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Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 5, 2023

Beijing’s awkward Olympic legacy shows risk of venue reuse

Big Air Shougang's unusual backdrop thrilled viewers during the 2022 Winter Olympics, but plans to convert the venue into a year-round attraction have fallen by the wayside.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Mar 1, 2022

The Beijing Games — the start of the end of China’s ‘COVID zero’ policy?

With its strict restrictions on people's movements, the country has faced a critical test in staging the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 20, 2022

Beijing's big air venue to be converted into giant water slide

Plans for Beijing 2022's new venues highlight a problem that has long dogged Olympic host cities: What to do with the bespoke venues once the games end.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 17, 2022

The Olympians caught up in the U.S.-China rivalry

American athletes of Chinese descent at the Games are targets of patriotic and even nationalistic sentiment from both countries: sometimes adoring, sometimes hostile.
OLYMPICS
Feb 10, 2022

Nathan Chen captures gold as Yuzuru Hanyu falls short in bid to make history

Nathan Chen tops the podium as Yuma Kagiyama claims the silver medal and Shoma Uno earns bronze.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 4, 2022

In Beijing, the subject on everybody’s mind but not lips

Political activism has surfaced at many international events, including the Tokyo Olympics last summer, but no other host nation has been as strict as China in policing political dissent.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 20, 2021

With its human rights record in question, China turns to an old friend

Perhaps no international organization has a more symbiotic relationship with Beijing than the IOC.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Nov 22, 2021

In subtropical Taiwan, two women vie for spots at Beijing Winter Games

Taiwan, where snow brushes only the highest mountaintops during the coldest winters, has never won a medal at the Winter Olympics.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Nov 11, 2021

China’s Winter Olympic medal forecast clouded by pandemic

China can expect a host nation bump in the medal standings at next year's Winter Olympics, but predicting exactly how well the country will do in Beijing is proving to be an unprecedented challenge for Simon Gleave and his team.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 6, 2021

Silver lining: Japan’s Kiyou Shimizu grateful to have competed in karate's Olympic debut

The Osaka native said that she was grateful that the sport's profile was raised through the Games and that it was a privilege to be able to perform at Nippon Budokan.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 31, 2021

Will Japan’s gold rush end with judo? Not likely.

Japan has won nine golds in judo so far, the most by a single nation at an Olympics. Japan set the previous mark of eight in 2004.
OLYMPICS / Faces of Tokyo 2020
Jul 22, 2021

Little-known Japanese athletes the world should watch at the Tokyo Games

A number of the country's lesser known stars look set to make a splash on the world stage at the Olympics.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 20, 2021

Moon’s Olympic absence points to protracted stalemate with Japan

Tokyo had been lukewarm on a visit, as it did not expect the South Korean president to propose solutions to festering grievances over historical, political and economic issues.
OLYMPICS
Jul 20, 2021

U.S. softball standout Monica Abbott reflects on sport's Olympic comeback

The top-ranked Americans have waited over a decade to renew their quest for a fourth Olympic gold medal in the sport.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 8, 2021

Over 100 years of the Olympic spirit captured on screen

Film coverage of the modern Olympics, starting from 1912, shows that national pride and stunning athleticism have always been an integral part of the games.
OLYMPICS
Jul 7, 2021

In subdued ceremony, officials urge Team Japan to inspire nation

'The Olympics will be the stage where the athletes can deliver dreams and hopes to people,' Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita said.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 16, 2021

'Twist Prince' Kenzo Shirai retires to focus on coaching

The 24-year-old, who has several original skills named after him in the vault and floor exercise, failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games during April's national apparatus championships.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 16, 2021

Former world champion says Australia's Olympic hopes boosted by schedule shift

The country is looking to reverse a trend of disappointing performances at the games after winning just one gold medal in London and three in Rio de Janeiro.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 15, 2021

Boxing nurse Arisa Tsubata's Olympic dream crushed by COVID-19

In order to focus on her boxing, the 27-year old quit her job at a major hospital in January to take on a less demanding and lower-paid position at a smaller psychiatric clinic.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 9, 2021

Former rugby player calls on athletes to speak out on Tokyo Games

Tsuyoshi Hirao, now a professor of sports education, believes that it's time for Olympic participants to take a stand on whether they want the event to go on.
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2021

Japan denies it may allow Olympic athletes to jump vaccine queue

Only a million people have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine since February. The elderly do not even start getting their shots until next week.
OLYMPICS
Mar 12, 2021

JOC president Yasuhiro Yamashita no stranger to Olympic frustration

The former judo heavyweight, who missed out on the 1980 Moscow Olympics due to an international boycott, is optimistic that the postponed Tokyo Games will go on this summer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 4, 2021

Tokyo emergency extension worth the extra financial hit, economists say

Experts say that suppressing activity for a little longer won't add too much extra damage to an economy that is already showing some signs of recovery even under existing restrictions.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 26, 2021

U.S. has not made 'final decision' on participating in Beijing Games

The White House has not made a final decision on whether the United States will take part in the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, President Joe Biden's spokeswoman said on Thursday, even as some Republicans call for a boycott.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Dec 29, 2020

Athletes head into 2021 uncertain over Olympic qualification outlook

Many Olympic sports are still working to schedule events that will give athletes a fair opportunity to earn a place in the postponed Tokyo Games.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.