https://www.scmp.com/rss/509921/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics open on August 24, after a year-long pandemic delay and under strict virus rules, including a ban on almost all spectators. Here are some questions and answers about the Games and how the event will unfold in Tokyo: What’s the history? The first Paralympic Games took place in 1960 in Rome, featuring just 400 athletes from 23 countries. The name Paralympics is intended to indicate an event happening in parallel, alongside the Olympics. It grew from the Stoke Mandeville... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3145971/guide-tokyo-2020-paralympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3145971/guide-tokyo-2020-paralympics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Aug 2021 03:06:12 +0000 The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games begin on August 24 and excitement is reaching fever pitch after the emotional roller coaster of the recent Olympics in the Japanese capital. Ahead of these Paralympics – where Hong Kong will be sending 24 athletes to compete across eight sports – is a good time to ask who are the greatest Paralympians in the history of the competition. First of all, it is fair to ask what makes any athlete great, and the Paralympics is no different to the Olympics in the fact that... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3145358/tokyo-2020-paralympics-who-are-most-successful-para-athletes-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3145358/tokyo-2020-paralympics-who-are-most-successful-para-athletes-all?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Aug 2021 00:00:18 +0000 The Tokyo Olympics in Japan were largely held together by Covid-19 face masks and tape. The first was required, the second optional. But it’s an option many athletes chose, because tape was everywhere. On the wrists of gymnasts and rock climbers. On the thighs and shoulders of sprinters, throwers and rugby players. One Chinese diver’s body was so covered in brown tape he looked like a mummy. “Athletes wear it for different reasons,” said Sue Falsone, a US-based athletic trainer for 25 years who... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3144508/tokyo-olympics-sports-tape-divers-gymnasts-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3144508/tokyo-olympics-sports-tape-divers-gymnasts-and-other?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Aug 2021 20:15:17 +0000 It took 33 years to eclipse Florence Griffith Joyner’s Olympic record in the women’s 100 metres as Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah pulled off the unthinkable and broke the long-standing mark in Tokyo in a largely empty Olympic Stadium. Indeed, even as the coronavirus pandemic kept spectators away from the Olympic stadiums, records tumbled throughout the 16 days of competition. How the USA stole the prized gold-medal race from China Swimming and athletics saw six and three world records... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144302/tokyo-olympics-world-records-2020-games-how-did-covid-19-restrictions-affect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144302/tokyo-olympics-world-records-2020-games-how-did-covid-19-restrictions-affect?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Aug 2021 23:30:11 +0000 However politically neutral the International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it is, the Games has always been a platform for protest in its various forms. From boycotting the Games, to taking a knee, to gestures on the podium – athletes throughout history have found ways to make their voices heard. In a controversial statement by the IOC in April, protests on podiums remained banned, with the committee’s Rule 50 barring any kind of “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” at... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144237/tokyo-olympics-athletes-protest-creative-ways-sidestep-rule-50-and-express?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144237/tokyo-olympics-athletes-protest-creative-ways-sidestep-rule-50-and-express?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Aug 2021 00:00:33 +0000 The Olympics spotlight mostly falls on the biggest names in sport such as Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles or Elaine Thompson-Herah. However, the Games also presents new stars with the chance to emerge into the world’s gaze and Tokyo is proving to be no exception. Here are five new stars who shone at the Tokyo Olympics. Tatjana Schoenmaker (South Africa, swimming) South African swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker, 24, took the pool by storm when she broke the 200m breaststroke world record, bursting into... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144049/tokyo-olympics-five-new-stars-who-have-lit-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144049/tokyo-olympics-five-new-stars-who-have-lit-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Aug 2021 02:00:07 +0000 Quirks, unusual habits and rituals are often as much a part of an athlete’s preparations as their training as they look to peak for major events such as the Olympic Games. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, fans have seen some of the finest physical specimens on earth with nerves of steel perform superhuman feats. They have also seen their normal and vulnerable human side. We so often delight in discovering these idiosyncrasies – fun eccentricities that humanise Olympic athletes and help us find a sense... