Olympics

Signs on a screen are shown before an athletics test event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last month at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

Japan Aims To Convince A Wary Public The Olympics Will Be Safe

12:00pm June 10, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

Anger at the government's insistence on pushing ahead with the games remains intense, but Japan's ramped-up vaccination campaign may be helping to ease some safety fears.

A crowd demonstrates against the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month in Tokyo. With less than three months remaining until the Olympics, concern lingers in Japan over the feasibility of hosting such a huge event during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Opposition To Tokyo Games Grows Heated Amid COVID Concerns

2:34pm May 14, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

The Japanese government remains adamant that the games will proceed as planned, even as local governments and protesters express rising concern about hosting the event during the pandemic.

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Azusa Iwashimizu (right) and other members of Japan women's national football team run as torchbearers in the first leg of the torch relay for Tokyo Olympics on Thursday in Fukushima prefecture, Japan.

Torch Relay Kicks Off For Troubled Tokyo Olympic Games

1:42pm March 25, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

The torch relay shows the organizers' determination to proceed with the Games, despite public skepticism. It is set to crisscross the country and arrive at the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 23.

A couple takes pictures with the Olympic rings monument near the National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Feb. 4. Organizers have decided that overseas spectators won't be allowed to attend the Games this summer.

Overseas Spectators Will Be Banned From Tokyo Olympics Due To COVID-19 Risks

9:16am March 20, 2021

by H.J. Mai

Tokyo organizers on Saturday announced that foreign spectators will be barred from attending this year's Olympic and Paralympic Games due to concerns over COVID-19.

Joe Delagrave (c) is co-captain of the USA Wheelchair Rugby team. The squad was practicing at a recent training camp in Birmingham, Ala. at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training site.

The Tokyo Olympics Are On — For Now — As Athletes Train Through The Uncertainty

5:01am March 02, 2021

by Tom Goldman

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics were delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, there's as much uncertainty as there was a year ago. The athletes are doing their best to focus on their training.

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Japan's Olympic organizing committee president, Yoshiro Mori, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 4.

Yoshiro Mori Reportedly Plans To Quit As Japan's Olympic Chief Over Sexist Remarks

12:35pm February 11, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

The Tokyo Olympic committee head plans to resign Friday amid a firestorm of criticism about his comments disparaging women's participation in organizing the Tokyo Games, say Japanese outlets.

Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, listens to a question from a journalist during a news conference in Tokyo last Thursday.

Tokyo Olympic Organizers Face Mounting Pressure Over Sexist Remarks

2:58pm February 09, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

Despite the efforts of Japanese and Olympic officials to quash the debate, pressure on the Games' organizing chief is mounting over his recent comments that women talk too much in board meetings.

The National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the Ice Ribbon, is the venue for speed skating events at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Opinion: Olympic Flame Of Suffering

7:54am January 30, 2021

by Scott Simon

With the Winter Olympics set for next year, NPR's Scott Simon talks about the push by some human rights groups to move the games out of Beijing.

The Olympic rings displayed outside the National Stadium, a venue for the 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo on April 7. The games have been delayed until 2021 because of the coronavirus.

Japan, IOC Jostle Over Who Will Pay Billions To Delay 2020 Olympics Over Coronavirus

4:02pm April 21, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

The cost of moving the summer games to 2021 is expected to be massive. The International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday Japan would pay. Japanese officials said they didn't agree to foot the bill.

On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee said that it was starting to look into scenarios for "modifying" the current plans for the games, which are scheduled to start on July 24 in Tokyo.

U.S. Olympics Officials Say 2020 Games Should Be Postponed Because Of Coronavirus

8:37pm March 23, 2020

The top leaders of the U.S. organization say postponement from the planned July 24 opening is best, and international officials should ensure that conditions are safe and fair for all competitors.