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      Tokyo to be placed under state of emergency due to surge of coronavirus cases just three months before Olympics

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      TOKYO will be plunged into a state of emergency just three months before the Olympics after another surge of coronavirus cases.The Japanese capital will be subject to strict measures from Sunday with the Games hanging in the balance.
      Tokyo will be put into a state of emergency from SundayCredit: PA
      The Games are already under threat with Covid still out of control in the Asian nationCredit: AP
      The 2020 Olympic Games were pushed back a year as a result of the global pandemic. They are due to open in just over three months on July 23 and the Paralympics open on August 24.
      Organisers have introduced a series of precautionary measures to ensure it is as safe as possible this year.
      They include no international spectators being permitted, sex being banned and ensuring 30,000 athletes are vaccinated.
      But the Japanese government has taken extra city-wide measures to try and curb the country’s infection rate, according to publication Nikkei.
      Three other areas – Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo – will also be put into a state of emergency.
      The report states: “The government deems it necessary to restrict the movement of people ahead of the Golden Week holiday that begins at the end of April.
      “It is the third emergency declaration in Japan since the onset of the pandemic.
      “The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is coordinating with the central government to request restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages close.”

      There is still a real chance of the Games being cancelled, according to a Japanese MP.
      Covid cases have been surging across the nation as the IOC still found time to ban athletes from taking the knee.
      Last Wednesday, Japan’s second-largest metropolitan area of Osaka recorded over 1,100 new infections, its highest total since January.
      Taro Kono, the government minister in charge of Japan’s vaccine rollout, said even if the Olympics go on, there may be no fans of any kind in the venues.
      Earlier this month, North Korea were said to be the first country to withdraw from the Games.
      As reported by Sky Sports, at a meeting on March 25 led by North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, the Asian nation decided to pull out.
      A website run by the North Korea’s Sports Ministry said its national Olympic Committee confirmed the move in order to protect their athletes.
      However, Japan’s Olympic Committee said they were yet to be told of the North Korean boycott.
      A senior Japanese Government official says cancelling this year’s Olympic Games remains an option More

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      Anniversary Games could be moved from London Stadium despite athletics pledge to avoid £3m taxpayers’ bill

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      THE Anniversary Games could be moved away from the London Stadium to avoid a £3milllion taxpayers’ bill.The Diamond League meeting is set to take place on Tuesday July 13 in front of 20,000 fans as part of the final preparations for Team GB stars before the Tokyo Olympics.
      The Anniversary Games could be moved from the London Stadium to avoid a £3m taxpayers’ billCredit: EPA
      Sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning 200m world champion, is believed to have signed up to compete at the event before flying to Japan.
      Yet a public row has developed between UK Athletics and the London Legacy Development Corporation about the prospect of staging the meeting away from West Ham’s home ground.
      Gateshead or Manchester are two viable options to step in given Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium is subject to a major overhaul for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
      In a statement, the LLDC said: “Like many venues, the Covid pandemic means London Stadium will not host the usual summer events in 2021. 
      “For the Stadium, and ultimately the taxpayer, to face costs of around £3million to prepare for just for one evening of athletics rather than the full summer calendar seems disproportionate in these extraordinary times.
      “We’ve reached out to UKA to discuss alternative options for this summer’s event, including an offer to cover the costs of moving the event to another venue and a further good will gesture for the disruption.
      “We believe this is a sensible way forward for all concerned under the circumstances.
      “It will mean the event can still be held without disrupting Team GB’s Olympic preparations and delivers best value to the taxpayer. 
      “We would want UKA to see that this is the best way forward in light of the circumstances caused by the pandemic.”
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      However, UKA reacted with anger that the prestigious event would possibly be moved to a suitable alternative venue.
      A UKA spokesperson said: “This would be an unacceptable breach of a longstanding agreement that forms an important part of the 2012 Olympic legacy plans. 
      “We expect the contract to be honoured and the event to take place at the Olympic Stadium as do the athletes, broadcasters, sponsors, and most importantly the fans.
      “This is not only a key part of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes’ preparation for Tokyo.
      “But an opportunity for fans and young athletes from the local community to return to one of the most iconic athletic venues in world sport. 
      “It would be a travesty for the sport after such a long wait for world class athletics to return to the Olympic Stadium if our athletes and fans are denied a crucial send-off to Tokyo.”
      The meeting first began in 2013 as part of the legacy plans following the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics yet it was cancelled last year due to the Covid pandemic.
      A senior Japanese Government official says cancelling this year’s Olympic Games remains an option More

