Category Archives: Olympics

AFTNews, Olympics, Sport

New dates announced for Tokyo Olympic Games 2021

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On 24 March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo 2020 agreed to postpone Olympic Games due to COVID-19 pandemic. IOC President Thomas Bach and the Prime Minister of Japan, Abe Shinzo, held a conference call to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to COVID-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

They were joined by Mori Yoshiro, the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee; the Olympic Minister, Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo, Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission, John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director, Christophe Dubi.

President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games.

Today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan today agreed new dates for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, in 2021. The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be celebrated from 23 July to 8 August 2021. They also agreed on the new dates for the Paralympic Games, which will be celebrated from 24 August until 5 September 2021.

The leaderships of the key parties came together via telephone conference earlier today, joined by IOC President Thomas Bach, Tokyo 2020 President Mori Yoshirō, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Olympic and Paralympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko, and agreed on the new schedule.

This decision was taken based on three main considerations and in line with the principles established by the IOC Executive Board (EB) on 17 March 2020 and confirmed at its meeting today. These were supported by all the International Summer Olympic Sports Federations (IFs) and all the National Olympic Committees (NOCs):

1. To protect the health of the athletes and everyone involved, and to support the containment of the COVID-19 virus.

2. To safeguard the interests of the athletes and of Olympic sport.

3. The global international sports calendar.

These new dates give the health authorities and all involved in the organisation of the Games the maximum time to deal with the constantly changing landscape and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates, exactly one year after those originally planned for 2020 (Olympic Games: 24 July to 9 August 2020 and Paralympic Games: 25 August to 6 September 2020), also have the added benefit that any disruption that the postponement will cause to the international sports calendar can be kept to a minimum, in the interests of the athletes and the IFs. Additionally, they will provide sufficient time to finish the qualification process. The same heat mitigation measures as planned for 2020 will be implemented.

In a call on Tuesday 24 March 2020, based on information provided by the WHO at the time, IOC President Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō concluded that the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would be held in their complete form and not later than summer 2021. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government of Japan stands ready to fulfil its responsibility for hosting these successful Games. At the same time, IOC President Thomas Bach stressed the full commitment of the IOC to successful Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Following today’s decision, the IOC President said: “I want to thank the International Federations for their unanimous support and the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees for the great partnership and their support in the consultation process over the last few days. I would also like to thank the IOC Athletes’ Commission, with whom we have been in constant contact. With this announcement, I am confident that, working together with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Japanese Government and all our stakeholders, we can master this unprecedented challenge. Humankind currently finds itself in a dark tunnel. These Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 can be a light at the end of this tunnel.”

Andrew Parsons, the President of the IPC, commented: “It is fantastic news that we could find new dates so quickly for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The new dates provide certainty for the athletes, reassurance for the stakeholders and something to look forward to for the whole world. When the Paralympic Games do take place in Tokyo next year, they will be an extra-special display of humanity uniting as one, a global celebration of human resilience and a sensational showcase of sport. With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 512 days away, the priority for all those involved in the Paralympic Movement must be to focus on staying safe with their friends and family during this unprecedented and difficult time.”

The President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Mori Yoshirō, said: “IOC President Thomas Bach and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee held a conference call today to discuss in detail the revised dates of the Tokyo 2020 Games. Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Hashimoto Seiko and Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko joined the call. I proposed that the Games should be hosted between July and August 2021, and I really appreciate that President Bach, having discussed this proposal with the various international sports federations and other related organisations, kindly accepted my proposal. A certain amount of time is required for the selection and qualification of athletes and for their training and preparation, and the consensus was that staging the rescheduled Games during the summer vacation in Japan would be preferable. In terms of transport, arranging volunteers and the provision of tickets for those in Japan and overseas, as well as allowing for the COVID-19 situation, we think that it would be better to reschedule the Games to one year later than planned, in the summer of 2021. Notwithstanding the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in history, and various other issues that have already been highlighted, the event schedule is the cornerstone of future preparations, and I am convinced that taking this decision promptly will help speed up future preparations. I would like to thank all the stakeholders, including the host city Tokyo and the Government of Japan, for their hard work during this short period. The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will continue to work hard for the success of next year’s Games.”

