No requalifying for S. Korean athletes for postponed Tokyo Games: Olympic committee

South Korean athletes who've already qualified for the Tokyo Summer Games won't have to do so again, even though the competition has been postponed, their national Olympic committee said Wednesday. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach assured leaders of national Olympic bodies last week that athletes would not be required to requalify even if the Olympics were rescheduled. Faced with the global coronavirus pandemic, t

March 25, 2020

Tokyo 2020 postponement puts S. Korean football players' Olympic status in doubt

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics will mean different things to different athletes. For several South Korean male football players, it may mean the loss of a career-altering opportunity. The quadrennial competition has been pushed back to next year due to the coronavirus outbreak. The International Olympic Committee still has long ways to go before finalizing the details of the qualifying processes for different sports. No matter which direction the IOC takes, perhaps no spo

March 25, 2020

National volleyball captain Kim Yeon-koung taking Olympic postponement in stride

South Korean volleyball star Kim Yeon-koung had long anticipated that the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics would be postponed, amid the global coronavirus pandemic. But expecting it to happen was one thing; hearing the news of the postponement late Tuesday was something else. Kim admitted she was still caught a bit off guard, but the women's national team captain tried to take it all in stride. "Obviously, because of the virus, it's difficult to live a normal life anywhere in the world,"

March 25, 2020

S. Korean Olympic body in wait-and-see mode as IOC, Japan hint at postponing Tokyo 2020

The South Korean national Olympic body is taking a wait-and-see approach in its buildup for the Tokyo Olympics, which may well be postponed due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Following an Executive Board meeting Sunday in Lausanne, Switzerland, the International Olympic Committee said it will step up its "scenario-planning" for Tokyo 2020, with changes to the start date of the competition among the possibilities. The IOC's decision is expected within the next four weeks. The IO

March 23, 2020

Canada says no athletes at Tokyo Games if not postponed

TORONTO (AP) -- The Canadian Olympic Committee says it won't send athletes to the Tokyo Games unless they're postponed for a year, becoming the first country to threaten such a move in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The committee sent out a statement Sunday evening saying it was willing to help the IOC search for alternatives, but that it was not safe for athletes, "their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training for these Games." &quo

March 23, 2020

Olympic postponement may be 'inevitable', Japan's PM says

TOKYO (AFP) -- Postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become "inevitable", Japan's prime minister conceded Monday, after the International Olympic Committee said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies. The comments from Shinzo Abe were his first acknowledgement that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on July 24, as the coronavirus marches across the globe causing unprecedented chaos. Canada's Olympic and Paralympic com

March 23, 2020

Olympic flame gets muted welcome in Japan as Games doubts grow

HIGASHIMATSUSHIMA (AFP) -- The Olympic flame arrived in Japan to a scaled-down welcoming ceremony Friday as doubts grew over whether the Tokyo Games will go ahead on schedule with the coronavirus pandemic causing chaos around the world. As the flame, enclosed in a special lantern, landed on a charter flight, a Japanese Olympic Committee member broke ranks to call for a postponement and Olympics chief Thomas Bach admitted "different scenarios" were under consideration. "Of cours

March 20, 2020

IOC set for crisis talks as fears grow for Tokyo Olympics

LAUSANNE (AFP) -- The International Olympic Committee will hold high-level talks on Tuesday, as doubts grow over the Tokyo Games and with some in Japan urging officials not to risk lives by pressing ahead during the coronavirus emergency. While countries across Europe have gone into full lockdown after the continent was declared the new epicentre of the deadly virus by the World Health Organization, no decision is expected yet on a possible postponement, or indeed cancellation, of this summer'

March 17, 2020

'Don't sacrifice lives': doubts grow in Japan over Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO (AFP) -- Doubts are growing in Japan about the Tokyo Olympics, with growing opposition to holding them as scheduled and some urging officials not to risk lives by pressing ahead during the coronavirus emergency. Officials like Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach have repeatedly insisted preparations should continue to light the Olympic flame on July 24. But with events from the Premier League to NBA basketball scrapped, and Japanese s

March 16, 2020

Japan says no plans for Olympics without spectators

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japanese government officials insisted Friday they have no plans to alter the Olympics, including holding it without spectators, after US President Donald Trump proposed a delay over the coronavirus. The fate of the 2020 Games, scheduled to open in Tokyo on July 24, has been thrown into doubt by the outbreak of the virus, now dubbed a pandemic. But organisers, Japanese government officials and the International Olympic Committee have insisted preparation for the Games is on tra

March 13, 2020

Tokyo governor says cancelling Olympics 'unthinkable'

