EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DELHI THE HINDU 18 SPORT SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE When will the fate of the Olympics be known? IOC president Bach has repeatedly said it’s too early to announce a final decision Associated Press Tokyo Committee. They are the the Fukushima area has re­ three that signed the 81­page covered from the disaster The Olympic flame has ar­ Host City Agreement, which nine years ago. rived in Japan from Greece. spells out in enormous de­ The government has Next comes the torch relay tails all Games contingen­ dubbed these The Recovery around the country, which is cies. Olympics. However, many scheduled to start on Thurs­ The IOC has all the lever­ residents are still living in day from Fukushima prefec­ age, though it will have to ho­ temporary quarters after the ture in northern Japan. nour WHO suggestions and earthquake, tsunami and Organisers have asked the interests of Prime Minis­ meltdown of three nuclear crowds to be restrained, but ter Shinzo Abe. The IOC has reactors in 2011. have been imprecise about a reserve fund of about $2 Getting the relay started what that means. Greek offi­ billion and insurance to cov­ from Fukushima also helps cials last week stopped a re­ er losses. The contract says major IOC sponsors Coca­ lay there on the second day termination can occur “... if Cola and Toyota, who pay and did not resume because the IOC has reasonable millions to give their brands of crowd size. grounds to believe, in its sole exposure during the relay. In the face of the coronavi­ discretion, that the safety of Crowds are being asked to be rus pandemic, Japanese or­ participants in the Games is restrained. This will not keep Indian tennis players ganisers and IOC president seriously threatened or jeo­ the images of the relay from Thomas Bach say that the pardised for any reason, being transmitted daily Games will open on July 24 at whatsoever.” around the globe on televi­ work on future ventures the $1.43 billion National Sta­ Tokyo is officially spend­ sion. Bach is expected to dium in central Tokyo. Hope springs: The Olympic flame which arrived in Japan on Friday will be on public display in ing $12.6 billion to organise watch the relay when it Trying to make the most of Bach has repeatedly said some areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. * AP the Olympics, but a national reaches Hiroshima on May it’s too early to announce a fi­ audit says it’s at least twice 18­19. the COVID­19­forced break nal decision, saying he’s tak­ over others. Then there’s the postpone the Tokyo Olym­ on the agenda. That leaves that much. Any bookmaker taking odds? ing advice from a task force question of bringing 11,000 pics, leaving the symbol be­ only going ahead, or post­ Press Trust of India resort to host tournaments that includes the World athletes and staff together in hind as a reminder of what’s ponement, as the options. How important is the torch An Irish bookmaker says 1­7 New Delhi in future at a scenic Health Organisation. the Olympic Village, and still to come. Empty venues seem to have relay to the IOC and local Games will not open as sche­ Swinging the racquet will location. organisers? But now there’s push 4,400 Paralympians a month been ruled out. dule on July 24. not earn them money all Mumbai­based Purav Ra­ back, mostly from athletes later. What is the deadline for It’s important symbolism for A poll by Japanese news their life, so a few Indian ja has also busied himself in and former Olympians who Getting the flame to Japan making a final decision? Who will make the final the Japanese government agency Kyodo this week tennis players, forced out of shaping up his business. “I are complaining: they can’t represents a minor victory Bach surely knows, but he is decision? and Prime Minister Abe. showed 69.9% of Japanese Pro Tour due to the health am starting ‘Restrung In­ train, qualifying events have for both organisers and the not saying. In an interview It will be made jointly with He is Japan’s longest­serv­ questioned do not believe crisis triggered by COVID­19, dia’, a racquet customising been cancelled, and the IOC. Its symbolic presence with the New York Times the IOC, the city of Tokyo, ing premier and hopes to use the Games will begin on are utilising their time to business. It’s about building chaos is sure to favour some could give the IOC space to Bach said cancellation is not and the Japanese Olympic the Olympics to argue that time. work on career beyond your own racquet. I am