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ARAB TIMES, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021 SPORTS 14 Volunteers from abroad ruled out for Tokyo Games Japan spends billions on technology for absent Olympic fans TOKYO, March 23, (AP): Japan’s top telecom- Tokyo-based NTT, founded in 1952, has the long run. munications company is getting 7.3 billion boasted of close ties with the Japanese govern- “The plans all had to be drastically changed,” yen – about $67 million – in taxpayer money ment. It’s now embroiled in a sprawling corrup- she said. to design mobile tracking software to curb the tion scandal centered around lavishing enter- Meanwhile, volunteers from abroad will not spread of coronavirus infections during the To- tainment on ministry bureaucrats that oversee be allowed into Japan for the postponed Tokyo kyo Olympics. telecommunications. Olympics, organizers said Monday. There’s one catch: Few Olympic fans from Tokyo is offi cially spending $15.4 billion to The announcement came two days after abroad will be around to use it. prepare for the Olympics, but several govern- Tokyo organizers said they would ban inter- Tokyo Olympic organizers and the IOC on ment audits have suggested it’s at least $25 bil- national fans from coming into Japan. Both Saturday announced a ban on fans from abroad lion. All but $6.7 billion is public money. measures are aimed at preventing the spread of attending the the games, which open on July 23. While the pandemic has added to the costs, COVID-19. NTT Communications Corp., a group com- there will be few tourists to boost local coffers. Organizers said a limited number of volun- pany of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone In 2019, the year before the pandemic hit, Ja- teers might be allowed if they have special skills. Corp. and a domestic sponsor of the Tokyo pan raked in a record 4.8 trillion yen ($44 billion) “I’m really sorry, but we have decided there Games, heads the consortium developing the from nearly 31.9 million tourists visiting from is no other choice but to drop the plan,” said app in multiple languages that is set for release overseas, mostly from China and South Korea. Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the organizing com- in June. In contrast, international travelers to Japan mittee. last year, including foreign residents and fami- Organizers had planned to use about 80,000 lies of Japanese, dwindled to 4.1 million peo- unpaid volunteers. The Tokyo Metropolitan OLYMPICS ple, according to the Japan National Tourism Government had lined up 30,000 more. Most, Organization. No money fi gure was available. of course, are from Japan. It’s not clear how Domestic sponsors have contributed a record Domestic tourism has also fallen to about half many will be needed with few overseas fans in of $3.5 billion to the local organizing commit- the previous year’s levels. attendance. tee, a total about three times larger than any Japan has attributed about 9,000 deaths to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, quoting “sourc- previous Olympics. Contributions have been COVID-19 but has barely started to roll out es close to the matter,” said around 500 over- driven by giant marketing company Dentsu In this March 3, 2021 fi le photo, a man and a woman look at the Olympic rings installed off vaccines. seas volunteers would be given exemptions to Inc., the offi cial marketing partner of the Tokyo the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo. (AP) Marina Nakano, spokeswoman for the Japan enter Japan. Olympics. Cultural Expo, a government-backed program The Olympics are to open on July 23 with Like other skeptics, opposition lawmaker Users are to download the app in their cell Cocoa, for “COVID-19 Contact Confi rming set up especially to drum up tourism during 11,000 athletes, followed by the Paralympics Kanako Otsuji has said the app is a waste of phones so their whereabouts can be monitored Application,” offered free to the Japanese pub- the Tokyo Olympics, acknowledged cultural on Aug. 24 with 4,400 more. Athletes will op- money. with satellite technology. lic last year. events pegged to the upcoming Games are still erate inside a bubble, a plan that calls for lim- “When there will likely be no spectators, is In theory, it tracks infections. But it all must Japan now restricts people from entering the undecided. ited contact with outsiders. this the time to be designing an app for fans? be done in good faith and is effective only if peo- country because of the coronavirus pandemic, Events, set for last year, were canceled, post- The fi rst big test for the Olympics begins The Japanese government has failed over and ple use it honestly and diligently to record