Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said for the first time on Monday that the Tokyo Olympic Games may need to be postponed if the event cannot be held in its 'complete form' due to the coronavirus pandemic. Abe said that while cancelling the Games was not an option, a delay was now on the cards if that was the only way to hold the event in its complete form.
India's Uber Cup campaign ended with a 0-5 defeat to China, despite a strong start from PV Sindhu. The Indian team struggled to capitalise on opportunities against the formidable Chinese side.
Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea reached the quarter-final of the French Open, while Matteo Berrettini is rediscovering his confidence after a win.
Indian weightlifters are set to compete in the Asian Championships, aiming to leverage home advantage and gain momentum for the upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia this week will be staged without spectators as organisers protect the event from the coronavirus, Greece's Olympic Committee said on Monday. The Olympic torch will be lit in Olympia at a scaled-down ceremony on March 12 before a seven-day relay that will culminate with a handover ceremony in Greece on March 19.
The survey showed 39.2 per cent want the Games scrapped, while 32.8 per cent favour another delay
Olympic champion Sha'Carri Richardson was arrested in Florida for dangerous excessive speeding after allegedly driving at 104 mph, according to local authorities.
Reigning Olympic champion shuttler Carolina Marin on Friday suffered a freak knee injury during training, leaving her doubtful for the Tokyo Games, which starts on July 23.
Several countries, including Israel and Denmark, said they would vaccinate their athletes and staff against COVID-19 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, amid global debate over whether athletes should be given priority access in the rollout.
A historic bronze-winning show by the men's team and an outstanding fourth place finish for the women's team infused fresh life into the game which was in danger of slipping into oblivion.
First lady Jill Biden cheered her countrywomen to an upset victory over the French in the debut of 3x3 basketball at the Olympics as President Emmanuel Macron watched on from the sidelines.
International medal-winning Indian woman boxer Neeraj (57kg), who was among the probables for 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended after failing a dope test.
The four-month event has been hit by several high-profile runner cancellations as celebrities have pulled out, citing late notice and worries about drawing crowds during the pandemic.
While the debate over the political, financial and health implications of holding the Tokyo Olympics in July rages around the world, triple jump gold medal hopeful Will Claye believes a crucial voice is not always being heard - that of the athlete.
India's shooting legend Abhinav Bindra believes the International Olympic Committee was "prompt" in postponing the Tokyo Olympic Games, even as some other top athletes and national associations slammed the IOC for "delaying" the announcement. In an unprecedented move, the 2020 Tokyo Games was on Tuesday pushed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and his wife Himani Mor at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Tokyo 2020 organisers said on Friday that work on the Aquatics Centre was finished in February meaning that all the venues built for this year's Olympics have been completed on time. The Aquatics Centre, which will host swimming and diving events at Tokyo 2020, was one of eight new venues built for the Summer Olympics, in addition to the athletes' village.
Komal Kohar secured a bronze medal for India in the women's 48kg weight class at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar. She lifted a combined 177kg. Chinese Taipei dominated the event with a gold and silver finish.
Indian women boxers dominated the Asian Boxing Championships, securing four gold medals and topping the medal tally. Minakshi Hooda, Preeti Pawar, Priya Ghanghas, and Arundhati Choudhary all won their respective finals. The team's success also secured Commonwealth and Asian Games spots for several boxers.
'Olympics is once in four years, and athletes have only one shot at glory, and it's important to have a holistic approach, use science, use medicine, use technology and engineering in training and that will make a difference'
The Tokyo Olympics next July will be a "uniquely risky" event, demanding flexibility from organisers amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly if a vaccine has not been rolled out by then, medical experts say. Japan and the International Olympic Committee made the unprecedented decision last month to delay the Games for a year, as the world battles the virus that has infected 2.3 million people and killed more than 150,000 globally. But questions persist whether the Games can go ahead 15 months from now, as a vaccine could still be at least a year away, according to the most optimistic estimates.
P. R. Sreejesh has voiced his frustration after his contract as head coach of the India U-21 hockey team was not renewed, alleging Hockey India prefers foreign coaches despite his successful tenure.
Former India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has criticised Hockey India's decision to replace him as U-21 coach with a foreign appointment, despite his successful tenure.
The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics will allow athletes banned until 2020 to qualify for the Games next year as doping bans are based on time periods and not events, Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) head Brett Clothier said. Last month, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government agreed to postpone the Tokyo Games, due to start in July, to 2021 because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 150,000 people worldwide.
Two days after being named in Australia's Olympic tennis team, Nick Kyrgios said he is "tossing up options" and may opt out of the Tokyo Games due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra qualified for the Tokyo Olympics with a throw of 87.86m at the ACNE League meeting in Potchefstroom, South Africa, making an impressive return after recovering from an elbow injury. The 22-year-old Indian, who missed the entire 2019 season due to the injury, breached the Olympic qualification mark of 85m in his fourth attempt and secured the top place at the international event on Tuesday.
The gold went to China's Hou Zhihui with an effort of 210kg (94kg+116kg), who created Olympic records in all three categories (snatch, clean and jerk and Total).
Vijay Amritraj gets Padma Bhushan; Rohit Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur receive Padma Shri
Sindhu said she has to watch out for the Chinese players as well since they have been missing from the circuit for some time.
Komal Kohar won a bronze medal in the women's 48kg weight class at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar. She lifted a combined 177kg. Huang Yi Chen of Chinese Taipei won gold.
Denmark's 2017 World Champion Viktor Axelsen and home favourite Okuhara Nozomi, who won bronze at Rio 2016, are also among the star names.
Udayan Mane, Milind Soni and Manav Shah are tied for the lead at the IGPL Invitational South Africa after the first day. Gaganjeet Bhullar and Karandeep Kochhar are also in contention.
India hockey star P R Sreejesh feels that goalkeepers are like wine which gets tastier if kept longer, reflecting on his illustrious career from warming the bench to becoming one of the best in the world.
Veteran tennis player Rohan Bopanna said he plans to team up with Divij Sharan and represent India in the men's doubles event in next year's Tokyo Olympics.
Japan's Olympic delay has upended years of careful planning by organisers and spawned costly headaches for small businesses, hotels and even pro baseball teams, compounding a $12 billion price tag. New dates have yet to be set, leaving sponsors and businesses uncertain and scrambling.
The postponed Olympic Games will now begin on July 23 next year and run until August 8, the head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee said on Monday, as the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to plan and prepare for them properly this year. The Games were postponed last week - the first such delay in the 124-year history of the modern Olympics. The move was a huge blow for Japan, which invested $13 billion in the run-up to the event and raised $3 billion from domestic sponsors.
Addressing a parliamentary committee, medical adviser Shigeru Omi said organisers should explain to the public why they are going ahead in the middle of a pandemic.
He will now clash with Switzerland's Stefan Reichmuth for a place in the gold medal match.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
Indian javelin thrower Sachin Yadav is set to make his Diamond League debut in Rome on June 4, marking his first international event since the 2025 World Championships. He will face tough competition, including former world champion Anderson Peters and season leader Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage.
