Japan provided a glimpse of what the delayed Tokyo Olympics may look like next summer as fans attended the country's first international sporting competition since the pandemic shutdown.
The gymnastics "Friendship and Solidarity Competition" gathered around 30 athletes from Japan, China, Russia and the US on Sunday to compete in tightly controlled bio-secure conditions.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Japanese government previously agreed to a one-year delay of the Tokyo Olympics to next summer because of the pandemic.
About 2,000 fans in face masks sanitised their hands regularly, checked their body temperature and remained socially distanced at the 8,700-capacity Yoyogi No 1 Gymnasium, while being encouraged not to shout to avoid spreading droplets.
Athletes and journalists were subject to similarly strict hygiene measures and were also sprayed with a sanitising mist.
The spectators resorted to polite applause and occasional murmurs as gymnasts pulled off gravity-defying routines and feats of strength.
IOC President Thomas Bach said he hoped the event could demonstrate how Tokyo 2020 organisers could next year hold an Olympics that is safe for athletes, officials and fans.
"With this competition, you are also setting an example that sports can be organised safely even under the ongoing health restrictions," Bach said in a video message at the opening ceremony.
Some medical experts have voiced scepticism about whether the massive international gathering can be held safely in a pandemic, without a vaccine.
- 'It was extremely fun' -
For the Tokyo gymnastics event, the athletes had gone through strict sanitation rules to shield themselves from the coronavirus with at least two weeks of isolation before flying to Japan.
Once in Tokyo, they were immediately placed under strict bio-secure protocols, restricted to designated floors of their hotel, and could only leave to take assigned buses to practice and competition venues.
After the competition, many athletes admitted that they could not perform at their highest level but they understood the restrictions were necessary.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist and local star Kohei Uchimura took part, after his positive coronavirus test turned out to be false.
"You must have been able to see it on our faces. It was extremely fun," he told spectators at the closing ceremony.
He made a passionate plea to his compatriots to look for ways to hold the Olympics, as opinion polls indicate most Japanese believe the global sporting event should either be delayed further or cancelled.
"It's not that we cannot hold it," he said. "I hope everyone will come to focus on what we can do so that we can hold it."
Russia's world champion Nikita Nagornyy echoed his competitor's call and said: "For any athletes, next year's Olympics will be the most important competition of their lives."
"Even if these [sanitation] conditions were to be imposed during the Olympics, we are ready to respect them," he said after the event.
Top Japanese government officials attended, including Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto and sports minister Koichi Hagiuda.
Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, said Bach would visit Japan next week partly to review the gymnastics meet.
"Unless this competition becomes a success, there was a view that it would be almost impossible to hold the Olympics next year," Mori said during the closing ceremony.
Gymnastics and Tokyo 2020 officials were expected to meet within a week to discuss lessons learned from the competition.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