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      Team GB sprinter Reece Prescod hopes move to Florida will bring Tokyo Olympics glory and break Linford Christie’s record

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      REECE PRESCOD believes relocating to Florida will revolutionise his career — and fulfil two targets in his athletics career.Britain’s fourth fastest male sprinter flew to the US this month to begin training on the road to the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
      Reece Prescod, 25, hopes training in Florida will help him bring success to Team GB at the OlympicsCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      The ambitious 25-year-old — whose 100 metres personal best is 9.94sec — has made no secret about wanting to win a medal and potentially break Linford Christie’s 1993 national record of 9.87.
      Prescod, one of SunSport’s Samurai Seven to watch on the Road to Tokyo, revealed he has parted ways with coach Jonas Dodoo after eight years to link up with veteran Mike Holloway, 62, in the Sunshine State.
      He said: “Mike has been around for years and comes with a lot of expertise.
      “He has coached guys to run sub-44, sub-20 and sub-ten for the 400m, 200m and 100m.
      “I’ve always said I wanted to do the 100m, 200m and 400m. So he ticks all the boxes.
      “In lockdown, I got to a stage where I had time to sit and reflect on everything.
      “When I compete against the world’s best, the guys winning the medals and running the times were from the US and Jamaica.
      “They tend to be in better condition to  survive the rounds.
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      Prescod is Britain’s fourth fastest male sprinterCredit: Getty – Contributor

      “The Americans and Jamaicans always win the majority of the Olympics and World Championships. It’s because of the type of training they’re doing.
      “I want a coach to teach me to do that. Even if it takes me a bit longer that’s ultimately what I want to do. I want to win medals.
      “I don’t want to get a high world ranking or place high on the Diamond League circuit.
      “Fortunately for me, a lot of coaches rated my talent, not just the UK-based ones. I looked at going to Jamaica, maybe Usain Bolt’s old coach, but Jamaican culturally, even though I have family heritage from there, is very different.
      “I liked Mike’s principles, which are about making someone a better athlete and a better man at the same time. I’ve been in England for a long time and I know what I want from myself.
      “The training group there seems really, really friendly, a lot more upbeat.
      “It has come at a good time for me, I’m training good, eating well, sleeping well.
      “I’ve learned now that I cannot base all my happiness and everything on athletics performance.
      “Before that, if I was running well, I am up here. And if I’m running bad, I’m down there. In times like this, that’s not a healthy way to live.
      “In an ideal world I’d live in England, settle down, get a nice house, have a girlfriend, have a nice coach in England, have a nice life.
      Prescod is also eager to break Linford Christie’s record for the 100 metre dashCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Prescod is confident his American dream can make his Tokyo gold dream a realityCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      “But for what I want, for my performance, I need to go there. That’s what I have to try to get out of America.”
      Londoner Prescod, who started following Holloway’s training sessions last year via Zoom, claims he would have been fit for the Tokyo Olympics had they not been postponed by the  pandemic for 12 months.
      Nonetheless, injuries have played a huge part in his  journey.
      Notably the right hamstring  he tore in Oslo in June 2019, which forced him out of the Doha World Championships later that year.
      Prescod spent fortnightly sessions in Germany with Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, who worked on Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt before the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
      The 2018 European 100m silver medallist has skipped the indoor season and will concentrate fully on the Team GB trials in Manchester this summer.
      Prescod, who benefits from National Lottery funds, admitted: “The mental barriers play in my head because I haven’t run in a long time. I probably don’t know what 100m feels like now!
      “I’d really like to break the British record and to get some medals at a championship. That’s my aim for the rest of my track career.
      “That’s the level I will aim for. You see how Bolt did it — you’d see him on the Diamond League here and there but, ultimately, he got ready for the Jamaican national trials.
      “Then he went to the Games and gave his best running. That’s what I have got to do now.”
      Nobody does more to support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes than National Lottery players, who raise around £30million each week for good causes. Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has on sport www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk. Get involved by using hashtags #TNLAthletes #TracktoTokyo
      Since National Lottery funding started in 1997, Great Britain and Northern Ireland athletes have won 864 inspirational Olympic and Paralympic medals.