TOKYO (AFP) -- Cancelling the 2020 Olympics is "unthinkable" although the classification of the coronavirus as a pandemic will likely have some impact on the Games, the Tokyo city governor said on Thursday. "It can't be said that the announcement of a pandemic would have no impact... But I think cancellation is unthinkable," Yuriko Koike told reporters. Doubts are increasingly being raised over whether the Olympics can be held as scheduled from July 24 to August 9. Organ

March 12, 2020

Tokyo Olympics hold test event without fans, top athletes

TOKYO (AP) -- Despite the spreading virus, Tokyo Olympic organizers have finally held a test event. The recent outbreak of the coronavirus has forced them to cancel or postpone several. But they allowed a sport climbing event on Friday to go ahead, with a few restrictions: no fans and no top athletes. Instead they used amateurs to test the climbing facility. Almost all sports events and large gatherings have been shut down in Japan. Preseason baseball is being played without fans, the socce

March 6, 2020

No 'Plan B' for Olympics; questions over Chinese presence

TOKYO (AP) -- Tokyo Olympic organizers and the International Olympic Committee said Friday there is no “Plan B” for the 2020 Games, which open in just over five months and have been jolted by the outbreak of a virus in neighboring China.     The coronavirus has infected almost 64,000 people globally with  almost 1,400 deaths in China, but only one in Japan where fear is rising with so much attention focused on the outbreak.     “Certai

Feb. 15, 2020

Tokyo Olympics boss blasts 'irresponsible rumours' over virus shutdown

  TOKYO (AFP) -- Tokyo Olympic organisers stressed Thursday they are not considering scrapping the Games due to the coronavirus and blasted "irresponsible rumours" to the contrary. With only 162 days to go until the opening ceremony, concerns have been raised about Japan's hosting of the Games with the virus spreading throughout Asia. But Tokyo 2020 CEO Yoshiro Mori slapped down such concerns at a meeting with top International Olympic Committee officials. "With regards t

Feb. 13, 2020

S. Korea beats Britain, keeps Olympic women's hoops dreams alive

BELGRADE -- South Korea has squeezed past Britain 82-79 to stay alive in the Olympic women's basketball qualifying tournament. Shooting guard Kang Lee-seul made her first six 3-point field goals for a team-high 26 points, giving South Korea its first win of the four-nation competition at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in the Serbian capital Saturday. Coached by Lee Moon-kyu, South Korea, world No. 19, nearly blew a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter but held on to beat the 18th-ranked Britain thank

Feb. 9, 2020

S. Korea projected to win 9 gold medals at Tokyo 2020

South Korea will grab nine gold medals to finish in the top 10 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a US sports data analysis firm has projected. The latest version of Virtual Medal Table by Gracenote, updated last Friday, also predicted South Korea will get 11 silver and six bronze medals. Those nine gold medals would put South Korea in 10th place for a fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the Summer Olympics, a run that started at Athens 2004. By sport, Gracenote said South Korea will win gold medals

Jan. 29, 2020

Nat'l team volleyball stars battling injuries with jam-packed, pre-Olympic calendar on horizon

When South Korea won the Asian Olympic women’s volleyball qualifying tournament earlier this month, some of its key players took the adage “taking one for the team” to a whole new level -- to the point where their injuries could have a negative effect on South Korea‘s medal hopes.Captain Kim Yeon-koung played the qualifying event in Thailand from Jan. 7-12 with torn abdominal muscle, which will sideline her for at least another month. Kim took painkillers before the final

Jan. 25, 2020

Nat'l training center opens for Olympic year

South Korea's largest training facility for amateur athletes officially opened for 2020 on Friday, with hundreds of athletes and officials attending a ceremony to mark the beginning of the Olympic year.The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee hosted the ceremony at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul, with 480 athletes and their coaches on hand."Now that we're all preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, I can see the passion and determination written all

Jan. 17, 2020

S. Korea on a roll entering knockout phase at Olympic football qualifying tournament

From what was considered the toughest group in the Asian Olympic men's football qualifying tournament, South Korea emerged as the only undefeated nation.In fact, they were the only team to win all three group matches in the entire preliminary round of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship in Thailand.Now the real work begins, as South Korea are set to take on Jordan in their first knockout match of the tournament.The quarterfinals showdown will kick off at Thammasat Stadium in Rangs

Jan. 17, 2020

As Winter Youth Olympics host, S. Korea to bring together teen athletes for competition, cultural activities

 The Youth Olympic Games, a fledgling sporting event organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), are designed to bring together young athletes from around the world, not just for athletic competition, but for cultural and educational activities.And South Korea will provide the stage for these programs in early 2024, when its eastern province of Gangwon will host the Winter Youth Olympics. It'll be the second IOC winter competition for the region, after PyeongChang hosted the 201

Jan. 10, 2020