Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony director Kentaro Kobayashi sacked for Holocaust joke July 22, 2021 The director of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony has been sacked on the eve of the Games for making jokes about the Holocaust. Kentaro Kobayashi says “let’s play massacre the Jews” in a 1998 comedy sketch, footage of which has recently appeared online. It is the latest in a series of embarrassing departures of [...]
Team GB start Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a win as women’s footballers beat Chile – but favourites USA suffer shock defeat July 21, 2021 Team GB have made a winning start to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after their women’s football team beat Chile 2-0. In a major shock elsewhere in the competition, world champions the USA lost their opening match 3-0 to Sweden. While the Games officially get underway on Friday, some events in Japan started today. Ellen White [...]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics could still be cancelled, says Games chief July 20, 2021 Tokyo 2020 Olympics chiefs say they have have not ruled out cancelling the Games at the last minute. With just three days until the opening ceremony, the head of the Tokyo Organising Committee, Toshiro Muto, said a late U-turn remained an option. Covid-19 cases have already hit the athletes’ village and continue to rise in [...]
Counting down: Covid levels are low and athletes’ village is safe, say Olympics organizers July 20, 2021 Covid levels at the Olympics are low and the athletes’ village is safe, Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Takaya Masa has said. Watch the full report.
Toyota pulls Olympic related TV ads in Japan on eve of Games amid public opposition to Tokyo 2020 going ahead July 19, 2021 Major Olympic sponsor Toyota says it will not air Tokyo 2020-related TV advertising in Japan during the Games amid negative public sentiment towards the event. The Japanese car-maker has also decided not to send any executives to the opening ceremony, which takes place on Friday. More than half of Japanese are opposed to the delayed [...]
Covid-19 forces Johanna Konta out of Tokyo 2020 Olympics weeks after British tennis ace said she was undecided about vaccine July 14, 2021 British tennis star Johanna Konta has pulled out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after contracting Covid-19. Konta was forced to miss Wimbledon earlier this month when a member of her support team tested positive. She subsequently also developed Covid-19 while isolating. “I have been unable to train for the last two and a half weeks [...]
Spectators banned from Tokyo 2020 Olympics as Japan announces tougher measures to halt rise of Covid cases July 8, 2021 The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which start later this month, will take place without any spectators, officials have confirmed. Tokyo is to be placed back into a state of emergency from Monday – 11 days before the delayed Games are due to begin – until 22 August. “I am sorry to those who purchased tickets and [...]
Two weeks before Olympics: Japanese govt declares state of emergency in Tokyo July 8, 2021 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga formally declared a state of emergency in Tokyo today, with just two weeks to go before the Tokyo Olympics open. Watch the full video report.
Daley Thompson interview: Double Olympic champion on why the world needs Tokyo 2020 to happen and why he’d be happily compete with Covid restrictions July 2, 2021 Daley Thompson chuckles as he remembers the contrasting backdrops to his two Olympic gold medals. “The first time I won was in Moscow. It was pretty dull and dreary, the weather wasn’t great and the place didn’t seem to hold a lot of joy,” Thompson tells City A.M. “The next one was in Los Angeles [...]
Former Olympic champion cyclist Chris Boardman MBE named chair of Sport England June 30, 2021 Former Olympic champion cyclist Chris Boardman MBE has been appointed chair of Sport England. Boardman will play a key role in getting more people active and developing grassroots sport. “I am delighted to take up the position of chair for Sport England,” said the 52-year-old, who won individual pursuit gold at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. [...]