THOMAS BACH

The Beijing Winter Olympics are fraught with potential hazards for major sponsors.

North Korea says it will skip next month’s Beijing Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic and “hostile forces’ moves."

China Beijing Peng Effect Tennis FILE - China's Peng Shuai reacts during her first round singles match against Japan's Nao Hibino at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 21, 2020. IOC President Thomas Bach can't escape repeated questions about Peng and suspicions around two video calls the IOC has had with her. The paper said it interviewed Peng at a promotional event for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games which begin Feb. 4. It was the strongest public stand against China taken by a sports body — and one that could cost the WTA millions of dollars. The IOC has taken a different tack, with top officials saying they believe Peng is fine after video chatting with her.

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied saying she was sexually assaulted, despite a November social media post attributed to her that accused a former top Communist Party official of forcing her into sex.

Brazil Nuzman Sentenced FILE - President of Brazil's Olympic Committee Carlos Arthur Nuzman, left, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, right, visit Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Jan. 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File) (Felipe Dana)GENEVA — (AP) — Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon were set a target of about 18 months on Thursday to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The governing bodies of boxing and weightlifting were described as problem children by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, who has long voiced concerns with the leadership of those sports and issues with corruption and doping. The current cycle of men’s World Cups would put any biennial tournament in a direct clash with the Los Angeles Olympics. They were added by organizers to the Tokyo Olympics, along with karate, to appeal to Japanese fans.

Boxing, weightlifting and modern pentathlon have been set a target of about 18 months to make changes in order to keep their status as Olympic sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

China Beijing Peng Effect Tennis FILE - China's Peng Shuai reacts during her first round singles match against Japan's Nao Hibino at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 21, 2020. IOC President Thomas Bach can't escape repeated questions about Peng and suspicions around two video calls the IOC has had with her. "And in such a fragile situation (that) Peng Shuai is in, you have to make all the efforts to build trust. “Why don’t you respect Peng Shuai in this and let her decide where her priorities are," Bach said. “Of course, Peng Shuai is not safe," Teng said in a recent interview on CNN.

IOC President Thomas Bach can’t escape repeated questions about Peng Shuai and issues raised by two video calls the International Olympic Committee has had with her.

China Tennis Star Metoo Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai reacts during a tennis match in Beijing, China on Oct. 6, 2009. When Peng disappeared from public view this month after accusing a senior Chinese politician of sexual assault, it caused an international uproar. The Beijing Games are set to open on Feb. 4, the second Olympics to be staged during the coronavirus pandemic. “The integrity of the games are about the integrity of the sports competitions.”The situation surrounding Peng, however, has led to suspicions that the IOC is colluding with China. “Why don’t you respect Peng Shuai in this,” Bach said, “and let her decide where her priorities are?”___More AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

The president of the International Olympic Committee has done his best to stay neutral as Canada, Britain and Australia followed the United States in announcing diplomatic boycotts of the Winter Games in Beijing.

The Beijing Winter Olympics open in just under two months and are now the target to a diplomatic boycott by the United States with others likely to follow. (AP Photo/Joshua Paul, File) (Joshua Paul)The Beijing Winter Olympics open in just under two months and are now the target of a diplomatic boycott by the United States, with others likely to follow. So how did Beijing land the Winter Olympics, so soon after it was host to the Summer Olympics in 2008? The only open slot is the 2030 Winter Olympics, in which Sapporo, Japan, seems to be the leading candidate. ___More AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

The Beijing Winter Olympics open in just under two months and are now the target of a diplomatic boycott by the United States with others likely to follow.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — (AP) — The International Olympic Committee said it held a second video call with Peng Shuai but again didn't release any video or transcript nor make any reference to the tennis player's sexual assault allegation against a former Chinese government official. The Grand Slam doubles champion and three-time Olympian dropped out of public view after making her accusation, prompting the women's professional tennis tour to suspend its tournaments in China. As Beijing finishes preparations to host the Winter Olympics beginning Feb. 4, the IOC revealed Thursday it held a second video call with Peng following IOC President Thomas Bach’s recent statement that he spoke with her on a 30-minute video call and that she appeared to be “doing fine.”“This was reconfirmed in yesterday’s call,” the IOC said Thursday. 1-ranked doubles player and owner of titles at Wimbledon and the French Open. The International Tennis Federation, the sport’s governing body, said Thursday that Peng’s allegations “must be addressed.”“Our primary concern remains Peng Shuai’s well-being,” the ITF said in a statement.

