Tag: 2020 Olympics

  • Tokyo Governor wants Olympics to go ahead as symbol of overcoming COVID-19

    Tokyo Governor wants Olympics to go ahead as symbol of overcoming COVID-19

    Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, often floated as a future Japanese premier, said on Monday the Olympics must go ahead next year as a symbol of world unity in overcoming the novel coronavirus, even as her city grapples with stubborn spikes in cases.

    Japan has not seen an explosive coronavirus outbreak as suffered in some other places but a recent increase in cases in Tokyo, which accounts for more than a third of its more than 20,000 total, has fanned worries about a second wave of infections.

    The 2020 Olympics were scheduled to start this month but were postponed because of the coronavirus.

    Koike has pledged to win public support for the Games, although a media survey showed a majority think they should be cancelled or postponed again.

    “I want to host them as a symbol of the world coming together to overcome this tough situation and of strengthened bonds among humankind,” Koike told Reuters in an online interview.

    She declined to specify a deadline for deciding if the Games could go ahead.

    A media-savvy former television announcer who speaks English and Arabic, Koike is to many a paradox: a global thinker with a nationalist tinge.

    She was a political outsider who advanced with help from old-boy mentors, and a risk-taker who shied away from the big gamble of running for parliament in 2017 as head of her upstart “Party of Hope”.

    The party floundered after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called a snap election.

    Instead, Koike stayed on as Tokyo governor and has won plaudits for her straight-talking handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in contrast to what critics called Abe’s clumsy response.

    She was re-elected by a landslide last week, reigniting talk she has a shot at becoming Japan’s first woman prime minister.

    On Monday, she sought to brush such speculation aside.

    “I’m happy that people have hopes for me but I received support for a second term as governor,” she said.

    “I want to protect the lives and health of the people of Tokyo by addressing the immediate issue of policies for the coronavirus.

    “That is my greatest mission.”

    Tokyo’s jump in COVID-19 cases comes as Abe’s government prepares to launch a campaign to promote domestic tourism, but that has raised concern about spreading the virus outside the capital.

    Koike said it was important both to contain the virus and revive the slumping economy.

    “At present, a tough situation continues but … by taking a proper response in Tokyo, I want to advance both the prevention of infections and social and economic activity,” she said.

    Tokyo accounts for about 20 per cent of Japan’s economy.

    Koike, who clashed with Abe’s administration over the timing of a state of emergency, and over which businesses to target for shutdowns, said she wanted greater clarity on local governments’ authority during the crisis.

    A veteran member of parliament before defying Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to make her 2016 bid for governor, Koike also wants to make the metropolis a global financial centre by luring foreign talent.

    Still, speculation persists that she could yet aim for Japan’s top job.

    She has already broken several glass ceilings: first female governor of Tokyo, Japan’s first female defence minister and the first woman to run for LDP president.

    But creating a new political machine to vault her to the top would be tough, political analysts said.

    “Does she have what it takes to be prime minister? Absolutely. But she doesn’t have the political machine that can make it happen,” said a source who has advised Koike for years.

    A return to the LDP fold would also face obstacles, given that mutual antagonism runs deep. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Japan committed to hosting Olympics on schedule but Xi visit delayed

    Japan committed to hosting Olympics on schedule but Xi visit delayed

    Japan’s Olympics minister signalled on Thursday the Summer Games would go ahead as planned from July even as the coronavirus outbreak spreads to new parts of the country.

    The minister, Seiko Hashimoto, made the comments on the same day Japan reported its biggest one-day increase in new cases of coronavirus.

    Broadcaster NHK reported confirmed cases had risen to 1,036 nationwide as of Thursday morning, 36 more than the previous day.

    And while plans for the Games to go ahead were unchanged, a state visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping was delayed following a decision by both Tokyo and Beijing.

    The Olympics minister had stirred controversy earlier this week by saying the contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “could be interpreted as allowing a postponement” of the Games within calendar 2020.

    “Based on the fact that the IOC never mentioned about cancelling or postponing the Tokyo Games at its meeting yesterday (Wednesday), I don’t expect a cancellation notice or anything of that sort,” Hashimoto told parliament.

    Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said in a statement the metropolitan government was working in full collaboration with the IOC and organisers “to ensure the delivery of a safe and secure Games.”

    Japan’s western prefecture of Shiga reported its first coronavirus infection on Thursday, a day after the announcement of a first case in the southern prefecture of Miyazaki.

    National broadcaster NHK also reported new coronavirus infections in Kyoto, Sapporo and Niigata.

    Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Japan and China would arrange a better time for Xi to visit as they have agreed to prioritise the fight against the coronavirus.

    The delay in Xi’s visit, originally planned for early April, will not affect Japan-China relations, he told a news conference.

    Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters in Beijing the two countries would maintain close communication on the timing of Xi’s visit, without elaborating.

    Japan plans to impose two-week quarantines on Chinese and South Korean visitors, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.

    Twelve people have died from the disease in Japan, according to the health ministry.

