https://www.scmp.com/rss/509918/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Medical experts and critics of Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games have condemned the financial and material waste linked to the event, although many said they were not surprised. The organising committee for the Games last week issued an apology for “mismanaging” medical equipment that was stockpiled in preparation for the event before being thrown away unused. Hundreds of boxes of medical-grade gloves, gowns and N-95 masks, which are in short supply in many hospitals during the coronavirus... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3147691/japan-counts-cost-olympic-waste-after-medical-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3147691/japan-counts-cost-olympic-waste-after-medical-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Sep 2021 04:45:19 +0000 The Japanese government and organisers of the Tokyo Paralympics have cleared 140,000 students from the host city and three surrounding prefectures to attend events, leading to a wave of safety concerns in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The number of new infections has shown little signs of slowing in Tokyo or nationwide. The increased strain on health care systems this week led to the death of a baby born prematurely to a woman who was isolating at home not far from Tokyo due to a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3145777/tokyo-schoolchildren-will-attend-paralympics-despite-surging-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3145777/tokyo-schoolchildren-will-attend-paralympics-despite-surging-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Aug 2021 08:15:14 +0000 A decision to cancel the Tokyo Paralympics could be made this week unless Japan’s new coronavirus infections can be brought under control, according to a senior government health adviser. The Olympics, which finished on the weekend, have been hailed as a relative success in uniquely trying circumstances, and public sentiment gradually warmed as Japanese athletes claimed record medal hauls. However, Japan must now confront soaring infection numbers and a US$15 billion bill for staging the Games –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3144362/tokyo-olympics-infection-numbers-threaten-paralympics-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3144362/tokyo-olympics-infection-numbers-threaten-paralympics-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Aug 2021 07:45:09 +0000 Hong Kong golfer Tiffany Chan Tsz-ching has an important phone call to make to her parents after completing her Olympic Games campaign on Saturday – to tell them she had Covid-19 earlier in the year. “I haven’t FaceTimed them yet because there’s a lot going on in the Olympic Village. Actually, my sister already knew I had Covid-19. I hadn’t told my mum and dad because they would be really scared if they found out. I hope to call them and tell them not to worry,” said the 27-year-old Chan after... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3144229/tokyo-olympics-tiffany-chan-tsz-ching-reveals-she-contracted-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3144229/tokyo-olympics-tiffany-chan-tsz-ching-reveals-she-contracted-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Aug 2021 10:13:23 +0000 Public sentiment in Japan regarding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has gradually shifted after competitions and athletes have taken centre stage and the country inches closer to winning record gold medals. Previously plagued by concerns over the pandemic and a laundry list of scandals, analyses of Twitter posts by local media found that positive remarks about the Olympics have risen significantly since the opening ceremony on Friday, compared with previously largely critical comments beforehand centred... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3143096/tokyo-olympics-gold-medal-rush-pushes-pandemic-weary-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3143096/tokyo-olympics-gold-medal-rush-pushes-pandemic-weary-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jul 2021 03:45:07 +0000 Japan faces its most serious situation since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the country’s top medical adviser warned on Thursday, urging the government to send a “clearer, stronger message” about growing risks, including to the medical system. Newly reported daily Covid-19 cases in Japan exceeded 10,000 for the first time, Nippon Television reported on Thursday, after the Tokyo metropolitan government reported a record 3,865 new infection cases in the capital. Games organisers on Thursday... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142964/tokyo-olympics-top-japanese-doctor-urges-clear-risk-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142964/tokyo-olympics-top-japanese-doctor-urges-clear-risk-message?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:16:07 +0000 Follow our live coverage of day three of the Tokyo Olympics here. Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games organisers on Monday reported 16 more coronavirus cases, including three infections among athletes, as a poll found support for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga slid nine points to 34 per cent, its lowest since he took office last September. Those who tested positive included contractors and employees of Tokyo 2020, according to a statement. Six of the 16 are Japanese residents. Only one of those... