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Field Hockey 101: What's happened since the Tokyo Olympics?
Read full article: Field Hockey 101: What's happened since the Tokyo Olympics?A summary of the top storylines in the sport of field hockey that have taken place since the Tokyo Olympics, focusing on the biggest personalities looking ahead to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
How to watch the 2024 U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Trials
Read full article: How to watch the 2024 U.S. Olympic Table Tennis TrialsThe 2024 U.S. Olympic Table Tennis Trials begin Thursday in Louisiana, with two guaranteed spots on the American team up for grabs. Here's how you can watch and stream the event live.
US women's team has new vibe, work to do before World Cup
Read full article: US women's team has new vibe, work to do before World CupThe U.S. women's national soccer team has a new look with young talent, and coach Vlatko Andonovski has tweaked its traditional straightforward and speedy attack to take a more nuanced approach.
Belarusian sprinter says those behind her early Olympic exit should be punished
Read full article: Belarusian sprinter says those behind her early Olympic exit should be punishedThe United States said last week it was imposing visa restrictions on several Belarusian nationals, citing Tsimanouskaya's case.
Tuning in for the Paralympics? You will be after you read this
Read full article: Tuning in for the Paralympics? You will be after you read thisIf you really got into the Summer Olympics this year, and you’re missing the excitement or the nightly events, some good news: There’s a similar competition set to get underway -- starting today, actually.
Biden thanks Team USA, extends White House invite
Read full article: Biden thanks Team USA, extends White House invitePresident Joe Biden will host U.S. Olympic athletes at the White House following the Tokyo Games, he said in a video released on Friday, applauding the American competitors for coming together to represent the nation.
Skills and spills help skateboarders earn respect at the Games
Read full article: Skills and spills help skateboarders earn respect at the GamesFor skateboarders at the Tokyo Games, their participation in these Olympics has been about respect. And what better way to earn it but by showing off the determination, courage and skills the sport requires.
Two Trinidad and Tobago competitors, coach test positive for COVID-19
Read full article: Two Trinidad and Tobago competitors, coach test positive for COVID-19Trinidad and Tobago long jumper Andwuelle Wright and 400 meters hurdler Sparkle Ann McKnight have been withdrawn from the Tokyo Games after they tested positive for COVID-19.
American Raven Saunders dons Joker mask for shot put qualifier
Read full article: American Raven Saunders dons Joker mask for shot put qualifierAmerican track and field star Raven Saunders, nicknamed “The Hulk,” looked more like The Joker after donning a facemask bearing the Batman villain’s likeness before competing in shot put qualifying.
USA's Smith, Flickinger take silver, bronze behind China in 200m butterfly
Read full article: USA's Smith, Flickinger take silver, bronze behind China in 200m butterflyRegan Smith and Hali Flickinger were podium fast in the women's 200m butterfly at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, but not fast enough to catch China.
Tokyo winds gain strength just as Olympic sailing events pick up
Read full article: Tokyo winds gain strength just as Olympic sailing events pick upLike the winds at the Enoshima Yacht Harbour, the sailing competitions at the Tokyo Games were a little slow to get going, but with the first medal races due to take place at the weekend the tempo is picking up, along with the wind and the waves.
Olympic road cyclists enjoy rare treat at Tokyo Games: Fans
Read full article: Olympic road cyclists enjoy rare treat at Tokyo Games: FansRoad races competing outside of Tokyo provide unique and fan-filled streets for athletes competing. The fans aren't holding back in their opportunity to cheer on the cyclist, bringing large drums and signs to the sidelines.
Podcast: Lawson Craddock’s bumps, bruises and fundraising prowess
Read full article: Podcast: Lawson Craddock’s bumps, bruises and fundraising prowessLawson Craddock covers a wide array of topics in this episode of In The Village with podcast host Elizabeth Beisel. The cyclist discusses raising big bucks to repair his hurricane battered velodrome back home in Houston, his collection of too many bicycles and he imparts this piece of wisdom: “I can tell you that racing these days is a whole lot easier when you don’t have a fracture in your shoulder blade.”
Podcast: Roker and Melvin share magical Olympic memories
Read full article: Podcast: Roker and Melvin share magical Olympic memoriesIn today’s episode of The Podium, Roker banters with his friend and Today partner Craig Melvin as they reflect on magical Olympic Opening Ceremony memories from Atlanta, Beijing and other Games. They also discuss the heightened appeal and excitement delivered by live sports “in an era where so much is on demand.”
