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Postponing or cancelling the Tokyo Olympics is "inconceivable", Japan's Olympic minister said Wednesday, as the new coronavirus outbreak raises fears the event could be scrapped.

"From the viewpoint of athletes who are the main protagonists in the Tokyo Games, as they are making adjustments and preparations for this once-in-four-years event, it is inconceivable to cancel or postpone," Seiko Hashimoto told a parliament committee.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473">Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours'</a>

She conceded that "it is the IOC (International Olympic Committee) who will make a final decision on the Games".

Hashimoto added: "We think it is important that the government gives correct information so that the IOC makes an appropriate decision."

The rapid spread of the virus, which has infected more than 560 people and been linked to 12 deaths in Japan, has cast a shadow over preparations for the Games.

Hashimoto's comments came after the Wall Street Journal quoted a member of the Tokyo's organisers' executive board as saying a delay of two years would be the most realistic option if the Games cannot be held this summer.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indian-women-hockey-team-qualifies-for-tokyo-olympics-259565">Indian women hockey team qualifies for Tokyo Olympics</a>

"We'll have to start talking about this seriously from April," Haruyuki Takahashi told the Journal, adding the board has not yet discussed the issue.

Asked about the report, Hashimoto said she was told by the 2020 organisers that they are preparing for the Games as scheduled from July 24 to August 9.

Tokyo 2020 organisers said they had "sought clarification" from Takahashi.

"He stated he had inadvertently given his personal opinion in response to a hypothetical question," a statement said.

"As IOC President (Thomas) Bach stated the other day, neither the IOC nor the organising committee are considering postponing or cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games, and we are proceeding with our preparations for a safe and secure Games opening on 24 July 2020 as planned."

Postponing or cancelling the Tokyo Olympics is "inconceivable", Japan's Olympic minister said Wednesday, as the new coronavirus outbreak raises fears the event could be scrapped.

Postponing or cancelling the Tokyo Olympics is "inconceivable", Japan's Olympic minister said Wednesday, as the new coronavirus outbreak raises fears the event could be scrapped. "From the viewpoint of athletes who are the main protagonists in the Tokyo Games, as they are making adjustments and preparations for this once-in-four-years event, it is inconceivable to cancel or postpone," Seiko Hashimoto told a parliament committee. Also Read: Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours' She conceded that "it is the IOC (International Olympic Committee) who will make a final decision on the Games". Hashimoto added: "We think it is important that the government gives correct information so that the IOC makes an appropriate decision." The rapid spread of the virus, which has infected more than 560 people and been linked to 12 deaths in Japan, has cast a shadow over preparations for the Games. Hashimoto's comments came after the Wall Street Journal quoted a member of the Tokyo's organisers' executive board as saying a delay of two years would be the most realistic option if the Games cannot be held this summer. Also Read: Indian women hockey team qualifies for Tokyo Olympics "We'll have to start talking about this seriously from April," Haruyuki Takahashi told the Journal, adding the board has not yet discussed the issue. Asked about the report, Hashimoto said she was told by the 2020 organisers that they are preparing for the Games as scheduled from July 24 to August 9. Tokyo 2020 organisers said they had "sought clarification" from Takahashi. "He stated he had inadvertently given his personal opinion in response to a hypothetical question," a statement said. "As IOC President (Thomas) Bach stated the other day, neither the IOC nor the organising committee are considering postponing or cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games, and we are proceeding with our preparations for a safe and secure Games opening on 24 July 2020 as planned."

Cancelling Tokyo Olympics 'inconceivable': Japan minister

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The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan reached the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, as the government reiterated that plans to host the Tokyo Summer Olympics in July remained on track.

The newest infection case was confirmed in a man in his 40s in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, the prefecture's governor, Tsugumasa Muraoka, told a news conference.

Cases in Japan have now hit the 1,000 mark, public broadcaster NHK said. Of those, 706 are from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, while 12 have died, the health ministry said.

Meanwhile, the government's top spokesman said on Wednesday that Japan would go ahead in preparing to host the Olympics as planned, amid speculation they could be postponed because of the coronavirus threat.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473">&nbsp;Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours'</a>

"We would steadily proceed with our preparations while closely coordinating with the IOC (the International Olympic Committee) and the organising committee," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular news conference.

The Olympics are scheduled to open in less than five months and International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach on Tuesday reiterated his backing for this summer's Games despite the coronavirus threat, urging athletes to prepare "full steam."

Still, there are worries the Games could be postponed or even cancelled. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked schools to close this month, companies are encouraging employees to work from home and sporting events are being cancelled or played in empty arenas.

Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/coronavirus-scare-olympic-contract-allows-postponement-within-2020-says-japan-minister-283975">&nbsp;Coronavirus scare: Olympic contract allows postponement within 2020, says Japan minister</a>

Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto fuelled concerns about a delay, saying on Tuesday that Tokyo's contract with the International Olympic Committee "could be interpreted as allowing a postponement" until the end of the year, although she reiterated the government remained committed to the Games starting on July 24.

Hashimoto also indicated the end of May could be a key date for making any decisions related to a possible cancellation.

Masa Takaya, a Tokyo 2020 organising committee spokesman, said on Wednesday the government had clarified its commitment for the Games to proceed, and there was no deadline on a decision whether to postpone.

“We have been informed from the Olympic minister that she is absolutely on the same page and the Games will go ahead as planned."

The epidemic has already been affecting related events in the run up to the Games.

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.

Olympics host city Tokyo has seen 40 cases, while infections have been confirmed as far south as Okinawa.

The latest case was the first in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi.

"Given how the coronavirus was spreading throughout the country, I thought it would only be a matter of time before a case was confirmed in Yamaguchi," Muraoka said. "We will be doing all we can to prevent the spread of the virus."

The northern island of Hokkaido, which has a population of about 5 million people, has confirmed more than 70 infections. That is the largest number of cases in Japan, prompting the island to declare a state of emergency.

In separate statements on Wednesday, Japan's biggest carrier ANA Holdings and local rival Japan Airlines Co said they would cancel some of their domestic flights between March 6-12 due to slower travel demand.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan reached the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, as the government reiterated that plans to host the Tokyo Summer Olympics in July remained on track.

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Japan reached the 1,000 mark on Wednesday, as the government reiterated that plans to host the Tokyo Summer Olympics in July remained on track. The newest infection case was confirmed in a man in his 40s in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi, the prefecture's governor, Tsugumasa Muraoka, told a news conference. Cases in Japan have now hit the 1,000 mark, public broadcaster NHK said. Of those, 706 are from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, while 12 have died, the health ministry said. Meanwhile, the government's top spokesman said on Wednesday that Japan would go ahead in preparing to host the Olympics as planned, amid speculation they could be postponed because of the coronavirus threat. Also Read: Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours' "We would steadily proceed with our preparations while closely coordinating with the IOC (the International Olympic Committee) and the organising committee," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular news conference. The Olympics are scheduled to open in less than five months and International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach on Tuesday reiterated his backing for this summer's Games despite the coronavirus threat, urging athletes to prepare "full steam." Still, there are worries the Games could be postponed or even cancelled. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asked schools to close this month, companies are encouraging employees to work from home and sporting events are being cancelled or played in empty arenas. Also Read: Coronavirus scare: Olympic contract allows postponement within 2020, says Japan minister Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto fuelled concerns about a delay, saying on Tuesday that Tokyo's contract with the International Olympic Committee "could be interpreted as allowing a postponement" until the end of the year, although she reiterated the government remained committed to the Games starting on July 24. Hashimoto also indicated the end of May could be a key date for making any decisions related to a possible cancellation. Masa Takaya, a Tokyo 2020 organising committee spokesman, said on Wednesday the government had clarified its commitment for the Games to proceed, and there was no deadline on a decision whether to postpone. “We have been informed from the Olympic minister that she is absolutely on the same page and the Games will go ahead as planned." The epidemic has already been affecting related events in the run up to the Games. 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. Olympics host city Tokyo has seen 40 cases, while infections have been confirmed as far south as Okinawa. The latest case was the first in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi. "Given how the coronavirus was spreading throughout the country, I thought it would only be a matter of time before a case was confirmed in Yamaguchi," Muraoka said. "We will be doing all we can to prevent the spread of the virus." The northern island of Hokkaido, which has a population of about 5 million people, has confirmed more than 70 infections. That is the largest number of cases in Japan, prompting the island to declare a state of emergency. In separate statements on Wednesday, Japan's biggest carrier ANA Holdings and local rival Japan Airlines Co said they would cancel some of their domestic flights between March 6-12 due to slower travel demand.

Japanese coronavirus infections reach 1,000, Olympics preparations on track

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, Japan's Olympics minister said today that Tokyo's Olympic 2020 contract allows it to postpone the Games until the end of the year.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473">Also Read:&nbsp;Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours'</a>

"The contract calls for the Games to be held within 2020. That could be interpreted as allowing a postponement," Seiko Hashimoto said.

The Olympics are due to begin on July 24 in Tokyo. However, the coronavirus has clouded the games which is attended by athletes around the world, a nightmare scenario for authorities with countries reporting spate of virus cases.

Seiko Hashimoto however added that Japan's government and host city Tokyo were still committed to hosting the Games with the International Olympic Committee(IOC) the only body which has the right to cancel the games.

The IOC's Thomas Bach said that preparations were still underway for a "successful" Games in Tokyo.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ahead-of-olympics-tokyo-prepares-foreigners-for-potential-disasters-277049">Also Read:&nbsp;Ahead of Olympics, Tokyo prepares foreigners for potential disasters</a>

Several sporting events around the world have either been cancelled or postponed in the wake of the spread of the virus.

More than 3,100 people have died and over 90,000 have been infected in more than 60 countries worldwide.

In Japan, the virus has infected at least 230 people with five people who have died due to the virus.

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, Japan's Olympics minister said today that Tokyo's Olympic 2020 contract allows it to postpone the Games until the end of the year.

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, Japan's Olympics minister said today that Tokyo's Olympic 2020 contract allows it to postpone the Games until the end of the year. Also Read: Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours' "The contract calls for the Games to be held within 2020. That could be interpreted as allowing a postponement," Seiko Hashimoto said. The Olympics are due to begin on July 24 in Tokyo. However, the coronavirus has clouded the games which is attended by athletes around the world, a nightmare scenario for authorities with countries reporting spate of virus cases. Seiko Hashimoto however added that Japan's government and host city Tokyo were still committed to hosting the Games with the International Olympic Committee(IOC) the only body which has the right to cancel the games. The IOC's Thomas Bach said that preparations were still underway for a "successful" Games in Tokyo. Also Read: Ahead of Olympics, Tokyo prepares foreigners for potential disasters Several sporting events around the world have either been cancelled or postponed in the wake of the spread of the virus. More than 3,100 people have died and over 90,000 have been infected in more than 60 countries worldwide. In Japan, the virus has infected at least 230 people with five people who have died due to the virus.