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142497/tokyo-olympics-japanese-pm-yoshihide-sugas-support-falls-lowest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142497/tokyo-olympics-japanese-pm-yoshihide-sugas-support-falls-lowest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jul 2021 02:48:15 +0000 Follow our live coverage of day two of the Tokyo Olympics here. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Sunday that face masks are a “must” at Tokyo medal ceremonies, after swimmers were seen taking off masks on the medal podium and hugging other competitors in violation of Covid-19 rules. Masks are mandatory across all Olympic venues, both inside and outside, for all athletes, staff and media, as part of Games organisers’ strict measures to combat the coronavirus. “It’s not a nice to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142433/tokyo-olympics-ioc-insists-face-masks-medal-podiums-10-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142433/tokyo-olympics-ioc-insists-face-masks-medal-podiums-10-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jul 2021 05:31:25 +0000 As a dedicated skateboarder, Toma Shigeno said he was “super excited” when it was announced that Tokyo 2020 would be the first Olympic Games to include a skateboarding competition, and he started pestering his parents to apply for tickets to some of the events. The first men’s street skateboard heats start at 9am on Sunday and the medal positions will be decided in the afternoon, but 17-year-old Shigeno will not be there to see his heroes make their moves. “We were not lucky enough to get... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3142098/tokyo-2020-olympics-how-will-japanese-fans-watch-events?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3142098/tokyo-2020-olympics-how-will-japanese-fans-watch-events?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jul 2021 04:00:24 +0000 There was an irony that the opening game of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ended because of the mercy rule. Another two-run homer for Japan put them 8-1 up against Australia in the softball and with the hosts up by seven runs in the fifth inning time was called early. There are many in Japan who wanted to see the pandemic-postponed Olympics put out of their misery in a similar fashion to the Aussie Spirit, to see time called on the Games long before the opening ceremony officially marks them under... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3142069/tokyo-2020-japan-needs-its-olympic-stars-shine-appease-sceptical-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3142069/tokyo-2020-japan-needs-its-olympic-stars-shine-appease-sceptical-public?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jul 2021 08:00:18 +0000 Problems continued to mount for Tokyo Olympic organisers on Thursday, as the city reported 1,979 new daily Covid-19 cases, the highest number since mid-January. Meanwhile, two more athletes at the Olympic Village tested positive for Covid-19 a day before the Games are set to officially open and the director of the opening ceremony was fired over comments he made about the Holocaust. Organisers announced 12 new infection overall on Thursday, including the two athletes, bringing the total number... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142045/tokyo-olympics-two-more-athletes-test-positive-covid-19-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3142045/tokyo-olympics-two-more-athletes-test-positive-covid-19-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jul 2021 03:46:13 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will meet US First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday as part of a string of bilateral talks with world leaders and other foreign dignitaries in the lead-up to the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Suga will also separately meet Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), the ministry said. Biden is set to arrive at Yokota... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141998/tokyo-olympics-japans-suga-meet-jill-biden-who-chief-tedros?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141998/tokyo-olympics-japans-suga-meet-jill-biden-who-chief-tedros?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jul 2021 13:14:30 +0000 As the countdown to the 2020 Olympic Games enters its final days, many Chinese athletes have arrived in Tokyo wearing masks and protective goggles and are busy training for the international sporting event. In addition to delaying the Games for a year, the Covid-19 pandemic has given China’s athletes a series of challenges over the past 18 months, from training in empty fields to securing the visas and vaccines needed to head for Japan. China is sending its largest delegation to an overseas... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3141857/chinas-athletes-determined-win-gold-tokyo-olympics-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3141857/chinas-athletes-determined-win-gold-tokyo-olympics-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 23:30:17 +0000 Tokyo’s Olympic organisers reported 71 cases of Covid-19 linked to the event on Tuesday, a day before competitions begin, with the opening ceremony of the Games scheduled for Friday. Three softball and six women’s football matches will take place on Wednesday, including a softball match between Japan and Australia in Fukushima, the city hard hit by the tsunami-caused meltdown of a nuclear power station in 2011. Also in action is the United States women’s football team who as world champions are... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141800/tokyo-olympics-japans-emperor-naruhito-will-attend-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141800/tokyo-olympics-japans-emperor-naruhito-will-attend-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 08:01:51 +0000 Since September last year, Argentina-based human rights lawyer Daniela Bertone has spent many nights breastfeeding her year-old toddler while working on her master’s degree in peace studies at Japan’s International Christian University. Buenos Aires is 12 hours behind Tokyo, meaning she has to burn the midnight oil to engage in online discussions with classmates – and by 7am, when her other child, a three-year-old, is awake, it is time to get through the rest of the day “like a zombie”, she... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3141712/athletes-arrive-tokyo-olympics-foreign-students-japans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3141712/athletes-arrive-tokyo-olympics-foreign-students-japans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 13:00:11 +0000 An alternate on the United States women’s gymnastics team has tested positive for Covid-19 at an Olympic training camp in Japan. The defending all-around champion Simone Biles was not affected, nor were any of the other favourites to win the team gold, but another alternate was placed into isolation ­–because of contact tracing, USA Gymnastics said ­yesterday. “One of the replacement athletes for the women’s artistic gymnastics team received a positive Covid-19 test on Sunday,” the USAG... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141697/tokyo-olympics-toyota-wont-run-ads-during-games-without-fans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141697/tokyo-olympics-toyota-wont-run-ads-during-games-without-fans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 10:33:44 +0000 Tokyo Olympics organisers on Sunday reported that two South African footballers and a video analyst had tested positive for Covid-19 in the Olympic Village, raising fears of a cluster just days before the opening ceremony. Players Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi and analyst Mario Masha are in isolation after testing positive, Team South Africa said, adding that the whole delegation had been following anti-coronavirus rules. “They have been tested on arrival, daily at the Olympic Village... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141551/tokyo-olympics-three-athletes-test-positive-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141551/tokyo-olympics-three-athletes-test-positive-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jul 2021 06:15:10 +0000 Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues and athletes in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July. It started with a Ugandan coach testing positive for coronavirus on arrival in Tokyo on June 20. Three days later, an athlete in the same team returned a positive result. A Serbian rower tested positive on arrival on July 4 and a Lithuanian was next five days later. On July 14, seven staff members at a hotel in Hamamatsu housing Brazilian athletes were shown to be... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141546/athletes-village-85pc-covid-19-vaccination-rate-enough-ensure-safe-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141546/athletes-village-85pc-covid-19-vaccination-rate-enough-ensure-safe-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jul 2021 03:00:13 +0000 Tokyo Olympics organisers on Saturday reported the first case of Covid-19 at the athletes’ village, along with 14 other new infections connected to the Games which begin next week, raising fresh doubts over promises of a “safe and secure” event. Organisers confirmed that a visitor from abroad who was working for the Olympics tested positive during a routine check on Friday. The person’s nationality was not revealed due to privacy concerns. “That was the very first case in the village that was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141500/tokyo-olympics-first-case-coronavirus-recorded-athletes-village?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3141500/tokyo-olympics-first-case-coronavirus-recorded-athletes-village?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jul 2021 05:15:02 +0000 Eight days ahead of the Tokyo Games, a series of coronavirus scares involving Japanese workers and incoming members of Olympic delegations have prompted a Japanese expert to warn there would likely be more similar cases before the July 23 opening ceremony. The Kenyan women’s rugby team on Thursday saw eight athletes classified as close contacts after a positive Covid-19 case was found on their flight to Tokyo, according to an official from the southwestern city of Kurume, where they were set to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3141249/coronavirus-cases-among-olympics-teams-likely-tip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3141249/coronavirus-cases-among-olympics-teams-likely-tip?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jul 2021 10:11:14 +0000 Almost four out of five members of the Japanese public do not want the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to go ahead, according to a poll published by market researchers Ipsos Mori on Tuesday. Their “Attitudes to the Olympics” global survey polled 19,510 adults in 28 countries, asking them a number of questions on the Games, which begin on July 23 after a 12-month delay. Only South Koreans want to see the Games happen less than the Japanese, according to the poll, with 86 per cent against them going... