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.
Hometown favourites Felix and Alexis Lebrun, at 17 and 20, also made it to the round of 32 in singles with clean 4-0 victories, against the backdrop of a packed stadium of French fans cheering for them and shouting their names.
Tokyo residents are deeply divided on whether they should go ahead with the Olympics mid-pandemic
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.
You don't prep for 2028 but for 2040, or even 2044. Sustained sporting excellence is based on mass support, grassroots development, and funding - and it is this trifecta India needs to work on, systematically, asserts Prem Panicker.
Pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis is rarely beaten and he outsprinted 400 metres hurdler Karsten Warholm in the hotly-anticipated 100 metres exhibition race in Zurich on Wednesday, which brought the two World record holders together in a neutral event.
Neeraj Chopra, who added a silver to his Olympic medal tally in Paris following a historic gold in the Tokyo Games, will be aiming to end his season on a high.
'Our task is to organise Olympic Games and not to cancel Olympic Games. This is why we are working day and night to organise safe Olympic Games.'
The coronavirus has however infected increasing numbers of athletes and others involved with the Games, and authorities were on Friday trying to track down a Ugandan weightlifter who went missing from his training camp.
Venue woes present but organisers keen on cricket in next Asian Games in Japan
New Zealand's Lisa Carrington completed a stunning clean sweep of gold medals in her Olympic events at by winning the women's kayak single 500 metres title.
Construction delays at two key Olympic venues could force Tokyo Games organisers into a reshuffle of test event schedules, the organising committee said.
The 24-year-old Shivpal Singh crossed the qualifying standard of 85m by hurling the spear to a distance of 85.47m in his fifth attempt to win gold in the ACNW Meeting at the McArthur Stadium late on Tuesday.
Images from the Olympics swimming action at the La Defense Arena, Paris, on Saturday.
Organisers keen on cricket in 2026 Asian Games despite venue headache
Sreejesh was the cynosure of all eyes as he consistently denied Great Britain scoring opportunities
An official close to the organising committee, who is involved in drafting the scenarios, said they have been asked to make a simulation in case of a postponement.
Tokyo's sparkling new National Stadium, the centre piece for the 2020 Olympic Games and 2019 rugby World Cup, should ditch its plan for a retractable roof to save money, Japan's sports minister proposed on Monday.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev will play Brandon Nakashima as the former finalist looks to end his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam title.
From bitter fights to dope shame, Indian Olympic team's tryst with controversies
The villagers have pinned their hopes for development on Ravi, whose success has much to do with the sacrifices and moral guidance of one man -- his father Rakesh Kumar Dahiya.
Simone Biles's shot at a record five gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics suffered a blow on Sunday when the US gymnast failed to qualify for the final on the asymmetric bars.
South Africa's Akani Simbine cruised through the finish of the 100 metres at the Atlanta City Games a tenth of a second ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala, with American Kendal Williams finishing third in 10.05s.
Several dozen protesters in masks gathered in front of Japan's National Stadium on Friday, the day the Olympic Games should have begun, to protest against holding them next year given the danger of the novel coronavirus. The Games were postponed in March as the coronavirus swept the world and the government is determined that they go ahead next year. But there's growing opposition in Japan to holding the Games, even next year, over doubts that a big sporting event can be held safely.
PM Modi, Sports Minister Mandaviya lead tributes to Olympian Dhyan Chand on Thursday, August 29, his birth anniversary.
World champions the United States were dealt a 3-0 drubbing by Sweden to end a 30-month unbeaten run, and the Netherlands put 10 goals past a hapless Zambia on a day of drama as the Olympics women's soccer tournament kicked off.
Indian wrestlers have been highly impressive at the global level in run up to the Tokyo Olympics and at least three of them are genuine medal contenders at the Games.
The International Olympic Committee and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have concluded the Tokyo 2020 Olympics must be postponed, and held no later than the summer of 2021, the IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers said on Tuesday. After a call with IOC president Thomas Bach, Abe said the July 24-August 9 event would be rescheduled for the summer of 2021 at the latest, as proof of victory over the coronavirus.
The schedule announcement comes amid fears that the coronavirus outbreak, labelled a pandemic by the WHO on Wednesday, could have a major impact on the Games.
The flame will be on show from Tuesday at the Japanese Olympic Museum, located next to the National Stadium purpose-built for the Games which were due to take place this year but were rescheduled for 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Olympic Games have seen both political protests by athletes in the past as well as boycotts of nations
Images from the Olympics swimming action at the La Defense Arena, Paris, on Sunday.
Rains failed to dampen the famous Rio carnival spirit as this Brazilian city bid an emotional farewell to the thousands of athletes of the world in a colourful closing ceremony to bring down curtains on the 31st Olympic Games.
With the athletes bidding goodbye to Paris after another bone-tingling edition of the Olympics, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com, shares some interesting nuggets that made the Paris Olympics an event to remember!
Rani had bettered her own national record with a throw of 63.24m during the Federation Cup in March before a performance of 62.83m in the National Inter-State Championships this week.
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.
A summary of Saturday's Track and Field action at the Tokyo Olympics.
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.
The Japanese Olympic Committee on Wednesday established a team to investigate whether any illegal payments were made during its successful bid for the Tokyo 2020 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.