble to control COVID-19 infections at the Olympic athletes' village in Tokyo is already "broken" and poses a risk of spreading infections to the general populace, a…

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A different kind of Games: Tokyo Olympics under coronavirus cloud

The Tokyo Olympics start this week against many coronavirus odds and amid opposition from within the host country. But athletes are happy they can compete, even with plenty of restrictions…

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Olympics-Czech beach volleyball player tests positive for COVID-19

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech beach volleyball player Ondrej Perusic has returned a positive COVID-19 test at the Games Village in Tokyo, the country's Olympic Committee said on Monday. On Saturday,…

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Tokyo 2020 sponsor Toyota withdraws Games TV commercials due to lack of support – media

TOKYO (Reuters) -Tokyo 2020 Olympics sponsor Toyota will not run Games-related TV commercials because of lacklustre public support for the Olympics, with two-thirds of Japanese doubting a safe Games can…

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Germany Olympics football team walk off in friendly after alleged racist abuse

(Reuters) -The German men's Olympic soccer team left the pitch five minutes before the end of their warm-up game against Honduras in Wakayama, Japan on Saturday after defender Jordan Torunarigha…

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UPDATE – First COVID case found at athletes’ village, adding to doubts over “safe and secure” Olympic Games

TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) - Tokyo Olympics organisers on Saturday reported the first case of COVID-19 at the athletes' village, along with 14 other new cases connected to the Games…

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IOC chief, Tokyo governor to meet as COVID cases rise

TOKYO (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike were set to meet on Thursday, the metropolitan government said, as COVID-19 cases hit a six-month…

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UPDATE -Olympics bans spectators after Tokyo declares COVID-19 emergency

TOKYO, July 8 (Reuters) - Organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Thursday agreed to hold the Games without spectators, after Japan declared a coronavirus state of emergency for the…

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Serena to skip Tokyo Games, declines to explain reasons

Serena Williams will not be travelling to Tokyo for the Olympic Games, the 23-times Grand Slam singles tennis champion said on Sunday without giving the reasons behind her decision. American…

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Japan Olympic Committee chief says strict border controls needed to prevent COVID-19 spread

TOKYO (Reuters) - There is no way there will be zero coronavirus cases among athletes arriving for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, so border controls need to be stict to…

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Olympics – Up to 10,000 fans allowed at Tokyo 2020 venues, despite warnings

Up to 10,000 domestic spectators will be allowed in Tokyo 2020 venues, Olympics organisers said on Monday, a decision that cuts against the recommendation of medical experts who said holding…

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Organisers show off Olympic village a month before Games begin

Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics opened the athletes' village to the media on Sunday, showing off apartments and a timber-laced shopping plaza where 11,000 athletes would stay and mingle during…

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IOC announces refugee team of 29 for Tokyo Games

The refugee team for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics will consist of 29 athletes, with six of them already part of the first such team at Rio 2016. The refugee team…

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No Olympics if no athletes come to Japan, says Tokyo 2020 president

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games cannot happen if no athletes can make it to Japan for the event, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said at a news briefing…

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Olympic coronavirus guidelines to be set for each event, official says

Olympic coronavirus guidelines are being drawn up for each separate sports competition, a Tokyo 2020 senior official said at a briefing held on Friday. Olympic organisers have released coronavirus prevention…

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Maltese Olympic Committee announces participation of shooter Eleanor Bezzina at Tokyo 2020

The Maltese Olympic Committee have announced that indoor pistol shooter Eleanor Bezzina is the first Maltese athlete to have her participation at the forthcoming XXXII Games of the Olympiad in…

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Japanese doctor warns holding Games could lead to “Olympic strain” of the virus

TOKYO, May 27 (Reuters) - The head of a Japanese doctors union on Thursday warned holding the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, with tens of thousands of people gathering…

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Official Tokyo Olympics partner, urges Games cancellation

TOKYO, May 26 (Reuters) - Japan's Asahi Shimbun, an official partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, called for the Summer Games to be cancelled in an editorial on Wednesday, citing…

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Olympics-Japan sees no impact on Games from US travel advisory