Coronavirus scare: Olympic contract allows postponement within 2020, says Japan minister

A plan to use snow collected in Japan's mountains to cool 2020 Olympics venues this summer is being stymied by snowfalls on track to be the lowest on record, according to officials involved.

The Olympics are coming to Japan; So too is climate change

Tokyo's governor Yuriko Koike has hit out at the Shaun Bailey, the mayor who offered London to host this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwis4O_FtOLnAhWawTgGHa2TBXYQFjABegQICRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0vFBrmqjfau4W6vDMUTj_M" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473" target="_blank">Tokyo Olympics&nbsp;CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours'</a>

On Wednesday, Tokyo's virology department said that holding the games 'now' will not be a wise decision and following this statement, London's mayor Shaun Bailey tweeted: "London can host the Olympics in 2020. We have the infrastructure and experience. And due to the coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up."

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London can host the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympics</a> in 2020. 
 
We have the infrastructure and the experience. 
And due to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirus</a> outbreak, the world might need us to step up. 
 
As Mayor, I will make sure London is ready to answer the call and host the Olympics again.<a href="https://t.co/1jJesWS1D6">https://t.co/1jJesWS1D6</a>
— Shaun Bailey (@ShaunBaileyUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaunBaileyUK/status/1230111123476746241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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He added: "As mayor, I will make sure London is ready to answer the call and host the Olympics again,".&nbsp;

London has hosted the Olympics in &nbsp;2012, 1948 and 1908.&nbsp;

Japanese governor Koike blasted on Shaun Bailey's offer calling it "not appropriate to try to make it an issue in a mayoral election".

"A reason why this issue has attracted global attention is due to the cruise ship," she said, in reference to the Diamond Princess, a vessel in Japan that has seen more than 600 cases of coronavirus.

"But the cruise ship's nationality belongs to Britain," she said referring to the ship's registration.&nbsp;

Earlier, Tokyo 2020 CEO Yoshiro Mori called scrapping of the games an "irresponsible rumour" during the meeting with top IOC (International Olympic Committee) officials.&nbsp;

"With regards to the coronavirus... there are many irresponsible rumours but I would like to make it clear again that we are not considering postponing or cancelling the games," he said.

As the death toll in China's coronavirus rose to 2,233 on Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/like-a-zombie-apocalypse-residents-on-edge-as-coronavirus-cases-surge-in-south-korea-281821">South Korea</a>&nbsp;confirmed 52 more cases of the virus taking the overall figure to 156 in the country.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Tokyo's governor Yuriko Koike has hit out at the Shaun Bailey, the mayor who offered London to host this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Tokyo's governor Yuriko Koike has hit out at the Shaun Bailey, the mayor who offered London to host this year's Tokyo Olympics due to the novel coronavirus epidemic. Also read: Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours' On Wednesday, Tokyo's virology department said that holding the games 'now' will not be a wise decision and following this statement, London's mayor Shaun Bailey tweeted: "London can host the Olympics in 2020. We have the infrastructure and experience. And due to the coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up." London can host the #Olympics in 2020. We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up. As Mayor, I will make sure London is ready to answer the call and host the Olympics again.https://t.co/1jJesWS1D6 — Shaun Bailey (@ShaunBaileyUK) February 19, 2020 × He added: "As mayor, I will make sure London is ready to answer the call and host the Olympics again,". London has hosted the Olympics in 2012, 1948 and 1908. Japanese governor Koike blasted on Shaun Bailey's offer calling it "not appropriate to try to make it an issue in a mayoral election". "A reason why this issue has attracted global attention is due to the cruise ship," she said, in reference to the Diamond Princess, a vessel in Japan that has seen more than 600 cases of coronavirus. "But the cruise ship's nationality belongs to Britain," she said referring to the ship's registration. Earlier, Tokyo 2020 CEO Yoshiro Mori called scrapping of the games an "irresponsible rumour" during the meeting with top IOC (International Olympic Committee) officials. "With regards to the coronavirus... there are many irresponsible rumours but I would like to make it clear again that we are not considering postponing or cancelling the games," he said. As the death toll in China's coronavirus rose to 2,233 on Friday, South Korea confirmed 52 more cases of the virus taking the overall figure to 156 in the country.

'Not appropriate': Tokyo's governor slams London Olympic hosting offer

The Tokyo 2020 mascots, Miraitowa and Someity, left the Japanese capital for their 'Make the Beat' tour of Europe on Wednesday (February 19) following a bizarre ceremony held in the departure lounge of Haneda airport.

Tokyo 2020 mascots depart for European tour with bizarre send-off

Twitter said on Saturday that an official Twitter account of the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) media Twitter account had been hacked and temporarily locked.

Twitter said on Saturday that an official Twitter account of the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) media Twitter account had been hacked and temporarily locked. The accounts were hacked through a third-party platform, a spokesperson for the social media platform said in an emailed statement, without giving further details. "As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we locked the compromised accounts and are working closely with our partners to restore them," the Twitter spokesperson said. Also Read: Twitter moves to curb manipulated content including 'deepfakes' A spokesperson for the IOC separately said that the IOC was investigating the potential breach. Last month, the official Twitter accounts of several US National Football League (NFL) teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, were hacked a few days ahead of the Super Bowl. Earlier this month, some of Facebook's official Twitter accounts were briefly compromised.

Twitter says Olympics, IOC accounts hacked

Olympic chiefs admitted Friday they face a "very big communications job" to soothe concerns over the coronavirus epidemic in the run-up to this summer's Tokyo Games.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympic-ceo-calls-coronavirus-concern-irresponsible-rumours-280473" hreflang="en">Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours'</a>

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) coordination commission insisted there was no danger of Tokyo 2020 being cancelled or moved, despite <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-coronavirus-death-toll-rises-to-over-1480-japan-confirms-first-death-280603">fears over the fast-spreading virus</a> which has killed nearly 1,400 and infected around 64,000 most of them in China.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/chinese-f1-grand-prix-postponed-due-to-continued-spread-of-novel-coronavirus-280489" hreflang="en">Chinese F1 Grand Prix postponed due to coronavirus</a>

But he said the IOC will send out information packs to reassure athletes that it's safe to come into contact with competitors from China.

"The advice we have received from the World Health Organization (WHO) is that there is no case for a contingency plan to cancel or move the Games," John Coates told reporters after a project review meeting.

"Certainly it's a very big communications job that needs to be undertaken," he added, noting that China is set to send more than 600 athletes to Tokyo.

"But we hear that most of the Chinese athletes are now out of China. I don't know how many were to be involved in test events here, but I don't see a problem if they're coming from another country."

Coates promised lessons would be learned from Rio four years ago, when concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus led to several top athletes pulling out of the Olympics, including golfers Jason Day and Rory McIlroy.

"The WHO pointed out the likelihood of Zika being a problem at the time of the Games was very low," he said.

"But we did lose some athletes Jason Day's wife was pregnant. We didn't communicate the information well enough."

Tokyo organisers have slammed "fake news" and scare-mongering over the coronavirus outbreak for causing panic ahead of the Games, which open on July 24.

More than 25 countries have confirmed cases of the flu-like disease, which the WHO has declared a global health emergency.

Japan, which registered its first fatality on Thursday of someone who had tested positive for the virus, is one of the worst-hit countries outside of mainland China.

There have been 33 cases on land and more than 200 positive tests of people quarantined on a cruise ship floating off Yokohama since last week.

Coates conceded that there could be fear among athletes about facing competitors from China.

"We did talk about that," said the Australian.

"The IOC is going to ensure (information) kits are sent to all national committees to explain what's happening around the world where Chinese athletes are competing," he added.

"But I can confirm Tokyo 2020 remains on track," insisted Coates, who revealed IOC president Thomas Bach will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on the sidelines of the May 19-20 executive project review.

The virus has already impacted sporting events in Asia, including Olympic qualifiers for boxing and basketball -- both in China.

Formula One's Shanghai Grand Prix, scheduled to take place in April, has been postponed with the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix also under threat.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has come under fire for its handling of the infection, especially quarantine measures seen as too lax in the early stages of the epidemic.&nbsp;

"We don't yet know who will be competing at test events so we can't say anything for sure," said Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto, when pressed to specify measures being taken to tackle the epidemic.

"But we will have information from the qualifiers that are underway and take the necessary steps."

Olympic chiefs admitted Friday they face a "very big communications job" to soothe concerns over the coronavirus epidemic in the run-up to this summer's Tokyo Games.

Olympic chiefs admitted Friday they face a "very big communications job" to soothe concerns over the coronavirus epidemic in the run-up to this summer's Tokyo Games. Also read: Tokyo Olympics CEO calls coronavirus concern 'irresponsible rumours' The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) coordination commission insisted there was no danger of Tokyo 2020 being cancelled or moved, despite fears over the fast-spreading virus which has killed nearly 1,400 and infected around 64,000 most of them in China. Also read: Chinese F1 Grand Prix postponed due to coronavirus But he said the IOC will send out information packs to reassure athletes that it's safe to come into contact with competitors from China. "The advice we have received from the World Health Organization (WHO) is that there is no case for a contingency plan to cancel or move the Games," John Coates told reporters after a project review meeting. "Certainly it's a very big communications job that needs to be undertaken," he added, noting that China is set to send more than 600 athletes to Tokyo. "But we hear that most of the Chinese athletes are now out of China. I don't know how many were to be involved in test events here, but I don't see a problem if they're coming from another country." Coates promised lessons would be learned from Rio four years ago, when concerns over the mosquito-borne Zika virus led to several top athletes pulling out of the Olympics, including golfers Jason Day and Rory McIlroy. "The WHO pointed out the likelihood of Zika being a problem at the time of the Games was very low," he said. "But we did lose some athletes Jason Day's wife was pregnant. We didn't communicate the information well enough." Tokyo organisers have slammed "fake news" and scare-mongering over the coronavirus outbreak for causing panic ahead of the Games, which open on July 24. More than 25 countries have confirmed cases of the flu-like disease, which the WHO has declared a global health emergency. Japan, which registered its first fatality on Thursday of someone who had tested positive for the virus, is one of the worst-hit countries outside of mainland China. There have been 33 cases on land and more than 200 positive tests of people quarantined on a cruise ship floating off Yokohama since last week. Coates conceded that there could be fear among athletes about facing competitors from China. "We did talk about that," said the Australian. "The IOC is going to ensure (information) kits are sent to all national committees to explain what's happening around the world where Chinese athletes are competing," he added. "But I can confirm Tokyo 2020 remains on track," insisted Coates, who revealed IOC president Thomas Bach will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on the sidelines of the May 19-20 executive project review. The virus has already impacted sporting events in Asia, including Olympic qualifiers for boxing and basketball -- both in China. Formula One's Shanghai Grand Prix, scheduled to take place in April, has been postponed with the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix also under threat. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has come under fire for its handling of the infection, especially quarantine measures seen as too lax in the early stages of the epidemic. "We don't yet know who will be competing at test events so we can't say anything for sure," said Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto, when pressed to specify measures being taken to tackle the epidemic. "But we will have information from the qualifiers that are underway and take the necessary steps."