The International Olympic Committee says it held a second video call with Peng Shuai.

The head of the Women's Tennis Association says he remains “deeply concerned” about the whereabouts of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai and her ability to “communicate freely, openly and directly” after allegations that a powerful politician forced her to have sex.

The former head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee was sentenced to 30 years and 11 months in jail for allegedly buying votes for Rio de Janeiro to host the 2016 Olympics.

USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down the top quarterback performances this season.

China Peng Appears FILE - China's Peng Shuai waves after losing to Canada Eugenie Bouchard in their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 15, 2019. Out of public view for almost three weeks, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai appeared Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021 in a live video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) (Mark Schiefelbein)Out of public view for almost three weeks, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has appeared in a video call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. The interview offered few details, no follow-ups on her allegations, and invited more questions for the IOC, Peng, and China. China Open posted a photo with her at Sunday’s youth tournament, but did not mention her in the caption.

A video call between the head of the International Olympic Committee and Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai was meant to reassure the world that she was safe — but instead has raised more questions.

The IOC says Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has taken part in a 30-minute video call from Beijing with Olympic officials and told them she was safe and well.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — (AP) — Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has taken part in a 30-minute video call from Beijing with IOC officials and told them she was safe and well, the Olympic body said on Sunday. Peng “thanked the IOC for its concern about her well-being,” the Switzerland-based Olympic body said in a statement. The International Olympic Committee has been criticized for being relatively silent in public as concern for Peng grew in the past week. Bach has now invited Peng to join him at a dinner when he arrives in Beijing in January “which she gladly accepted,” the IOC said. “I was relieved to see that Peng Shuai was doing fine, which was our main concern,” Terho said in the IOC statement.

Some of the world’s most famous tennis players are distraught by the disappearance of colleague Peng Shuai and are challenging China’s Communist Party to get answers.

The Belgium-based International Trade Union Confederation issued its report Tuesday — "China: A gold medal for repression" — highlighting human rights violations. “We want governments to take a stand in defense of their own athletes’ safety, and we want sponsors to actually review their association with the Beijing Winter Olympics,” she added. “John always puts the Olympics before the issue of human rights," Burrow said. IOC President Bach touted his efforts to bring the two Koreas together during 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Promises of largely unfettered access were granted grudgingly by China for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, under pressure from the IOC.

A global trade union body has joined a long list of human-rights advocates in challenging the propriety of China holding the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The Olympic flame has arrived in Beijing amid calls from critics for a boycott of the Winter Games which are set to be staged in February.

Activists accused the International Olympic Committee of granting legitimacy to rights abuses by allowing the Winter Games to proceed in Beijing.

Greece Olympics Beijing Flame Greece's Olympic Cross Country Ski Champion Paraskevi Ladopoulou, left, lights the flame during the Olympic flame handover ceremony at Panathinean stadium in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. The flame will be transported by torch relay to Beijing, China, which will host the Feb. 4-20, 2022 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) (Thanassis Stavrakis)ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Human rights activists urged international governments, sponsors and athletes on Tuesday to boycott what they called China's “genocide games” as Greek officials handed over the Olympic flame to 2022 Beijing Winter Games organizers. Arkin urged G-7 governments to follow up on that by boycotting the Beijing Games. The Beijing Winter Olympics will run from Feb. 4-20.

Human rights activists have urged international governments, sponsors and athletes to boycott what they call China’s “genocide games.”.