      Tokyo Olympic torch relay begins in Fukushima More

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      Tokyo 2020 Olympics BAN fans from overseas this summer because of Covid fears and travel restrictions

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      THIS summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be closed off from overseas fans due to the coronavirus pandemic.Ticket holders unable to attend the Games must apply for refunds after being told they will have to watch from home.
      No fans from overseas will be allowed to attend the 2020 Olympic GamesCredit: EPA
      Organisers have confirmed SunSport’s reports from earlier this month.
      Team GB bosses told athletes at the start of the year not to expect to compete in front of their friends and families.
      Some 600,000 Olympic tickets held by fans from outside of Japan will be eligible for refunds with 300,000 to be handed out for the Paralympics.
      Talks were held between local organisers, the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) before the decision was confirmed on Saturday.
      Upon the announcement, Tokyo 2020 organising committee Toshiro Muto refused to say how much the refunds would cost the Games.
      Hotel cancellation costs will not be covered as Muto stated the decision will ‘ensure a safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public’.
      The Olympics, delayed by a year due to the pandemic, commence on July 23 with the Paralympics beginning on August 24.
      Japan has recently experienced a rise in coronavirus rates but the month-long state of emergency imposed on Tokyo ends next week.
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      There are hopes that local fans will still be allowed to attend the Games despite IOC bosses accepting earlier this year that events could take place behind closed doors.
      Tokyo organisers have faced a plethora of issues in finalising their plans for the disrupted games, including the resignations of a creative director for planning to dress a woman up as a pig for the opening ceremony.
      And organiser Yoshiro Miro was forced to quit weeks following a separate sexism row.
      Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigns less than six months before virus-postponed Games after sexist comments More

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      British team that travelled to Poland for European Indoor Athletics Championship in isolation after positive Covid test

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      BRITISH athletes that competed at last weekend’s Euro Indoors must self-isolate for ten days following a positive Covid-19 test in the camp.
      The majority of the squad that travelled to Torun in Poland for the European Indoors Athletics Championship – 46 athletes plus 20-odd support staff – will be required to stay at home in line with UK government guidelines.

      British athletes returning from Poland following the European Indoors must self-isolate for ten daysCredit: AFP

      A member of the support staff returned a positive lateral flow test on Tuesday evening – this is despite returning a negative result before flying into the UK.
      It is understood most of the squad, led by new head coach Christian Malcolm, travelled home in the early hours of Monday morning having left their hotel on Sunday evening.
      Athletes had to isolate for five days but this latest development might inconvenience their training schedules.
      A British Athletics spokesperson said: “British Athletics has confirmed that a member of the GB & NI team travelling party returning from Torun provided a positive lateral flow test on the evening of March 9.

      “This has been followed up this morning with a PCR test.
      “As a result, all members of the travelling party will now need to self-isolate for a period of ten days from Monday March 8 (ends Thursday March 18) in line with government guidance.”
      The three-day event was overshadowed by hosts Poland withdrawing their entire 4x400m men’s relay squad after positive coronavirus tests.
      Belgian hurdler Eline Berings was shocked to discover she had tested positive for coronavirus last Saturday despite showing no symptoms.