IOC face 'big communications job' as virus jitters hit Tokyo Olympics

Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The ace thrower managed to record a throw of 87.86m at the Athletics Central North East meeting in South Africa.

<img alt="Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="29ccb487-c152-40c2-bfcb-d06ff1c8e55b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_64.jpg" /> 
[&nbsp;Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra (Courtesy: ANI) ]

With this throw, he crossed the benchmark of 85m. The thrower also uploaded a video of his feat and captioned the post as 87.86 meters.

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87.86 mtr 
Feeling super awesome to be back in the competition mode. 
Thank you everyone for your good wishes and supporting me always🙏जय हिंद 🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/gO8iCMG8Di">pic.twitter.com/gO8iCMG8Di</a>
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Neeraj_chopra1/status/1222218574971965440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Chopra was bogged down by an elbow injury, and this event is the thrower's first competitive event after full recovery. The elbow injury had forced Neeraj to miss competitive action for the bulk of 2019.

Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The ace thrower managed to record a throw of 87.86m at the Athletics Central North East meeting in South Africa.

Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The ace thrower managed to record a throw of 87.86m at the Athletics Central North East meeting in South Africa. [ Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra (Courtesy: ANI) ] With this throw, he crossed the benchmark of 85m. The thrower also uploaded a video of his feat and captioned the post as 87.86 meters. 87.86 mtr Feeling super awesome to be back in the competition mode. Thank you everyone for your good wishes and supporting me always🙏जय हिंद 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/gO8iCMG8Di — Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) January 28, 2020 × Chopra was bogged down by an elbow injury, and this event is the thrower's first competitive event after full recovery. The elbow injury had forced Neeraj to miss competitive action for the bulk of 2019.

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra qualifies for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nocs-confident-tokyo-2020-can-overcome-heat-water-quality-issues-244462">Tokyo&nbsp;2020</a> organisers are putting the final touches to preparations less than six months out from the start of the&nbsp;Olympics&nbsp;but the area they are most concerned about remains readiness for any natural disaster striking during the Games.

With thousands of&nbsp;foreigners&nbsp;expected to descend on&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;for the July 24 to August&nbsp;9 event, organisers are acutely aware of the need to provide clear instructions in English and raise awareness of what to do in case of an earthquake or tsunami.

On Tuesday, over 200 of&nbsp;Tokyo's approximately 570,000 foreign residents gathered at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, which will stage events during the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-olympics-heavy-policy-speech-japan-pm-says-games-mark-new-era-for-nation-275383">Olympics</a>, to run through drills aimed at making them more disaster-savvy.

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As well as testing earthquake simulators, the participants were also taught how to use fire extinguishers, walkthrough smoke-filled rooms, phone the police in case of emergency and even what exercises to do if stuck in an evacuation shelter.

Japan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to typhoons and earthquakes, and experiences an average of 1,500 temblors a year, although few cause any damage, let alone loss of life.

However, experts believe there is a 70 per cent&nbsp;chance of a major earthquake striking the Japanese capital in the next 30 years.

Because of this, the foreign residents welcomed all the advice they could get.

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"For the Japanese government to hold an event like this, it really helps&nbsp;foreigners&nbsp;like me because kids in Japan are already taught in school but we have no idea," said Vietnamese student Hoa Nguyen, who has lived in Japan for over a year.

Over 30 interpreters, speaking six different languages, we're on hand to help the participants, who hailed from 44 countries.

"I actually think it is amazing the effort they tell you ... to prepare, prepare, prepare because it is easy to go through daily life and not worry about it," said Rodrigo Coronel, the Nicaraguan ambassador to Japan.

"So, the&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;government has done a fantastic job with these kinds of events."

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Last year,&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;2020 organisers held an earthquake drill at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, a newly built venue for the&nbsp;Olympics, as part of their growing contingency plan&nbsp;ahead&nbsp;of the Games.

Olympics&nbsp;organisers will also want to learn from the Rugby World Cup last year, when a powerful typhoon struck, prompting the unprecedented cancellation of three matches.

Tokyo 2020 organisers are putting the final touches to preparations less than six months out from the start of the Olympics but the area they are most concerned about remains readiness for any natural disaster striking during the Games.

Tokyo 2020 organisers are putting the final touches to preparations less than six months out from the start of the Olympics but the area they are most concerned about remains readiness for any natural disaster striking during the Games. With thousands of foreigners expected to descend on Tokyo for the July 24 to August 9 event, organisers are acutely aware of the need to provide clear instructions in English and raise awareness of what to do in case of an earthquake or tsunami. On Tuesday, over 200 of Tokyo's approximately 570,000 foreign residents gathered at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, which will stage events during the Olympics, to run through drills aimed at making them more disaster-savvy. As well as testing earthquake simulators, the participants were also taught how to use fire extinguishers, walkthrough smoke-filled rooms, phone the police in case of emergency and even what exercises to do if stuck in an evacuation shelter. Japan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to typhoons and earthquakes, and experiences an average of 1,500 temblors a year, although few cause any damage, let alone loss of life. However, experts believe there is a 70 per cent chance of a major earthquake striking the Japanese capital in the next 30 years. Because of this, the foreign residents welcomed all the advice they could get. "For the Japanese government to hold an event like this, it really helps foreigners like me because kids in Japan are already taught in school but we have no idea," said Vietnamese student Hoa Nguyen, who has lived in Japan for over a year. Over 30 interpreters, speaking six different languages, we're on hand to help the participants, who hailed from 44 countries. "I actually think it is amazing the effort they tell you ... to prepare, prepare, prepare because it is easy to go through daily life and not worry about it," said Rodrigo Coronel, the Nicaraguan ambassador to Japan. "So, the Tokyo government has done a fantastic job with these kinds of events." Last year, Tokyo 2020 organisers held an earthquake drill at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre, a newly built venue for the Olympics, as part of their growing contingency plan ahead of the Games. Olympics organisers will also want to learn from the Rugby World Cup last year, when a powerful typhoon struck, prompting the unprecedented cancellation of three matches.

Ahead of Olympics, Tokyo prepares foreigners for potential disasters

Concerns surrounding the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/chinas-deadly-coronavirus-spreads-17-killed-543-infected-276011">coronavirus outbreak</a> in Wuhan led to the cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Boxing Qualifiers, following which the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) Boxing Task Force (BTF) has stated that they will be working closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and all partners to explore alternatives.

The National Olympic Committees, the National Federations, and its officials will be informed immediately by the Task Force on any development.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-emergency-committee-meets-over-coronavirus-outbreak-276002">WHO emergency committee meets over coronavirus outbreak</a>

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[ Effects of the coronavirus on China (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

The Asian/Oceanic Tokyo 2020 Boxing qualifying event which was scheduled to take place in Wuhan from February 3-14 was also cancelled by the Local Organizing Committee amid growing concerns pertaining to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/9-people-killed-440-people-now-infected-by-the-coronavirus-275900">coronavirus outbreak</a> reported in the city.

The viral outbreak in Wuhan was discussed by the WHO Emergency Committee on Monday but no concrete decisions were reached on whether to declare a global state of emergency.

The new virus has sparked major concerns globally over the possibility of it turning into an epidemic and the committee is reconvening on Thursday to consider further steps. Cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have already been registered in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Korea, the United States, and Macau. Human-to-human infection of the virus has been confirmed by Chinese health authorities.

Concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan led to the cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Boxing Qualifiers, following which the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) Boxing Task Force (BTF) has stated that they will be working closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and all partners to explore alternatives.

Concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan led to the cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Boxing Qualifiers, following which the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) Boxing Task Force (BTF) has stated that they will be working closely with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and all partners to explore alternatives. The National Olympic Committees, the National Federations, and its officials will be informed immediately by the Task Force on any development. Also Read: WHO emergency committee meets over coronavirus outbreak [ Effects of the coronavirus on China (Courtesy: Reuters) ] The Asian/Oceanic Tokyo 2020 Boxing qualifying event which was scheduled to take place in Wuhan from February 3-14 was also cancelled by the Local Organizing Committee amid growing concerns pertaining to the coronavirus outbreak reported in the city. The viral outbreak in Wuhan was discussed by the WHO Emergency Committee on Monday but no concrete decisions were reached on whether to declare a global state of emergency. The new virus has sparked major concerns globally over the possibility of it turning into an epidemic and the committee is reconvening on Thursday to consider further steps. Cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have already been registered in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Korea, the United States, and Macau. Human-to-human infection of the virus has been confirmed by Chinese health authorities.

IOC to find Wuhan's alternatives after coronavirus outbreak

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-calls-for-positive-offensive-measures-to-ensure-safety-270976">North Korea</a> has withdrawn its women's soccer team from the final round of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mary-kom-beats-challenger-in-trial-for-olympics-qualification-270761">2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers</a> being staged in South Korea in February, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said.

The AFC said on Tuesday the North had sent a letter informing it of its withdrawal from the tournament and that global governing body FIFA was also aware of the decision.

The two Koreas remain technically at war after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-comments-hostile-and-unnecessary-us-envoy-stephen-biegun-268473">the Korean War</a> ended in a truce and not a peace treaty, and while there was a flurry of&nbsp;sports&nbsp;diplomacy between the neighbours last year ties have again cooled over stalled negotiations over the North's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

"The AFC can confirm that DPR Korea Football Association sent an official letter to withdraw from the Women's Olympic Football Tournament 2020 Asian Qualifiers Final Round," the AFC said in an emailed statement.

The third round of group stage matches for the qualifying tournament will be held from February&nbsp;3-9 in South Korea and China.