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144039/tokyo-olympics-seven-athletes-whose-habits-and-hobbies-have-caught-eye-fans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3144039/tokyo-olympics-seven-athletes-whose-habits-and-hobbies-have-caught-eye-fans?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Aug 2021 05:00:21 +0000 The kata is one of two disciplines of karate (the other kumite, or sparring) and will be introduced to the Olympics for the first (and likely only) time in Tokyo. Hong Kong is fielding Grace Lau Mo-sheung – the world women’s individual kata No 6 – in the hope she wins another medal for what is already the city’s most successful Games in history. Here’s what you need to know about this relatively unknown event, and how this ancient craft will translate into the top multi-sport competition on the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3143865/tokyo-olympics-ancient-craft-kata-one-half-debuting-karate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3143865/tokyo-olympics-ancient-craft-kata-one-half-debuting-karate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Aug 2021 01:30:16 +0000 The latest Hong Kong medal contender to take home a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games medal, karate exponent Grace Lau Mo-sheung finally got her once-in-a-lifetime moment after circling among the world elite for as long as she can remember. Lau won bronze after a super performance in the Nippon Budokan in what could be the first and last time karate features at a Games. It was one of four non-permanent sports added to Tokyo, with Paris 2024 already confirming it will not make an appearance. The entire... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3143615/tokyo-olympics-grace-lau-mo-sheung-trailblazing-karateka-set?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3143615/tokyo-olympics-grace-lau-mo-sheung-trailblazing-karateka-set?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Aug 2021 04:00:24 +0000 After breaking its almost century-long wait for gold via Hidilyn Diaz in weightlifting, the Philippines will be adding more Olympic hardware to its trophy cabinet in Tokyo this week. On Tuesday, Nesthy Petecio will collect either a gold or silver. She faces Japan’s Sena Irie in the women’s featherweight division (54-57kg) final at the famed Kokugikan Arena. Hopes are also high for Eumir Marcial, who demolished Armenian Arman Darchinyan in his quarter-final middleweight bout on Sunday, knocking... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3143376/nesthy-petecio-biography-family-olympic-dreams-and-humble-upbringing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3143376/nesthy-petecio-biography-family-olympic-dreams-and-humble-upbringing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Aug 2021 00:00:10 +0000 Halfway through the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, there have been plenty of talking points on and off the field of play. A menu of historic performances, controversy, disappointment and surprises have been served up to viewers watching from around the world and the privileged few who have been able to secure seats inside the venues. Hong Kong athletes have also contributed to the storylines. The following is a compilation of 15 memorable moments from the first eight days. 1. Hong Kong’s first gold... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3143380/tokyo-olympics-top-15-memorable-moments-after-week-one-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3143380/tokyo-olympics-top-15-memorable-moments-after-week-one-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Aug 2021 06:54:24 +0000 His name may be on every Hongkonger’s lips after his surreal run at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, but men’s foil hero Edgar Cheung Ka-long has long been collecting elite-level medals under the radar. The world No 19, who clinched a historic men’s singles gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Monday, was crowned Asian champion aged 18, won Hong Kong’s first fencing World Cup medal, and boasts wins over several world number ones and Olympic gold medallists. Those who tuned into the Tokyo... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142619/tokyo-olympics-cheung-ka-long-unassuming-fencing-hero-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142619/tokyo-olympics-cheung-ka-long-unassuming-fencing-hero-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jul 2021 16:25:21 +0000 Follow our live coverage of day two of the Tokyo Olympics here. With more than 11,000 athletes competing across 339 events at the postponed Tokyo Olympics, keeping track of each and every one can be a challenge for fans tuning in once every four years – in this case five. Now the Games have started, we have you covered. Here’s our list of 10 Olympians considered to be the best of the best in their field who you simply must know about. Simone Biles Showing unparalleled dominance at the 2016 Rio... https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3142358/tokyo-olympics-your-checklist-who-are-top-10-superstars-watch-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/tennis/article/3142358/tokyo-olympics-your-checklist-who-are-top-10-superstars-watch-games?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jul 2021 00:00:14 +0000 There are sure to be plenty of epic tussles with Olympic gold on the line in the next two weeks in Tokyo. Few will be more riveting than those that will play out between the USA and China. Persistently at odds on the political stage, the acrimony is sure to spread to the sporting arena. China is aiming to return to second on the medal table in Tokyo after finishing third in Rio five years ago, while they also want to arrest the slide of their gold medal tally since they held the Olympics in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3142247/tokyo-olympics-china-and-usa-set-clash-several-flashpoint-events?