Search - sports

 
 
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jan 9, 2023

Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from Australian Open raises questions about star's future

Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, who has authored a biography of Osaka due out later this year, believes she has already taken a 'meaningful step back' from the sport.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 5, 2023

NFL and medical experts caution against speculation about cause of Damar Hamlin's condition

'Reckless speculation on social media is a source of disinformation and could lead to other unintended negative consequences,' physicians wrote in an open letter.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jan 3, 2023

Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of Al Nassr unveiling

The 37-year-old, a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, touched down in the capital late on Monday, according to state-run television network Al Ekhbariya.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 29, 2022

Iranian chess player competes without hijab for second straight day during tournament

Her action is seen by some as a show of support for the protests that have gripped Iran since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 21, 2022

Afghan women defy Taliban gym ban with secret fitness clubs

The Taliban banned women from gyms and parks last month, another clampdown amid a progressive erosion of their freedoms.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 21, 2022

Pair of Kenyan marathoners handed long doping bans

As of the end of November, 55 Kenyan athletes were banned and eight provisionally suspended, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 20, 2022

Jubilant welcome for French team on World Cup return

Supporters had been kept guessing for most of the day about whether the disappointed players would travel to central Paris to meet them.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Dec 10, 2022

U.S. soccer journalist dies in Qatar after collapsing during World Cup game

In recent days, longtime soccer writer Grant Wahl wrote about struggles with his health during a run of coverage that, he said, typically left room for about five hours of sleep a night.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 6, 2022

Cuba to allow female boxers to compete for first time in six decades

The news quickly made waves in gyms in Havana, where for years women have trained, only to be forced to leave the island if they wished to compete.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2022

World Cup stocks rise in Tokyo as Japan upsets Spain to advance

Shares of CyberAgent, which is broadcasting all the games for free in Japan on its Abema streaming service, jumped as much as 7.3%.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 29, 2022

'Neymar haters': Brazil's political divide spills over to World Cup

The Selecao superstar came under criticism after saying he would dedicate his first 2022 FIFA World Cup goal to Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 23, 2022

In the land of baseball, sumo and soccer share a close relationship

Japan's national sport and the 'beautiful game' have formed many ties over the years, with even top-ranked wrestlers attending matches and taking part in promotional events.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Nov 23, 2022

Man United sale would bring unpopular Glazer family's era to an end

The Glazers have been unpopular with the Old Trafford fan base since the day Malcolm Glazer took charge in 2005 with a $934 million takeover that leveraged huge debts upon the club.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 22, 2022

Olympic champion Andy Cruz training for pro debut after leaving Cuba

Cruz was expelled from competing for Cuba in July after what the country's boxing federation said was an attempt to 'illegally leave the country' the month before.
Phillies players celebrate after a win over the Marlins in Miami earlier this month.
BASEBALL / MLB
Sep 18, 2024

DraftKings sued by MLB Players Union for using names and images

Revenue has expanded at DraftKings as it attracted more loyal bettors, even as it faced increased competition from online peers and legacy casinos.
Fluminense and Al Ahly players line up prior to a FIFA Club World Cup match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year
SOCCER
Sep 25, 2024

LGBTQ fans welcome in Saudi Arabia, 2034 World Cup bid chief says

In August, Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia failed to meet FIFA’s own human rights requirements in their bid for the World Cup.
Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Mets in Game 4 of the NLCS in New York on Thursday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 18, 2024

Shohei Ohtani making major impact on viewership numbers during MLB playoffs

Game 5 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres was the most-watched MLB postseason game ever in Japan.
World Anti-Doping Agency Director-General Olivier Niggli speaks during the agency's symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March.
OLYMPICS
Dec 4, 2024

Anti-doping agency froze out investigators who warned about China

The decision by WADA’s leaders to keep its own investigators in the dark raises new questions about WADA's response to possible doping by Chinese athletes.
Fans in Saudi Arabia celebrate after the nation was confirmed as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 12, 2024

Saudi Arabia awarded 2034 FIFA World Cup despite human rights concerns

FIFA also confirmed that Morocco, Spain and Portugal will be joint hosts of the 2030 World Cup, in which three games will also be played in South America.
International Gymnastic Federation Morinari Watanabe is one of seven candidates running to succeed current International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
OLYMPICS
Dec 12, 2024

IOC presidential hopeful Morinari Watanabe calls for changes in marketing strategy

Watanabe is one of seven candidates running to lead the IOC.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea leader James Marape address a news conference in Sydney on Dec. 12.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2024

Australia shows how smart diplomacy is done

Recent deals reflect the laser focus the Australian government is devoting to its closest neighbors and a bureaucratic reorganization that translates into action.
Ami Yuasa won the B-Girl competition during the breaking event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
OLYMPICS / Breaking
Jan 3, 2025

Breaking’s big year that wasn’t

Beyond music insiders or Olympic aficionados, most would struggle to recall the winners of the inaugural breaking competition at the Games.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw takes part in a sumo demonstration in Tokyo on Friday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Mar 19, 2025

Japan’s twin obsessions meet as MLB visits sumo’s heartland

Sumo is often referred to as Japan’s national sport but it’s baseball that is the country’s one true obsession. This week, those two sports are intersecting in Tokyo.
Newly-elected president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry during her first news conference in Costa Navarino, Greece, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Mar 21, 2025

Kirsty Coventry enjoys 'extraordinary moment' as she becomes IOC's first female leader

The 41-year-old from Zimbabwe is also the youngest person to hold the most powerful position in sports governance.
Kirsty Coventry speaks during a news conference after being elected as IOC president on Thursday.
OLYMPICS
Mar 21, 2025

Kirsty Coventry hopes to speak with Donald Trump about 2028 LA Games

Coventry, who is Zimbabwe's sports minister, as well as Africa's most decorated Olympian, said both the IOC and the United States wanted successful Olympics in 2028.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gestures in the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on March 24.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 9, 2025

Nuggets fire coach Michael Malone three games before playoffs

Malone led the Nuggets to the franchise's first ever NBA title in 2023, but Denver has struggled for consistency this season and is currently on a four-game losing streak.
The Dodgers' Mookie Betts (left) and Shohei Ohtani pose with their Silver Slugger awards before a game against the Cardinals on March, 29, 2024.
BASEBALL / MLB
Apr 11, 2025

Is Mookie Betts or Shohei Ohtani the better athlete? Dodgers teammates weigh in

The beauty of the question is that even as baseball players, Ohtani and Betts are so different.
Paris Basketball's Nadir Hifi during a game against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Paris on Jan. 16.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Apr 12, 2025

NBA keen to tap into deep European talent pool

With the global pool of talent growing in the North American sport, the NBA is following a similar playbook to the other major men's North American sports leagues.
Students practice dance during a project activity at Hotei Junior High School in Konan, Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 28, 2025

'Voluntary' school clubs face reform amid excessive burdens

Club activities have long been a standard part of junior high and high school life in Japan, but some schools now struggle to form teams.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami