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In January this month, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland wrote a letter to Team USA athletes preparing for Tokyo Olympics. “Our expectation today is that the Games will go forward,” Hirshland wrote. “They will look and feel different than any previous Games, as we will all be asked to continue to make sacrifices and adaptations to protect the health of our community.” As the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics grow larger on the horizon, adaptation and sacrifice will become the motto for an Olympics and Paralympics like no other. Deferred by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which brought all sporting action to a grinding halt for over half a year in 2020, the Olympics will start with a muted Opening Ceremony on 23 July. With just 58 days left on the clock for the Games, there are as many questions as answers. How frequently will athletes be tested? What happens when an athlete tests positive? The IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers have sought to clarify some doubts and allay fears about a cancellation. The IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers have tried to answer some of these questions, and allay fears of cancellation of the Games, by releasing four ‘Playbooks’ for different stakeholders of the Games. Two more versions of the Playbooks are expected, which will break down in minutiae what athletes, fans, National Olympic Committees and Federations can expect. As of now, the Playbooks suggest that athletes will be asked to come to Tokyo only five days before their events, and leave within 48 hours of their events ending. Other measures will prohibit athletes from socialising, shaking hands or hugging others. Under the guidelines, athletes will be tested for the virus at least once every four days, and will be barred from competing if they return a confirmed positive test. Meanwhile, fans, should they be allowed in arenas, will be asked not to cheer loudly, and stay masked at all times when in arenas.
Tokyo Olympics 2020 Latest Updates: As 'Games like no other' appear on horizon, a daily look at noteworthy developments
With 52 days remaining for the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony, there are as many questions as there are answers about how the Games will go on. Follow this live blog for a day-to-day breakdown of the most critical updates about Tokyo 2020:
 "Tokyo Olympics 2020 Latest Updates: As 'Games like no other' appear on horizon, a daily look at noteworthy developments")
With Olympic Games fast approaching, COVID-19 cases on the rise in Tokyo
The Olympic Games begin on 23 July, with organisers determined they will go on, even with a reduced number of spectators or possibly none at all. While Japan have made remarkable progress to vaccinate its population against COVID-19, the drive is losing steam because of supply shortages.
With tens of thousands of visitors coming to a country that is only 13.8 percent fully vaccinated, gaps in border controls have emerged, highlighted by the discovery of infections among the newly arrived team from Uganda, with positive tests for the highly contagious delta variant.
As cases grow in Tokyo, so have fears that the Games will spread the virus.
**Click here to read more on the story**Australia’s softball team becomes first to arrive in Japan for Games
Australia’s softball team on Tuesday became the first athletes to land in Japan for the Olympics, in a major milestone for the pandemic-postponed Games, which continue to face controversy.
The “Aussie Spirit” squad touched down in Narita airport outside Tokyo along with their support staff and were immediately ushered off for coronavirus testing.
Sporting facemasks and wearing their green and gold uniforms, they were met by greeters sporting hats decorated with Olympic and Paralympic mascots. They waved to cameras and snapped selfies as they filled out paperwork before testing.
Everyone in the delegation have been vaccinated but they still faced testing before departure and on arrival, and will also be subject to stringent restrictions during their stay.
The arrival will be a boost for organisers who are battling persistent public opposition and doubts about whether the Games can, or should go ahead.
**Click here to read more on the story**Fans need to be vaccinated or provide COVID-19 negative test to enter venues, says report
Tokyo Olympics fans may have to be vaccinated or test negative for the coronavirus before being allowed into venues, a Japanese newspaper report said on Monday.
Cheering, eating, high-fives and drinking alcohol would also be banned under controls now being considered, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily said, citing unnamed government officials.
Organisers are set to decide in June how many spectators— if any— will be allowed to attend the pandemic-postponed Games.
Overseas fans are already barred, and the report warned domestic spectators may be denied entrance or kicked out for breaking the rules.
“The plan is to stop the spread of infections during Games time with strict countermeasures,” the paper said.
**Click here to read more on the development**Japanese physician warns of ‘dangerous’ implications if Games are held amid coronavirus
A physician representing a Japanese medical body warned on Thursday that holding the postponed Tokyo Olympics in two months could lead to the spread of variants of the coronavirus .
Dr Naoto Ueyama, chairman of the Japan Doctors Union, said the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government had underestimated the risks of bringing 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes into the country, joined by tens of thousands of officials, judges, media and broadcasters from more than 200 countries and territories.