The protesters managed to enter the grounds and attempted to reach the Temple of Hera, where the ceremony was being held. They were thrown to the grou

The protesters managed to enter the grounds and attempted to reach the Temple of Hera, where the ceremony was being held. They were thrown to the grou

The Beijing Winter Olympics open in four months — just six months after the Summer Games wrapped up in Tokyo.

Olympic committee chief says North Korea will also forfeit potentially millions of dollars it was due from previous Games for "violating the Olympic Charter."

Some of the world's largest broadcasters including American network NBC are being asked by human rights groups to cancel plans to cover the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.

NHL players are going back to the Olympics.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show two senior Olympic officials from Kuwait have been targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice for suspected racketeering and bribery related to FIFA and international soccer politics.

The International Olympic Committee says Jacques Rogge, who led the organization as president for 12 years, has died.

The opening featured acrobats, clowns and fireworks to mark the start of the long parade of athletes representing more than 160 nations.

(Joe Toth for OIS via AP) (Joe Toth)TOKYO — (AP) — The Paralympics began Tuesday in the same empty National Stadium — during the same pandemic — as the opening and closing ceremonies of the recently completed Tokyo Olympics. Tokyo and Paralympic organizers are under pressure from soaring new infections in the capital. Both have tried to distance the Paralympics and Olympics from Tokyo's rising infection rate. Paralympic organizers played a part last week in launching "WeThe15," a human-rights campaign aimed at 1.2 billion people — 15% of the global population — with disabilities. Shingo Katori, a member of boy band SMAP that had its roots in the 1980s, now works with Paralympic organizers.

The Paralympics have begun in the same empty National Stadium that hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo Olympics: US tops gold, overall medal counts; see the winners Gold medalists Sydney McLaughlin, Allyson Felix, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu of Team USA celebrate on the podium during the victory ceremony for the women's 4x400m relay event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 7, 2021. (JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)TOKYO — The United States won more medals than any other country at the Tokyo Olympics, with 113 overall. The nation also led the field in the gold medal count, with 39 to China’s 38, according to The Associated Press. #TeamUSA finishes with the most gold and total medals at the 2020 Olympics in the final medal count 🥇 pic.twitter.com/zF9XUgA0nj — Sporting News (@sportingnews) August 8, 2021>> Read more trending newsCheck out the full list of U.S. gold medalists below:Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 46 Photos: US tops Tokyo Olympics gold medal count with 39; see every winner The U.S. men's basketball team poses for photos with their gold medals during the medal ceremony at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 16 Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony Volunteers stand as International Olympic Committee's President Thomas Bach gives a speech during the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.

Olympics historian: Tokyo may have gone 'near the top of best organized' Games if not for pandemic

Tokyo Olympics The Price Tag FILE - In this July 27, 2021, file photo, people walk past the National Stadium in Tokyo. The price tag for the Tokyo Olympics is $15.4 billion. The Tokyo Olympics, christened with "2020" but held in mid-2021 after being interrupted for a year by the coronavirus, glided to their end Sunday night as an often surreal mixed bag for Japan and for the world. While Tokyo is handing off the Summer Games baton to Paris for 2024, the delay has effectively crammed two Olympics together. What are the Olympic Games supposed to be?

The pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics have officially come to an end.

Tokyo Olympics The Perseverance Games FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2021, file photo, Paul Chelimo, of United States, lies on the track after the final of the men's 5,000-meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File) (Petr David Josek)TOKYO — (AP) — The cauldron will be snuffed Sunday on the exhausting, enlightening, sometimes enraging 2020 Tokyo Olympics — held, actually, in 2021. The Olympics where tales of perseverance — spoken, documented and discussed loudly and at length — often overshadowed actual performance. IOC president Thomas Bach said two days before the close that the Tokyo Games “far exceeded my personal expectations," because when spectators were barred as a pandemic precaution he feared "these Olympic Games could become an Olympic Games without soul.”Instead, Bach said, he found the intimacy in the empty venues made for an intense atmosphere. "It is the responsibility of others — the United Nations, who have been very supportive of the Olympic Games, and governments to deal with this — and not for us.

The pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games finally come to a close after an exhausting, enlightening and sometimes enraging run.

Olympic Games are expensive.

Many facilities are brand-new, but some may look familiar: the famous "Water Cube" that hosted swimming in 2008, for instance, is becoming an "Ice Cube," to host curling.

Simone Biles returned to competition at the Tokyo Games on Tuesday and won a bronze medal in the balance beam.

Simone Biles stuck the landing and won a bronze medal.

The image of Communist China’s founding leader Mao Zedong has made an unscheduled appearance at the Tokyo Olympics.

The IOC says the Olympics are only about the sports, and that no politics are allowed.

But in the northern prefectures of Japan's biggest island, Honshu, these Pandemic Games represent a missed chance to tout restoration following the earthquake of 2011 and the ensuing tsunami and nuclear disaster that ravaged the area. “After the disaster, we received generous donations from all over the world, which was a great encouragement to our recovery efforts," he said. Harada's 3.11 Densho Road is a network of museums, parks and preserved disaster sites across the Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Sendai prefectures. Japan manager Atsunori Inaba brought up the people of Fukushima unprompted in his postgame press conference. Instead there are disappointments, tempered by the hope that Fukushima — and all it has been through — will still be remembered long after the Recovery Games have ended.

In Japan’s northern prefectures, these Pandemic Games represent a missed chance to tout restoration following the earthquake of 2011 and the ensuing tsunami and nuclear disaster that ravaged the area.

The U.S. team of Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young have won the first women’s gold medal in the new Olympic sport of 3-on-3 basketball.

Tokyo Olympics How Does Success Look FILE - In this July 14, 2021, file photo, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, left, meets Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga during his courtesy call at the latter's official residence in Tokyo. How are we to judge the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics when they wrap up in two weeks? It will take something much more nuanced than those basic notions to access the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics when they wrap up in two weeks. Estimates suggest that canceling the Tokyo Olympics might have cost the IOC $3 billion to $4 billion. “Japan’s success in the Olympics and winning gold medals, and the Japanese people cheering and rooting for the Japanese athletes.

How are we to judge the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics when they wrap up in two weeks.

Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony The refugee team carry the Olympic flag during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dylan Martinez/Pool Photo via AP) (Dylan Martinez)TOKYO — (AP) — The Refugee Olympic Team was created by the International Olympic Committee for the 2016 Olympics to allow athletes to keep competing even if they have been forced to leave their home countries. There's also a refugee team at the Paralympics. CEREMONIAL ROLEIOC president Thomas Bach takes great pride in the refugee team and praised the athletes in the opening ceremony in Tokyo. “Dear refugee athletes: With your talent and human spirit, you are demonstrating what an enrichment refugees are for society.

The Refugee Olympic Team was created by the IOC for the 2016 Olympics.

The news of the new infections came just hours after the opening ceremony.

Hardly half a day passed before politics, the pandemic and blistering heat impacted events across the Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Naomi Osaka carries the Olympic Torch during the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. A second cauldron has been placed in Tokyo’s waterfront area was to be lit after the opening ceremony. ___An array of singers, including John Legend and Keith Urban, have performed “Imagine” at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. ___Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach have arrived for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games. ___With a blaze of indigo and white fireworks lighting the night sky, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has started.

Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach speaks during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 23, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) (Morry Gash)The Latest on the Tokyo Olympics, which are taking place under heavy restrictions after a year’s delay because of the coronavirus pandemic:___At long last, the Tokyo Olympics have officially been declared open by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito. ___An array of singers, including John Legend and Keith Urban, have performed “Imagine” at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Bird says “this Olympics are like no other.”___The parade of athletes at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics has started. ___With a blaze of indigo and white fireworks lighting the night sky, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has started.

