Japan’s government on Friday extended a coronavirus emergency in Tokyo and other parts of the country until just a month before the Olympics, fuelling doubts about whether the Games can go ahead safely. Organisers said they would now wait to make a decision on whether to allow local fans at the Games until the emergency […]
Olympics
EU backs Japan holding ‘safe and secure’ Olympics
The EU and Japan said Thursday they backed the holding of a “safe and secure” Olympic Games despite calls for the event to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We support the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in a safe and secure manner this summer as a symbol of global […]
Japan newspaper sponsoring Olympics joins cancellation chorus
Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper, an official Tokyo Olympics sponsor, called for the Games to be cancelled on Wednesday, in the latest sign of opposition less than two months before the opening ceremony. The call comes with public opinion in Japan firmly against holding the Games this summer, and after prominent business leaders voiced their concern […]
Japan approves Moderna, AstraZeneca vaccines
Japan formally approved Moderna and AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines on Friday, but the latter will not be used immediately because of lingering concern over very rare blood clots. The decision comes just over two months before the pandemic-postponed Olympics, with growing disquiet in Japan about the country’s comparatively slow vaccine roll-out. Nine regions including Tokyo are […]
IOC chief’s delayed pre-Olympics Japan trip to happen by mid-July
Olympic chief Thomas Bach will visit Japan by mid-July, the IOC has announced after he was forced to cancel a planned trip this month over virus restrictions. International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates said in a letter to officials published late Wednesday that Bach would arrive by July 12 — less than two weeks before […]
China hits back at Pelosi ‘lies’ over Beijing Olympics boycott call
Beijing: China on Wednesday branded US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “full of lies” after calling for a diplomatic boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics on human rights grounds. The run-up to the Games, set for February 2022, is being dominated by recriminations over widespread allegations of abuse of China’s Uyghur Muslims and other minorities, […]
Usman Khan hopeful of keeping Pakistan’s Olympic dream alive
Usman Khan, Pakistan’s top horseman, met a horrible accident when he was only a few meters away from retaining his place in Tokyo Olympics. He was seriously injured as he got bruised ribs and a head injury, and his horse “Kasheer” died in the accident. Usman was sure to be a part of the Olympics […]
COVID outbreaks in Asia fuel concern; Britain eases virus lockdown
Britain took a big step towards normal life on Monday with more easing of coronavirus restrictions, but there was even more misery in India where a powerful cyclone disrupted efforts to fight a devastating Covid-19 wave. Rapid vaccinations have allowed the United States and Britain to start moving away from harsh restrictions, but tighter curbs […]
Japan’s Osaka ‘not sure’ Olympics should happen as doubts grow
Tokyo: Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka admitted she was “not really sure” the coronavirus-hit Tokyo Olympics should go ahead as doubts grew about the Games just weeks before the opening ceremony. The four-time tennis Grand Slam winner joined fellow Japanese player Kei Nishikori in raising concerns, with Tokyo and other parts of Japan under a […]
Scammers preying on Notre-Dame donors, France warns
Fraudsters are taking advantage of the Notre-Dame fire to fool donors into handing over cash believing they are helping to rebuild the gutted Paris cathedral, officials have warned. The French Heritage Foundation, which has so far collected more than 13 million euros ($14.5 million) from individual donors to help restore the gothic landmark, said any […]