Olympics 21.1.2021 11:35 am
With six months to go, cancellation fears cloud Tokyo Olympics
With much of the world still paralysed by Covid-19, and Tokyo under a state of emergency, the doubting voices are growing louder.
When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed last year, officials promised they would open in 2021 as proof of mankind's triumph over the coronavirus.
Olympics Troubled Olympic flame diverted to Tokyo museum
The Olympic flame will go on display at a Tokyo museum in September, organisers said Monday, after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to scrap the torch relay and put the Games on hold.
Olympics Olympics could have ‘limited spectators’ says Tokyo 2020 chief
Next year’s coronavirus-postponed Olympics could be held in front of a “limited number of spectators” to prevent the spread of infection, Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto has said.
Olympics Russian athletes should face ‘blanket ban’ in Tokyo, says whistleblower
Doping whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov says no Russian athletes should be allowed to take part in next year’s postponed Tokyo Olympics.
Olympics Qatar confirms plan to bid for 2032 Olympics
Qatar will seek to host the 2032 Olympic Games, it said on Monday, joining a crowded field and raising questions about scorching summer temperatures and underwhelming attendances at past events.
Olympics
Full circle: South Africa’s 116-year history at the Olympic Games
While the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics will not take place on Saturday as planned, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing organisers to postpone the event until next year, the delay offers a chance to reflect on South Africa’s rich history at the Games.
Olympics Olympic cancellation spectre haunts Tokyo, one year before postponed Games
Japan held subdued celebrations to mark one year to go until the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Thursday, with the coronavirus pandemic raising stark concerns about whether the Games will go ahead at all.
Olympics Virus vaccine key for Olympics go-ahead in 2021: Tokyo chief
The development of a coronavirus vaccine or treatment will be key to allowing the postponed Tokyo 2020 games to open in a year’s time, organising committee president Yoshiro Mori said Wednesday.
Olympics Venues secured for delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics: organisers
Tokyo 2020 organisers said Friday they have secured all the venues needed to hold the Olympics next summer, clearing a major hurdle to hosting the event postponed over the coronavirus.
Olympics Pound: Olympic movement faces biggest threat since boycotts
Athletes and the Olympic movement face their greatest crisis since the 1980s Cold War-era boycotts in the COVID-19 pandemic, long-time International Olympic Committee member Richard Pound told AFP on Thursday.
Olympics Olympics boss reluctant to hold Tokyo Games behind closed doors
Banning fans from the Tokyo Olympics is “clearly something we don’t want”, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach said, adding that “multiple scenarios” were under consideration for the rescheduled Games.
Olympics Postponing Games will cost IOC ‘several hundred million dollars’, says Bach
The postponement to 2021 of the Olympic Games in Tokyo because of the coronavirus pandemic will cost the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “several hundred million dollars”, its president Thomas Bach said on Wednesday.
Olympics Impossible to delay Olympics again, says Tokyo chief
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics cannot be delayed beyond the year-long postponement already forced by the coronavirus outbreak, the organising committee’s president has warned in comments published Thursday.
Olympics Japan virus expert ‘pessimistic’ Olympics can be held in 2021
A Japanese expert who has criticised the country’s response to the coronavirus warned Monday that he is “pessimistic” that the postponed Olympics can be held even in 2021.
Olympics Covid-19, ironically, keeps Roland’s Olympic dream alive
Had the Tokyo showpiece gone ahead, the 39-year-old’s dream would’ve probably been over. Now, ‘nature’ has intervened.