Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori set to quit in sexism storm just months before Games February 11, 2021 Yoshiro Mori, the president of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee, is expected to quit over a sexism row. Mori, 83, has faced widespread calls to resign since saying that women talk too much earlier this month. The former prime minster of Japan is set to step down at a board meeting tomorrow, local media [...]
Alistair Brownlee interview: Olympic triathlon champion targeting world’s first sub-seven-hour Ironman and golden hat-trick in Tokyo February 5, 2021 Alistair Brownlee did his first triathlon aged eight and trains three times a day, almost every day. Friday is “easy day”, when he swims and works out in the gym. When he’s not training, he enjoys riding his mountain bike. “I don’t like sitting still,” he says. The reigning Olympic triathlon champion will harness that [...]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics will happen this year regardless of Covid-19, organisers insist February 2, 2021 The delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will definitely go ahead this summer whatever the impact of Covid-19, organisers have said. Cases in Japan remain far higher than last year, increasing fears that the Games may have to be cancelled altogether. But Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said: “We will hold the Olympics, regardless of how the [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Premier League still No1 in China; Leeds boss keeping busy; Matchroom’s media move; Wimbledon optimism; London 2012 gold for sale January 28, 2021 The Premier League’s ongoing dispute with a Chinese broadcaster doesn’t appear to have affected its popularity in the Far East. England’s top division has been named the most popular football league in China by a new report ranking digital performance. It had 80 per cent more engagement on leading social media platform Weibo than La [...]
Olympic chiefs expected to press ahead and draw up plans for Tokyo 2020 Games in summer 2021 despite Covid-19 concerns January 26, 2021 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will meet tomorrow to draw up plans for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, despite persistent speculation of a Covid-enforced cancellation. Wednesday’s video meeting of the IOC’s executive board is expected to focus on how it will ensure the vaccination of athletes, manage international visitors and accommodate spectators. The Japanese government, [...]
Tokyo Olympics unlikely to happen, says London 2012 chief Sir Keith Mills January 19, 2021 The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are “unlikely” to go ahead this year, says one of the architects of London 2012. Sir Keith Mills, creator of the Air Miles and Nectar loyalty schemes, was chief executive of London’s bid for the Games and deputy chair of the organising committee. He told the BBC: “Personally, sitting [...]
Why Darren Campbell is telling the story of his rise from poverty to Olympic success – and brush with death – before it’s too late January 15, 2021 Darren Campbell was in no hurry to write a book until May 2018. A near-death experience has a way of rearranging priorities. Aged just 44, the British former Olympic champion sprinter needed intensive care after a bleed on the brain caused a series of seizures. The ordeal brought Campbell the stark realisation that he ought [...]
Sportradar tap fintech veteran to chair global board January 7, 2021 Betting services company Sportradar have raided the world of fintech for the new head of their global board. Jeff Yabuki, who oversaw fifteen years of growth at Nasdaq-listed Fiserv, will take on the role immediately. Fiserv tripled its revenue over the period and delivered nearly 1000 per cent returns to shareholders. Sportradar now employes more [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Fresh fears over Tokyo Olympics; Pound calls for athletes to jump vaccine queue; China’s $900m esports palace January 7, 2021 Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers have attempted to calm fears that the Games will not go ahead after a state of emergency was declared in the city. Japan’s prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced the measures today in response to a steep rise in Covid-19 cases. The Olympics was rescheduled in response to the pandemic last summer [...]
How Covid is affecting sport in 2021: Will Premier League, Tokyo Olympics, England’s Test series in Sri Lanka and the Lions tour go ahead? January 5, 2021 The first wave of Covid-19 saw professional sport grind to a halt as countries across the world imposed lockdowns. With cases on the rise again, particularly in England, some sports – including football, rugby union, boxing and snooker – have already been disrupted. So how is elite sport in 2021 being affected by the pandemic [...]