North Korea were drawn in Group A alongside hosts South Korea, Vietnam and Myanmar. Australia are in Group B with hosts China, Taiwan and Thailand.

The top two teams from each group advance to a two-legged playoff in March. The two playoff winners will join Japan, who have already qualified by virtue of being hosts, at next year's Olympics in Tokyo.

Also Watch: Fineprint: US vows action if North Korea provokes

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North Korea has withdrawn its women's soccer team from the final round of 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers being staged in South Korea in February, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said.

North Korea has withdrawn its women's soccer team from the final round of 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifiers being staged in South Korea in February, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has said. The AFC said on Tuesday the North had sent a letter informing it of its withdrawal from the tournament and that global governing body FIFA was also aware of the decision. The two Koreas remain technically at war after the Korean War ended in a truce and not a peace treaty, and while there was a flurry of sports diplomacy between the neighbours last year ties have again cooled over stalled negotiations over the North's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. "The AFC can confirm that DPR Korea Football Association sent an official letter to withdraw from the Women's Olympic Football Tournament 2020 Asian Qualifiers Final Round," the AFC said in an emailed statement. The third round of group stage matches for the qualifying tournament will be held from February 3-9 in South Korea and China. North Korea were drawn in Group A alongside hosts South Korea, Vietnam and Myanmar. Australia are in Group B with hosts China, Taiwan and Thailand. The top two teams from each group advance to a two-legged playoff in March. The two playoff winners will join Japan, who have already qualified by virtue of being hosts, at next year's Olympics in Tokyo. Also Watch: Fineprint: US vows action if North Korea provokes ×

North Korea pulls out of women's football 2020 Olympic qualifier in South Korea

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/with-eight-months-from-tokyo-2020-venue-preparations-enter-final-stretch-263688">Tokyo 2020</a> organisers will take "emergency countermeasures" after asbestos was found at the water polo venue for next year's Games after initially opting against treating it when it was discovered two years ago, Asahi newspaper reported on Monday.

Asbestos, which was once widely used in fireproofing and insulation, has been linked to several health hazards including mesothelioma and other types of cancer.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo 2020 were not immediately reachable for comment. Much of Japan is closed for New Year holidays.

The Asahi report said the Tokyo government found the asbestos in fireproof material sprayed on part of the structure supporting the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center's roof.

While Japanese construction industry regulations state asbestos should be removed or covered up, the Tokyo government deemed the amount not to be large in scale, in a stable condition and not accessible so decided to leave it, Asahi said.

Organisers had since decided to take "emergency countermeasures", Asahi said without providing further details.

The report is the latest headache for Tokyo 2020 organisers, who have faced concerns over elevated levels of bacteria in the water in Tokyo bay and how athletes will cope with sweltering summer heat, which has led the marathon event to be moved to the far northern city of Sapporo.

Tokyo 2020 organisers will take "emergency countermeasures" after asbestos was found at the water polo venue for next year's Games after initially opting against treating it when it was discovered two years ago, Asahi newspaper reported on Monday.

Tokyo 2020 organisers will take "emergency countermeasures" after asbestos was found at the water polo venue for next year's Games after initially opting against treating it when it was discovered two years ago, Asahi newspaper reported on Monday. Asbestos, which was once widely used in fireproofing and insulation, has been linked to several health hazards including mesothelioma and other types of cancer. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo 2020 were not immediately reachable for comment. Much of Japan is closed for New Year holidays. The Asahi report said the Tokyo government found the asbestos in fireproof material sprayed on part of the structure supporting the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center's roof. While Japanese construction industry regulations state asbestos should be removed or covered up, the Tokyo government deemed the amount not to be large in scale, in a stable condition and not accessible so decided to leave it, Asahi said. Organisers had since decided to take "emergency countermeasures", Asahi said without providing further details. The report is the latest headache for Tokyo 2020 organisers, who have faced concerns over elevated levels of bacteria in the water in Tokyo bay and how athletes will cope with sweltering summer heat, which has led the marathon event to be moved to the far northern city of Sapporo.

Tokyo 2020 to take measures after asbestos found at venue: Sources

India's MC Mary Kom sealed her spot for next year's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-2020-ceo-pledges-to-keep-games-costs-under-budget-270479">Olympic</a> qualifiers on Saturday with a split decision win over fellow flyweight Nikhat Zareen, who had publicly demanded a trial against the six-times world champion in the race for Tokyo.

The 36-year-old Kom, an Olympic bronze medallist from London 2012, won 9-1 and was selected in the 51kg category in the Indian team for the February&nbsp;3-14 qualifying competition in Wuhan, China by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

The pint-sized puncher was earlier awarded an automatic spot but the 23-year-old Zareen criticised that decision and said Kom should have to go through trials. Zareen also wrote to sports minister Kiren Rijiju demanding his intervention.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indias-appeal-over-mary-koms-semi-final-loss-rejected-by-aibas-technical-committee-255477">Kom</a> had said she would follow the instructions from BFI, which later decided to hold the trials with the row dividing opinion in the country where Kom is hailed as 'Magnificent Mary' for her achievements.

The face of the campaign to get women's boxing into the Olympics in London, Kom won a record sixth gold medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships last year.

The most recent gold came after a gap of eight years for the trailblazing mother of three, who has also won gold medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and won her first world championship medal (silver) in 2001.

India's MC Mary Kom sealed her spot for next year's Olympic qualifiers on Saturday with a split decision win over fellow flyweight Nikhat Zareen, who had publicly demanded a trial against the six-times world champion in the race for Tokyo.

India's MC Mary Kom sealed her spot for next year's Olympic qualifiers on Saturday with a split decision win over fellow flyweight Nikhat Zareen, who had publicly demanded a trial against the six-times world champion in the race for Tokyo. The 36-year-old Kom, an Olympic bronze medallist from London 2012, won 9-1 and was selected in the 51kg category in the Indian team for the February 3-14 qualifying competition in Wuhan, China by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). The pint-sized puncher was earlier awarded an automatic spot but the 23-year-old Zareen criticised that decision and said Kom should have to go through trials. Zareen also wrote to sports minister Kiren Rijiju demanding his intervention. Kom had said she would follow the instructions from BFI, which later decided to hold the trials with the row dividing opinion in the country where Kom is hailed as 'Magnificent Mary' for her achievements. The face of the campaign to get women's boxing into the Olympics in London, Kom won a record sixth gold medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships last year. The most recent gold came after a gap of eight years for the trailblazing mother of three, who has also won gold medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and won her first world championship medal (silver) in 2001.

Mary Kom beats challenger in trial for Olympics qualification

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-to-appeal-against-wadas-four-year-doping-ban-269167">Tokyo Olympics</a> organisers sought to reassure Japan's public that the cost for hosting the Games will not exceed budgeted estimates, amid worries over possible overruns caused partly by late venue switches for the marathon and walking events.

"We will keep telling the public that costs will stay at 1.35 trillion yen ($12 billion) and won't rise from here," Toshiro Mutoh, CEO of Tokyo 2020, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

But that the budgeted figure did not include an estimated 3 billion yen needed to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/more-tokyo-olympic-events-rescheduled-due-to-heat-concern-266444">move the marathon</a> and walking races to the northern city of Sapporo.

Mutoh did not comment on who would be footing the bill for moving the venue, saying only that it would be the next big issue that needed to be sorted out by stake-holders including the Tokyo and Sapporo municipal governments.

"There's an incentive to make the budget appear as small as possible. But you do need money to host the Games. As a compromise, you may need to lower the level of service. But garnering a consensus for this is very difficult," he said.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-recieves-a-four-year-olympic-ban-266130">International Olympic Committee</a> (IOC) stunned Games organisers in October by announcing the marathon and race walk would be moved to Sapporo to avoid Tokyo's scorching summer heat.

The announcement enraged Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who had insisted that the prestigious events remain in the capital.

Mutoh said while there were "problems" in the process in which the decision was made, it was an appropriate one to protect athletes.

"The process was a bit abrupt. But the decision was the right one," he said. "If we proceeded with our original plan to hold the marathon and race walk games in Tokyo, and ended up having athletes being sent to hospitals, the public backlash could be huge."

Mutoh countered criticism that the budget for hosting Tokyo 2020 was far exceeding initial estimates, saying the disparity was due to the difference in the definition of "Games-related" costs.

Expenditures for launching a weather-monitoring satellite and promoting environment-friendly vehicles, for instance, were defined as "Games-related" spending by Japan's Board of Audit, even though they were for more general purposes, Mutoh said.

The Tokyo Olympics run from July 24 to August&nbsp;9 next year.

Tokyo Olympics organisers sought to reassure Japan's public that the cost for hosting the Games will not exceed budgeted estimates, amid worries over possible overruns caused partly by late venue switches for the marathon and walking events.

Tokyo Olympics organisers sought to reassure Japan's public that the cost for hosting the Games will not exceed budgeted estimates, amid worries over possible overruns caused partly by late venue switches for the marathon and walking events. "We will keep telling the public that costs will stay at 1.35 trillion yen ($12 billion) and won't rise from here," Toshiro Mutoh, CEO of Tokyo 2020, told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. But that the budgeted figure did not include an estimated 3 billion yen needed to move the marathon and walking races to the northern city of Sapporo. Mutoh did not comment on who would be footing the bill for moving the venue, saying only that it would be the next big issue that needed to be sorted out by stake-holders including the Tokyo and Sapporo municipal governments. "There's an incentive to make the budget appear as small as possible. But you do need money to host the Games. As a compromise, you may need to lower the level of service. But garnering a consensus for this is very difficult," he said. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stunned Games organisers in October by announcing the marathon and race walk would be moved to Sapporo to avoid Tokyo's scorching summer heat. The announcement enraged Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who had insisted that the prestigious events remain in the capital. Mutoh said while there were "problems" in the process in which the decision was made, it was an appropriate one to protect athletes. "The process was a bit abrupt. But the decision was the right one," he said. "If we proceeded with our original plan to hold the marathon and race walk games in Tokyo, and ended up having athletes being sent to hospitals, the public backlash could be huge." Mutoh countered criticism that the budget for hosting Tokyo 2020 was far exceeding initial estimates, saying the disparity was due to the difference in the definition of "Games-related" costs. Expenditures for launching a weather-monitoring satellite and promoting environment-friendly vehicles, for instance, were defined as "Games-related" spending by Japan's Board of Audit, even though they were for more general purposes, Mutoh said. The Tokyo Olympics run from July 24 to August 9 next year.

