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Tag: Tokyo 2020 Olympics

  • Rest but don’t abandon training – GOC Boss to athletes

    Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) has appealed to national athletes preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to ensure a fair balance between training and rest periods during the Coronavirus pandemic.

    He urged the athletes and coaches to take their time in the lockdown period to plan, strategize and reschedule their training programmes as there was no competition anywhere in the world.

    “Athletes can take a break during this lockdown period and come back in full strength, but they must also bear in mind that there is no time for resumption of activities.

    “With this, you must not completely suspend training, though you can take a good rest during this period,” he said.

    “The Government had suspended all activities including sports, whilst the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also postponed the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

    According to the GOC boss who is also president of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF), it was very sad that the pandemic had interrupted every activity in the world, killing thousands of people all over the world.

    He said the IOC and the GOC value human lives and that is why there was a massive support for the postponement of the Games.

    He said every misfortune is a blessing, so people should not panic or have fears, but go by the health and safety guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Ministry of Health and other health experts.

    He urged Ghanaians to obey the order of President Nana Akufo-Addo to stay home to curb the spread of the coronavirus also known as COVID-19.

    Source: Sportsnetgh.com

  • Tokyo Olympics organisers agree one-year delay

    What many already saw as the only option is now official: the organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have agreed to a one-year postponement of the event because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

    Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had agreed to the delay.

    “I proposed to postpone for about a year and [IOC] president Thomas Bach responded with 100% agreement,” Abe said.

    The 2020 Olympics were set to run from 24 July to 9 August.

    “This is the first time an Olympic Games have been postponed – it has been cancelled in war time, but never postponed,” said BBC sports news reporter Alex Capstick.

    “At the moment they are saying they want to hold it in the summer of 2021. It is a huge logistical challenge and problem to do that – it is not easy to postpone a Games.

    “Is the delay long enough? We just do not know at this stage.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games postponed

    The organisers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, schedule for July,24 have agreed to a one-year postponement of the event because of the global Coronavirus pandemic.

    Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the International Olympic Committee had agreed to the delay the event.

    “I proposed to postpone for a year and [IOC] president Thomas Bach responded with 100% agreement,” he said.

    A one-year delay would also apply to the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

    Prime Minister Abe added: “This will make it possible for athletes to play in the best condition, and will make the event a safe and secure one for spectators.”

    The agreement comes as the British Olympic Association (BOA) was meeting on Tuesday to discuss the matter.

    BOA chairman Hugh Robertson had already said Great Britain was unlikely to send a team to Tokyo this summer.

    Source: Primenewsghana.com

  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic organisers respond to frustrated athletes

    The International Olympic Committee says it has held “constructive” talks with athlete representatives about the coronavirus crisis.

    President Thomas Bach admitted he was “confronted with many questions” over qualification and restrictions.

    But he also insisted that “everybody realised that we still have more than four months to go” until Tokyo 2020.

    The summer showpiece is still scheduled to begin on 24 July despite the cancellation of other sports events.

    There has been mounting criticism from athletes, with the IOC accused of putting them “in danger” by insisting it remains fully committed to the Games.

    Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi said the IOC was “risking our health”, while Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson said training had become “impossible”.

    Speaking in an in-house IOC interview, Bach said: “We have just had a really great call with 220 athlete representatives from all around the world, it was very constructive and gave us a lot of insight.

    “We aimed to continue being very realistic in our analysis. We will keep acting in a responsible way that is in the interest of the athletes whilst always respecting our two principles – the safeguarding and health of the athletes and contributing to the containment of the virus, and secondly to protect the interest of the athletes and Olympic sport.”

    British four-time Olympic rowing gold medallist Matthew Pinsent criticised Bach’s comments on Twitter, accusing him of not properly listening to athletes’ concerns and stating that postponing the Olympics is the best option for all concerned.

    “I’m sorry Mr Bach but this is tone deaf. The instinct to keep safe is not compatible with athlete training, travel and focus that a looming Olympics demands of athletes, spectators and organisers,” Pinsent wrote.

    “Keep them safe. Call it off.”

    Earlier, in a statement, the IOC had warned “no solution will be ideal” in preparing for Tokyo 2020.

    “This is an exceptional situation which requires exceptional solutions,” it said.

    “The IOC is committed to finding a solution with the least negative impact for the athletes, while protecting the integrity of the competition and the athletes’ health.

    “No solution will be ideal in this situation, and this is why we are counting on the responsibility and solidarity of the athletes.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • ‘United by Emotion’: Tokyo 2020 unveils Games motto

    Tokyo 2020 organisers on Monday rolled out the motto for this year’s Olympics, “United by Emotion”, which they said reflected the “universal values” and “unifying power of sport”.

    “Crowds of spectators who do not know each other prior to the Games will come together and learn that there is more that unites them than divides them,” Tokyo 2020 said as it unveiled the motto.

    The official Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius” or “Faster, Higher, Stronger”, but each host city chooses its own motto to accompany that edition of the Games.

    London’s motto in 2012 was “Inspire a Generation”, whereas Athens in 2004 went for “Welcome Home” — a nod to the birthplace of the Games in Olympia.

    Less well-received was Sochi, which plumped for “Hot. Cool. Yours”, sparking derision in some quarters.

    Tokyo said the motto would be beamed onto the Skytree tower in the Japanese capital to raise awareness as it will be seen for miles around.

    The opening ceremony will be on July 24 and organisers have stressed there is no discussion about changing this date despite the coronavirus crisis hitting global transport.

    Tokyo 2020 roll-outs have not always been smooth. In September 2015, the Games logo was ditched after accusations of plagiarism.

    Designer Olivier Debie said the design was stolen from his logo for a Belgian theatre and threatened court action before officials withdrew the emblem, saying it “no longer has public support”.

    Source: France24