The Olympics are often billed as a slice of the globalized 21st-century world in miniature.

The Tokyo Games have arrived at last, after a yearlong delay.

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games, ending the flame’s long journey from Greece to these delayed Olympics.

Tokyo has hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases one day before the Olympics begin, as worries grow of a worsening of infections during the Games.

The Olympics are supposed to be a symbol of global togetherness, but Tokyo’s are shaping up to be the unhappiest in history.

Brisbane, Australia, to host 2032 Summer Olympics President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach announces Brisbane as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city during the 138th IOC Session at Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Wednesday, July 21, 2021. (Toru Hanai/Pool Photo via AP)TOKYO — The International Olympic Committee has selected Brisbane, Australia, as the host of the 2032 Summer Olympic Games, The Associated Press is reporting. BREAKING: The International Olympic Committee has officially chosen Brisbane, Australia, to host the 2032 Summer Olympics. by @gdunbarap https://t.co/1v2egV4vCk — AP Sports (@AP_Sports) July 21, 2021>> Read more trending newsRead more here. Please return for updates on this developing story.

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Wednesday morning.

Just days before the Games' opening ceremony, more athletes have tested positive for Covid.

The coronavirus infection rate will be discussed at upcoming talks, according to Toshiro Muto, CEO of the Tokyo Olympics' organizing committee.

ADDITION Tokyo Olympics ADDS RESTRICTION: ONE TIME USE ONLY, EDITORIAL USE ONLY - IOC President Thomas Bach, right, meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, second from left, during a welcome party for Bach and IOC officials at Akasaka Palace, Japanese state guest house, in Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, July 18, 2021. (Courtesy of Tokyo 2020 via AP) (Uncredited)TOKYO — (AP) — The world needs to see that Japan can stage a safe Olympics, the country’s prime minister told sports officials Tuesday ahead of the Tokyo Games. Events start Wednesday — in softball and women’s soccer — two days ahead of the formal opening ceremony of an Olympics already postponed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Health experts in Japan have questioned allowing so many international visitors for the games, which end on Aug. 8. Bach said the IOC is contributing $1.7 billion to Tokyo organizers of the Olympics and the Paralympics.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says the world needs to see that Japan can stage a safe Olympics.

A Japanese composer working on the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony has quit after coming under fire for bullying classmates during his childhood.

Toyota won't be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese TV during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC's top corporate sponsors. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) (Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO — (AP) — Toyota won’t be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese television during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC’s top corporate sponsors. Being a corporate sponsor for the Olympics is usually all about using the games as a platform to enhance the brand. The sponsorship, which started globally in 2017, runs through the 2024 Olympics, covering three consecutive Olympics in Asia, including the Tokyo Games. The Tokyo Olympics, already delayed by a year, are going ahead despite the Japanese capital being under a state of emergency.

Toyota won’t be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese television during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC’s top corporate sponsors.

Tokyo Olympics IOC President Thomas Bach gestures during a press conference at the Main Press Center, ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Saturday, July 17, 2021. The first resident of the Olympic Village has tested positive for COVID-19, Tokyo Olympic organizers said on Saturday. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said last week there was “zero” risk of athletes passing on the virus to Japanese or other residents of the village. Olympic organizers said that another athlete had tested positive, although they were not residing in the Olympic Village. "Team (South Africa) officials and management have followed all relevant Olympic Playbook rules, protocols and procedures throughout the pre-Games and Games arrival routines," the South African Olympic committee said.

The first positive coronavirus case has been confirmed inside the Olympics Village just six days before the Opening Ceremony, officials confirmed Saturday, amid growing fears about the spread of the virus during the Games.

Thomas Bach visited Hiroshima, where the US dropped the first of two Atomic bombs during World War II. Many citizens find the trip insensitive.