“Since the emergence of COVID-19 , there has not been such a dangerous gathering of people coming together in one place from so many different places around the world,” he said, speaking in Tokyo at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. “It’s very difficult to predict what this could lead to," he added.
**Click here to read more on that**US CDC, State department warn against travel to Japan
US health officials and the State Department warned Americans against travel to Japan because of a surge in coronavirus cases in the country. “Because of the current situation in Japan even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Japan,” the CDC have said. The twin alerts don’t ban US citizens from visiting the country, but they could have an impact on insurance rates for travellers and may factor into decisions by Olympic athletes and spectators on whether to compete in or attend the games.
Games-bound athletes among 148 to receive first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
As many as 148 athletes across all sports, including those who have qualified for the upcoming Tokyo Games, have already received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
Out of these 148 athletes, 17 have got both the doses and 131 have received their first shot, IOA president Narinder Batra said.
These 148 include potential athletes who can make it to the Tokyo Olympics which open on 23 July.
Besides this, 13 Tokyo Paralympic-bound athletes have got their first vaccine shot while two have received both doses. The Tokyo Paralympics opens on 24 August.
Games will go ahead ‘whether there’s a state of emergency or not’: IOC’s John Coates
The IOC vice president in charge of the postponed Tokyo Olympics said Friday the games would open in just over two months even if the city and other parts of Japan were under a state of emergency because of rising COVID-19 cases.
John Coates, speaking from Australia in a virtual news conference with Tokyo organisers at the end of three days of meetings, said this would be the case even if local medical experts advised against holding the Olympics.
**Click here to read the full story**Tokyo Medical body urges Summer Games organisers to cancel event
In one of the strongest statements so far, the 6,000-member Tokyo Medical Practitioners’ Association called for the Olympics 2020 to be canceled in a letter sent last week to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, and Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the organizing committee.
State of emergency to grow
With 10 weeks left to Tokyo Olympics, three more regions in Japan will go into a state of emergency to combat COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the petition calling for Games to be scrapped has now reached 350,000 signatures. Kenji Utsunomiya, a former candidate for Tokyo governor, submitted the petition to city authorities, IOC and IOC.
**Read more on the latest development**USA track and field team scraps pre-Games camp over coronavirus concerns
The US track and field team have scrapped plans for pre-Olympic training in Japan over concerns about safety during the pandemic, Japanese officials said.
US athletes were supposed to train in Chiba, outside Tokyo, before the pandemic-postponed Games open on 23 July.
But the Chiba regional authority said in a statement the team cancelled “because of concerns over athlete safety as the coronavirus pandemic continues around the world with no prospects of winding down”.
“Although the cancellation is extremely regrettable, we think it is the best decision… given the current situation,” the region said.
**Click here to read the detailed story**IOC president Thomas Bach cancels Japan visit
IOC president Thomas Bach has canceled a trip to Japan because of surging cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Tokyo Olympic organising committee said Monday in a statement. Bach was to visit Hiroshima next Monday and meet the torch relay and then probably travel to Tokyo.
Organising committee president Seiko Hashimoto said last week that the trip would be “tough” for Bach to make, which was interpreted in Japan as meaning it was canceled.
**Click here to read the full story**Pfizer, BioNTech to donate vaccines for athletes and officials, confirms IOC
Vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech will donate doses to inoculate athletes and officials preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, the IOC said Thursday. Delivery of doses is set to begin this month to give Olympic delegations time to be fully vaccinated with a second shot before arriving in Tokyo for the games, which open on 23 July.
It’s the second major vaccination deal for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). An agreement was announced in March between the IOC and Olympic officials in China to buy and distribute Chinese vaccines ahead of the Tokyo Games and next year’s Beijing Winter Games.
**Click here to read the full story**Anti-Olympic petition gains tens of thousands of signatures
An online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be canceled has gained ten of thousands of signatures since being launched in Japan just days ago.
The rollout of the petition comes with Tokyo, Osaka and several other areas under a state of emergency with coronavirus infections rising — particularly new variants. The state of emergency is to expire on 11 May, but some reports in Japan say it is likely to be extended.
The postponed Olympic are to open in just under three months on 23 July.
Although 70 to 80 per cent of Japanese citizens in polls say they want the Olympics canceled or postponed, there is no indication this will happen. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo organizing committee President Seiko Hashimoto, and International Olympic President Thomas Bach have repeatedly said the games will go on as scheduled.
