The 2020 Summer Olympics (XXXII Olympiad) branded as the Tokyo Olympics has finally kicked off a year after pandemic delay with softball in disaster-hit Fukushima on Wednesday as the Games suffered their first drugs controversy. Japan thrashed Australia 8-1 in the first action of the 2020 Games, which are struggling for public support with Tokyo under a state of emergency following a surge in coronavirus cases. Fans are barred from most of the Olympics and the game took place in front of empty stands at Fukushima, which was ravaged by an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011.

Nigeria’s National Basketball team, D’Tigers have stunned the United States team 90-87 in a pre-Olympic friendly game in Las Vegas on Saturday, becoming the first African Nation to beat the US basketball team. D’Tigers pulled the shocker with six NBA players and head coach Mike Helm, while the American team had All-NBA, and All-Star, and max contract players.

Seven-time Nigeria 100 metres champion Blessing Okagbare has set a new record in Slovakia after winning the P-T-S athletics competition race segment with 10.98 seconds, hence smashing Jarmila Kratochvílová 11.09 seconds in a 100m race set in June 1983.

Nigerian-born Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has retained his title by knocking out his opponent Jorge Masvidal with a brutal second-round knockout.

Nigerian athlete Blessing Okagbere has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the only athlete to have attended the Athletics Diamond Meetings for the 67th time. The 32- years old shared her achievement via her social media handle on Wednesday morning. “A dream made reality through God’s grace and determination.

The Japanese minister of Administrative and Regulatory Reform, Taro Kono has on Friday said: “anything can happen” as regards the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, contradicting the official position of the country’s Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga who assured a ‘safe and secure” tournament.
Mr Kono’s statement comes after the declaration of a state of emergency in 11 regions including Kyoto and Osaka. “Given the coronavirus situation, anything can happen,” Kono, a high-profile former foreign and defence minister, told a press briefing. “The organising committee and the IOC must of course be thinking about back-up plans. The government is firmly preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics.”