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Tag: Tokyo 2020

  • ITTF confirms Aruna’s qualification for Tokyo 2020

    ITTF confirms Aruna’s qualification for Tokyo 2020

    The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Tuesday confirmed the qualification of Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna for the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

    ITTF’s Competition Director, Gabor Felegyi, announced Aruna’s qualification in a letter addressed to the President of Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) and copied the President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Aruna is the first African in Olympic Games history to make it to the quarter-final stage of the competition’s singles event.

    He is now expected to join 85 others across the globe to compete in the men’s singles event at Tokyo Olympic Games next month.

    “It is with great pleasure that I announce the qualification of Quadri Aryna to compete in the table tennis competition’s men’s singles event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

    ”His qualification is on the basis of World Ranking allocation, according to the June 2021 ITTF Olympic Qualification Ranking,” Felegyi stated.

    He however stated that the NOC is expected to confirm Aruna’s participation on or before June 16.

    NAN reports that, with this development, Aruna will be making his third appearance at the Olympic Games having featured at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

    He will join Olajide Omotayo, Olufunke Oshonaike and Edem Offiong to compete for Nigeria in the singles event at Tokyo.

    Aruna had stunned the world with his performance as the first African to reach the quarter-finals after edging out some of the best players in the world.

    These include former world number one Timo Boll of Germany.

    He later lost to eventual winner Ma Long of China in the quarter-final.

    Ishaku Tikon, Chairman of NTTF’s Caretaker Committee, while speaking on the development, said he has been proved right with the confirmation by ITTF.

    “The exploits of Aruna in the last two years were enough to secure a place for him in Tokyo.

    “When Aruna got injured during the African Qualifying Tournament in Tunis last year, I told the world that he will make it to Tokyo as he is ranked among the top 10 in the Olympic ranking.

    “In spite of the setback in Tunisia, Aruna did not relent in his performance and for me I am so excited as a Nigerian because his qualification will surely motivate others to look up to him and aim for the best in Tokyo,” Tikon said.

    NAN reports that 64 players have so far been confirmed for the men’s singles event while the remaining six slots are expected to be allocated as wildcards.

  • Tokyo 2020 to decide on limits for spectators in April, says Committee

    Tokyo 2020 to decide on limits for spectators in April, says Committee

    Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee President Seiko Hashimoto said on Monday that the committee will decide on rules for limiting spectators in April.

    Hashimoto said she hopes to reach consensus among the parties involved including the IOC and the Japanese government so that they could take flexible measures depending on changes in the coronavirus infection situation, Hashimoto said.

    The organising committee is making preparations for thorough coronavirus measures during the summer games, she added.

    While Japan has not suffered as badly as other nations, the government has struggled to cope with a recent surge in cases.

    Japan on Friday imposed a third state of emergency on parts of the country just three months before the Olympics are set to open.

  • Tokyo 2020 torch relay to start March 25

    Tokyo 2020 torch relay to start March 25

    Tokyo Olympics organisers said the torch relay would begin on March 25 from the J-Village training centre in Fukushima as planned.

    This will launch the build-up to the start of the Games in July as the organisers continue to work on COVID-19 counter-measures.

    The Grand Start ceremony and first section of the relay on day one will not be open to the public.

    This will be as organisers reduce the number of participants and simplify the programme to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to a statement on Monday.

    Tokyo 2020 “is committed to ensuring the safety and security of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch relay by taking counter-measures to prevent the spread of any infections among spectators, torchbearers, staff, and other relay participants, as well as local residents”, the statement said.

    The torch relay has long been planned to start on March 25.

    But this has nevertheless been a major milestone after the Games were postponed last year and following speculation over whether they should be delayed again or even cancelled due to the pandemic.

    Tokyo organisers have also said they want to decide before the start of the relay whether to allow foreign spectators into the country amid fears of a resurgence in coronavirus infections.

    Underscoring the complications in preparing for the Games during the pandemic, Tokyo 2020 also said on Monday that test events for skateboarding and shooting have been postponed until May.

    They said this was due to the impact on scheduling from the COVID-19 situation.

    Members of the Japanese women’s national football team will use the Olympic Flame to light the torch to officially kick off the relay from J-Village.

    The facility was chosen as the starting point of the 121-day relay because it is a symbol of Japan’s reconstruction following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

    The Olympics will be held from July 23 to Aug. 8 and the Paralympics from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.

  • Tokyo 2020 would be cancelled if not held in 2021 – IOC President, Thomas Bach

    Tokyo 2020 would be cancelled if not held in 2021 – IOC President, Thomas Bach

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach has acknowledged that the Tokyo 2020 would be cancelled should the Olympic Games not be held in 2021 while stating that the different scenarios are being considered over the potential impact of coronavirus on the postponed event.

