Commentary / World Jul 2, 2018
Why it pays off for governments to invest in sports
by Luis Alberto Moreno
Sports-based investment can go a long way toward strengthening communities and enabling young people to live healthier, happier and more productive lives.
Commentary / World Jul 1, 2018
Oh, the symbolism of Germany's World Cup exit
by Leonid Bershidsky
It was a nation of champions in 2014. It is a nation of self-doubters today.
National / Media | Japan Pulse Jun 30, 2018
Celebrating the memes the 2018 soccer World Cup has created
by Patrick St. Michel
Japan’s surprising success at the 2018 World Cup in Russia has dominated headlines and morning shows domestically. News organizations abroad, however, honed in on a very different topic — trash. It was a virtual replay of one of the last World Cup’s most viral stories: ...
National Jun 29, 2018
by Magdalena Osumi
Japanese and Polish soccer fans were left with mixed feelings Friday morning, after Japan's World Cup game against Poland — the last in the tournament's group stage — showcased not only the Samurai Blue's teamwork and fair play but a passive approach that almost ...
World Jun 27, 2018
Russian police evacuate venues in World Cup host city after bomb threats
Russian police said early on Wednesday they had received multiple bomb threats in the World Cup host city of Rostov-on-Don, causing bars and restaurants to be evacuated across the city. "On June 26, police received a series of phone calls about explosives planted at locations ...
Soccer / World Cup Jun 25, 2018
Samurai Blue's gritty play raises hopes Japan will advance in World Cup
Japanese soccer fans did not get the win they wanted but took heart from their team's grit as the Samurai Blue came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Senegal, keeping their hopes of an improbable place in the World Cup's last 16 on ...
World Cup Jun 25, 2018
It was perhaps fitting that the World Cup match between Senegal and Japan — whose fans have received international acclaim for their cleanliness in the stadium — ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw Sunday in Ekaterinburg. Both teams won their opening games of the World ...
Soccer / World Cup Jun 20, 2018
Samurai Blue fans kick up a ruckus at Japan-Colombia viewing event
by Kaz Nagatsuka
Tokyo Dome was one of the many sites that hosted public viewing events for Tuesday's Japan-Colombia game, the first match of the tourney for both. For many fans at the Big Egg, it must have felt as if they were actually in Saransk, which is ...
Commentary / World Jun 19, 2018
You can hate Putin but love the World Cup
by Leonid Bershidsky
Russians and foreign visitors can get a closer look at each other, without the usual filters.