Tokyo 2020 CEO pledges to keep Games costs under budget

Jamaican&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/jamaicas-shelly-ann-fraser-pryce-claims-100m-gold-at-athletics-world-championships-252866">Shelly-Ann&nbsp;Fraser-Pryce</a>&nbsp;will run in both the 100 metres and 200 metres events at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

Fraser-Pryce&nbsp;is a two-times Olympic 100 metres champion and she won gold at this year's world championships in Doha.

The 32-year-old, who has four world 100m titles to her name, did not compete in the 200 at the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/olympics-2016/rio-olympics-2016-jamaicas-thompson-becomes-new-sprint-queen-4904">2016 Rio Olympics</a> to focus on the shorter event in which she finished third despite a toe injury.

"I will be doubling up definitely,"&nbsp;Fraser-Pryce&nbsp;was quoted by sources.

"Last year I really wanted to attempt the double but coach had other plans so I just worked with that plan. He knows best."

Fraser-Pryce, who won the 200 metres gold medal at the 2013 world championships and silver at the 2012 London Olympics, said her aim was to run under 22 seconds for the first time in what will be her fourth and final Olympics.

"I am definitely looking forward to running the 200 metres, especially because I believe in my heart that I can run 21 seconds," she added. "It's a big passion of mine so I am working really hard towards that."

The Tokyo Olympics runs from July 24 to August 9, 2020.

Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will run in both the 100 metres and 200 metres events at the Tokyo Olympics next year. Fraser-Pryce is a two-times Olympic 100 metres champion and she won gold at this year's world championships in Doha.

Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will run in both the 100 metres and 200 metres events at the Tokyo Olympics next year. Fraser-Pryce is a two-times Olympic 100 metres champion and she won gold at this year's world championships in Doha. The 32-year-old, who has four world 100m titles to her name, did not compete in the 200 at the 2016 Rio Olympics to focus on the shorter event in which she finished third despite a toe injury. "I will be doubling up definitely," Fraser-Pryce was quoted by sources. "Last year I really wanted to attempt the double but coach had other plans so I just worked with that plan. He knows best." Fraser-Pryce, who won the 200 metres gold medal at the 2013 world championships and silver at the 2012 London Olympics, said her aim was to run under 22 seconds for the first time in what will be her fourth and final Olympics. "I am definitely looking forward to running the 200 metres, especially because I believe in my heart that I can run 21 seconds," she added. "It's a big passion of mine so I am working really hard towards that." The Tokyo Olympics runs from July 24 to August 9, 2020.

Fraser-Pryce to go for sprint double at Tokyo Olympics

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/champions-league-mbappe-and-neymar-dazzle-as-psg-thrash-galatasaray-267850">Kylian Mbappe</a> is putting himself forward for the French team at next summer's Tokyo Olympics, while adding that he would not want to fight his club <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/psg-cruise-into-league-cup-quarters-without-rested-neymar-269109">Paris Saint-Germain</a> over participation.

"Playing in the Olympics, I don't control everything," he told France Football magazine in an interview to be published on Tuesday. "Of course I want to go, but if my club, which is my employer, doesn't want me to go, I won't force a clash.

"We'll soon talk about it," said the 21-year-old, who already has a World Cup winner's medal.

Mbappe had already dropped an Olympic hint when he responded to the French team's qualification in June with a "<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/more-tokyo-olympic-events-rescheduled-due-to-heat-concern-266444">TOKYO 2020</a>" tweet accompanied by a flashing emoticon and a French flag.

Olympic football at Tokyo, an under-23 tournament with each side allowed three overage players, runs from July 22 to August 8, which is also the scheduled date of the start of the French season. Mbappe is also due to play for France at the Euros which run from June 12 to July 12.

If the 21-year-old Parisian star were to be called up by Olympic coach Sylvian Ripoll, he would take his holiday at the start of the club season.&nbsp;

The striker said he had discussed a possible appearance at the Games with France senior coach Didier Deschamps.&nbsp;

"The coach was adamant that it would never be to the detriment of the Euro," Mbappe said. "I reassured him by telling him that I also wanted to play in the Euro, and he said: 'So it's up to you to deal with the people it concerns'.

"If I don't manage to go in 2020, I'll still have 2024 left, in Paris," Mbappe said. "I'd really like to do the Olympics at least once in my career."

Kylian Mbappe is putting himself forward for the French team at next summer's Tokyo Olympics, while adding that he would not want to fight his club Paris Saint-Germain over participation.

Kylian Mbappe is putting himself forward for the French team at next summer's Tokyo Olympics, while adding that he would not want to fight his club Paris Saint-Germain over participation. "Playing in the Olympics, I don't control everything," he told France Football magazine in an interview to be published on Tuesday. "Of course I want to go, but if my club, which is my employer, doesn't want me to go, I won't force a clash. "We'll soon talk about it," said the 21-year-old, who already has a World Cup winner's medal. Mbappe had already dropped an Olympic hint when he responded to the French team's qualification in June with a "TOKYO 2020" tweet accompanied by a flashing emoticon and a French flag. Olympic football at Tokyo, an under-23 tournament with each side allowed three overage players, runs from July 22 to August 8, which is also the scheduled date of the start of the French season. Mbappe is also due to play for France at the Euros which run from June 12 to July 12. If the 21-year-old Parisian star were to be called up by Olympic coach Sylvian Ripoll, he would take his holiday at the start of the club season. The striker said he had discussed a possible appearance at the Games with France senior coach Didier Deschamps. "The coach was adamant that it would never be to the detriment of the Euro," Mbappe said. "I reassured him by telling him that I also wanted to play in the Euro, and he said: 'So it's up to you to deal with the people it concerns'. "If I don't manage to go in 2020, I'll still have 2024 left, in Paris," Mbappe said. "I'd really like to do the Olympics at least once in my career."

Kylian Mbappe adds Olympic appearance to packed 2020 wish list

The&nbsp;WADA&nbsp;report detailing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-to-announce-decision-on-appeal-against-wadas-doping-ban-269074">doping offences</a> during 2017 counted 1,804 cases, which was up sharply from the 1,595 recorded in 2016 although down from 1,929 in 2015.

The country with the most violations was Italy with 171 followed by France (128) and the United States (103).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-to-appeal-against-wadas-four-year-doping-ban-269167">Russia</a>, which earlier this month was hit with a four-year&nbsp;WADA&nbsp;ban from international sporting competition - including the next two Olympics - over doping, was fifth with 82 violations.

The country said on Thursday it will appeal the sanctions barring athletes from competing under its flag.

Body building, which was a medal sport at the 2019 Pan Am Games and is bidding to get on the Olympic program, had the most ADRVs with 266 followed by athletics (242) and cycling (218).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wada-committee-head-urges-russia-not-to-drag-out-ban-appeal-268194">WADA</a>&nbsp;director general Olivier Niggli said the results showed progress was being made in the fight against doping particularly in the area of investigation and intelligence-based testing.

The majority of violations (1,459) were positive tests with the other 345 classified as non-analytical, where no prohibited substance was detected but investigations found athletes or their support staff were in violation of the&nbsp;WADA&nbsp;Code.

"While in and out-of-competition testing remains critical to detect doping, events have recently shown that investigative work is becoming even more important as we look to protect clean athletes’ rights worldwide," said Niggli in a statement.

"...the report also reminds us of the importance of evidence-based education to prevent doping in the first place."

A total of 245,232 samples were collected in 2017 with the 1,804 ADRVs coming from 93 sports and disciplines involving athletes from 114 countries.

The WADA report detailing doping offences during 2017 counted 1,804 cases, which was up sharply from the 1,595 recorded in 2016 although down from 1,929 in 2015.

The WADA report detailing doping offences during 2017 counted 1,804 cases, which was up sharply from the 1,595 recorded in 2016 although down from 1,929 in 2015. The country with the most violations was Italy with 171 followed by France (128) and the United States (103). Russia, which earlier this month was hit with a four-year WADA ban from international sporting competition - including the next two Olympics - over doping, was fifth with 82 violations. The country said on Thursday it will appeal the sanctions barring athletes from competing under its flag. Body building, which was a medal sport at the 2019 Pan Am Games and is bidding to get on the Olympic program, had the most ADRVs with 266 followed by athletics (242) and cycling (218). WADA director general Olivier Niggli said the results showed progress was being made in the fight against doping particularly in the area of investigation and intelligence-based testing. The majority of violations (1,459) were positive tests with the other 345 classified as non-analytical, where no prohibited substance was detected but investigations found athletes or their support staff were in violation of the WADA Code. "While in and out-of-competition testing remains critical to detect doping, events have recently shown that investigative work is becoming even more important as we look to protect clean athletes’ rights worldwide," said Niggli in a statement. "...the report also reminds us of the importance of evidence-based education to prevent doping in the first place." A total of 245,232 samples were collected in 2017 with the 1,804 ADRVs coming from 93 sports and disciplines involving athletes from 114 countries.

New WADA report shows jump in global doping cases

Russia Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is to decide on Thursday whether to appeal against the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-imposes-four-year-ban-on-russia-over-doping-data-manipulation-267195">four-year ban imposed</a> on Russia’s participation in all major sporting events including Tokyo 2020 after World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish the country for manipulating laboratory data on December 9.&nbsp;

The Supervisory board of RUSADA is to hold a meeting and is expected to formally reject the prohibition as it was earlier denounced by Russia’s leadership including President Vladimir Putin as being “politically motivated” and contradictory to the Olympic Charter.&nbsp;

The formal rejection could lead to an appeal against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/britains-aggar-quits-wada-role-over-russia-scandal-268028">WADA’s decision</a> at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.&nbsp;

RUSADA supervisory board chairman Alexander Ivlev is expected to announce the decision at 1000 GMT.

WADA’s executive committee unanimously issued a ban against Russia after its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) called for the proposed sanctions in a 26-page report declaring RUSADA to be non-compliant after the data handed over by the tainted Moscow laboratory was found to be "neither complete nor fully authentic".

The historical data which was handed over to WADA in January was found to have “several aggravating features” as hundreds of analytical findings had been removed and raw data and PDF files were found to be deleted.&nbsp;

Russia is currently facing a four-year ban on participation in international sporting events. Russian athletes and their personnel support are only to be allowed to participate if they can prove that they are not associated with the Russian doping scandal, even then they will not be allowed to represent the Russian Federation.

Russia is also not be allowed to host or bid to host any major sporting events. If Russia had already won a bid, the hosting rights are to be transferred to another country unless "it is legally or practically impossible to do so." The ban has threatened Saint Petersburg's staging of three games and a quarter-final for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/euro-2020-qualifiers-with-20-out-of-24-berths-filled-england-france-italy-top-their-groups-263461">Euro 2020</a>.