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      I hope this never happens to anyone again and there can be a solution for such situations in the future.Also, if anyone has an idea what might cause a false positive… I’d be happy to hear. Bad luck is not really an answer that suits professional sports…. @vanranstmarc pic.twitter.com/RU42uCeKUH
      — Eline Berings (@ElineBerings) March 9, 2021

      Though she was immediately excluded from competition, the 34-year-old claims she tested NEGATIVE on the Sunday following another a PCR test.
      Berings tweeted: “I hope this never happens to anyone again and there can be a solution for such situations in the future.
      “Also, if anyone has an idea what might cause a false positive…I’d be happy to hear. Bad luck is not really an answer that suits professional sports.”
      False positives could indeed be a major headaches for competitors heading to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics later this summer – as it would almost certainly rule them out of action in the Japanese capital.
      At the Europeans, Britain won 12 medals – two golds, four silvers, six bronzes – to finish third in the standings behind Holland and Portugal.
      This matches their record haul from Glasgow in 2019 and represents their best squad display on foreign soil in the competition’s 55-year history.
      Keely Hodgkinson, the 19-year-old Leigh runner, won 800m gold at her first major champs while US-based Amy-Eloise Markovc was triumphant in the 3,000m on the opening night.

      Sisters Cindy Sember and Tiffany Porter, in the mask, won silver and bronze in the 60m hurdlesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Keely Hodgkinson became European 800m champion, one of two gold medals won by Britain in Torun, PolandCredit: EPA

      Team GB star and pharmacist Tiffany Porter runs hurdles in fastest time this year wearing a mask More

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      Who is Dame Kelly Holmes and what’s her net worth?

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      KELLY HOLMES was born on April 19, 1970 and is a retired Olympic champion having won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in both the 800 and 1500 metres.
      She was brought up in Kent and began training for athletics at the age of 12, joining the Tonbridge Athletics club.

      Kelly followed her 800 metre gold with another in the 1500 metresCredit: PA:Press Association
      What did she win in her career?

      Kelly won her first 1500 metre Commonwealth title in 1994, she went on to regain the title in 2001.
      At the Sydney Olympics in 2000 she won bronze in the 800 metres.
      She won silver in the 800 metres at the World Championships in 2003.
      Won two gold medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in both 800 and 1500 metres.

      Kelly was awarded a DBE in 2005 and is officially a Dame.
      Why did she retire?
      Kelly decided to retire in 2005 admitting she was no longer motivated to continue, after learning of the sudden death of Tim O’Brien; a man she met whilst undergoing physiotherapy.
      Speaking at the time she said: “It just totally shook me up and started making me think about my future.”
      She added: “I have achieved everything I wanted to in my life and want to make the most of my life from now on.”

      Kelly’s mother Pam Norman passed away in 2017 from myeloma, a form of blood cancer and the athlete revealed she resorted to self harming on the day she died.

      Kelly has said she battled with self-harm at the height of her career.
      She said: “I had so many injuries and it led to depression, self-harm, a breakdown and anxiety attacks.
      “No one should judge other people, because when it’s your life, it’s hell. I would love to tell my younger self, when she was going through it, that she would be ok. I’d tell her to talk to people.” More

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      Tokyo 2020 Olympics BAN overseas fans from attending Games with fears over spread of Covid

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      BRITISH and other overseas fans will be banned from attending the Tokyo Olympics.
      The decision by the Japanese government follows increased Covid concerns among the country’s population.

      Fans will be banned from attending the Tokyo Olympics due to Covid concernsCredit: PA:Press Association

      SunSport revealed how Team GB bosses were preparing for the news in recent months with athletes told to expect their friends and families would not be allowed out to watch them compete.
      That will now be confirmed in the coming days with a decision having been finally taken by the Government and briefed to the country’s official news agency.
      A final meeting with the IOC and International Paralympic Committee next week will then make the decision formal.
      Japanese ministers are anxious about foreign fans spreading the virus and its contagious variants.

