Japan’s pandemic response chief, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, backed stepped up restrictions proposed during a meeting with experts on Thursday. While some of the experts suggested a nationwide emergency declaration due to the spike in cases, the minister said they ultimately agreed to expand restrictions in eight regions, for now. “The number …
Read More »Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard crashes out of Tokyo Olympics after three failed attempts on first Games appearance
Super-heavyweight Hubbard’s much-debated debut at the Olympics ended in immediate failure on Monday, with the 43-year-old, who transitioned to become a woman in 2012, failing with snatch attempts at 120kg and 125kg. The clean and jerk part of the competition is yet to come, although registering no weight in the …
Read More »Belarusian athlete Timanovskaya ‘safe & secure’ in Tokyo after refusing to fly home as Polish & Czech officials offer help
Timanovskaya, 24, had sought police protection at Haneda airport on Sunday after being booked onto a flight by Belarusian team officials. The sprinter was due to take part in the 200m on Monday but was withdrawn after posting a video criticizing Belarusian Olympic officials on social media. Timanovskaya had been critical …
Read More »Olympics capital Tokyo sets record for daily Covid-19 infections
It’s the first time that daily infections in the country’s largest city surpassed the 4,000 mark since the start of the pandemic, which so far has recorded more than 214,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and almost 2,300 deaths. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that the recent spike in cases in Tokyo …
Read More »Tennis bosses move Tokyo match times after Medvedev says he ‘could die’ on concerning day of heat exhaustion for players
Men’s world number two Daniil Medvedev was among those to draw attention to the exhausting conditions players have been competing in during the Tokyo Games. In heat exceeding 30C (86F) with added humidity while his third round win over Fabio Fognini was still being played, Medvedev was heard saying to …
Read More »Simone Biles pulls out AGAIN at Tokyo 2020, gymnast withdraws from individual all-around competition final
GOLDEN GIRLS: Russian team clinch Olympic gymnastics title to end US dominance in dramatic final after Biles withdraws Biles said she was withdrawing “to focus on mental health”, which she also cited as the reason for her withdrawal from the all-around artistic final after one rotation at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre on Tuesday. …
Read More »‘Peak hypocrisy’: Tokyo Olympics bashed for ‘worst part of the pandemic’ reminder after mega-rich celebrities sing Imagine (VIDEO)
As millions of people watched the closing stages of the opening ceremony from the Olympic Stadium in Japan, Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1971 single, which his wife has said is about relinquishing the “divisive control mechanisms of borders, nationalism, warfare, religious constructs or ownership”, received a new rendition on the …
Read More »‘I hope Tokyo has a good dentist!’ UK pole vaulter SMASHES TEETH after bar crashes onto face during Olympic training (VIDEO)
The 25-year-old is among the contenders to bring home a medal in the pole vault in this summer’s Games – and he will be hoping that he has exhausted all of his bad luck ahead of the start of the event after coming off worse for wear when the bar …
Read More »Tokyo Olympics show director FIRED on eve of opening ceremony over decades-old ‘Holocaust joke’
Olympic Organizing Committee president Seiko Hashimoto announced the move during a press conference on Thursday, saying Kobayashi had been fired and that officials would undertake a last-minute “review” of the opening and closing ceremonies, both of which were meant to be directed by the comedian. “It has come to our …
Read More »Games OVER? Tokyo chief refuses to rule out LAST-MINUTE CANCELATION of Covid-hit Olympics
Asked at news conference on Tuesday whether the delayed Games could yet be canceled, Toshiro Muto said organizers would need to monitor the situation. “We can’t predict what will happen with the number of coronavirus cases. So we will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases,” Muto was …
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