Governor Koike Yuriko said: “In consideration of the global coronavirus outbreak, we need a certain timeframe before we fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure for the athletes and spectators. Also, the preparation for the new dates will go smoothly, as the dates match with same timeframe as the original competition dates, corresponding with ticketing, venue staffing, volunteers and transport. Therefore, I believe that celebrating the opening of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on 23 July 2021 is ideal. The athletes, volunteers, torchbearers and local municipality governments have been concerned about the situation. Since we now have concrete new dates to aim for, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will commit all its resources, and work closely with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the national government and other stakeholders to fully prepare for the delivery of Games that are safe and secure.”

It has previously been confirmed that all athletes already qualified and quota places already assigned for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will remain unchanged. This is a result of the fact that these Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, in agreement with Japan, will remain the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

AFTNN/PRNews/GIG

AFTNews, Olympics, Sport

Statement by Olympic Council of Asia Director General Mr Husain Al-Musallam

Kuwait City, Kuwait, 24 March, 2020 (AFTNN/OCA) – The Olympic Council of Asia would like to express its total support for the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games until next year.

The OCA appreciates that this must have been an extremely difficult decision to make, but the rapidly deteriorating situation around the world due to COVID-19 has made this postponement a necessity. The health and wellbeing of athletes and all Olympic stakeholders must be the top priority.

The IOC, along with Japanese authorities, have tried to delay this decision as long as possible in the hope that the situation might improve in the coming weeks and months but, sadly, this has not been the case. Now is the time for the Olympic sports movement around the world to show unity and solidarity and to work as one team in preparing for a brighter future.

At this time, we would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Organising Committee of Tokyo 2020 for all the work, planning and preparation they have put in over a number of years – only for this completely unforeseen pandemic to intervene and change the course of Olympic history. We know Japan will recover from this setback and put on an even greater show to mark the coming together of humanity after finally defeating this virus.

We would also like to send our gratitude and appreciation to the athletes of Asia for all their efforts in qualifying – or attempting to qualify – for the Olympic Games. Although you must be disappointed at this time, the dream is not over. The Olympic Games will come back stronger and with even more passion – and so will you. The OCA has always championed the interests of the athletes and it did its best to ensure that the preparations of the Asian Athletes were not affected when this pandemic was at its peak in Asia. The OCA will continue to create the best possible environment for our athletes to train and participate in the Olympic Games which is an amalgamation of human spirit, culture and sports.

Our National Olympic Committees have worked tremendously hard behind the scenes in preparing the best conditions possible for their athletes. You have followed every guideline and met every deadline in guaranteeing a smooth build-up not only for your athletes and officials but also for the Organising Committee in Tokyo. The athletes and organisers will need you again and rely on you to bring together all aspects of management and operations in the future.

The OCA also commends the efforts of our International/Asian sport federations, for the way you have gone about amending your qualification schedules in an effort to be fair to all athletes from all corners of Asia. This has been a near-impossible task in recent weeks due to the ever-changing picture of the pandemic around the world and this postponement will now give you time to reassess the situation and, hopefully, make new and concrete plans.

AFTNews, Olympics, PRNews, Sport

IOC Boxing task force suspends European Qualifier in London and all remaining events until May

17 March 2020, AFTNN // PRNEWSGIG – The IOC Boxing Task Force (BTF) has announced that the boxing Road to Tokyo European Qualifier in London and subsequent qualifiers worldwide scheduled to take place in May are to be suspended until further notice.

The European qualifier, which started on 14 March and was planned to run until 24 March, will be closed after today’s evening session.

Safeguarding the well-being of the athletes, officials and all other participants is a top priority for the BTF. Since the preparation phase of the event, the BTF has been working in close cooperation with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) – the delivery body of the competition – as well as its stakeholders, its own medical experts and the national health authorities, to set up the necessary precautionary measures.

The BTF eventually took the decision to suspend the event today, amid increasing global travel restrictions and quarantine measures, in order to allow the participants from over 60 countries to adjust their travel plans and return home.

The BTF will continue to evaluate the situation daily, aiming to complete the distribution of the remaining Tokyo 2020 boxing quota places in May and June. The BTF’s priority remains the qualification of athletes on the field of play, and it will inform all stakeholders as soon as more information is available.

At the same time, the IOC is fully committed to the success of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as was recently outlined again in the following statement.

The BTF would like to thank the host nations, the organising committees and all the participants involved for their support and tremendous efforts in dealing with this extraordinary situation.

Ends.

