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.
Ayush Shetty's silver medal at the Asia Championships has positioned him as a potential men's singles contender for India, boosting the nation's badminton prospects as they prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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.
'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.
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.
PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth secured victories in their respective singles matches at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament, while other Indian players experienced mixed results.
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.
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.
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).
Sindhu said she has to watch out for the Chinese players as well since they have been missing from the circuit for some time.
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.
Denmark's 2017 World Champion Viktor Axelsen and home favourite Okuhara Nozomi, who won bronze at Rio 2016, are also among the star names.
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.
'I had a deja vu moment on court. I had match point on the same side of the court, went for the same serve and was telling myself the same things. I had goosebumps, it was really special. It's great to win here again.'
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.
Indian boxer Preeti Pawar advances to the final of the Asian Boxing Championships, while Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain are eliminated in the semi-finals.
Neeraj Chopra will compete in the Asian Games in Japan in September-October in his bid to defend the title.
Badminton legend Saina Nehwal has lauded PV Sindhu's significantly improved attacking game, stating that her Japan Open Super 750 victory demonstrates her enduring championship quality and potential for more titles, despite recent injury challenges.
He will now clash with Switzerland's Stefan Reichmuth for a place in the gold medal match.
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.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman Hugh Robertson said they are likely to follow Australia and Canada out of the Tokyo Games. 'If the virus continues as predicted by the government...I don't think there's any way that we could send a team'.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu secured her maiden Super 750 title at the Japan Open, defeating local favourite Akane Yamaguchi in straight games.
India hockey captain Manpreet Singh considers the recent success against reigning Olympic champions Argentina a big confidence-booster, but insists that the team still needs to address some grey areas as it pursues a podium finish at the Summer Games in Tokyo later this year.
PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth progressed to the singles second round with straight-game wins on a mixed day for India at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament.
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said on Tuesday that athletes would not be forced to get COVID-19 vaccinations ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, but he said they should as a "demonstration of solidarity" with the Japanese.
Tokyo 2020 organising committee is not considering postponing or cancelling the 2020 Games despite the spread of coronavirus.
Athletes capable of adapting to uncertainty amid the coronavirus outbreak will be best placed to succeed at the Tokyo Olympics, India's sole individual Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra said. Known for his Zen-like poise and attention to minute details in preparation, Bindra, who won shooting gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing, said adaptability is key for athletes training to excel in Tokyo amid concerns about the virus.
The fear of COVID-19 pandemic has made way for a fierce desire to compete in star Indian boxer M C Mary Kom's mind as she gears up for her first tournament in a year next week, having recovered from the muscle loss triggered by a recent bout of dengue.
P V Sindhu clinched her maiden Super 750 title at the Japan Open, defeating local favourite Akane Yamaguchi in a dominant performance that showcased her return to top form, ending a nearly two-year title drought and rekindling hopes for a record sixth World Championships medal.
The Sapporo Challenge Half Marathon 2021 was held on Wednesday as a dress rehearsal for the marquee Olympic event
Disappointed but not disheartened to miss out on a Rio Olympic berth, sensational javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, on Wednesday, said he is looking to put in the hard yards to earn India a medal at 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Anshu Malik and Sonam Malik are best friends, thanks to a timely truce called by their parents and coaches.
IOC president Thomas Bach said on Thursday that the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will be held as scheduled, in an interview with Kyodo News.
India's chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand admitted to crammed BWF itinerary causing a problem but at the same time believes that onus is on a player of PV Sindhu's calibre to adapt to the calendar instead of complaining about it. Apart from the World Championships gold, Sindhu failed to win any other tournament last year.
Indian Olympic officials are reportedly seeking legal advice on whether the name represents a political statement.
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has partnered with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to launch a "Clean Sports Campaign" aimed at combating doping in India. This initiative comes as India faces a serious doping problem, topping WADA's list of offenders, and seeks to educate athletes on anti-doping regulations and promote fair play. Chopra emphasised the importance of patience over quick gains through doping, highlighting the long-term damage it causes to athletes and the nation's sporting image.
India's boxers are headed in the right direction and will do something big at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year, reckons High Performance Director Santiago Nieva.