      Overseas citizen are still not allowed into Japan although those regulations will be lifted for the ‘Olympic family’ when the Games take place from late July.
      The opening ceremony of the torch relay would also be held without any spectators.
      Sending a statement through the Kyodo agency, Olympoic officials said: “The organising committee has decided it is essential to hold the ceremony in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima behind closed doors.
      “Only permitting participants and invitees to take part in the event, to avoid large crowds forming amid the pandemic.

      Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto has said she wants a decision on whether to let in overseas spectators before the start of the torch relay on March 25.
      The statement continued: “Five parties, the IOC, the IPC (International Paralympic Committee), Tokyo 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the national government, came together for a meeting via online just last week.
      “The decision regarding allowing spectators from overseas to attend the Tokyo 2020 Games will be made by the end of March based on factors including the state of infections in Japan and other countries, possible epidemic-prevention measures, and expert scientific advice will be considered.”

      Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigns less than six months before virus-postponed Games after sexist comments More

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      Coronavirus outbreak at European Indoor Championships as Polish 4×400 men’s relay team pull out after positive tests

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      POLAND have withdrawn their entire 4x400m men’s relay squad after positive Covid-19 tests.
      And in a further concern for organisers, Belgian hurdler Eline Berings was shocked to discover she had tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday despite showing no symptoms.

      The Arena Torun is hosting the European Athletics Indoor Championships this weekendCredit: EPA

      The host nation will not have representatives in the penultimate event of the final day of the European Indoor Championships in Torun.
      The withdrawal was confirmed on Twitter by the Polish Athletics Association but it is not known yet which members of the side have contracted the killer virus.
      Former British sprinter Jeanette Kwakye, who is the BBC’s mixed-zone reporter on duty this weekend, claimed on her account: “Three of the Polish men 4x400m have tested positive for Covid. They’ve withdrawn the whole team.”
      Kwakye later clarified on live TV that it was TWO not three members of the side had tested positive

      For the home fans watching on TV, this was supposed to be the highlight of the three-day championship.
      Three years ago in Birmingham, the quartet of Karol Zalewski, Rafal Omelko, Lukasz Krawczuk and Jakub Krzewina shocked the United States with an indoor world record display of 3:01.77 at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
      Certainly the Polish runners were favourites for this relay event and their absence later this afternoon will have improved Britain’s chances of winning the gold.
      Four of the six eligible Brits for this event – Joe Brier, Efe Okoro, Tom Somers, Owen Smith, Lee Thompson and James Williams – will line-up against Belgium, Italy, Holland and the Czech Republic.

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      No semi-final for me… apparently I tested positive on covid yesterday. I don’t think I need to explain how devastated I am….
      — Eline Berings (@ElineBerings) March 7, 2021

      Berings, the 2009 European Indoor champion in the 60m hurdles, revealed on social media that she would not be taking part in the semi-finals.
      The 34-year-old tweeted: “Devastated. No semi-final for me…apparently I tested positive on Covid yesterday. I don’t think I need to explain how devastated I am…”
      Denise Lewis, the 2000 Olympic heptathlon champion, said: “It’s a little unsettling. From what I gather, there’s not much internal knowledge within the arena.
      “No-one is aware of it. So it’s all coming through socials. We are still waiting for all the confirmations.

      “It is worrying. Sitting here, I’d be thinking: ‘Wow, are we going to get any more cases?’ It’s difficult.
      “But there was always going to be risk. You are bringing a lot of people together in a short space of time. I know they have all done their best and they are following the protocols.
      “But it is a tiny warm-up area with over 700 athletes as we said. More than we would ordinarily see at these championships. It’s very difficult.”

      Tokyo Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigns less than six months before virus-postponed Games after sexist comments More