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3142247/tokyo-olympics-china-and-usa-set-clash-several-flashpoint-events?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jul 2021 10:15:15 +0000 Despite being marred by pandemic concerns and controversy throughout the past year, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are actually happening. The postponed Games will officially kick off with an opening ceremony on Friday night and come to a close on August 8. Forty-six athletes (including two reserves) will represent Hong Kong across 13 sports. It will be the second-largest delegation sent to the Games since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Visit the SCMP’s special Tokyo 2020 Olympics website for news, insights... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142143/tokyo-2020-olympics-guide-where-when-and-how-watch-games-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3142143/tokyo-2020-olympics-guide-where-when-and-how-watch-games-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jul 2021 00:30:21 +0000 Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics on Wednesday, triggering wild celebrations and fireworks as it became the third Australian city to host the Summer Games after Melbourne and Sydney. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach confirmed the widely expected result after delegates voted 72 to five with three abstentions at the IOC session in Tokyo. “The International Olympic Committee has the honour to announce that the Games of the 35th Olympiad are awarded to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141975/brisbane-2032-queensland-capital-celebrates-ioc-decision-it-becomes-third?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141975/brisbane-2032-queensland-capital-celebrates-ioc-decision-it-becomes-third?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:38:13 +0000 The Olympic Games do not come cheap. A host city needs to commit billions of dollars on venues, infrastructure, personnel and entertainment and, in its lopsided contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it is often selling its soul. In past editions, the costs of staging the world’s premier sporting event has soared to the value of a small country’s entire economy. In almost all cases, the actual cost is much higher than the estimates put forward when a city won the bid. Tokyo may... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141899/tokyo-2020-what-price-pay-hosting-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141899/tokyo-2020-what-price-pay-hosting-olympic-games?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jul 2021 10:30:15 +0000 Qualifying for the Olympic Games is a dream come true for any elite athlete. But it comes at a price. On top of extraordinary talent, dedication and hard work, it costs money to reach the top. Often overlooked is the years of training expenses, coaching fees, travel and other costs. These financial burdens fall on individual athletes and their governing bodies. For a privileged bunch, their expenses may be covered through government funding, commercial endorsements or cash payouts from... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141662/tokyo-2020-5-athletes-who-used-crowdfunding-finance-their-olympic-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141662/tokyo-2020-5-athletes-who-used-crowdfunding-finance-their-olympic-dreams?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jul 2021 06:00:08 +0000 Tens of thousands of trees from a “sacred” 500-year-old mountain forest were bulldozed in South Korea to make way for a new ski slope used at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. For the Tokyo Olympics, 225,600 large sheets of plywood were sourced from the fragile jungles of Indonesia and Malaysia – possibly illegally green groups say – to build venues for the 2020 Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has hardly been a role model for environmental causes but they are trying to put... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141606/ioc-accused-greenwashing-environmental-group-olympic-forest-project-set-plant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141606/ioc-accused-greenwashing-environmental-group-olympic-forest-project-set-plant?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 03:00:22 +0000 The postponed Tokyo Olympics are about to start, albeit with no hugging or high-fives. More than 11,000 athletes will compete in 339 sporting events across more than 40 venues. They will be bonded by the Olympic spirit of friendship, solidarity, fair play – and global logistics. There are not just athletes from 205 different nations making their way to Japan, so too are thousands of tonnes of equipment and supplies. Hundreds of containers packed weeks, or even months ago, are arriving at the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3141218/tokyo-olympics-what-are-athletes-205-nations-shipping-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3141218/tokyo-olympics-what-are-athletes-205-nations-shipping-games?