Kishida: Lifting Entry Ban To Be Considered For Foreign Athletes

Kishida: Lifting entry ban to be considered for foreign athletes

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has indicated that he will consider allowing foreign athletes into the country from March, in response to a request from the governing bodies of professional baseball and soccer.

Kishida expressed the intention at a meeting with Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Saito Atsushi and J.League Chairman Murai Mitsuru on Wednesday.

Read more...

Japan's Hirano Claims Snowboarding Halfpipe Gold

Japan's Hirano claims snowboarding halfpipe gold

Japanese snowboarder Hirano Ayumu has won gold in the men's halfpipe at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The 23-year-old took silver at the previous two Games.

Hirano landed what's called a "triple cork 1440" on all three of his runs. The trick consists of three head-over-heels flips while spinning sideways four times. Hirano became the first athlete to achieve it in competition last December.

Read more...

Chen Triumphs In Men's Figure Skating

Chen triumphs in men's figure skating

US superstar Nathan Chen has won the Olympic gold in men's figure skating. Japanese skaters made up the rest of the podium but two-time defending champion Hanyu Yuzuru missed out on a medal with a fourth-place finish.

The 22-year-old Chen completed a nearly perfect free program routine, successfully landing five quadruple jumps. His total score of 332.60 put him over 20 points clear at the top.

Read more...

252 Sumo Wrestlers, Officials Test Positive After January Tournament

252 sumo wrestlers, officials test positive after January tournament

The governing body of professional sumo says a total of 252 wrestlers and officials have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus since the grand tournament ended in late January.

The Japan Sumo Association conducted PCR tests on all its members by Tuesday. It says nine wrestlers in the top or second-highest divisions, including Ozeki Champion Shodai, and 11 stable masters tested positive.

Read more...

Disqualifications Overshadow Ski Jumping Mixed Team Debut

Disqualifications overshadow ski jumping mixed team debut

At the Beijing Winter Games, the gold in ski jumping's mixed team event went to Slovenia, but there was controversy after five jumpers were disqualified, including favorites Germany.

Claimed breaches of complex rules that link suits and skis to bodyweight in an effort to remove any advantage also took out Japan, Austria and two Norwegian jumpers.

Read more...

Roc Figure Skating Team Wins Gold, Japan Finishes Third

ROC figure skating team wins gold, Japan finishes third

At the Beijing Winter Games, figure skaters from the Russian Olympic Committee have won gold in the team competition, with the United States in second place. Japan finished third to pocket its first-ever medal in the event.

The Russian skaters closed out the win by a wide margin over the United States. Kamila Valieva put the icing on the cake in the last section of the event, the women's single free skate. The 15-year-old had already dominated Sunday's short program.

Read more...

Head Of Japan Olympic Team Expresses High Hope On Athletes' Best Performance

Head of Japan Olympic Team expresses high hope on athletes' best performance

The head of Team Japan for the Beijing Winter Olympics has expressed high hope that everyone on the team will strive to deliver the best performance they possibly can.

Japan is sending 124 athletes to the 17-day Games, which starts on Friday. That is a record high for the Winter Olympics held overseas. Japan aims to win more medals than the 13 it won in the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

Read more...

First Japanese Athlete To Test Positive In Beijing

First Japanese athlete to test positive in Beijing

Japan's Beijing Olympic team says an athlete due to compete in a skiing event has tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in the Chinese capital.

The athlete tested negative prior to departure from Japan, but was found positive after a PCR test was administered upon arrival in Beijing on Tuesday.

Read more...

Japan's Olympic Team Arrives In Beijing

Japan's Olympic team arrives in Beijing

The Japanese Olympic team has arrived in Beijing.

Eighty-three athletes and officials arrived in Beijing on Sunday. The total number of Japanese athletes will reach 124, more than any other winter Games outside of Japan.

Read more...

Mitakeumi Wins New Year Sumo Tournament

Mitakeumi wins New Year sumo tournament

Mitakeumi beat Yokozuna Grand Champion Terunofuji to win the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.

Mitakeumi, who holds the third-highest rank of Sekiwake, was in the lead with two losses when he entered the final day of the 15-day tourney. He was followed by Terunofuji, Abi and Kotonowaka with three losses.

Read more...

Ex - Rugby Player Worried About Relatives In Tonga

Ex-rugby player worried about relatives in Tonga

A former player for Japan's national men's rugby team who was born in Tonga is anxiously waiting to hear about the safety of his relatives.

Latu Sinali came to Japan 37 years ago and was selected to represent the national team. He acquired Japanese nationality and lives near Tokyo.

Read more...