The expected announcement os RUSADA is to coincide with Putin’s annual marathon press conference where he is also set to restate his stance on the issue.&nbsp;

Russia Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is to decide on Thursday whether to appeal against the four-year ban imposed on Russia’s participation in all major sporting events including Tokyo 2020 after World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish the country for manipulating laboratory data on December 9.

Russia Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is to decide on Thursday whether to appeal against the four-year ban imposed on Russia’s participation in all major sporting events including Tokyo 2020 after World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish the country for manipulating laboratory data on December 9. The Supervisory board of RUSADA is to hold a meeting and is expected to formally reject the prohibition as it was earlier denounced by Russia’s leadership including President Vladimir Putin as being “politically motivated” and contradictory to the Olympic Charter. The formal rejection could lead to an appeal against WADA’s decision at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. RUSADA supervisory board chairman Alexander Ivlev is expected to announce the decision at 1000 GMT. WADA’s executive committee unanimously issued a ban against Russia after its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) called for the proposed sanctions in a 26-page report declaring RUSADA to be non-compliant after the data handed over by the tainted Moscow laboratory was found to be "neither complete nor fully authentic". The historical data which was handed over to WADA in January was found to have “several aggravating features” as hundreds of analytical findings had been removed and raw data and PDF files were found to be deleted. Russia is currently facing a four-year ban on participation in international sporting events. Russian athletes and their personnel support are only to be allowed to participate if they can prove that they are not associated with the Russian doping scandal, even then they will not be allowed to represent the Russian Federation. Russia is also not be allowed to host or bid to host any major sporting events. If Russia had already won a bid, the hosting rights are to be transferred to another country unless "it is legally or practically impossible to do so." The ban has threatened Saint Petersburg's staging of three games and a quarter-final for Euro 2020. The expected announcement os RUSADA is to coincide with Putin’s annual marathon press conference where he is also set to restate his stance on the issue.

Russia to announce decision on appeal against WADA's doping ban today

Nicole Walker was part of the four-member&nbsp;jumping&nbsp;team&nbsp;that finished fourth in the&nbsp;team&nbsp;event at the Pan Am Games in Lima to secure an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-imposes-four-year-ban-on-russia-over-doping-data-manipulation-267195">Olympic</a>&nbsp;berth for Canada in that event.

"My priority right now is to continue to fight for the&nbsp;Canadian&nbsp;Equestrian&nbsp;Team. The&nbsp;team&nbsp;deserves to go to the&nbsp;Olympics," said Walker, who is appealing the decision.

The FEI had provisionally suspended Walker from the sport after a sample taken from her on the day of the&nbsp;team&nbsp;final at the Pan Am Games in August tested positive for Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine.

After a confirmatory analysis of the 'B' sample, Walker had a hearing two weeks ago with the Panam Sports Disciplinary Commission which <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/laura-zeng-top-us-rhythmic-gymnast-handed-6-month-doping-ban-185462">disqualified</a> her results in both the individual and&nbsp;team&nbsp;competitions, according to the FEI.

The resulting calculation, which replaced Walker's score with that of&nbsp;team&nbsp;member Lisa Carlsen, dropped Canada three&nbsp;spots to seventh place and therefore cost the squad its&nbsp;team&nbsp;quota place for Tokyo, the FEI said.

Canada's&nbsp;spot&nbsp;in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indian-women-hockey-team-qualifies-for-tokyo-olympics-259565">2020&nbsp;Olympics</a> has now been reallocated to Argentina, which originally finished fifth in Lima.

"I am confident that&nbsp;Team&nbsp;Canada and Nicole will receive a fair hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport," Walker's lawyer, Tim Danson, said in a statement.

Equestrian Canada (EC) said it will support Walker through the appeals process.

"EC remains firmly committed to clean sport and to standing behind our athletes," the national governing body said in a statement. "We fully support Nicole's decision to bring an appeal forward to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)."

Nicole Walker was part of the four-member jumping team that finished fourth in the team event at the Pan Am Games in Lima to secure an Olympic berth for Canada in that event.

Nicole Walker was part of the four-member jumping team that finished fourth in the team event at the Pan Am Games in Lima to secure an Olympic berth for Canada in that event. "My priority right now is to continue to fight for the Canadian Equestrian Team. The team deserves to go to the Olympics," said Walker, who is appealing the decision. The FEI had provisionally suspended Walker from the sport after a sample taken from her on the day of the team final at the Pan Am Games in August tested positive for Benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. After a confirmatory analysis of the 'B' sample, Walker had a hearing two weeks ago with the Panam Sports Disciplinary Commission which disqualified her results in both the individual and team competitions, according to the FEI. The resulting calculation, which replaced Walker's score with that of team member Lisa Carlsen, dropped Canada three spots to seventh place and therefore cost the squad its team quota place for Tokyo, the FEI said. Canada's spot in the 2020 Olympics has now been reallocated to Argentina, which originally finished fifth in Lima. "I am confident that Team Canada and Nicole will receive a fair hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport," Walker's lawyer, Tim Danson, said in a statement. Equestrian Canada (EC) said it will support Walker through the appeals process. "EC remains firmly committed to clean sport and to standing behind our athletes," the national governing body said in a statement. "We fully support Nicole's decision to bring an appeal forward to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)."

Canadian equestrian jumping team denied Olympic spot over doping violation

Like all skateboarders, the rush of air, the thrill of the ride, the sense of achievement in completing a trick are what drew the 19-year-old to the sport. Unlike other boarders, however, Ryusei Ouchi is almost completely blind.

Blind Japanese skateboarder uses cane to ride the rails

Former British Paralympian Victoria Aggar has resigned from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Athlete Committee over the organisation's handling of the Russian doping scandal.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-imposes-four-year-ban-on-russia-over-doping-data-manipulation-267195">WADA has banned Russia</a> from all major sporting events for four years for tampering with doping tests, but left the door open for its athletes to compete at next year's Tokyo Games as neutrals under the Olympic flag.

Russia's Olympic Committee has described the sanctions as "illogical and excessive" while President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-says-moscow-could-appeal-russia-sports-ban-267320">could appeal WADA's decision</a>.

However, Aggar, who won a rowing bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008, said WADA had not gone far enough and had broken promises by not imposing a blanket ban on Russian athletes.

"I do not feel that WADA exists any more," she said on Twitter

"Too many political games (or machinations), too many conflicts and too much self-interest has led to too many bad decisions, compromises and broken promises.

"Most recently the biggest blow to athletes is the decision by WADA to ignore calls from its very own Athlete Committee for Russia to be banned from competing at the next Olympic and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/paralympics-chief-disgusted-with-russia-for-letting-down-nations-clean-athletes-267410">Paralympic Games</a>."

Aggar, one of 17 committee members, said WADA had refused to publish several Athlete Committee statements on its website.

"The concept of silencing athletes is one of the reasons why we are seeing so much abuse in sport," she said.

"I believe every athlete has the right to clean sport and in such an environment I don't believe Russian athletes will have this choice.

"Yes, they will suffer in the short term with a blanket ban but in the long term we may be able to contribute to a change of culture for the future young generations."

WADA director-general Olivier Niggli told the BBC in response to Aggar's resignation that the decision not to publish the statements was due to the lack of a "clear majority" among committee members.

"Nine members were in favour of issuing a statement objecting to the (independent compliance review committee's) recommendation (on Russia), while eight were against and had prepared an alternative statement," he said.&nbsp;

"Therefore, there was no consensus, and it would have been very strange - to say the least - for WADA to publish two different statements from its own Athlete Committee. In my view, it is simply not correct to mislead in this fashion."

Former British Paralympian Victoria Aggar has resigned from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Athlete Committee over the organisation's handling of the Russian doping scandal.

Former British Paralympian Victoria Aggar has resigned from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Athlete Committee over the organisation's handling of the Russian doping scandal. WADA has banned Russia from all major sporting events for four years for tampering with doping tests, but left the door open for its athletes to compete at next year's Tokyo Games as neutrals under the Olympic flag. Russia's Olympic Committee has described the sanctions as "illogical and excessive" while President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow could appeal WADA's decision. However, Aggar, who won a rowing bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008, said WADA had not gone far enough and had broken promises by not imposing a blanket ban on Russian athletes. "I do not feel that WADA exists any more," she said on Twitter "Too many political games (or machinations), too many conflicts and too much self-interest has led to too many bad decisions, compromises and broken promises. "Most recently the biggest blow to athletes is the decision by WADA to ignore calls from its very own Athlete Committee for Russia to be banned from competing at the next Olympic and Paralympic Games." Aggar, one of 17 committee members, said WADA had refused to publish several Athlete Committee statements on its website. "The concept of silencing athletes is one of the reasons why we are seeing so much abuse in sport," she said. "I believe every athlete has the right to clean sport and in such an environment I don't believe Russian athletes will have this choice. "Yes, they will suffer in the short term with a blanket ban but in the long term we may be able to contribute to a change of culture for the future young generations." WADA director-general Olivier Niggli told the BBC in response to Aggar's resignation that the decision not to publish the statements was due to the lack of a "clear majority" among committee members. "Nine members were in favour of issuing a statement objecting to the (independent compliance review committee's) recommendation (on Russia), while eight were against and had prepared an alternative statement," he said. "Therefore, there was no consensus, and it would have been very strange - to say the least - for WADA to publish two different statements from its own Athlete Committee. In my view, it is simply not correct to mislead in this fashion."

Britain's Aggar quits WADA role over Russia scandal

Russia will learn later on Monday whether it will be hit with a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-seeks-russia-ban-over-doping-data-manipulation-264626">four-year Olympic ban</a> for tampering with doping-related laboratory data, a decision local officials have said they fear may not be taken fairly.

Russia, which has tried to showcase itself as a global sports power, has been embroiled in doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-could-face-olympic-ban-in-wada-decision-due-monday-266958">World Anti-Doping Agency</a> (WADA) found evidence of mass doping in Russian athletics.

Its doping woes have grown since, with many of its athletes sidelined from the past two Olympics and the country stripped of its flag altogether at last year's Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for state-sponsored doping cover-ups at the 2014 Sochi Games.

In focus this time are findings from WADA which concluded that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats.

Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov last month attributed the discrepancies in the laboratory data to technical issues.

WADA's executive committee will convene in Lausanne later on Monday to decide how to respond to the issue.

It will rule on whether to ban the country from hosting major sporting events for four years and whether to force its clean athletes to compete without their flag or anthem for the same period.