    The rapid spread of the virus has raised questions about whether Tokyo can host the Olympics as scheduled from July 24, with the effects being felt by other sporting events.

    On Wednesday, the Japanese Rugby Football Union announced that next month’s Asia Sevens Invitational has been cancelled due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

    The competition doubles as a test event for rugby sevens at the Tokyo Olympics.

    The Tokyo marathon was held this month without the participation of non-elite runners, and with fewer volunteers and spectators.

    Hashimoto told the upper house on Thursday that the final decision on holding the Games as planned rested with the IOC.

    “Cancellation or delay of the Games would be unacceptable for the athletes,” Hashimoto said. “An environment where athletes can feel at ease and focus should be firmly prepared.”

    Under the host city contract, the IOC has the right to terminate the contract if it has reasonable grounds to believe the safety of the Games would be seriously threatened.

    And organisers have made provisions to cancel Tokyo 2020 in the event of a massive earthquake or other natural disaster, Japan’s Mainichi newspaper reported.

    But IOC head Thomas Bach on Wednesday voiced confidence the Games would go ahead, saying organisers were receiving expert information from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and others.

    He added that the words “postponement” and “cancellation” had not been mentioned at the IOC’s executive board meeting.

    Some Tokyo residents thought differently.

    “I think the Olympics should be cancelled in this case because it is a dangerous situation,” 77-year-old Yufumi Tamaki told Reuters on Thursday.

    “I feel sorry for the athletes and the people who have prepared for the Games, but it is more important to save lives.”(Reuters/NAN)

  • Beach volleyball: Coach optimistic Nigerian women will secure ticket at qualifiers

    Beach volleyball: Coach optimistic Nigerian women will secure ticket at qualifiers

    The national female beach volleyball team coach, Francis Imodu, says he is optimistic that Nigeria would secure a ticket from the second phase of the Tokyo Olympics Qualifiers in Abuja.

    Nigeria is in Group C of the Tokyo Olympics Qualifiers Women Beach Volleyball Second Round/Continental Cup 2020.

    Imodu told NAN on Monday in Abuja that the team were 80 percent ready to make the country proud.

    He said the team would at the Abuja qualifiers which begins on Wednesday replicate their performance at the first round of the qualifiers in Ghana.

    “The team have been preparing for the qualifiers. It is a possible project for the ladies to make the country proud and qualify for the Olympics.

    “The players have been preparing and training, and they are determined to give their best because they want to reach the next level of their career and be Olympians.

    “They emerged champions in the first round of the qualifiers in Ghana and I’m sure they will replicate their performance to make the federation and the country proud,” Imodu said.

    The beach volleyball qualifying tournament will take place from Wednesday to Sunday at the Jabi Lake Beach in Abuja.

    Nigeria will compete against Kenya, Cape Verde, DR Congo and Zambia in Group C of the qualifiers.(NAN)

  • Zidane says he’s in support of Ramos’ Tokyo Olympics dream

    Zidane says he’s in support of Ramos’ Tokyo Olympics dream

    Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says he will back his La Liga club captain Sergio Ramos if he decides to represent Spain at the Olympic Games later this year.

    The defender who turns 34 next month has been chosen in Spain’s preliminary squad for the tournament.

    Ramos is set to captain the team at the European Championship and has been playing for Real Madrid at his usual relentless pace, starting 30 games already this season.

    But Zidane said he is not concerned about the potential knock-on effects of Ramos playing two major international tournaments after another gruelling campaign with Real Madrid.

    The club is hoping to challenge for the Spanish title and the UEFA Champions League.

    “Of course he should go if he wants to, I will support him.

    “It’s very beautiful to play for your country, and especially for a player like him who has done what he has done in his career,” Zidane told a news conference ahead of his side’s La Liga match away to Levante on Saturday

    Speaking in October, Ramos had said he was excited by the prospect of playing for Spain at the Games in Tokyo.

    “It’s a lovely idea, an event that no-one could say `no’ to. But we will see what happens. I get emotional every time I put on a Spain shirt,” he said.

    Ramos has never been a substitute since Zidane has been in charge.

    The coach underlined the defender’s importance to his side by also expressing his desire for the captain to renew his contract which ends next year.

    “Sergio is our captain, our leader, our reference point and he plays better from the start. It’s not in anyone’s interest for him to be on the bench.

    “He is very important for every player in the team. It should be easy for him to get a new contract. I always want him in my team,” Zidane added.

    Real Madrid lead the standings by one point over FC Barcelona after seeing their advantage at the top trimmed by last week’s surprise 2-2 draw at home to struggling Celta Vigo.

    Their next opponents are 13th in the table but have an impressive record at their stadium, where they beat FC Barcelona 3-1 earlier this season, and Zidane is expecting a difficult match.

    “Levante have earned 20 points out of the 29 they have this season at home and that tells you the type of game we are going to have: it will be demanding and difficult.