    Bach made the comments in an interview with the BBC, nearly two months after Tokyo 2020 and the IOC announced the postponement of the Games until next year.

    Bach has repeatedly sought to quell “speculation”, with the IOC President telling the BBC the organisation is relying on experts.

    “You cannot every year change the entire sports schedule worldwide of all the major federations.

    “You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty. You cannot have so much overlapping with a future Olympic Games, so I have some understanding for this approach by our Japanese partners.

    “Nobody knows what the world will look like in one year, in two months. So we have to rely on [experts] and then take the appropriate decision at the appropriate time based on this advice.”

    Bach added that he understood Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s assessment that next year could be the “last option” to stage the Games.

    “Quite frankly, I have some understanding for this, because you cannot forever employ 3,000, or 5,000, people in an Organising Committee,” said Bach.

    “We have to be prepared for different scenarios.

    “There is the clear commitment to having these Games in July next year.”

  • Bach uncomfortable with cancellation of Tokyo 2020

    Bach uncomfortable with cancellation of Tokyo 2020

    Postponement the Tokyo 2020 Olympics would need more careful planning than moving a football match but cancelling the Games altogether is the least fair solution, Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said.

    The IOC is facing mounting opposition to the current schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Games as athletes, teams and federations called for a delay because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    Bach, who has insisted the Games would go ahead as planned, said any decision to change an Olympic Games was not a simple matter like rescheduling a football match and would need careful planning and information

    “The Olympic Games cannot be moved like a football game next Saturday,” he told Germany’s SWR broadcaster. “It is a complex undertaking and you can only act responsibly when you have a clear decision-making foundation.”

    He also ruled out cancelling the Games scheduled to take place between July 24 and August 9:”A cancellation of the Games would be the least fair solution. A cancellation would destroy the Olympic dream of 11,000 athletes of 206 Olympic committees.”

     

  • 2020 Olympics will hold, says Japan’s PM

    2020 Olympics will hold, says Japan’s PM

    Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Tokyo Olympic Games will go ahead as planned in July, despite coronavirus concerns resulting in the postponement of sporting events.

    Abe added the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will have the final decision whether Tokyo 2020 goes ahead.

    “We will overcome the spread of the infection and host the Olympics without problem, as planned,” Abe said.

    Japan has had more than 1,400 cases and 28 deaths resulting from coronavirus.

    The Tokyo Games is expected to cost about 1.35 trillion yen (£10.26bn), organisers said in December.

    The Japan section of the Olympic Torch relay is due to start in Fukushima on 26 March. The recent torch-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia was held without spectators, before the rest of the relay in Greece was suspended to avoid attracting crowds.

    Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said: “We’re taking thorough infection measures with regards to the torch relay domestically.”

    Several Olympic trials events in the United States have been postponed, including wrestling, rowing and diving.

    However, the boxing events in London will go ahead on Saturday as scheduled.

  • IOC backs Tokyo 2020 despite Coronavirus outbreak

    IOC backs Tokyo 2020 despite Coronavirus outbreak

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday gave further unequivocal backing to this summer’s Tokyo Olympics, urging athletes to prepare “full steam” in spite of the coronavirus threat.

    “We are preparing for a successful Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020,” IOC head Thomas Bach said at an executive board meeting to discuss the July 24 to Aug. 9 sporting extravaganza.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Japan’s Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto had said that details within Tokyo’s contract with the IOC “could be interpreted as allowing a postponement” until the end of the year.

    That host city contract states that one of several triggers which would allow the IOC to withdraw the Games from Tokyo would be if “the Games are not celebrated during the year 2020”.

    Hashimoto said, however, that Japan’s government and Tokyo were still committed to the Games beginning on July 24, and the IOC has repeatedly swatted aside any suggestions of a postponement.

    The Olympics body said again on Tuesday there was no Plan B, and that the Games would take place in their allotted time slot.

    Any change to dates would instantly wreak havoc on most sports programmes, with competition calendars planned several years ago to accommodate the Tokyo timings.

    Finding a new date in 2020 at this stage would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the 33 sports federations present in Tokyo.

    This would even first need the green light from the IOC.

    Bach, a 66-year-old lawyer and former Olympic fencing champion, has an iron grip on IOC decision-making and is known for sticking to his guns in adversity.

    “I will like to encourage all the athletes to continue their preparation for the Olympic Games, Tokyo 2020, with great confidence and full steam,” the German told reporters in Lausanne.

    “From our side, we will continue to support the athletes and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs).”

    Multiple sports events around the world have been cancelled during the epidemic.

    It has killed more than 3,000 people in China and spread to more than 60 nations, including Japan where infections are near 1,000 and 12 people have died.

    “Crowds will be smaller and receptions have been scrapped at the Tokyo 2020 torch-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, Greece next week as the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) introduced measures to protect against the coronavirus,’’ it said on Tuesday.

