Search - olympics

 
 
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 2, 2022

Beijing 2022 — A second pandemic Olympics

This Friday, the 2022 Winter Olympics kick off in Beijing, the second Olympics to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first ever to be held on entirely artificial snow.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2021

Has the world had enough of the Olympics?

The Olympics are an easy target for criticism, never more than now. Do they still matter? Or have they lost their way and strayed from whatever ideals they purport to embody?
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2022

One more time? Sapporo, like Tokyo, wants to host its second Olympics

It is hoped that plans to make use of existing facilities will allay fears over costs, but nonetheless local support for a bid for the 2030 Winter Games looks to be on the wane.
JAPAN / GEARING UP FOR THE GAMES
Jan 2, 2017

Tokyo 2020 Olympics will come and quickly go, but the legacy is all-important

The eyes of the world will be on Tokyo for more than just the 16 days that it hosts the 2020 Olympics.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 28, 2022

Pyeongchang still waiting to reap benefits of 2018 Winter Olympics

'The reality is very different from what was promised to us. Back then, locals here expected the Olympics to affect us a lot.”
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / Longform
Feb 21, 2022

After Beijing 2022, uncertainty clouds the future of the Olympics

The Olympic flame flickers amid faltering reforms and fading interest as the pandemic exposes shortcomings in the commercial goals of the Summer and Winter Games.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Feb 15, 2022

Hosting the Olympics is costly. For China, it’s worth every billion.

For many cities, the Games make no economic sense. National pride and an enthusiasm for building transportation infrastructure change the equation for Beijing.
OLYMPICS / Longform
Aug 14, 2021

The race is on to define the legacy of Tokyo 2020

It may be too early to determine a legacy for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but that won't stop people from trying to define it even before the Paralympics have yet to begin.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2021

Despite danger and cost, Japan gambles on successful Olympics

The Tokyo Olympic Games are reaching the point of no return.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2023

The Winter Olympics have a climate problem. Could Sapporo be part of the solution?

Sapporo is touting a study showing that among all past hosts, it will be the most climate resilient as the planet warms. But residents are less than enthusiastic about hosting.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 29, 2022

One year on, Tohoku searching for legacy of ‘reconstruction Olympics’

Disaster-hit areas had welcomed the Olympics as an opportunity to express gratitude for global support after the 2011 quake, but the Tokyo 2020 Games were heavily affected by the pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 22, 2022

The mixed legacy of the 2022 Beijing Olympics

These Olympics will be remembered for nationalism, a divided global community and a profound deepening of mistrust between China and much of the world.
OLYMPICS
Feb 4, 2022

What to watch at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Catch up on five key storylines to keep an eye on at the Games over the next couple of weeks.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 8, 2021

A memorable Olympics, but for the right reasons?

A feat of organizational planning and execution in a pandemic left even gold medalists hurrying home from an atmosphere drained of pomp and full of anxiety.
OLYMPICS / Longform
Jul 5, 2021

Twists and turns: Retracing Tokyo’s tumultuous path to the Olympics

Games organizers have been forced to confront ballooning costs, accusations of plagiarism and bribery, and — to top it all off — a crippling global pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Mar 3, 2021

Fear of being upstaged by China fuels Japan’s Olympics push

Japan's fear of losing face against its closest regional rival has upped the ante for the Summer Games.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Aug 5, 2021

How Japan has tapped into the history of innovation at the Olympics

From electric vehicles to 5G wireless technology, Japanese technology is being showcased to the world at the Games.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 10, 2021

The domestic media largely moves on from ‘public concern’ over the Olympics

Public anxiety over the Olympics remains high, but the domestic media has moved on to other topics. Why are politicians still complaining about a focus on public concern?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 25, 2019

Abe's chase for glory at the 2020 Olympics

Don't expect Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to pursue constitutional revisionism in earnest until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 25, 2017

Reassessing the negative impact of hosting the 2020 Olympics

The estimated cost of the 2020 Olympic Games has increased astronomically since Tokyo won the right to host it. On Dec. 22, Asahi Shimbun reported that the estimated price could be as much as ¥1.8 trillion. The original bid estimate for constructing new Olympic venues was ¥499 billion and that is now...
OLYMPICS / ROBERT WHITING'S 1964 OLYMPICS RETROSPECTIVE
Oct 24, 2014

Negative impact of 1964 Olympics profound

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics had a profound impact on the capital city and the nation. In the final installment of a five-part series running this month, best-selling author Robert Whiting, who lived in Japan at the time, focuses on the environmental and human impact that resulted from hosting the event....
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2014

Is China really set on another Olympics?

One would have expected some civic joy at Monday's news that Beijing is listed as one of three candidate finalists to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Curiously, though, that news has been hard to find in China.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 24, 2013

A look back at when Tokyo was awarded 1964 Olympics

It's been more than 50 years since Tokyo was awarded the 1964 Summer Olympics, and it was done before several landmark events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 12, 2022

Delayed pick for 2030 Winter Olympics host puts Sapporo in a bind

The IOC's announcement could further complicate the city's effort, as bid supporters and opponents face off next year — especially in April's local elections.
A member of the Staten Island Giants flag football team passes during a practice on April 21 in Staten Island, New York.
MORE SPORTS
May 1, 2025

Women's flag football takes off in U.S. with LA Olympics on horizon

Developed as an alternative to collision prone tackle football, girls' and women's flag football was relatively unknown six years ago.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has said he will not compete in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
OLYMPICS
Jun 1, 2025

Mahomes says he will not participate in Olympic flag football

NFL teams approved a resolution last month allowing their players to compete in flag football at the LA Games.
U.S. guard Stephen Curry celebrates after making a shot in the gold medal game against France during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
OLYMPICS
Aug 21, 2025

LA28 basketball to start two days before opening ceremony

The basketball competition will take place at the Inglewood Dome, with the United States looking to defend their men's and women's titles.
The Paris Organising Committee's headquarters
OLYMPICS
Jul 19, 2023

As heat wave bakes Europe, Paris keeps eye on weather models for Olympics

A contingency plan was in place to adjust schedules but there were no plans to change any locations of events, a spokesperson for Paris 2024 said.
The Russian Olympic Committee was banned with immediate effect by the IOC on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Oct 13, 2023

IOC bans Russian Olympic Committee over annexed Ukrainian territories

The IOC added the ROC would not be eligible for any funding after it recognized Olympic Councils from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past