AFTNews, Olympics, Sport

Transparency highlighted in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Boxing Regulations

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28 Nov 2019 Newsflash: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it has stopped planning for the boxing tournament at Tokyo 2020 and launched an investigation into its governing body the International Boxing Association (AIBA) – via Reuters

20 Nov 2019 – The International Olympic Council (IOC) Boxing Task Force has complemented existing International Boxing Association (AIBA) regulations with specific amendments to deliver its commitment to transparency while minimising the impact on boxers at the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The IOC Boxing Task Force has confirmed that the judges’ scores of all rounds will now be displayed at the end of each round. All officials will be selected from the IOC Boxing Task Force pool of eligible officials, which will consist of qualified AIBA-certified individuals who have been reviewed to ensure they meet the selection criteria. The IOC Boxing Task Force will then randomly select every official for each competition from the pool of eligible individuals.

The full referee and judge selection process will be conducted under the independent supervision of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and include extensive independent background checks of each individual. No referees or judges involved in the Olympic Games Rio 2016 will be eligible to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic boxing qualifiers or Olympic competition.

Download a summary version of the Boxing Technical Officials Selection Process here.

Mr Morinari Watanabe, IOC Boxing Task Force CHAIRMAN said:

“The main objective of the IOC Boxing Task Force is to ensure the completion of the mission of delivering events, while putting the boxers first, and with transparent and credible sporting results and fair play.”

“It is only fair to the boxers not to change the fundamental competition rules so close to the Olympic qualifiers and the Olympic competition in Tokyo. The IOC Boxing Task Force has therefore focused on the full review of the rules enforced by AIBA in the current year of 2019, limiting changes which impact on boxers while increasing transparency by displaying the scoring and in the selection process for referees and judges.”

Boxing Athlete Ambassador Shelley Watts (AUS), a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and Rio 2016 Olympian, said:

“The IOC Boxing Task Force amendments to the AIBA Rules will have a positive impact on the conduct of Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and at Tokyo 2020, as they focus on key areas such as clarity, transparency and integrity. These amendments are the result of an inclusive decisional process that took into consideration the athletes’ voice: we made sure that changes will not impact the dynamics of the current practice of the sport, while improving the standard of the competitions.”

The AIBA Rules, effective as of 9 February 2019, and following the IOC Boxing Task Force Amendments, shall constitute the Tokyo 2020 IOC Boxing Task Force Event Regulations, applicable at the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and the boxing tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Download the “Event Regulations for the Olympic Boxing Qualifying Events and the Boxing Tournament at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020” here.

About the IOC

The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

Video: Boxing Men’s Middle (75kg) – Gold Medal Final – Brazil v Japan Full Replay – London 2012 Olympics

AFTNews, Olympics

Chinese women make history by winning Olympic berth at rugby sevens

AFT News Network // Guangzhou, China, November 11, 2019 – The Chinese women’s rugby sevens team defeated Hong Kong 33-0 at the Asian Rugby Women’s Sevens qualification tournament on Sunday, November 10 and has secured a spot in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The victory also created history as it will be the first time for China Rugby to appear in the Olympics.

Eight women’s teams from Asia competed for the solitary ticket to the Olympics. China dominated their group defeating Korea 49-0, Hong Kong 42-7 and Sri Lanka 55-0. In the semi-finals, China crushed Thailand 34-0.

Japan as hosts have already gained an automatic berth in the 12-team Olympic tournament. The other women’s teams to qualify are: New Zealand, United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Great Britain, Kenya and Fiji.

Hong Kong and Kazakhstan, who defeated Thailand 17-14 in the third-place play-off, will head to the global repechage in June 2020, where 12 teams will contest for the last two spots.

The Asian men’s Olympics rugby sevens qualifiers will take place at Incheon, Korea from November 23-24.

AFTNews, Olympics, Rugby, Sport

South Africa to host Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022

South Africa will host Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 after the World Rugby Council awarded the hosting rights for the premier tournament to South Africa at its Interim Meeting in Tokyo today.

In September 2022 the eighth edition of the showcase event will take place in Cape Town in what will be the first time that Rugby World Cup Sevens has been hosted on the African continent.

The world’s best 24 men’s and 16 women’s rugby sevens teams will take to the field at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point where they will compete for world champion status over three days of exhilarating action.

