Covid cases, updates, news, cancellation, postponed, reaction, COVID-19, Christian Eriksen, health

The top of the organising committee for the Tokyo Olympics has refused to rule out a last-minute cancellation of the Video games if coronavirus instances proceed to ruse.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto was requested at a information convention if the Video games may nonetheless be cancelled and admitted he would proceed to watch an infection numbers.

“We’ll proceed discussions if there’s a spike in instances,” Muto stated.

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“We have now agreed that based mostly on the coronavirus scenario, we are going to convene five-party talks once more. At this level, the coronavirus instances might rise or fall, so we are going to take into consideration what we should always do when the scenario arises.”

A spokesperson for the Video games although launched a later assertion after Muto’s feedback, reaffirming: “We’re concentrating 100% on delivering profitable Video games”.

Presently there have been 67 constructive Covid instances amongst these accredited for the Tokyo Olympics.

Olympics chief Thomas Bach revealed “doubts” and “sleepless nights” over the postponed Video games on Tuesday.

Bach, talking on the Worldwide Olympic Committee session in Tokyo, stated the unprecedented step of suspending the Video games “weighed on me” because it proved extra difficult than he thought.

“Over the previous 15 months we needed to take many selections on very unsure grounds. We had doubts each day. We deliberated and mentioned. There have been sleepless nights,” stated Bach.

“This additionally weighed on us, it weighed on me. However with a view to arrive at today at this time we needed to give confidence, needed to present a manner out of this disaster,” he added.

AUSSIES OUT TO REPEAT 21-YEAR HUMILIATION AFTER BOLD PREDICTION

It backfired spectacularly over twenty years in the past but as soon as once more, the American swimming staff has made a daring declare that’s positive to fireside up the Aussies.

Lilly King had claimed US ladies will win each particular person gold medal in ladies’s swimming in Tokyo.

The Aussies have already made their assertion within the pool, with Ariarne Titmus beating Katie Ledecky on the 2019 world championships whereas Kaylee McKeown took the 100m backstroke world document away from Regan Smith final month.

Clearly the message isn’t getting by means of and King’s outrageous feedback spark flashbacks to Gary Corridor Jr’s vow to smash the Aussie relay staff like guitars in 2000.

That after all didn’t occur with Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Chris Fydler and Ashley Callus combining to defy the American’s prediction with a world document win.

They made positive to remind him of it too, performing air guitar on the pool deck after the victory.

The US ladies’s head coach Greg Meehan is backing King in although.

“What I like about what Lilly stated is that’s who she is, that’s her character, she is aggressive,” he stated.

“That’s somebody we wish on Crew USA. She’s nice on relays and whatever the context of that, the fact is, is that aggressive spirit is what Crew USA is all about.

“(When) we get into worldwide competitors, that aggressive spirit is what drives us. And it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s Australia or Crew GB or China or Japan or whoever it might be, it’s about being the perfect that we will be as Crew USA.”

$4BN REVOLT AMID WIDESPREAD BACKLASH

The backlash in the direction of Tokyo internet hosting the Olympic Video games has reached a brand new stage with big-name sponsors backing out.

Beer firm Asahi, electronics big Fujitsu and telecoms supplier NTT beforehand acknowledged they’d not ship senior executives to the Video games whereas Panasonic introduced related on Friday.

Now main sponsor Toyota has additionally confirmed it won’t run an Olympic-linked model marketing campaign.

Reviews declare company sponsorship for the Video games is value $4 billion.

The build-up to the opening ceremony has been exceptionally rocky, with Tokyo nonetheless below a state of emergency and public opinion constantly in opposition to the Video games, which will probably be held largely with out spectators.

The newest Asahi Shimbun newspaper ballot discovered a majority of respondents, 55 p.c, have been in opposition to holding the Video games this summer season, with 33 p.c in favour.

FOOTBALL COACH FEARS ERIKSEN REPEAT

South Africa’s Olympic soccer coach fears his gamers’ well being could possibly be in danger after being compelled to isolate on the Tokyo Video games, citing Christian Eriksen’s traumatic ordeal at Euro 2020.

The staff head into their opening sport in opposition to Japan on Thursday in disarray after two gamers and a video analyst examined constructive for coronavirus following their arrival on the Olympic Village.

Twenty-one members of the staff contingent have been named as shut contacts on Monday, forcing them to overlook two coaching classes as they remoted of their rooms.

Coach David Notoane fears the shortage of time to acclimatise in sizzling and steamy Tokyo might put his gamers in danger.

He pointed to the instance of Denmark midfielder Eriksen, who collapsed on the European Championship final month after struggling a cardiac arrest earlier than being resuscitated.

“You noticed what occurred in Euro 2020 when Denmark performed,” Notoane stated on Tuesday.

“One can solely hope and pray that with the gamers having been out of exercise for a very long time since we arrived right here, we don’t expertise one thing like that.”

“Possibly we haven’t acclimatised sufficient to those situations as we’d have favored to,” he added.

Athletes designated as shut contacts on the Video games should adjust to strict tips with a view to be allowed to coach, together with staying of their rooms and utilizing particular transport.

However the gamers will probably be eligible to play on Thursday in the event that they take a look at damaging for the virus six hours earlier than the sport.

Notoane stated he had 17 gamers at his disposal, and was grateful the sport had not been known as off.

“The worst-case situation might have been that we have been suspended from the match, or we don’t have sufficient staff members to take part within the match,” he stated.

5 folks have examined constructive within the Olympic Village to this point, heightening fears that the inflow of hundreds of athletes, officers and media will add to a spike in instances in Japan.

However Japan defender Maya Yoshida was unconcerned about going through the South Africans of their match opener.

“I’ve performed for the previous 12 months in a managed setting the place anybody who examined constructive couldn’t play,” stated the Sampdoria defender.

“Personally, I don’t see any points with enjoying on this setting. We’re below restrictions on the motels to guarantee that we’re protected, so I personally don’t really feel unsafe.”

ANTI-SEX BED MYTH BUSTED

There’s been a hearsay that merely received’t go away surrounding the athletes village in Tokyo… till now.

Social media has been ablaze over the previous week with footage of the beds within the village, which have been stated to be made out of reasonably flimsy cardboard.

The explanation for this was supposedly to discourage athletes from being intimate with each other, because of the reality the beds weren’t able to holding up multiple physique.

However Australia’s hockey gamers have been fast to check this concept out.

Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch posted to Twitter images of her and several other teammates sitting on one of many beds, clearly demonstrating they’re able to holding important weight.

“Following many questions on our cardboard beds, we thought we should always put them to the take a look at,” Lynch wrote with a winking emoji included.

“Can verify they’re sturdy sufficient for actions!”.