Tokyo Olympic organisers grappled with the cancellation of test events for several pool sports just days after they were restarted, as the Covid-19 pandemic continued to disrupt preparations for the start of the Summer Games in July.
The International Swimming Federation (Fina) has cancelled Olympic qualifiers for diving and artistic swimming that were to double as test events this month and next, the calendar on its website shows.
Separately, organisers said on Tuesday they had decided to postpone a water polo test event planned for this weekend.
Organisers are seeking a suitable date in May or June to hold the event, the Tokyo 2020 committee saidt.
"Carrying out test events is greatly important for the preparation of the Tokyo 2020 Games," Tokyo 2020 said.
"In order to ensure the best level of preparations for these test events and for the Tokyo 2020 Games, considering the schedule of each stakeholder under the current global Covid-19 conditions, it was felt that postponing the events was necessary."
Public broadcaster NHK reported earlier that overseas officials were unable to come to Japan for the event due to strict Covid-19 countermeasures. A Tokyo 2020 spokeswoman declined to comment.
The news is a blow for organisers just days after they restarted test events, which are an important dry run to confirm the Games' operational capabilities, for the first time in more than a year.
It also highlights the mammoth task of planning for the world's biggest sporting event at a time when Japan is struggling to combat a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections that has begun to gather.
Japan's vaccination campaign made a slow start and some prefectures were battling a resurgence in new infections, with one hot spot, the city of Osaka, expected to cancel its leg of the torch relay next week.
Organisers were initially planning 18 test events in April and May, starting with wheelchair rugby April 3-4.
But Fina has cancelled its Olympic qualifiers in Tokyo, which were also to be test events, for diving scheduled for April 18-23 and artistic swimming May 1-4, according to its website.
Fina has also cancelled a non-test event, the Olympic marathon swim qualifier in the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka in late May, its website shows.
Fina had said on Friday it was reviewing its qualifiers planned for Japan, without giving a reason, and that it would make an announcement this week. On Sunday, Yasuo Mori, a senior Tokyo 2020 official, said Fina intended to cancel the events and that organisers would hold talks with the swimming federation this week.
The BBC, citing a letter it had accessed from Fina to national federations, reported on Friday the diving event was cancelled because the organisers' planned Covid-19 precautions "will not properly ensure" the safety of athletes.
The BBC report also said Fina was unhappy that several Japanese embassies around the world had yet to issue visas to nations that planned to compete, and cited other factors including rising costs of measures to control the spread of Covid-19 that the global body was asked to pay for.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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