Abrahamson: Keeping COVID in perspective at the Olympics
Read full article: Abrahamson: Keeping COVID in perspective at the OlympicsIn his column, Alan Abrahamson writes that the narrative around this summer's Olympics has gotten out of hand, and suggests that everything should be kept in perspective.
WNBA teams jockey for position before Olympic break
Read full article: WNBA teams jockey for position before Olympic breakWith less than a week remaining before the WNBA begins its Olympic break, teams are jockeying for position in the standings knowing that it will be a sprint to the finish once play resumes in August following the Tokyo Games and a monthlong hiatus.
Uganda Olympic team member tests positive for coronavirus
Read full article: Uganda Olympic team member tests positive for coronavirusA member of Uganda’s Olympic team has tested positive for the coronavirus and was barred entry into Japan, in the first detected infection among arriving athletes for the Tokyo Games opening in five weeks.
Olympic host Japan will not take part in China vaccine offer
Read full article: Olympic host Japan will not take part in China vaccine offerSeiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020), speaks during a news conference Thursday, March 11, 2021, after attending the International Olympic Committee (IOC) general meeting. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)TOKYO – Japan will not take part in China’s offer — accepted by the International Olympic Committee — to provide vaccines for “participants” in the postponed Tokyo Games and next year’s Beijing Winter Games. Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said Friday that Japan had not been consulted by the IOC about the Chinese vaccines, and that Japanese athletes would not take them. “We have been taking comprehensive anti-infectious disease measures for the Tokyo Games in order to allow participation without vaccinations,” Marukawa said. AdThe IOC has indicated it is a sports body and will not meddle in domestic issues in China.
IOC members worry about banning foreign fans from Olympics
Read full article: IOC members worry about banning foreign fans from Olympics(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)TOKYO – Several IOC members on Thursday reminded Tokyo Olympic organizers about the potential negative consequences of banning overseas fans from attending the postponed games. Tokyo organizers say a final decision about fans from abroad will be made before the torch relay starts on March 25. Many unsourced reports in Japan, citing unnamed officials, say the decision has already been made to keep fans from abroad out of the country. “So the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee is not in a position to comment.”AdRecent polls show up to 80% in Japan think the Olympics should be postponed or canceled. Reports in Japan say organizers are considering allowing some fans from abroad to attend if they have tickets from sponsors, national Olympic committees, or sports federations.
Fans from abroad unlikely for postponed Tokyo Olympics
Read full article: Fans from abroad unlikely for postponed Tokyo OlympicsThis photo shows the opening remark session of a five-party meeting held by the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) at the Tokyo 2020 headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The organizing committee has budgeted income of $800 million from ticket sales. The Tokyo Games have been haunted by problems. A bribery scandal tied to the bid in 2013 forced the resignation two years ago of Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda. Last month, former organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori was forced to resign after making sexist comments about women.
IOC, Tokyo Olympics to unveil rule book for beating pandemic
Read full article: IOC, Tokyo Olympics to unveil rule book for beating pandemicThe Olympic rings are seen at the empty Odaiba waterfront in Tokyo, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. The Tokyo Games, postponed in the midst of a pandemic, are scheduled to open on July 23. The rollout at Olympic headquarters in Switzerland is planned for Feb. 4, with Tokyo likely to present on Feb. 5. The World Health Organization said earlier this week that Olympic athletes should not be a priority ahead of health care workers, the elderly and the vulnerable. The president of the Japan Medical Association sounded a warning last week when asked about the Olympics and possible patients from abroad.
Breakdancing gets Olympic status to debut at Paris in 2024
Read full article: Breakdancing gets Olympic status to debut at Paris in 2024GENEVA – Breakdancing became an official Olympic sport on Monday. The International Olympic Committee’s pursuit of urban events to lure a younger audience saw street dance battles officially added to the medal events program at the 2024 Paris Games. Also confirmed for Paris by the IOC executive board were skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. Those three sports will make their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo Games which were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic by one year to open on July 23, 2021. Weightlifting should have 120 athletes in Paris, which is less than half of its total at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
Popovich knows filling US Olympic roster may be a challenge
Read full article: Popovich knows filling US Olympic roster may be a challengeAnd when presented with this potential scheduling conundrum, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich — who will coach USA Basketball men’s national team at the next Olympics — came up with a very quick, very lighthearted solution. “I don’t think we’re going to let the finals go seven games,” Popovich said. Popovich will be head coach of the Olympic team for the first time, succeeding Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “The Olympics is always on my mind, just as Coach K told me it would be,” Popovich said Tuesday. The 2016 Olympic team was picked about six weeks before the start of the Rio Games, allowing time for a training camp and exhibitions before heading to Brazil.