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jul 2021 08:00:18 +0000 The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will feature some of the best athletes in the world competing against each other in sport’s greatest show on earth. However, a number of elite names will be missing from the showpiece. Like in past Games, some fan favourites will be absent for a variety of reasons – injury, failing to qualify, suspended or they simply don’t feel like competing. Sports such as tennis and basketball often suffer the most because many of their competitors place more importance on their... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141059/tokyo-olympics-10-big-names-who-will-not-be-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3141059/tokyo-olympics-10-big-names-who-will-not-be-2020-games?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jul 2021 00:30:18 +0000 Rivalries are the essence of sport and nowhere are these battles more fervently fought out than at the Olympic Games. The more intense the animosity between two world-class opponents the deeper the divisions for fans, neutrals and the media. Aside from the classic hero vs villain narratives, there are the good-natured rivalries where adversaries maintain mutual decorum and respect but – in elite competitor fashion – fight like their lives depended on it. Here is a look back at some of the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3140691/iconic-olymic-games-rivalries-through-history-johnson-vs-lewis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3140691/iconic-olymic-games-rivalries-through-history-johnson-vs-lewis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jul 2021 00:00:15 +0000 With the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in more than 185 million virus cases around the world, athletes are not immune. Thousands of sportsmen and women have been infected with coronavirus since it emerged as a serious global threat in early 2020, including those heading to Tokyo to compete in this year’s Olympic Games. Here we select five athletes who have tested positive for Covid-19 but have recovered in time to go for glory at the Tokyo Games. Ryo Kiyuna (Karate) Thirty- year-old karateka Ryo... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3140677/five-tokyo-2020-olympians-who-have-recovered-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3140677/five-tokyo-2020-olympians-who-have-recovered-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jul 2021 08:03:53 +0000 They are like election promises. They sound good and you want to believe but the chances of fulfilment are only 50-50. Such is the case for sport’s biggest white elephants – the grandiose Olympic stadiums, arenas and even roads that are built for a two-week global gathering but are sometimes abandoned and left to rot after the event. A common theme among bidding cities is the need to “build a legacy” that goes beyond the Olympics in terms of facilities and national pride. Too often, though, the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3140441/olympics-legacy-what-happened-stadiums-and-venues-past-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3140441/olympics-legacy-what-happened-stadiums-and-venues-past-games?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jul 2021 04:52:39 +0000 China has become a formidable force at the modern Summer Olympic Games and has finished in the top four of the medal table in all but one of the last nine Olympics. The country boasts a total of 224 gold medals from just 10 Games campaigns and sits seventh in the all-time list of Olympic medal-winning nations. China will send a squad of 392 athletes to compete in Japan later this month and will almost certainly add to its massive medal haul there when new gold-winning Olympians from China are... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139899/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-two-sun-yang-liu-xiang-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139899/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-two-sun-yang-liu-xiang-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 11:15:18 +0000 China has become a formidable force at the modern Summer Olympic Games and has finished in the top four of the medal table in all but one of the last nine Olympics. The country boasts a total of 224 gold medals from just 10 Games campaigns and sits seventh in the all-time list of Olympic medal-winning nations. China will send a squad of 392 athletes to compete in Japan later this month and will almost certainly add to its massive medal haul there when new gold-winning Olympians from China are... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139898/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-one-lin-dan-li-ning-and-fu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3139898/chinas-top-olympic-athletes-all-time-part-one-lin-dan-li-ning-and-fu?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jul 2021 11:14:39 +0000 It’s 30 days before the opening ceremony of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. While much has been clarified about whether the Games are going ahead or not – apparently they are – the medical community in Japan and elsewhere remain vocal in their calls for the Games to be postponed – again – or cancelled. The opening ceremony on July 23 is still likely to happen but we can look forward to more uncertainty, doubts and reassurances. So, what exactly do we know about the Games, and what’s left... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3138262/tokyo-2020-olympics-30-days-until-opening-ceremony-and-questions-wont-go-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/3138262/tokyo-2020-olympics-30-days-until-opening-ceremony-and-questions-wont-go-away?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000