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TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan has been forced to scrap plans to involve children in the Olympic torch handover and arrival ceremonies because of fears over the new coronavirus, Tokyo 2020’s chief organizer said on Friday. Organizing committee head Yoshiro Mori called it a “heartbreaking decision” to cancel a performance of 140 children at the handover ceremony in Athens. The announcement comes after organizers said they may have to scale back the torch relay and […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — LeBron James and injured superstars Steph Curry and Kevin Durant were named on Monday in a 44-strong pool of players in contention for spots on the United States Olympic basketball team. A statement from USA Basketball named three-time Olympic champion James and Los Angeles Lakers team-mate Anthony Davis in the player group, which will eventually be whittled down to a 12-man roster. “This is the first step in USA […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Robot versions of Japan’s Olympic and Paralympic mascots thrilled hundreds of school children in Tokyo on Monday, striking sporting poses and displaying hearts in their electronic eyes. The event at a local elementary school was billed as a chance to showcase some of the technology Japan hopes will wow visitors at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Some 600 pupils clapped and shouted “kawaii (cute)!” as the toddler-sized versions of the Tokyo 2020 […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Three-time NBA champion Steph Curry looks to have his sights on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — and a gold medal that would complete his career set. The Golden State Warriors sharp-shooter, who has captured world titles with Team USA, pulled out of the 2016 Rio Olympic squad with injury but appears set to join a Dream Team at next year’s Games that could also boast the likes of LeBron James and […]
by Alastair HIMMER KAMOGAWA, Japan (AFP) – Just 16 and riding the crest of a wave, Japan’s teenage surfing sensation Shino Matsuda has a secret weapon as she targets gold at next year’s Tokyo Olympics — mum’s rice balls. Hot-shot Matsuda caught the surfing bug as a curious toddler and has emerged as a medal contender for the 2020 Olympic hosts after winning the Japan Open earlier this month. “That has given me so much […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Double Olympic gold medallist Shim Suk-hee broke down in tears as she told a South Korean court of the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her coach. Aged 21, the short-track skater has four Olympic medals to her name, including relay golds at both Sochi 2014 and on home ice at this year’s Pyeongchang Games. But she told a court that her coach Cho Jae-beom had been […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s “Ice Prince” and two-time Olympic figure skating gold medallist Yuzuru Hanyu accepted one of his country’s top awards Monday, pledging to be more than an “ordinary skater”. The 23-year-old, wearing a sombre, traditional male kimono emblazoned with his family crest — a far cry from his flamboyant competition wear — said the award was a tribute to his team and would propel him to new heights. “An award like this […]
by Charles WHELAN Agence France-Presse PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AFP) — Five gold medals are up for grabs on the first day of full competition in the Winter Olympics Saturday, which features the debut of a unified Korean ice hockey team. A day after a gala opening ceremony highlighted rapprochement with the two Koreas marching into the stadium together behind a blue and white unification flag, the joint women’s ice-hockey team backed by North Korea’s vocal […]
by Ben Simon Agence France-Presse LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) – After the two Koreas struck a deal for the North to attend the Winter Games in the South, Olympic bosses will try Saturday to resolve the devils in the details of the landmark pact. With less than three weeks to go before the Games in Pyeongchang begin, the most momentous decisions have already been made. North and South Korea will march together at the opening ceremony under a […]
by Hwang Sunghee Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — With their good looks and sharp moves, North Korea’s female cheerleaders are a marked contrast to the regime’s menacing nuclear ambitions. Dubbed the “army of beauties” in South Korea, the young North Korean women — mostly in their late teens or early 20s — have attracted huge publicity whenever they have been sent to the South. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s future wife Ri Sol-Ju […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Olympic 50-meter freestyle champion Anthony Ervin has joined the ranks of athletes protesting during the US national anthem by kneeling for a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner at a swim meet in Brazil. Ervin, 36, who became the oldest man to win an individual Olympic swimming gold with victory in Rio last year, took a knee during the Raia Rapida gala. The veteran American star, who also won Olympic […]
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) — McDonald’s has ended its longtime Olympic sponsorship dating back to 1976, the International Olympic Committee announced on Friday. The United States fastfood giant has supported the Olympics since the Montreal Games and although the split takes place with immediate effect, they will continue to be a sponsor at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang. “The IOC and McDonald’s have announced that they have mutually agreed to bring their worldwide partnership to […]