AP Interview: Italian swimmers locked up in Alpine resort
Read full article: AP Interview: Italian swimmers locked up in Alpine resort(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, file)ROME – The high-altitude training camp in the Alps was supposed to represent ideal preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. Instead, a large portion of the Italian swimming team — 13 elite athletes — has been locked in their tiny hotel rooms for nearly two weeks with the coronavirus. “We gave them some exercises to do and some of the athletes have told us they are doing them. Simone Sabbioni and Alice Mizzau, two more Italian swimmers from a different club, are quarantined in another hotel. All of the swimmers tested positive again in the latest round of tests on Thursday, although they are now all asymptomatic.
IOC gives assurance to sports bodies that Tokyo is on track
Read full article: IOC gives assurance to sports bodies that Tokyo is on trackTOKYO – The International Olympic Committee tried to assure dozens of international sports federations on Thursday that the postponed Tokyo Games will open on July 23. The IOC and Tokyo organizers have been holding on-line sessions this week with about 200 national Olympic committees, and with the more than 30 summer sports bodies that are represented on the program. Earlier this month, local organizers announced cuts to the Olympic program amounting to about $280 million — about 2% of the official budget. Andrew Ryan, the executive director of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, touched on the cuts in his opening remarks on Thursday. Each of the international federations jealously guard their events at the Olympics, expecting the best facilities, which must be paid for by local organizers.
Bach offers pep session for Tokyo Games and talks up vaccine
Read full article: Bach offers pep session for Tokyo Games and talks up vaccineYuriko Koike, right, reacts before an on-line meeting focused on how to pull off the delayed Tokyo Games, in Tokyo, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. “We have very encouraging news about the development of a vaccine — and not only a vaccine, but vaccines,” he said. Back repeated several times that next year's games have to be “fit for the post-Corona world.” He said the Tokyo Olympics were the “best prepared” in history, but that will not be enough. He also said the IOC and local organizers would not be rushed to reveal details of exactly how the Tokyo Olympics will take place. It forced the resignation last year of Tsunekazu Takeda, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee.
New Japanese PM gets word out: He supports Tokyo Olympics
Read full article: New Japanese PM gets word out: He supports Tokyo OlympicsTOKYO – Japan’s new prime minister has gotten the word out to the president of the International Olympic Committee that he is behind next year’s delayed Tokyo Games. Yoshiro Mori, the head of the local organizing committee and also a former prime minister, said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has a “strong commitment" to the Tokyo Olympics. Bach was very pleased when he heard this," Mori said, speaking on Thursday at the organizing committee offices. Mori told Bach the reappointment of the two ministers directly connected to the Olympics — Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda and Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto — showed the government's continued support. “Making the Olympics and Paralympics a success, using all means, is the strong commitment of Japan,” Haiguda said, speaking alongside Mori.
Postponed Tokyo Olympics hit 1-year-to-go mark -- again
Read full article: Postponed Tokyo Olympics hit 1-year-to-go mark -- againThe postponed Tokyo Olympics have again reached the one-year-to-go mark. That was before COVID-19 postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO The Tokyo Olympics have hit the one-year-to-go mark again. That was before the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the Olympics and pushed back the opening to July 23, 2021. The Tokyo Games would be canceled this time if they can't be held.
American sprinter Stevens banned 18 months for missed tests
Read full article: American sprinter Stevens banned 18 months for missed testsOlympic finalist sprinter Deajah Stevens was banned for 18 months on Thursday for missing doping tests and will miss the Tokyo Games. The Athletics Integrity Unit, which prosecutes cases in track and field, said Stevens was unavailable for three doping controls in 2019 in Oregon and West Hollywood. It will expire days after the scheduled closing ceremony of the postponed Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. A 200-meter specialist, Stevens placed seventh in the final at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, and fifth at the 2017 world championships in London. Stevens was the 2017 national champion over 200 and a former NCAA champion in the 4x400 relay running for the University of Oregon.
World 100-meter champ suspended for missing drug tests
Read full article: World 100-meter champ suspended for missing drug testsChristian Coleman, the reigning world champion in the 100-meter dash, was suspended Wednesday by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing drug tests. He is temporarily banned from competition until a final decision at a hearing conducted under the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules or the Integrity Code of Conduct. Coleman said earlier on Twitter that drug testers were unable to find him Dec. 9 while he was at a nearby mall Christmas shopping. He said in his post hes been appealing the latest missed test for six months with the AIU, which runs the anti-doping program for World Athletics. I am willing to take a drug test EVERY single day for the rest of my career for all I care to prove my innocence.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports