Governing Bodies
Tokyo 2020 Games: Ten thousand volunteers quit
The Tokyo Olympics chief said the Games would be cancelled only in extreme circumstances on Thursday (June 3) as organisers revealed 10,000 volunteers had quit over coronavirus fears, a sexism row and scheduling problems.
Exactly 50 days before the opening ceremony, Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said the show would go on unless the pandemic stops a majority of teams from travelling.
“If various countries around the world experience very serious situations, and delegations from most countries can’t come, then we wouldn’t be able to hold it,” she told the Nikkan Sports daily.
“But conversely, unless such a situation emerges, the Games will not be cancelled.”
The 2020 Games, due to open a year late on July 23, remain beset by doubts and low public support as Japan battles a fourth virus wave with much of the country, including Tokyo, under a state of emergency.
Late on Wednesday, Tokyo 2020 chief executive officer Toshiro Muto said around 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers – vital to the smooth running of the Games – had quit, largely over coronavirus concerns.
Others dropped out after the Games were postponed, or in protest at sexist remarks made by Hashimoto’s predecessor who was forced to resign, Muto told Japanese media.
Former Tokyo 2020 chief Yoshiro Mori stepped down in February after causing a furore by saying that women talk too much and waste time in meetings.
However, Muto said the reduction in volunteers would not affect the Games because the event has been scaled back, so fewer people are needed.
Overseas fans have already been barred, and a decision on whether to allow domestic spectators is expected after the state of emergency in Tokyo ends on June 20.
The number of overseas officials and participants has been cut by about half, to around 78,000, with calls for further reductions.
Medal ceremonies
As the coronavirus continues to overshadow the Olympic build-up, organisers will unveil details of the medal ceremonies later on Thursday – the latest attempt to generate positive momentum.
Polls show 80 per cent of Japanese oppose hosting the Games this year. But surveys among the population of Tokyo have found a more even split between those in favour and against.
Hashimoto said she believed the tide of public opinion could be turning as Japan’s initially slow vaccine campaign begins to speed up.
“We are hearing more and more voices from people saying, ‘If this is the case, the Olympics may be able to take place’,” she said, reiterating that the Games will be safe for all.
Australia’s softball team this week became the first Olympic athletes to arrive in Japan, a major step forward.
But in a sign of the challenges ahead, a member of Ghana’s Under-24 Olympic football team tested positive upon arriving in Japan for a friendly late on Wednesday, the Japan Football Association said.
All of Ghana’s team, who will play Japan’s U-24s on Saturday, tested negative in the 72 hours before their departure.
Japan has seen a smaller Covid-19 outbreak than many countries, with just over 13,000 deaths. Around 2.9 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
-AFP
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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