    “And we will have to be well prepared if we want to put in a good performance,” he said.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Taekwondo: Team Nigeria assures of picking Tokyo Olympics tickets in Morocco

    Taekwondo: Team Nigeria assures of picking Tokyo Olympics tickets in Morocco

    National taekwondo team captain Chinazum Nwosu on Thursday assured that the team would pick tickets to the 2020 Olympics at the Africa Qualification Tournament in Rabat, Morocco.

    Nwosu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, ahead of the team’s departure to Morocco Thursday, that the athletes were fully ready to perform and excel.

    The team left Abuja on Thursday after an initial postponement of its scheduled departure due to a delay in release of funds.

    The team’s quartet of Chinazum Nwosu, Benjamin Okuomose, Elizabeth Anyanocho and Ifeoluwa Ajayi, as well as accompanying officials left for Rabat via Air Maroc Airlines.

    The contingent was expected to arrive just in time for the qualifiers which runs from Friday to Monday.

    Nwosu, who narrowly lost out on clinching a Rio 2016 Olympics ticket, is hopeful for different results in Rabat where she won an African Games medal in 2019.

    She said the team had prepared well for the tournament and expressed confidence in the team doing the country proud.

    “As captain of the team, I know 100 per cent that the team is ready and we are very focused on qualifying for the Olympics,” Nwosu said.

    On his part, Okuomose said his aim was to go a step further in the sport by qualifying for the Olympics.

    The African Games bronze medalist and national champion said his participation at the Fujairah Open recently had boosted his confidence for the qualifiers in Rabat.

    “I do not feel any tension and I am very ready to make Nigeria proud. I just have to stay focused,” he said.

    Also, Anyanocho said the support from the Nigeria taekwondo community had been very helpful.

    “My mind and body have undergone serious training. So, I believe I have prepared enough. I will like to thank members of the Nigeria taekwondo family for their kind words and encouragement,” she said.

    Ifeoluwa Ajayi, Nigeria International Open gold medalist and current national champion, acknowledged that the team would be up against the best at the qualifiers.

    “But I am optimistic about the team’s chances. We will definitely deliver.’’

    Earlier, Margaret Binga, the President of Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), had said she was glad the team had departed for the Olympic qualifiers after the initial delay.

    She said the team was well prepared for the tournament and assured that Nigeria’s flag would be hoisted at the taekwondo event of the Tokyo Olympics later in the year.

    The tournament will have 105 participants, made up of 63 male and 42 female from 36 countries.(NAN)

  • Buhari congratulates D’Tigress for qualifying for 2020 Olympics

    Buhari congratulates D’Tigress for qualifying for 2020 Olympics

    President Muhammadu Buhari felicitated with female Basket Ball team, D’Tigress, for qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, urging them to remain focused, determined and energized for a good outing at the tournament.

    The President’s congratulatory message was conveyed in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Monday.

    Buhari commended the sportsmanship and resilience of the team all through the qualifying stages, and in their trainings, saluting their courage in always putting out their best as they represent the country.

    The president believed that, being the current African Champion, the D’Tigress already has the talents that could make global impact in the sport.

    He assured the team that the Federal Government would ensure proper preparation and mobilization for all outings.

    The President also commended team officials and the National Basket Ball Federation (NBA) for the discipline and motivation of the D’Tigress.

    The Nigeria’s senior women’s national Basketball Team, D Tigress had on Saturday booked a ticket to the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo.

    The team qualified despite losing 64-70 to host-Serbia in their second group game at the FIBA Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament.

    Mozambique’s quest to qualify ahead of Nigeria suffered a heavy knock as they lost 49-124pts against current world champions- USA.(NAN)

  • Tokyo 2020: Nigeria Karatekas may not qualify for Olympics — Zainab Seleh

    Tokyo 2020: Nigeria Karatekas may not qualify for Olympics — Zainab Seleh

    World Karate Federation (WKF) Judge/Referee, Zainab Saleh, said she was doubtful if Nigeria would have a representative at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games.

    She told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the Nigerian karatekas had not participated in serious events that would prepare it for one of the biggest world championship event.

    “It is doubtful that Nigeria will qualify for Tokyo 2020. We have not been able to attend enough events that will give us the opportunity amass points required for qualification.

    “We can only continue to strive for a bigger and better event with the hope that more international athletes will participate,” she said.

    Saleh said Nigeria had only two female World Karate Federation Judges: Rita Uroghome Aina and herself, pointing out that they were yet to receive invitation to officiate at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
    “In Nigeria, we have two World Karate Federation (WKF) female judges, including myself and three African Karate Federation (UFAK) female referees, including myself,” she said.

    Saleh said more competitions and international exposure were needed to get better results in 2020.
    According to her, funding has been a major challenge to the federation, without which there will be no opportunity for the athletes to get the required experience.
    The karate judge, who is also a board member of KFN , said the 2020 federation calendar was out, emphasising that the challenge was to ensure that they have funds in order to execute their programmes.
    She said the 7th edition of her female karate foundation championship comes up either in October or November 2020. (NAN)