The recommendations for punishment it will examine do not include a blanket ban on Russian participation in international sport, however, and leave the door open for clean Russian athletes to compete at major international sporting events as neutrals, as was the case during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

RUSADA, Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA could be stripped of its accreditation for the second time in four years as part of the same doping sanctions.

Russia will learn later on Monday whether it will be hit with a four-year Olympic ban for tampering with doping-related laboratory data, a decision local officials have said they fear may not be taken fairly.

Russia will learn later on Monday whether it will be hit with a four-year Olympic ban for tampering with doping-related laboratory data, a decision local officials have said they fear may not be taken fairly. Russia, which has tried to showcase itself as a global sports power, has been embroiled in doping scandals since a 2015 report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of mass doping in Russian athletics. Its doping woes have grown since, with many of its athletes sidelined from the past two Olympics and the country stripped of its flag altogether at last year's Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for state-sponsored doping cover-ups at the 2014 Sochi Games. In focus this time are findings from WADA which concluded that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests that could have helped identify drug cheats. Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov last month attributed the discrepancies in the laboratory data to technical issues. WADA's executive committee will convene in Lausanne later on Monday to decide how to respond to the issue. It will rule on whether to ban the country from hosting major sporting events for four years and whether to force its clean athletes to compete without their flag or anthem for the same period. The recommendations for punishment it will examine do not include a blanket ban on Russian participation in international sport, however, and leave the door open for clean Russian athletes to compete at major international sporting events as neutrals, as was the case during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. RUSADA, Russia's anti-doping agency RUSADA could be stripped of its accreditation for the second time in four years as part of the same doping sanctions.

Russia to learn Olympic fate over doping violations later on Monday

Russian athletes could be barred from the Tokyo Olympic Games when the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-seeks-russia-ban-over-doping-data-manipulation-264626">World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) </a>executive committee meets on Monday (December 9).

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was suspended after a 2015 WADA report found evidence of state-sponsored doping in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kremlin-says-russia-remains-open-to-cooperation-on-doping-264918">Russian sport </a>and the country was barred from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics athletics competition the following year.

Russians competed as independents at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, walking behind the Olympic rings flag at the opening ceremony.

RUSADA's suspension was lifted in September 2018 amid strong criticism as WADA gradually got access to key Russian athletes' data from a Russian dope testing laboratory.

But in September WADA said it had again opened compliance proceedings against RUSADA after finding "inconsistencies" in the vast bank of historical testing data finally handed over in January.

A WADA compliance committee recommended last week that Russia receive a four-year Olympic ban as part of a sanctions package to punish Moscow for having provided the agency with doctored and incomplete laboratory data.

WADA's executive committee will meet in Lausanne, Switzerland to consider the recommendations, which the head of Russia's Olympic Committee described last week as "excessive, inappropriate and wrong."

The WADA decision is likely to determine whether Russian athletes, who can prove they are clean, will compete as neutrals or whether some will be invited by the IOC to compete in Tokyo.

Russian athletes could be barred from the Tokyo Olympic Games when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) executive committee meets on Monday (December 9). The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was suspended after a 2015 WADA report found evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russian sport and the country was barred from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics athletics competition the following year.

Russian athletes could be barred from the Tokyo Olympic Games when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) executive committee meets on Monday (December 9). The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was suspended after a 2015 WADA report found evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russian sport and the country was barred from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics athletics competition the following year. Russians competed as independents at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, walking behind the Olympic rings flag at the opening ceremony. RUSADA's suspension was lifted in September 2018 amid strong criticism as WADA gradually got access to key Russian athletes' data from a Russian dope testing laboratory. But in September WADA said it had again opened compliance proceedings against RUSADA after finding "inconsistencies" in the vast bank of historical testing data finally handed over in January. A WADA compliance committee recommended last week that Russia receive a four-year Olympic ban as part of a sanctions package to punish Moscow for having provided the agency with doctored and incomplete laboratory data. WADA's executive committee will meet in Lausanne, Switzerland to consider the recommendations, which the head of Russia's Olympic Committee described last week as "excessive, inappropriate and wrong." The WADA decision is likely to determine whether Russian athletes, who can prove they are clean, will compete as neutrals or whether some will be invited by the IOC to compete in Tokyo.

Russia could face Olympic ban in WADA decision due Monday

South&nbsp;Korea's Olympic committee plans to buy&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;detectors&nbsp;and ship&nbsp;homegrown ingredients to Japan for its athletes at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/with-eight-months-from-tokyo-2020-venue-preparations-enter-final-stretch-263688">Tokyo&nbsp;Games</a> because&nbsp;of worries local&nbsp;food&nbsp;may be contaminated by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Japan has posted data to show the country is safe&nbsp;from&nbsp;Fukushima&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;and many countries have lifted Fukushima-related&nbsp;food&nbsp;restrictions.

The&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;Sports &amp; Olympic Committee (KSOC) plans to ship red pepper paste, a key ingredient in&nbsp;Korean dishes, and other&nbsp;foods, and check for&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;in meat and vegetables that can only be sourced locally due to stringent quarantine rules, a KSOC meals plan report shows.

"Apparently, ingredients and&nbsp;food&nbsp;will be transported&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/873-million-fine-against-us-chip-gaint-qualcomm-south-korea-266064">South&nbsp;Korea</a>&nbsp;as much as possible, possibly including canned&nbsp;food," Shin Dong-keun, a ruling Democratic Party member of the parliamentary sports committee who was recently briefed by KSOC, told Reuters in an interview.

"For this Olympic&nbsp;games,&nbsp;food&nbsp;is our team's main focus so they can provide safe meals for the athletes to erase&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;worries, as opposed to in the past,&nbsp;food&nbsp;was meant to play the supplementary role of helping with their morale."

KSOC plans to arrange local&nbsp;Korean restaurants to prepare meals for baseball and softball players competing in Fukushima, as shipping boxed lunches&nbsp;from&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;is not feasible, it said in the "2020&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;Summer Olympics Meals Support Centre Plan".

"These&nbsp;Korean restaurants should only handle&nbsp;food&nbsp;confirmed as&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;free,"

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station, located about 220 km (130 miles) northeast of&nbsp;Tokyo, was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011, sparking three reactor meltdowns.

More than 160,000 residents fled nearby towns in the aftermath as&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;from&nbsp;the reactors contaminated water,&nbsp;food&nbsp;and air.

Greenpeace said on Wednesday that&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;hot spots have been found at the J-Village sports facility in Fukushima where the&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;2020 Olympic torch relay will begin.

South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;has stepped up demands for a Japanese response to concerns&nbsp;food&nbsp;produced in the Fukushima area and nearby sea could be contaminated by&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;from&nbsp;the Fukushima plant.

Japan is having trouble removing more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water&nbsp;from&nbsp;the crippled plant.

When it finalises menus around April, the KSOC will consider asking&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;to ease its stringent quarantine ban on&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korean produce, an official at the committee said.

The official said&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;was preparing a separate meals plan due to concerns&nbsp;from&nbsp;the public and politicians over&nbsp;food&nbsp;safety, unlike the United States and Australia whose athletes will mainly eat&nbsp;food&nbsp;provided by the host country, Japan.

The official requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

South&nbsp;Korea's concerns about possible contamination&nbsp;from&nbsp;the nuclear disaster has become a thorn in already contentious ties with Japan.

Seoul has banned imports of seafood&nbsp;from&nbsp;Japan's Fukushima region since the nuclear disaster, prompting&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;to launch a World Trade Organisation complaint. Japan has said many nations such as the United States and Australia had lifted or eased Fukushima-related restrictions.

Japanese officials&nbsp;use&nbsp;international events to promote the recovery of areas hit by the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster to show produce&nbsp;from&nbsp;Fukushima prefecture is safe.

Mineral water&nbsp;from&nbsp;Fukushima was served on tables at the last month's G20 foreign ministers meeting it hosted in Nagoya.

The&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korean Olympic committee plan to purchase&nbsp;radiation&nbsp;detecting equipment by February and station an inspector at its own cafeteria in&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;during the&nbsp;games to check contamination levels, according to the KSOC report.

The budget for the&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;Olympics meals service is earmarked at 1.7 billion won, which includes twice the amount of money for buying and shipping ingredients than previous&nbsp;games, according to the committee.

South Korea's Olympic committee plans to buy radiation detectors and ship homegrown ingredients to Japan for its athletes at the Tokyo Games because of worries local food may be contaminated by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

South Korea's Olympic committee plans to buy radiation detectors and ship homegrown ingredients to Japan for its athletes at the Tokyo Games because of worries local food may be contaminated by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Japan has posted data to show the country is safe from Fukushima radiation and many countries have lifted Fukushima-related food restrictions. The Korea Sports & Olympic Committee (KSOC) plans to ship red pepper paste, a key ingredient in Korean dishes, and other foods, and check for radiation in meat and vegetables that can only be sourced locally due to stringent quarantine rules, a KSOC meals plan report shows. "Apparently, ingredients and food will be transported from South Korea as much as possible, possibly including canned food," Shin Dong-keun, a ruling Democratic Party member of the parliamentary sports committee who was recently briefed by KSOC, told Reuters in an interview. "For this Olympic games, food is our team's main focus so they can provide safe meals for the athletes to erase radiation worries, as opposed to in the past, food was meant to play the supplementary role of helping with their morale." KSOC plans to arrange local Korean restaurants to prepare meals for baseball and softball players competing in Fukushima, as shipping boxed lunches from Tokyo is not feasible, it said in the "2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics Meals Support Centre Plan". "These Korean restaurants should only handle food confirmed as radiation free," The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station, located about 220 km (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo, was rocked by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March 2011, sparking three reactor meltdowns. More than 160,000 residents fled nearby towns in the aftermath as radiation from the reactors contaminated water, food and air. Greenpeace said on Wednesday that radiation hot spots have been found at the J-Village sports facility in Fukushima where the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay will begin. South Korea has stepped up demands for a Japanese response to concerns food produced in the Fukushima area and nearby sea could be contaminated by radiation from the Fukushima plant. Japan is having trouble removing more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the crippled plant. When it finalises menus around April, the KSOC will consider asking Tokyo to ease its stringent quarantine ban on South Korean produce, an official at the committee said. The official said South Korea was preparing a separate meals plan due to concerns from the public and politicians over food safety, unlike the United States and Australia whose athletes will mainly eat food provided by the host country, Japan. The official requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. South Korea's concerns about possible contamination from the nuclear disaster has become a thorn in already contentious ties with Japan. Seoul has banned imports of seafood from Japan's Fukushima region since the nuclear disaster, prompting Tokyo to launch a World Trade Organisation complaint. Japan has said many nations such as the United States and Australia had lifted or eased Fukushima-related restrictions. Japanese officials use international events to promote the recovery of areas hit by the 2011 tsunami and nuclear disaster to show produce from Fukushima prefecture is safe. Mineral water from Fukushima was served on tables at the last month's G20 foreign ministers meeting it hosted in Nagoya. The South Korean Olympic committee plan to purchase radiation detecting equipment by February and station an inspector at its own cafeteria in Tokyo during the games to check contamination levels, according to the KSOC report. The budget for the Tokyo Olympics meals service is earmarked at 1.7 billion won, which includes twice the amount of money for buying and shipping ingredients than previous games, according to the committee.