Japan's ruling party heavyweight said today that there are "realistic issues" over Tokyo Games which must be considered before a final decision, while Olympics minister sees no impact from the U.S. advisory…

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Exhausted doctors warn of a “system collapse”, and advise against holding the Olympics this summer

Hospitals in Japan's second largest city of Osaka are buckling under a huge wave of new coronavirus infections, running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warn of a…

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In Pictures – Ready Steady Tokyo

OKYO (Reuters) -Hundreds of athletes, including U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin, participated in a test event at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday, as organisers fine-tuned operations and COVID-19 countermeasures with under…

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‘Safe and successful’ Tokyo Games will go ahead – IOC vice president

Top Olympic official John Coates said on Saturday (May 8) that while Japanese sentiment turning against the Tokyo Games was a "concern", he could foresee no scenario under which the…

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IOC President Bach’s visit to Japan expected to be cancelled

TOKYO, May 7 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach's visit to Japan is now expected to be cancelled given that the state of emergency has been extended in…

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Japan says Olympics must not burden medical systems

TOKYO, April 30 (Reuters) - The Olympics must not be a burden on medical systems, Japan's chief government spokesman said on Friday, amid worries that daily athlete testing will tax…

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IOC president says he understands Tokyo’s COVID-19 emergency move

TOKYO, April 28 (Reuters) - Thomas Bach, head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said on Wednesday he fully understood the decision to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo…

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Australian divers slam FINA over Tokyo qualifier, withdraw from event

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Olympic bronze medallist diver Anabelle Smith has slammed global governing body FINA for pressing ahead with a qualifying event for this year's Games in Tokyo despite a…

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Tokyo Olympics must be ‘reconsidered’ due to Japan’s failure to contain pandemic – report

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's inability to contain the COVID-19 pandemic means that plans to hold the Olympics in Tokyo should be reconsidered, health experts wrote in a commentary. The 2020…

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Are the Olympics cancelled? Japan official’s comments sow doubts

TOKYO, April 15 (Reuters) - A senior Japanese ruling party official said on Thursday that cancelling this year's Olympics in Tokyo remains an option if the coronavirus crisis becomes too…

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With 100 days to go, Tokyo scrambles to stage pandemic Olympics

TOKYO, April 14 (Reuters) - When Japan won the bid to host the Olympic Games eight years ago, it billed Tokyo as a reliable and secure location, contrasting it with…

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IOC’s Coates reiterates Olympics will go ahead as scheduled

With Wednesday (April 14) marking 100 days to go until the Tokyo Olympics are due to start, International Olympic Committee Coordination Commission Chair John Coates reiterated that the Games will…

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Japan denies considering vaccine priority for Olympic athletes

Japan said on Thursday it was not currently looking to prioritise COVID-19 vaccines for Olympic athletes, dismissing a media report that sparked a social media outcry since the country's inoculations are trailing…

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70% of Japanese want Tokyo Games cancelled or delayed: poll

TOKYO (Reuters) - More than 70% of people in Japan want the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled or delayed as the coronavirus pandemic rolls on, a Kyodo News poll showed…

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‘What do we have available?’ Tokyo hopefuls adapt training in COVID-19 era

(Reuters) - Amid the monotony of quarantine life that people had to put up with due to the outbreak of COVID-19, housebound residents in one corner of Los Angeles were…

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Osaka moves Olympic torch run off public roads, declares COVID-19 emergency

TOKYO, April 7 (Reuters) - Japan's western region of Osaka will hold the Olympic torch relay in a park without spectators instead of on public roads, as record coronavirus infections…

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Diving, artistic swimming, marathon swim qualifiers in Japan cancelled – FINA

The International Swimming Federation (FINA) has cancelled the diving, artistic swimming, and marathon swim Olympic qualifiers scheduled for this month and May in Japan, according to the calendar section of…

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Leukaemia survivor Ikee defies odds by securing Olympics berth

Japanese swimming star Rikako Ikee defied the odds and secured an Olympics berth after the leukaemia survivor won the women's 100-metre butterfly at the national championships on Sunday, less than…

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Tokyo organisers to hold talks with FINA this week

Tokyo 2020 organisers plan to hold discussions with the International Swimming Federation (FINA) this week, a senior official said, after the federation said it was reviewing whether to hold the…