**Click here to read more about this news**Olympics might have no fans: Games chief
In a big development, Tokyo 2020 chief has said the games might have to go ahead without fans in order to protect the athletes and the general population. “There might be a situation where we can’t allow any spectators to attend,” Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto conceded in an interview. “The only way that we can call the Games a success is if we completely protect the lives and health of athletes and the people of Japan.”
More: Games could be held without fans, says Games chief Seiko Hashimoto
Three months before they host the Olympics – the biggest international event since the pandemic began – Japan have fully vaccinated less than one percent of their population in a cautious, slow-moving programme.
Olympic organisers and local officials stress vaccines are not a prerequisite for the Games. Participants will not have to be inoculated before arrival and there are no plans to prioritise vaccination of Japanese athletes or volunteers.
But the slow rollout in the world’s third-largest economy, which experts say is driven by a mixture of caution and entrenched bureaucratic hurdles, is starting to weigh on public opinion.
The government has emphasised caution to build trust in the vaccine, said Takakazu Yamagishi, director of the Center for International Affairs at Nanzan University, who researches health policy.
Read more: Less than one percent of Japanese population vaccinated with Games under 100 days away
Brazil, Germany in same group in football
Reigning champions Brazil were on Wednesday drawn with 2016 runners-up Germany, the Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia in the Tokyo Olympics men’s football group stages.
The draw was conducted on Wednesday for the event that gets underway on 22 July, a day before the opening ceremony.
Read: Holders Brazil to face Germany in football group stages
Decision over fans attendance to be delayed till June
Japanese media reports that the decision over how many fans can attend Tokyo Olympics will be taken in June, possibly just a month before the Games open on July 23. The move would further delay ticket sales, which were put on hold when the Olympics were postponed last year.
The organising committee said the timing of the decision needed to stay “flexible” as the coronavirus situation develops.
Organisers have already barred overseas fans from the pandemic-delayed Games, and were first expected to announce an upper limit on domestic spectators sometime in April.
Read: Tokyo Olympics 2020 organisers to delay fans attendance decision till June
100 days to go: What happened the last time Tokyo hosted the Olympics?
The 1964 summer Olympic Games were Japan’s great return to the world stage after defeat and destruction two decades earlier in World War II. The first ever Games in Asia were also a chance to trumpet the rebuilding of post-war Tokyo and the country’s emergence as a high-tech giant with the infrastructure to match.
Read: How the first Tokyo Olympics, in 1964, changed the face of Japan
100 days to go: Which are the venues to be used in Tokyo?
From a state-of-the-art aquatics centre to a historic martial arts arena whose roof resembles Mount Fuji, Japan’s Olympic sites are ready for action after a year’s coronavirus delay.
**With 100 days until the opening ceremony, take a tour of the key venues**100 days to go: What has happened since the Games were awarded to Tokyo?
The Tokyo Olympics are now exactly 100 days to go. What started as reason to celebrate, collective joy in Tokyo when the Games were awarded to sexism scandal, postponement for the first-time ever and ban on overseas fans. Amidst all this, people’s joy has paved way for concern.
READ: A timeline of events for a turbulent, pandemic-postponed Games
Any update on the test events?
The Diving World Cup, which serves as an Olympic qualifier and test event, will be held in Tokyo around two weeks later than planned, organisers have said. It had been scheduled for 18-23 April but will now be held on 1-6 May, Tokyo 2020 organisers and International Swimming Federation (FINA) said. But the Olympic marathon swim qualifier, originally planned for next month in Japan’s Fukuoka, will be moved to Setubal in Portugal.
Read more: Diving World Cup to be held in Tokyo in May, confirm organisers
How’s the torch relay going?
The Olympic torch relay will be barred from public roads across Japan’s Osaka region, the governor said Wednesday, after a spike in virus cases there prompted officials to declare a medical emergency. A decision to keep the flame away from public view had already been taken for Osaka city, but Wednesday’s announcement extends the measure to the entire prefecture.
Read more: Torch relay barred from public roads across Japan's Osaka
What is the status of test events?
A water polo test event has been reportedly cancelled because sport officials cannot enter Japan due to coronavirus restrictions. The restrictions mean time-keepers and record-keepers who were due to travel to Japan cannot take part in the event. Although local media said it may be rescheduled to a later date.
Read more: Water polo test event cancelled over coronavirus restrictions, says report
Will North Korea be present at the Olympics?
