TOKYO, July 23 — Japan’s Emperor Naruhito has welcomed a number of world leaders and US First Lady Jill Biden at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo ahead of the opening of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Sputnik reported, quoting the Kyodo news agency on Friday.

ANKARA, July 8 — Amid persistent coronavirus cases, Japan announced on Thursday it will hold the much-anticipated Tokyo Olympics under a Covid-19 state of emergency.

TOKYO, July 7 — Japan's government is floating proposals that would ban fans from all Olympic events, the Mainichi newspaper reported on Wednesday, as officials scramble to address public concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — The number of spectators for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin on July 23, will be capped at 50 per cent of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people per venue, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday.

TOKYO, June 21 — Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics opened the athletes' village to the media on Sunday, showing off apartments and a timber-laced shopping plaza where 11,000 athletes would stay and mingle during the sporting extravaganza.

ANKARA, June 19 — The Covid-19 Advisory Board of the government responsible for fighting the outbreak in Japan said on Friday that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics should be played without spectators, according to Anadolu quoting the Kyodo agency.

TOKYO, June 16 — Japanese officials in charge of coronavirus countermeasures will hold a news conference later on Wednesday, with domestic media reporting that a proposal to allow limited numbers of domestic spectators for the Olympics is under consideration.

PUTRAJAYA, June 14 — Media practitioners covering the upcoming Tokyo Olympics received their vaccine injections starting today, said coordinating minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (CIP), Khairy Jamaluddin.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 — Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee chief executive officer, Toshiro Muto denied claims that the entry of 10 countries, including Malaysia will be barred from next month’s Olympics due to a surge in the Covid-19 cases.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) will write to the International Olympic Council (IOC) and Japan to seek clarification on a report that athletes from 10 countries, including Malaysia, will be barred from the Tokyo Olympics.

TOKYO, May 20 — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reassured an anxious Japan on Wednesday that the Tokyo Olympics would be safe for athletes as well as the host community, amid mounting opposition to the Games and fears it will fuel a spike in Covid-19 cases.

TOKYO, May 18 — A top medical organisation has thrown its weight behind calls to cancel the Tokyo Olympics saying hospitals are already overwhelmed as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections less than three months from the start of the Games.

MOSCOW, May 10 — Some 59 per cent of Japanese citizens think that the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo should be cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Sputnik reported a fresh poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper as showing on Monday.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — A total of 264 athletes and officials involved in the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine tomorrow in preparation for the multi-sports Games.

TOKYO, April 8 — The Japanese government is thinking of prioritising Covid-19 vaccines for athletes taking part in the Olympics and Paralympics, which start at the end of July, Kyodo news agency said.

TOKYO, Nov 17 — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday agreed with International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach that the Tokyo Olympics will be held as planned next summer, possibly with spectators, despite the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, reported Kyodo News.