their except for some essential travel and returning poned or moved online. Thursday with the torch relay starting from over in digital innovation, but it’s going to have health conditions and warn others of outbreaks. citizens. Nakano is hopeful that once things return to northeastern Japan. The relay will last 121 days, success with this new app?” she said on her The NTT app costs nearly 20 times as much NTT Communications declined comment, normal, tourism might come back and her ef- involve 10,000 runners, and end at the opening YouTube channel last month. as an earlier glitch-plagued tracking app, called referring queries to the government. forts to push Japanese culture will pay off in ceremony in Tokyo’s new National Stadium. Japan formidable New Zealand beat Bangladesh Chen has 2 major challenges as he seeks 3rd consecutive worlds STOCKHOLM, March 23, (AP): As by 5 wickets to take series 2-0 Nathan Chen seeks a third consecutive World Figure Skating Championships title – something no American man has achieved since Scott Hamilton got his NZ reach 275-5 with 10 balls to spare fourth in a row in 1984 – he has two major challenges in front of him. CHRISTCHURCH, New way point we did a really good job One is two-time Olympic gold me- with the ball but we knew Bangla- dalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, whom ‘Boycott effort doomed to failure’ Chen calls “the benchmark.” The oth- Zealand, March 23, (AP): desh were going to come out fi ghting. Tom Latham’s fi fth one- er is idleness in major competitions “For us it was just about trying to forced by the coronavirus pandemic. day international century build those partnerships through the When Chen, winner of the last fi ve Airbnb asked to drop Olympic outweighed rival captain middle.” U.S. titles, skates in Stockholm this Tamim Iqbal’s 50th half During the Bangladesh innings week, it will be the fi rst signifi cant ties over China ‘rights’ issues Tamim survived a contentious international event for him since late century as New Zealand caught-and-bowled decision before 2019. A gold medalist in every compe- BEIJING, March 23, (AP): Airbnb Inc. describe the detention camps in Xinji- beat Bangladesh by fi ve falling to a bizarre run out. tition since his last defeat at the 2018 is being asked to drop its sponsorship ang as vocational centers. wickets Tuesday to take On 34 and in the 15th over, Tamim Winter Olympics, the 21-year-old connections to next year’s Beijing’s “China fi rmly rejects the politiciza- offered a sharp return chance to the can’t be sure that his recent dominance Winter Olympics by a coalition of 150 tion of sports and opposes using hu- a winning 2-0 lead in the tall New Zealand paceman Kyle in the sport will carry into worlds, human-rights campaigners. man rights issues to interfere in other three-match series. Jamieson. The 2.03 meter (6-foot- which were canceled a year ago. Nathan Chen of the USA performs The coalition is headed by groups countries’ internal affairs,” foreign In a match of odd equivalences, 8) Jamieson stooped on his follow “I think that not having competi- during a practice session at the Fig- that oppose rights violations in China ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said captains Latham and Iqbal were through to parcel the catch, then fell tions is actually kind of a loss just ure Skating World Championships because you learn so much at com- in Stockholm, Sweden, on March including the detention of Muslim Uy- earlier this month. He said an effort at the respective top-scorers for their forward. As he did so, the ball held 23. (AP) ghurs in the Xinjiang region. a boycott “is doomed to failure.” teams. Iqbal made 78 in Bangla- in his right hand touched the ground. petitions,” he says. “In training, you Airbnb is one of the International Rights groups have met with the desh’s 271-6 and Latham made The on-fi eld umpire immediately come in every day and you’re a little renowned coach Brian Orser, but ear- Olympic Committee’s leading 15 IOC and have been told the Olympic an unbeaten 110 as New Zealand upheld New Zealand’s appeal but bit more consistent with them, but you lier this year he returned to Japan for sponsors. Included in the group are body must stay politically “neutral.” Tamim referred the decision to the don’t necessarily have, like, weird the national championships and to con- companies like Coca-Cola, Samsung, They have been told by the IOC that reached 275-5 with 10 balls to variables thrown your way that you spare. television umpire who, after studying tinue practicing. Visa, Toyota, Alibaba, Panasonic, In- China has given “assurances” about several angles, ruled that Jamieson don’t really predict.

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