Calls from athletes and federations for a delay in the Games, which is scheduled to run from July 24 to Aug. 9, have intensified as the flu-like virus has brought sport to a grinding halt across the world.
San Marino rider Alex de Angelis was airlifted to hospital after a heavy crash during final practice at the Japanese MotoGP on Saturday before a dramatic qualifying session saw Jorge Lorenzo grab pole from title rival Valentino Rossi.
Tickets have been snapped up in Japan, with over three million sold during the first domestic lottery last May. Hot demand for later sales also left many potential buyers disappointed. Organisers have repeatedly said the July 24 to Aug. 9 Games will go ahead as scheduled but with the rapid spread of the coronavirus bringing the sports world to a virtual standstill fears are growing the Olympics may be cancelled or postponed.
Leaders of India, Australia and the United States -- countries that make up the Quad with Japan -- expressed shock at the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, saying he played a 'formative role' in the founding of the partnership and worked tirelessly to advance a shared vision for a free and open strategically-important Indo-Pacific region.
Tokyo's state of emergency, the capital's fourth, lasts until Aug. 22, shortly before the Paralympics begin.
The Apple Watch goes on sale around the world on Friday.
Plans that had been almost a decade in the making were shredded as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the IOC and Japanese government to take the unprecedented decision to postpone the Olympics for a year.
Tokyo residents are deeply divided on whether they should go ahead with the Olympics mid-pandemic
As we prepare to cruise into the New Year, Rediff.com gives you a glance back, through photos, into all the sporting moments that made the last 12 months memorable.
The government on Thursday tweaked curbs on imports of laptops and computers as it allowed importers to bring in shipments of IT hardware from overseas on a mere 'authorisation' upon detailing quantity and value. The new 'import management system' is aimed at monitoring shipments of laptops, tablets and computers into the country without hurting market supply or creating a cumbersome licensing regime. The announcement is likely to provide relief to companies in the IT hardware segment in India as they had flagged concerns over the imposition of a strict licensing regime for importers.
Images from all the action on Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday
Photos of Day 5 of the Australian Open being played in Melbourne
Tokyo 2020 organisers received the Olympic flame in a scaled-down handover ceremony in the Greek capital on Thursday, amid the coronavirus spread that has cast doubt on the global, multi-billion dollar event. In a brief ceremony closed to spectators in Athens' Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Games in 1896, the torch was received by Tokyo Games representative Naoko Imoto.
What will you do for the latest iPhone?
After two years of injury frustration and bouts of depression, Victoria Azarenka is hoping a little bit of motorcycle riding and some street art will change people's perceptions and help her to a third Australian Open title. The 26-year-old Belarusian is one of the favourites for the year's opening grand slam that starts on Monday after proving her fitness following a nagging foot injury that has restricted her appearances over the past two years. Now injury free and fresh off her first title since August 2013 at the Brisbane International last week, she is looking forward to the courts she made her own in 2012 and 2013.
'I felt like I was very focused today. Every match I've played this year, I've been pretty good. It's probably because of everything going on'
'I felt comfortable knowing that I just needed to change a few things, to adjust, to try and bring the match back in my favour'
Venus Williams continued her astonishing late-career revival by felling Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 7-6(3) on Tuesday to reach her first Australian Open semi-final in 14 years.
We bring you a collection of some of the best photographs taken this week by ace photographers.
Alcohol sales have been restricted in and around Tokyo after health officials warned drinking would encourage close contact, loud speaking and mingling in bars that could help spread the virus.
Here are some areas where costs have grown, and where income that had been expected will not materialise.
'I was aggressive. I had this in my mind, and I wanted to finish the points quicker, but was not that easy with her. She's moving very well. She was returning every single ball'
'When it's easy it's going to be no problem. When it gets tough that's when you know what's going to hold up and what's not'
'I believe we have already missed the opportunity to cancel ... We have been cornered into a situation where we cannot even stop now. We are damned if we do, and damned if we do not.'
The Indian Olympic Association has been fined $10,000 for withdrawing teams from the Asian Games at a late stage, but All India Tennis Association chief Anil Khanna is hopeful that the penalty would be withdrawn.
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Despite being cheaper, the Chinese technology is not the preferred option.
'It has been good on pitch and off pitch,' Lampard said.
Images from Day 5 of the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
Asian Games gold-medallist Swapna Barman will have customised shoes for her 12-toed feet soon as the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has tied up with footwear company Adidas to ensure specially-designed gear for the heptathlete.
The bullet train is expected to cover 508 km between Mumbai and Ahmedabad in about two hours.
The next challenge for Tokyo organisers is developing measures to help prevent a COVID-19 outbreak during the Games and how much the delay will cost Japanese taxpayers.
Swapna Barman's claim to fame before landing in Jakarta was as the athlete with 12 toes but the 21-year-old will return home having forged a new identity after winning India's first Asian Games gold in the heptathlon.
Scientists and medical experts are concerned about how things might look next summer, a year after the Tokyo Games were postponed.
'Both India and Japan can find themselves in a win-win situation if they draw some lessons from each other's strengths,' says Dr Rajaram Panda.
Construction delays at two key Olympic venues could force Tokyo Games organisers into a reshuffle of test event schedules, the organising committee said.
Shooter Avani Lekhara scripted history on Monday as she became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, firing her way to the top of the podium in the R-2 women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event in Tokyo.
Coco Vandeweghe blasted her way into her first grand slam semi-final with a dominant display of power tennis to destroy French Open champion Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-0 at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
Exhausted by a near five-hour contest, Denis Istomin struggled to formulate his thoughts following his stunning upset of Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
After booking a much-anticipated semi-final with his Australian Open title usurper Stan Wawrinka on Wednesday, Novak Djokovic wasted little time reminding the Swiss of the heavy burden of being defending champion.
'Yeah, I'm a little sad. I don't know. I'm going to have my Stevie G jerseys hanging somewhere'