    In spite of concerns over possible health risks to spectators and participants at the Games, the Olympic body is unwilling to publicly discuss any other option, such as cancellation or postponement.

    “No,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said when asked if the Olympic body had discussed possible options if the situation deteriorates.

    “There is no international travel ban and all the advice that we are getting is that the Games can and will go ahead,” Adams said.

    “At this precise time we are expecting the Games to begin on the 24th day of July.”

  • IOC confident of Tokyo 2020 success in spite of coronavirus

    IOC confident of Tokyo 2020 success in spite of coronavirus

    The President and Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave further strong backing on Tuesday to this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

    They did not talk of a postponement or move to postpone the Games due to the coronavirus outbreak.

    “We are preparing for a successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” IOC head Thomas Bach said at the start of a board meeting to discuss the situation.

    The 66-year-old German lawyer and former Olympic fencing champion has a firm grip on IOC decision-making and is known for sticking to his guns in adversity.

    Both Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers and the IOC have repeatedly stressed that the July 24 to Aug. 9 Games will go ahead as planned in spite of the outbreak.

    They have also pointed out that there is no plan B.

    “The IOC Executive Board today (Tuesday) expressed its full commitment to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” the board later added in a statement.

    However, multiple sports events around the world have been cancelled during the epidemic, which has killed more than 3,000 people in China.

    It has spread to more than 60 countries, including Japan where infections are near 1,000 and 12 people have died.

    And, earlier on Tuesday, Japan’s Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto acknowledged that Tokyo’s contract would allow for a postponement until the end of the year.

    In spite of concerns over possible health risks to spectators and participants, the Olympics body is unwilling to publicly discuss any other option, such as cancellation or postponement.

    This is because it knows this will throw the Games into confusion.

    The IOC board said a joint task force had been created in mid-February.

    The task force has the IOC board, the Tokyo Games organisers, the city, the government, and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    It is to help deal with the coronavirus ahead of the Olympics.

    “The IOC EB appreciates and supports the measures being taken, which constitute an important part of Tokyo’s plans to host safe and secure Games,” it added in the statement.

    Tokyo has pumped in more than 12 billion dollars to organise the event while billions more were spent on related projects.

    Tokyo Games organisers are due to deliver a report via video conference to the executive board on Wednesday when the Games will be discussed, before a news conference by Bach.

  • Nigeria’s Oshonaike, Edem, Omotayo qualify for Tokyo 2020

    Nigeria’s Oshonaike, Edem, Omotayo qualify for Tokyo 2020

    Nigeria’s Funke Oshonaike, Offiong Edem and Olajide Omotayo have qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

    Oshonaike will be making her seventh appearance at the Games, a feat which will see her become the first African woman to participate in seven editions of the Games.

    It was also an exciting moment for Edem and Omotayo, who all sealed qualification at the ITTF 2020 African Singles and Mixed Doubles Olympic qualifiers in Tunisia and secured a semi final spot.

    Meanwhile, Aruna Quadri, the world number 18 ranked player was forced to withdraw from his last qualification match against Hman Adam of Tunisia in the men’s singles, due to a recurring thigh injury.

    The result meant Aruna finished third in group A, after earlier losing 2-4 (7-11, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6, 13-11, 7-11) to Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw and winning one match against Togo’s Dodji Fanny.

    Consequently, the former African champion did not qualify but still has a chance to qualify through the ITTF world rankings.

    Earlier, Edem became the first Nigerian to qualify after a hard fought 4-3 (13-11,11-1,9-11,11-95-11,8-11,11-6) victory over Tunisia’s Garci Fadwa.

    She had also defeated Marta Gulti of Ethiopia by 4-0 as well as Abir Haj Salah of Tunisia by the same scoreline.

    Similarly, Oshonaike, who would be retiring after the 2020 Olympics, claimed a 4-1 victory over Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi.

    The same score was evident in Oshonaike win against Mauritius Nandeshweree Jalim.

    Meanwhile, Omotayo defeated Kizito Oba of Cote D’ Ivoire 4-2 and Algeria’s Larbi Bouriah as well as Tunisia’s Kareem Yahia Ben.

    The mixed doubles events holds on Saturday.

  • Oshonaike makes history, qualifies for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

    Oshonaike makes history, qualifies for Tokyo 2020 Olympics

    Olufunke Oshonaike has become the first African female athlete to compete in seven Olympic Games after the former African table tennis champion secured her place at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.

    To be sure of being part of the party in Tokyo, Oshonaike defeated Cameroun’s Sarah Hanffou 4-1 in the second match of the final group matches of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament holding in Tunis.

    Earlier in the day, Oshonaike had defeated Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi 4-1 while the win against the Camerounian finally confirmed her place in Japan.

    Oshonaike had featured in six previous Olympic Games starting with Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.