South Korea to use radiation detectors, food from home at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Russia's Olympic Committee will do all it can to ensure Russian athletes take part in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/with-eight-months-from-tokyo-2020-venue-preparations-enter-final-stretch-263688">2020 Games</a>, its chief said Thursday, as the country faces a four-year doping ban.

"We will do everything in our power to ensure our team is in Tokyo under the Russian flag," news agency RIA Novosti quoted Stanislav Pozdnyakov as saying.

He said there were no "objective obstacles" to the "vast majority" of Russian athletes fully participating in the Olympics.&nbsp;

The compliance review committee at the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-seeks-russia-ban-over-doping-data-manipulation-264626">World Anti-Doping Agency</a> (WADA) on Monday recommended a four-year sporting ban over falsified lab data it received from Russia.

If WADA chiefs adopt the committee's recommendations at a meeting in Paris on December 9, Russia faces exclusion from key sporting events including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The scandal has tainted Russia's sporting reputation since the revelation of large-scale state-sponsored doping aimed at improving Russia's medal performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Russian track and field athletes were barred from competing at the Rio Olympics in 2016 although Russians competing in other events were allowed to take part.

The ban was widened to include all events at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, though Russian competitors who could prove they were above suspicion were able to compete as neutrals under the Olympic flag.

Monday's call from the WADA review panel came after Russian authorities were accused of falsifying laboratory data related to the country's doping scandal, which were handed over to investigators in January.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it backs "the toughest sanctions against all those responsible for this manipulation," while cautioning against blanket sanctions that would punish the innocent.

If <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/kremlin-says-russia-remains-open-to-cooperation-on-doping-264918">Russia challenges</a> an eventual suspension by WADA the case will go to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, whose decision will be binding on sports bodies including the International Olympic Committee

Russia's Olympic Committee will do all it can to ensure Russian athletes take part in the 2020 Games, its chief said Thursday, as the country faces a four-year doping ban.

Russia's Olympic Committee will do all it can to ensure Russian athletes take part in the 2020 Games, its chief said Thursday, as the country faces a four-year doping ban. "We will do everything in our power to ensure our team is in Tokyo under the Russian flag," news agency RIA Novosti quoted Stanislav Pozdnyakov as saying. He said there were no "objective obstacles" to the "vast majority" of Russian athletes fully participating in the Olympics. The compliance review committee at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Monday recommended a four-year sporting ban over falsified lab data it received from Russia. If WADA chiefs adopt the committee's recommendations at a meeting in Paris on December 9, Russia faces exclusion from key sporting events including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The scandal has tainted Russia's sporting reputation since the revelation of large-scale state-sponsored doping aimed at improving Russia's medal performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Russian track and field athletes were barred from competing at the Rio Olympics in 2016 although Russians competing in other events were allowed to take part. The ban was widened to include all events at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, though Russian competitors who could prove they were above suspicion were able to compete as neutrals under the Olympic flag. Monday's call from the WADA review panel came after Russian authorities were accused of falsifying laboratory data related to the country's doping scandal, which were handed over to investigators in January. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it backs "the toughest sanctions against all those responsible for this manipulation," while cautioning against blanket sanctions that would punish the innocent. If Russia challenges an eventual suspension by WADA the case will go to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, whose decision will be binding on sports bodies including the International Olympic Committee

Olympic chief says will 'do everything' to ensure Russia at 2020 Games

The prospect of Russia being banned from next year's Olympics loomed closer on Friday as a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-anti-doping-agency-to-investigate-athletes-coached-by-banned-salazar-report-259997">World Anti-Doping Agency</a> (WADA) panel recommended the country's drug-testing authority be declared non-compliant with international rules.

In a statement, WADA said its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) had recommended that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) be suspended again when the global anti-doping watchdog's Executive Committee meets in Paris on December 9.

If WADA chiefs adopt the recommendation, Russia faces severe sanctions including a possible ban from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The CRC issued its recommendation after asking Russia to explain "inconsistencies" in laboratory data handed over by Moscow to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wadas-russian-investigation-enters-new-phase-219322">WADA investigators</a> in January.

Full disclosure of data from the Moscow laboratory was a key condition of Russia's controversial reinstatement by WADA in September 2018.

RUSADA had been suspended for nearly three years over revelations of a vast, state-backed doping regime which including a systematic conspiracy to switch tainted samples at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

WADA had previously warned Russia would face the "most stringent sanctions" if any of the data handed over was found to have been tampered with.

In its statement on Friday, WADA said the CRC suggested "serious consequences in line with the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories."&nbsp;

The United States Anti-Doping Agency, which was sharply critical of WADA's decision to lift its suspension of reinstate RUSADA, called for a lengthy ban following Friday's announcement.

"Anything less than a four-year sanction for this critical violation that includes aggravating circumstances following years of denial and deceit would be another injustice in a long line of many for clean athletes," USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said in emailed comments to AFP.

Friday's development is the latest twist to a saga which exploded in 2015, when an independent WADA commission investigating allegations of Russian doping said it had found evidence of a vast state-supported conspiracy stretching back years.

A 2016 report by WADA investigator Richard McLaren said more than 1,000 Russian competitors across multiple&nbsp;sports&nbsp;had benefited from the scheme between 2011 and 2015.

In an interview with AFP last month, RUSADA's chief Yuri Ganus appeared resigned to Russia being handed an Olympic ban, accusing unidentified Moscow authorities of handing over falsified lab data to WADA.

"Russia's Olympic squad will be prevented from participating fully in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.... I think that this will also happen at the (Winter Olympic) Games in China," Ganus told AFP.

Russia was already banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics, although some 168 athletes were allowed to compete under a neutral "Olympic Athlete From Russia" designation.

Ganus said he expected a range of other penalties too, including restrictions on holding international tournaments in Russia, exclusion of Russians from international&nbsp;sports&nbsp;federations and fines.

Ganus insisted RUSADA officials had not been responsible for falsifying the data, insisting his staff "had nothing to do with the database and its transfer."&nbsp;

Russian&nbsp;Sports&nbsp;Minister Pavel Kolobkov later denied the data had been tampered with, stating "nothing was removed" before the cache of information was handed over.&nbsp;

"There was not any manipulation as the head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory, Yuri Ganus, says. That's our position," Kolobkov said.

Friday's announcement by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wada-was-not-equipped-to-handle-size-of-russian-doping-scandal-reedie-260238">WADA</a> came as World Athletics (formerly IAAF), the governing body for track and field, abruptly halted Russia's reinstatement process into the&nbsp;sport.

The World Athletics decision was taken after the president of the Russian athletics federation (RUSAF), Dmitry Shlyakhtin, and other senior officials were suspended for "serious breaches" of anti-doping rules.

The prospect of Russia being banned from next year's Olympics loomed closer on Friday as a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel recommended the country's drug-testing authority be declared non-compliant with international rules.

The prospect of Russia being banned from next year's Olympics loomed closer on Friday as a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) panel recommended the country's drug-testing authority be declared non-compliant with international rules. In a statement, WADA said its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) had recommended that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) be suspended again when the global anti-doping watchdog's Executive Committee meets in Paris on December 9. If WADA chiefs adopt the recommendation, Russia faces severe sanctions including a possible ban from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The CRC issued its recommendation after asking Russia to explain "inconsistencies" in laboratory data handed over by Moscow to WADA investigators in January. Full disclosure of data from the Moscow laboratory was a key condition of Russia's controversial reinstatement by WADA in September 2018. RUSADA had been suspended for nearly three years over revelations of a vast, state-backed doping regime which including a systematic conspiracy to switch tainted samples at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. WADA had previously warned Russia would face the "most stringent sanctions" if any of the data handed over was found to have been tampered with. In its statement on Friday, WADA said the CRC suggested "serious consequences in line with the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories." The United States Anti-Doping Agency, which was sharply critical of WADA's decision to lift its suspension of reinstate RUSADA, called for a lengthy ban following Friday's announcement. "Anything less than a four-year sanction for this critical violation that includes aggravating circumstances following years of denial and deceit would be another injustice in a long line of many for clean athletes," USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said in emailed comments to AFP. Friday's development is the latest twist to a saga which exploded in 2015, when an independent WADA commission investigating allegations of Russian doping said it had found evidence of a vast state-supported conspiracy stretching back years. A 2016 report by WADA investigator Richard McLaren said more than 1,000 Russian competitors across multiple sports had benefited from the scheme between 2011 and 2015. In an interview with AFP last month, RUSADA's chief Yuri Ganus appeared resigned to Russia being handed an Olympic ban, accusing unidentified Moscow authorities of handing over falsified lab data to WADA. "Russia's Olympic squad will be prevented from participating fully in the Olympic Games in Tokyo.... I think that this will also happen at the (Winter Olympic) Games in China," Ganus told AFP. Russia was already banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics, although some 168 athletes were allowed to compete under a neutral "Olympic Athlete From Russia" designation. Ganus said he expected a range of other penalties too, including restrictions on holding international tournaments in Russia, exclusion of Russians from international sports federations and fines. Ganus insisted RUSADA officials had not been responsible for falsifying the data, insisting his staff "had nothing to do with the database and its transfer." Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov later denied the data had been tampered with, stating "nothing was removed" before the cache of information was handed over. "There was not any manipulation as the head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory, Yuri Ganus, says. That's our position," Kolobkov said. Friday's announcement by WADA came as World Athletics (formerly IAAF), the governing body for track and field, abruptly halted Russia's reinstatement process into the sport. The World Athletics decision was taken after the president of the Russian athletics federation (RUSAF), Dmitry Shlyakhtin, and other senior officials were suspended for "serious breaches" of anti-doping rules.

Olympic ban looms for Russia after WADA panel ruling

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