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3141041/tokyo-2020-ipsos-poll-finds-78-cent-japanese-against-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3141041/tokyo-2020-ipsos-poll-finds-78-cent-japanese-against-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jul 2021 05:26:06 +0000 For a split second, Olympics chief Thomas Bach appeared to forget where he was on Tuesday as he praised organisers of the Tokyo Games as the “best prepared” in Olympic history despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president had a slip of the tongue during his meeting with Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto and her team when referring to the “Chinese people” before quickly correcting himself by saying “Japanese people”. “So let’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3140914/tokyo-olympics-thomas-bach-chinese-japanese-slip-tongue-he-vows-safe-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3140914/tokyo-olympics-thomas-bach-chinese-japanese-slip-tongue-he-vows-safe-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2021 07:37:20 +0000 China has pledged to support Japan as host of the summer Olympics and said it would send a big team to the Games, but called for measures to ensure participants’ safety. In a meeting with Tokyo Olympic Committee chairwoman Seiko Hashimoto on Monday, China’s ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou said the leaders of China and Japan reached an important consensus to support each other in hosting the Games. “China actively supports Japan in hosting the Tokyo Olympic Games and is willing to continue to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140896/china-and-japan-pledge-support-each-other-olympic-hosts-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3140896/china-and-japan-pledge-support-each-other-olympic-hosts-during?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2021 06:14:17 +0000 The joy has gone for French decathlete Kevin Mayer, while Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has pulled out because of the lack of buzz. Athletes set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics are struggling to hide their disappointment at spectators being banned. With just two weeks to go before the opening of the biggest sports tournament since the pandemic began, organisers were forced on Thursday night to yield to a surging domestic virus caseload and bar spectators from the majority of Olympic... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3140563/tokyo-olympics-disappointed-athletes-brace-made-tv-games-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3140563/tokyo-olympics-disappointed-athletes-brace-made-tv-games-after?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 12:26:18 +0000 The Tokyo Olympics are less than three weeks away. And the pressure is on for the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Japan was just coming out of its fourth Covid-19 wave with about 1,400 new cases every day, but numbers are now rising again. This could turn into a fifth wave. Despite this, the games will go ahead. There will be limited numbers of local spectators allowed in venues filled up to 50 per cent capacity. This means 10,000 spectators wearing masks at all times and who are not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3139962/condoms-vaccines-and-sport-tokyo-olympics-sending-mixed-messages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3139962/condoms-vaccines-and-sport-tokyo-olympics-sending-mixed-messages?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jul 2021 03:13:08 +0000 Ensuring 11,000 athletes from more than 200 countries descend on one city over the course of 16 days is a logistical challenge at the best of times. Now consider doing it at the tail end of a pandemic that has upended airlines’ flight schedules, closed international borders and made any movement without jabs and multiple Covid-19 tests impossible. For hundreds of Olympic organising officials eyeing the start of the Tokyo Games in just 18 days it is a major headache. Forget about medal tallies... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3139820/tokyo-olympics-logistics-nightmare-sees-fiji-team-fly-cargo-class-sri?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3139820/tokyo-olympics-logistics-nightmare-sees-fiji-team-fly-cargo-class-sri?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 03:46:04 +0000 Japan’s Olympic chief on Monday said there was “no way” to ensure zero coronavirus cases among teams arriving for the Tokyo Games, as officials prepare to tighten screening procedures. Japanese Olympic Committee president Yasuhiro Yamashita said “thorough measures” would be necessary at airports, after two members of Uganda’s team tested positive last week following their arrival in Japan. A coach from the Ugandan delegation that arrived in mid-June tested positive for the Delta variant upon... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3139068/japans-olympics-chief-says-there-no-way-prevent-covid-19-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3139068/japans-olympics-chief-says-there-no-way-prevent-covid-19-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jun 2021 11:50:38 +0000 The organisers of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday threw open the doors of the Olympic Village to the media, showcasing virus upgrades including a fever clinic just over a month before the Games begin. Organisers are in the home stretch of preparations before the July 23 opening ceremony, and are trying to build confidence that the mega-event will be safe for athletes and the Japanese public. As they unveiled the dedicated virus clinic, they warned that drinking in groups would be prohibited and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3138055/organisers-unveil-olympic-village-month-games-begin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3138055/organisers-unveil-olympic-village-month-games-begin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jun 2021 06:58:49 +0000 The third and final version of the athlete and officials playbooks for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been released at a press conference in the Japanese capital on Tuesday evening, with organisers taking a hard line on any potential violations. With these updated measures to limit the risk of Covid-19 in Tokyo, there was a warning to all those travelling that breaches of the rules could result in exclusions, disqualifications, financial sanctions. and even deportation from... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3137404/tokyo-2020-sanctions-covid-19-violations-outlined-updated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3137404/tokyo-2020-sanctions-covid-19-violations-outlined-updated?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jun 2021 12:37:34 +0000 When Olympics organisers shifted the marathon event from Tokyo to the northern city of Sapporo, they did so because of concerns about the intense summer heat in the Japanese capital. Two years later, critics claim organisers have effectively leapt from the frying pan into the fire. Sapporo is currently under a Covid-19 state of emergency amid a resurgence in coronavirus infections. Officials in the city say they still don’t have key information, including the number of athletes to expect and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3136732/tokyo-olympics-sapporo-struggling-stage-marathon-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3136732/tokyo-olympics-sapporo-struggling-stage-marathon-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jun 2021 03:56:36 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday he regretted having to take all the flak for holding the Summer Olympics during a pandemic as his government was reported to favour allowing domestic spectators into stadiums to watch. Tokyo 2020, already postponed by a year, has faced strong opposition from the public, medical experts and some former athletes amid a fourth wave of infections. And Suga’s comments appeared to illustrate tensions bubbling to the surface as the government... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3136622/tokyo-olympics-japanese-government-poised-allow-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3136622/tokyo-olympics-japanese-government-poised-allow-local?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Jun 2021 07:33:22 +0000 Former Kenya distance runner “Mama” Tegla Loroupe succinctly captured why the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020 truly represents an entire world – where more than 7 billion people are seeking refuge from the coronavirus pandemic. “We are all refugees because we are confined inside our small houses, we are protecting our noses, we are all wearing blue [face masks],” said Loroupe, a former world record holder who won the 2005 Hong Kong Marathon. “Whether we are the IOC president [Thomas... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3136550/tokyo-olympics-ioc-refugee-team-first-full-squad-named-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3136550/tokyo-olympics-ioc-refugee-team-first-full-squad-named-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jun 2021 14:47:56 +0000 The concept of testing athletes at the Olympics has taken on a whole new meaning for these Tokyo Games. While the Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on daily coronavirus testing for each of the 11,000 athletes expected to descend on the Japanese capital, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its partners will also be fully armed to carry out a more traditional testing routine – to catch doping cheats. Since Ben Johnson’s sensational positive test for the anabolic steroid stanozolol... https://www.scmp.com/tokyo-olympics/covid-19/article/3136157/tokyo-olympics-covid-19-restrictions-headache-dope-testers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tokyo-olympics/covid-19/article/3136157/tokyo-olympics-covid-19-restrictions-headache-dope-testers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jun 2021 00:30:20 +0000 As Japan on Tuesday sought to play down the impact of a US travel warning on the Tokyo Olympics, one expert has warned it could “cause concern” for athletes from nations which lack resources to conduct pre-departure tests for their delegations. The US State Department on Monday raised its travel alert for Japan to the highest level of 4, telling citizens “even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk of getting and spreading Covid-19 variants”. The notice came amid growing domestic opposition... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3134791/us-athletes-likely-be-safest-position-travel-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3134791/us-athletes-likely-be-safest-position-travel-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 May 2021 10:41:06 +0000