Olympics

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics will not have any spectators as the Covid-19 situation in Japan remains serious, according to organizers. The announcement was made on Monday, following a remote meeting of four Paralympic and Japanese government groups responsible for the Games. "In light of the current emergency declaration issued for Tokyo, Saitama and Chiba Prefectures, another declaration of the state of emergency being requested by Shizuoka prefecture and the current infection situation broadly, more stringent measures will be taken for competitions to be

American midfielder Carli Lloyd has announced she will retire later this year after an illustrious career. The 39-year-old has made 312 international appearances, scoring 128 goals for the USA women's soccer team (USWNT). Lloyd, who had a loan spell at Manchester City in 2017, won two World Cups and two Olympic golds. "Every single day I stepped out onto the field, I played as if it was my last game," she said. USWNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski said Lloyd is "a true legend"

Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers have cancelled two days of rowing with adverse weather conditions expected to hit Japan's capital. It comes on the same day an extreme weather policy was activated in the tennis tournament. Temperatures reached 32C in Tokyo on Sunday. On Saturday, world number one Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev both complained about the heat during their first-round wins. The International Tennis Federation activated its policy once the reading went above 30.1C, with players given a 10-minute break between the second

Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui took a shock gold medal in the men's 400m freestyle on Sunday. The 18-year-old won from the outside lane after qualifying slowest, but finished with stunning pace to beat Australia's Jack McLoughlin with a time of three minutes 43.36 seconds. "I just can't believe it. It's a dream and it became true. It was great, it was my best race ever," said Hafnaoui. It was Tunisia's fifth ever gold - and third in swimming. US swimmer Kieran Smith took

Britain's two-time defending champion Andy Murray has withdrawn from the men's singles at the Tokyo Olympics with a minor thigh strain. The Scot, who won his opening men's double match with Joe Salisbury on Saturday, had been due to face Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime on day two. The 34-year-old will still compete in the doubles but was advised not to compete in both events in Japan. He has been replaced in the singles draw by Australian Max Purcell. "I am really disappointed at having

Two athletes have become the first to test positive for coronavirus at the Tokyo Olympic athletes' village - five days before the start of the Games. Organisers say the duo are from the same team and sport as the official who tested positive on Saturday. Other members of the team are being isolated in their rooms. The pair are the first athletes to test positive in the village, although a further athlete also tested positive on Sunday elsewhere. In total, organisers on Sunday reported

The US has issued a travel warning for Japan over the country's Covid-19 surge, amid heightened scrutiny just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics. But US Olympic officials have said they are confident their athletes will be able to take part safely in the Games. Japan already bans most travellers from entering the country. It long had low numbers of Covid cases but is now seeing a fresh wave of infections pushing the healthcare system in some cities to its limit. Japan has recorded

International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach on Saturday asserted that the Tokyo Olympics will go on as scheduled despite opposition from the majority of Japanese population amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic.The IOC president said hosting the Olympics, already postponed by a year in 2020 due to the unprecedented health crisis, will send a strong message that there is still "light at the end of the tunnel." Bach made the statement during his address at the 47th International Hockey Federation (FIH) Congress held virtually.  "With Tokyo (Olympics) finally on