tennis. spending some time on this Almost all of them are now which was difficult be­ restricted to doing fitness ing on road. This is fun, giv­ More countries call for Postpone Indian hockey teams WADA’s drills at home with courts ing Indian players a chance and gyms out of bound. to use best equipment,” he Olympics, says dope-testing Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan said. delaying Tokyo Games continue to train is spending time hitting at “My wife is also helping Sharath Kamal guidelines private courts and handling me in this. But I still have to Agence France-Presse shall not take place before Squads are isolated at the SAI Centre the marketing of their fami­ train and do my daily stuff. I Los Angeles the COVID­19 situation is un­ Press Trust of India Agence France-Presse ly resort in Puducherry. am working on fitness and US Olympic chiefs said more der firm control on a global New Delhi Press Trust of India men’s team captain Man­ Montreal “It obviously is unusual and getting stronger.” time was needed to deter­ scale.” India’s veteran table tennis Bengaluru preet Singh. The World Anti­Doping situation. We can hit at a few Meanwhile, Prajnesh mine the fate of the Tokyo In a conference call with player Sharath Kamal is in Isolated inside the SAI “With the backing of SAI Agency (WADA) has issued places where people have Gunneswaran said, “We are Olympics as a major US reporters, United States line to play his fourth Centre here in view of the and our coaches, we have new guidelines to facilitate private space and obviously all having to sit around and sports federation called for Olympic and Paralympic Olympics in July­August COVID­19 pandemic, it’s bu­ been training very hard for continued testing amid the the gathering is small. A few wait. it’s not ideal. I hope the Games to be postponed Committee (USOPC) chair­ but he wants the IOC to siness as usual for the In­ the Olympics,” he added. constraints of the coronavi­ players doing that. I am in this passes quickly. Every­ over the coronavirus woman Susanne Lyons said postpone the mega event dian men’s and women’s rus pandemic. Puducherry to help with my body in the world is strug­ pandemic. there was no need for the In­ due to the COVID­19 hockey players as they pre­ Safe environment Noting that the spread of resort (K resort),” Jeevan gling. We as tennis players The French swimming ternational Olympic Com­ pandemic. pare for the upcoming To­ The women’s team captain COVID­19 had evolved into told PTI. should not say that our live­ federation too on Saturday mittee to make an imme­ “As an athlete, I obvious­ kyo Olympics in a “safe Rani Rampal said her team “an even greater health and The left­hander said he is lihood is at stake, it’s worse joined its US counterpart in diate decision on Tokyo. “At ly want the Olympics to environment”. is fortunate to continue societal emergency” since working on developing a for many others,” said calling for the Olympics to this point in time, we do not happen but it should not The Sports Authority of training for the Olympics in its March 6 communique, tennis facility at their family Prajnesh. be postponed, adding to feel that it’s necessary for us happen. India Centre, which has a safe environment. WADA urged Anti­Doping pressure on the IOC. “The to insist that they make a de­ “The epicentre of the vi­ been shut for outside visi­ “We are very fortunate to Organisations to act in ac­ current context does not al­ cision.” rus will keep changing, tors, is well­equipped for have a facility like the SAI cordance with restrictions low the 2020 Olympic But just hours after Lyons’ first it was China, now it is regular practice sessions campus here. Everyone is placed by local health auth­ Games to be organised pro­ comments, USA Swimming Italy and Iran too is badly and no unauthorised per­ working very hard so that orities “to ensure proper perly,” the federation said af­ underscored the growing di­ affected in Asia. I don’t see sons are allowed to enter its the hockey teams can conti­ protection of athletes and ter a videoconference of its visions within US sport on the scenario being safe for premises. nue to practice for the doping control personnel, executive committee. the issue by calling for the Olympics to start on “The COVID­19 outbreak Olympics,” said Rani. while protecting the integri­ The Norwegian Olympic USOPC to request a time,” the 37­year­old told has not affected our practice “Our health is being mon­ ty of doping control pro­ Committee (NOC) too on Sa­ postponement.