The 55,000-capacity stadium is the same venue that has hosted the hugely successful HSBC Cape Town Sevens since 2015, and for the first time this year will host both men’s and women’s teams across three days of competition as part of the new-look HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.

The 2022 tournament follows an exceptional Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 in San Francisco which attracted a record attendance for a rugby event in the USA of more than 100,000 fans as well as a huge domestic broadcast audience of more than nine million viewers.

The three-day event, hosted at AT&T Park, generated a US$90.5 million economic contribution to San Francisco (Nielsen Sport) and saw both New Zealand’s men’s and women’s teams retain the title.

The awarding of the tournament to South Africa comes after an initial record of 11 unions – Argentina, Cayman Islands, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Qatar, Scotland, South Africa and Tunisia – confirmed an expression of interest to the international federation.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Congratulations to South Africa on being elected Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 hosts. We were impressed with South Africa’s detailed and comprehensive bid and we look forward to working in partnership with them on another inspiring and record-breaking tournament.

“South Africa have a proven track record of delivering a sell-out event in the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, which is an esteemed tournament on the world series and will be of huge value to the planning and execution of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.

“About to make its second appearance on the Olympic Games programme at Tokyo 2020, rugby sevens is an innovative and thriving format of the game that has enormous appeal, and we are excited about the positive impact that another successful Rugby World Cup Sevens will have on our sport.

“We would like to thank all of the unions who expressed an interest in hosting this growing event and hope to welcome them back to bid for future events as rugby sevens continues to go from strength to strength.”

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux added: “We’re delighted that South Africa and Cape Town has been confirmed as hosts for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022. We have been eager to host global rugby tournaments for a number of years and to have the flagship event in the growing sport of sevens come to South Africa is exciting.

“We saw how the sport engaged the audience in San Francisco last year and we are certain that it will be just as big a success in Cape Town. The HSBC Cape Town Sevens has established itself as a rugby bucket-list tournament in the past few years and we’re sure that international visitors to the event will experience a great tournament at an ideal rugby venue in a fantastic city.”

The appointment of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 hosts falls at the beginning of an Olympic season for rugby sevens as the sport prepares to make its second Olympic Games appearance at Tokyo 2020.

Rugby sevens made its Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016 when the sevens format provided a captivating showcase for the game that saw its fan-base increase by almost 17 million in six key territories, with Tokyo 2020 expected to unearth an estimated 30 million new fans worldwide (Nielsen).

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will be played during September of that year considering the international calendar, including the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and the Commonwealth Games that will take place in Birmingham, England, in July 2022. Competition dates will be confirmed in due course.

 

AFT TV, Olympics

Olympic Channel presents All Around: Gymnastics Episode 1

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Twelve teams will head to the Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo after two qualification days at the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships held in Stuttgart from 4-13 October 2019. Here are the results.

Right from the heart of the official Olympic Channel, we are pleased to feature the first episode of All Around. It’s 3 episodes all about gymnastics, following gymnasts Morgan Hurd, Chen Yile, and Angelina Melnikova on their journey preparing for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Click here to watch the first episode here.

Olympics

Countdown to Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony begins!

AFTnewsnetwork – International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach officially invited the world’s Olympic athletes to take part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. The announcement was made exactly a year ahead on 24 July 2019 for the official opening ceremony that will be held on 24 July 2020.

CLICK HERE FOR TOKYO 2020 OFFICIAL WEBSITE

To date, over 3.2 million tickets have been sold, and 200,000 people applied to be volunteers. President Bach said: “One year from now, Japan will make history. It will be a wonderful and unique moment for our gracious Japanese hosts to show the world the best of Japan: your rich history and traditions, your cutting-edge innovation, your culture of hospitality, and, of course, your love for sport.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented: “I believe the Tokyo 2020 Games will be passed down to the next generation as an important turning point in Olympic history. It will be the second time that Tokyo hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where the world is united as one, regardless of differences in nationality, race, culture or religious views. I strongly hope the younger generation who learn to respect, understand and recognise each other through the Games will play a central role in building an inclusive society.”

Let’s GoGo event brought the Tokyo community together to try their hand at Olympic sports. IOC President Bach is pictured fencing with local children. PHOTO: IOC/GREG MARTIN

At the end of the ceremony, the Tokyo 2020 medal design was unveiled. Tokyo will host the Games of the XXXII Olympiad from 24 July to 9 August 2020.