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Japan looking to halve number of official travellers to Games: Kyodo

Japan's government will begin talks soon on potentially halving the number of official travellers to the country for this year's Olympics to around 30,000 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyodo news…

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Olympic Torch Relay Gets Going Under Pandemic Shadow

With waves, smiles and high fives, but no cheers, the Olympic torch relay set off on Thursday, beginning a four-month countdown to the postponed 2020 summer Games in Tokyo, the…

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Swiss Olympic unhappy with continued restrictions on indoor sport

Swiss Olympic has criticised the Federal Council's decision to postpone the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions in Switzerland, calling it a "disappointing" outcome for the sports community. Switzerland will not ease…

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Tokyo 2020 likely won’t allow foreign Olympic volunteers -Kyodo

TOKYO, March 20 (Reuters) - The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organising Committee is leaning towards barring foreign volunteers from helping at the delayed Games this summer, amid public concerns over the…

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Japan asks for small VIP delegations to Olympics amid pandemic

Kyodo / Reuters - Japan has asked nations sending their heads of state or government to this summer's Olympics and Paralympics to limit the number of each of their accompanying…

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Japan mulls 50% cap on Olympics spectators

TOKYO, March 14 (Reuters) - Japan is considering limiting spectators for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics to 50% of venue capacity due to risks posed by the spread of…

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IOC unanimously approves Olympic Agenda 2020+5 reform package

Berlin (dpa) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday approved Olympic Agenda 2020+5, a second set of recommendations to make the Olympic Movement fit for the future. A virtual IOC Session unanimously…

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Bach re-elected as IOC president for final term until 2025

Berlin (dpa) - Thomas Bach was on Wednesday all but unanimously re-elected as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a final term of four years at a virtual IOC Session. The…

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Japan to keep foreign spectators away from Tokyo Olympics, Kyodo says

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has decided to stage this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without overseas spectators due to public concern about COVID-19, Kyodo news agency said on Tuesday, citing…

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Tokyo 2020 President hoping to reassure public and boost support for Games

Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto has attempted to reassure the Japanese public regarding the safety of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Hashimoto, who was named Tokyo 2020 President last month,…

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Olympics in Japan might happen without overseas spectators

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government will decide whether to let overseas spectators attend the Summer Olympics in Tokyo by the end of March, Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa said on Wednesday. Her comments were…

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Russia’s Olympic Team to compete as ROC Team

Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov has welcomed the news the organisation’s athletes will be able to compete under the name “ROC” at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022…

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Japan gets unanimous G7 support for this summer Olympics

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Saturday Group of Seven leaders gave unanimous support for his bid to hold the Tokyo Olympics this summer, as the…

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Tokyo Olympics chief resigns, apologises again over sexist remarks

TOKYO, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and apologised again for sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five…

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Olympics – Toyota president disappointed by comments from Tokyo 2020 chief Mori

TOKYO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp's President Akio Toyoda said on Wednesday his company was disappointed by recent comments from Tokyo 2020 Olympics President Yoshiro Mori that were…

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Tokyo governor says Olympics facing ‘major issue’ after Mori’s sexist remarks

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Friday the Olympic Games were facing a "major issue" after the head of the organising committee made sexist remarks, with criticism of his comments…

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Tokyo Olympics face another looming headache – no medical staff

Japanese doctors and nurses fighting the novel coronavirus will not have the time to volunteer to help at the Olympics, a medical association has said, raising another headache for organisers…

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IOC to discuss Olympics but cancellation not on agenda

The Tokyo Olympics will top the agenda when the International Olympic Committee's executive board meets on Wednesday (January 27) - but with the board firmly backing the event, any talk…

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Olympic rings illuminated upon return to Tokyo Bay

The Olympic rings monument was reinstalled in Tokyo Bay on Tuesday, after being removed in August, as organisers ramp up preparations for next year's postponed Summer Games. The rings were…

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Tokyo Olympics Aquatics Centre unveiled with hopeful ceremony

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike finally inaugurated on Saturday the Aquatics Centre for next year’s rescheduled Olympics, seven months after it was supposed to open. The Aquatics Centre was due to…

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