No. North Korea will not attend this year’s Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus pandemic, Pyongyang’s sports ministry said. The two countries have a strained relationship marked by tension and hostility. But Pyongyang’s announcement puts an end to Seoul’s hopes of using the Games to kick off a reset in the now deadlocked talks process.
Read more: North Korea won't participate in Games over COVID-19 fears, says country's sports ministry
Diving World Cup moved out of Tokyo
FINA is moving its Diving World Cup, which was to serve as an Olympic test event later this month, from Tokyo. The global body said it had not yet decided where the competition, which is also an Olympic qualifying event, would be held.
The Diving World Cup was originally scheduled to take place in April 2020 but had been postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, as had the Olympics.
Full story: **FINA moves Diving World Cup out of Tokyo, undecided on new hosts of Olympic qualifying event**
No torch relay on Osaka’s public roads
The Olympic torch relay will not be run on public roads in Osaka city given rising virus cases, the Japanese region’s governor said Friday, but a cancellation has not yet been decided. His comments came a day after he and the city’s mayor called for the torch relay leg to be cancelled given a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in the region.
Read more: No torch relay on Osaka’s public roads, says prefecture governor
Will overseas fans get ticket refunds?
Partially, yes. And it is going to be a lot of wait it appears. Tickets bought through brokers, called Authorised Ticket Resellers, will only see refunds to the tune of the face value and shipping costs. Any additional charges will not be refunded. Additionally, one has to apply in advance, on very short notice, by 9 April, to get their refunds in the future.
Read more: Overseas ticket holders may get only partial refunds
Olympic torch relay kicks off amid COVID-19 pandemic
The torch relay for the postponed Tokyo Olympics began its 121-day journey across Japan on Thursday (25 July) and is headed toward the opening ceremony in Tokyo on 23 July.
The relay began in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, the area that was devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and the meltdown of three nuclear reactors. About 18,000 died in the tragedy,
The first runner with the torch was Azusa Iwashimizu, a key player in the Japan team that won the Women’s World Cup in 2011.
The ceremony was closed to the public because of the fear of spreading COVID-19 but was streamed live.
**Read more: 121-day torch relay kicks off countdown to delayed Olympics**Is the torch relay a big deal?
Normally? No. But these are different times. These are COVID-19 times. The relay will highlight how ready or not ready Tokyo is to host the Olympics in four months time. Social distancing, mask-wearing and limited crowds are the rules in place. It is a big deal for the organisers and IOC in order to change public opinion on the Olympics.
Read more: Torch relay not just a sideshow in time of COVID-19
Japan spend billions on technology for absent overseas fans
Japan’s top telecommunications company is getting 7.3 billion yen — about $67 million — in taxpayer money to design mobile tracking software to curb the spread of coronavirus infections during the Tokyo Olympics. There’s one catch: Few Olympic fans from abroad will be around to use it.
**Click here to read the full story**Chief of ceremonies quits over derogatory comments on female comedian
The creative director for Tokyo’s Olympic ceremonies will resign after making derogatory comments about a female Japanese comedian, in the latest headache for organisers of the virus-delayed Games.
Hiroshi Sasaki announced his decision after a report late Wednesday revealed he had proposed that popular plus-size entertainer Naomi Watanabe appear at the opening ceremony as a pig.
**Click here to read the full story**M Sreesankar qualifies for Games after bettering own national record
Long jumper Murli Sreeshankar on Tuesday qualified for the Tokyo Olympics by bettering his own national record with a leap of 8.26m on the second day of the Federation Cup Senior National Athletics Championships in Patiala.
The Olympic qualification mark in men’s long jump event is 8.22m. The 21-year-old Kerala athlete’s 8.26m jump came in his fifth attempt as he improved his earlier national record of 8.20m which he had registered in 2018.
Full story: Long jumper Murli Sreeshankar qualifies for Tokyo Olympics with 8.26m leap
Will there be spectators for the torch relay?
No. Organisers announced there will be no spectators to follow along the route to the Tokyo Olympics torch relay. The heavily sponsored relay, however, will be available to stream. “The Grand Start ceremony and the first section of the Fukushima Torch Relay… will not be open to the public, but it will be broadcast live via a Tokyo 2020 official channel,” Tokyo 2020 said in a statement.
READ MORE: Spectators barred from torch relay start, confirm organisers
Memorable milestone for India as CA Bhavani Devi becomes first-ever Indian fencer to qualify for Olympics
Tamil Nadu’s CA Bhavani Devi has become the first-ever Indian fencer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games. The sabre fencer secured a spot in the World Cup in Hungary after the hosts lost in the quarter-finals of the team event, allowing South Korea to progress to the semi-final.
Bhavani Devi qualifies through the Adjusted Official Ranking (AOR) Method. Two individual spots were up for grabs for the Asia and Oceania region based on the World Rankings as of 5 April, 2021. She is ranked 45th and occupies one of the two available slots based on the ranking.
The 27-year-old’s qualification will be confirmed when the rankings are made official on the aforementioned date.
READ MORE: Bhavani Devi becomes first-ever Indian fencer to qualify for an Olympics
Will athletes jump the queue in vaccination bid?
A question that wasn’t posed to IOC president Thomas Bach by his peers as he announced that vaccinations will be made available to athletes for the Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics & Beijing Winter Games next year. Chinese Olympic Committee have offered to vaccinate the thousands of athletes that would be making the trip to Japan and China. IOC have offered to foot the bill for this process not just in Japan and China but also in athletes’ home country. Now that’s a shot in the arm for the Olympics – excuse the pun.
READ MORE: Summer Games get IOC-funded Chinese coronavirus jab offer
LeBron James among 57 NBA players in USA basketball Olympics squad
Two-time Olympic champions LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul were among 57 NBA players named on Thursday by USA Basketball as finalists for the Tokyo Olympic men’s basketball squad. The list added 15 players to a group of 42 finalists named in February 2020 who have confirmed interest in trying to bring the Americans a fourth consecutive gold medal and 16th overall next August in Japan.
A final 12-man Olympic roster will be announced later this year.
James, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers win last year’s NBA crown, and Paul, with the Phoenix Suns, helped spark the USA to Olympic gold in 2008 at Beijing and 2012 in London.
James, who was also on the US 2004 bronze medal squad, could match Carmelo Anthony as the only four-time US men’s basketball Olympians.
READ MORE: LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul among 57 NBA players named in USA basketball squad
Any stumble at the Olympic torch relay could sow more doubts about the risk of holding the Olympics in a pandemic. So why are Tokyo 2020 organisers taking this risk?
Tokyo 2020 organisers and the IOC are going ahead with the torch relay because of the large sponsorship deals with Coca-Cola and Toyota. There was talk of doing away with the relay, but that was quickly nixed. The Olympic relay dates back to the 1936 Berlin Games.
Organisers hope this time it will drive enthusiasm for the Olympics. Surveys show about 80% of the Japanese public say the games should be postponed or canceled.
The success of the relay is so important that Toshiro Muto, CEO of the Tokyo organising committee, has been put in charge. Any slip, of course, would raise more questions about risks around the Olympics.
READ MORE: Tokyo Olympics 2020 torch relay among final hurdles for postponed games
Will international spectators be allowed at the Olympics?
It looks increasingly unlikely that foreign spectators will be allowed at the Tokyo Olympics. Local media quoted government officials as saying that the Summer Games would go ahead but without the influx of international visitors – a step that will impact the Games’ and Japan’s economic projections. A formal announcement on this regard could be made next week.
READ MORE: Japan to keep foreign spectators away from Summer Games, reports local media
Torch relay for Tokyo Olympics 2020 likely to be held without fans, says report
The starting ceremony for this month’s Olympic torch relay will likely be held without spectators, a Japanese newspaper reported Tuesday, but fans will still be able to line the route.
The Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported that organisers fear crowding at the 25 March event in Fukushima, and will probably bar the 3,000 spectators initially planned.
Tokyo 2020 organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report, which cited an unnamed source.
READ MORE: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Torch relay likely to be held without fans, says report
Over three-quarters of Japanese don’t want foreign fans at Tokyo Games, says survey
More than 75 percent of Japanese oppose overseas fans attending the Tokyo Olympics, a poll showed Monday, as organisers prepare to make a decision on foreign spectators.
The poll, by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, found that only 18 percent of people who responded were in favour of foreign spectators being allowed into Japan for the coronavirus -delayed Games, with 77 percent against.
Games organisers said last week that they plan to rule on the matter this month, likely before the nationwide torch relay begins on 25 March.
But Japanese media say Games chiefs have already decided to bar foreign fans.
READ MORE: Most Japanese people don't want foreign spectators to be allowed in Tokyo for the Olympics
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