HIROSHIMA, Japan — (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach got a mixed reception in his visit on Friday to Hiroshima to mark the first day of the so-called Olympic Truce. Fans from abroad were banned several months ago, and last week Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures banned all local fans. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported earlier this week that Bach asked Suga about the possibility of having some fans if conditions improve. The 20-year-old man was training as part of the nine-member Ugandan team in Izumisano, Osaka prefecture, city officials said. Teammates realized the athlete was absent around noon Friday when his saliva test sample was not delivered and they found his hotel room empty, city officials said.

HIROSHIMA, Japan — (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach got a mixed reception in his visit on Friday to Hiroshima to mark the first day of the so-called Olympic Truce. Fans from abroad were banned several months ago, and last week Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures banned all local fans. On Thursday, Tokyo reported 1,308 new COVID-19 cases, up from 896 a week ago. A group of 11 anti-Olympic and pacifists groups submitted a letter to the city earlier this week opposing Bach's visit. She said she did not oppose Bach's visit, but raised questions about running unnecessary risks for the Olympics.

IOC President Thomas Bach got a mixed reception in his visit to Hiroshima to mark the first day of the so-called Olympic Truce.

An Olympic athlete and a staffer linked to the Tokyo Games have tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Japan.

Many residents of Hiroshima welcome attention from abroad, which IOC President Thomas Bach will bring when he visits on Friday. The western Japanese city has been in the forefront of the world peace movement and a campaigner for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Bach and Coates are using the backdrop of the cities, hit with atomic bombs by the United States in 1945, to promote the first day of the so-called Olympic Truce, a tradition from ancient Greece that was revived by a United Nations resolution in 1993.

Out is the familiar sight of an athlete dipping their head as a dignitary drapes the medal over their neck. In: medals on a tray and officials with sanitized gloves, a COVID-19 precaution.

Tennis Preview Olympics FILE - Andy Murray, of England, smiles as he holds up his gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in this Sunday, Aug. 14, 2016, file photo. “I just hope,” he said, “the body holds up.”(AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) (Charles Krupa)TOKYO — (AP) — Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. The “very significant change” to traditional medal ceremonies in the 339 events was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. “The medals will not be given around the neck,” Bach told international media on a conference call from Tokyo. The Tokyo Olympics open July 23 in a state of emergency and rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the city.

Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus.

Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics will put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading the coronavirus. The “very significant change” to traditional medal ceremonies in the 339 events was revealed Wednesday by International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. “The medals will not be given around the neck,” Bach told international media on a conference call from Tokyo.

(Kimimasa Mayama/Pool Photo via AP) (Kimimasa Mayama)TOKYO — (AP) — Tokyo reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost six months on Wednesday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said with the Tokyo Olympics opening in just over a week. Suga and Bach have both pledged that the Tokyo Olympics will be “safe and secure” despite the games opening with Tokyo and neighboring prefectures under a national government-imposed state of emergency. Tokyo reported 1,149 new cases on Wednesday. The IOC and Tokyo organizers last week banned fans from all venues in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. —-More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Tokyo has reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost six months.

Tokyo reported its highest number of new COVID-19 cases in almost six months on Wednesday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said with the Tokyo Olympics opening in just over a week. The surging numbers came out on the same day that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach paid a courtesy call in Tokyo on Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Suga and Bach have both pledged that the Tokyo Olympics will be “safe and secure” despite the games opening with Tokyo and neighboring prefectures under a national government-imposed state of emergency.

Tokyo Olympics Bach IOC President Thomas Bach bows to Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto during their meeting at the Tokyo 2020 Headquarters Tuesday, July 13, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Takashi Aoyama/Pool Photo via AP) (Takashi Aoyama)TOKYO — (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach referred to his Japanese hosts as Chinese when he appeared in public on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week. Giving a pep talk at the headquarters of the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee, Bach's opening remarks were, “You have managed to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared city for the Olympic Games. Bach's comments in the briefing were interpreted from English to Japanese, but the slip was not included in the interpretations. The office of the Japanese prime minister said Tuesday that 18.5% of Japanese are fully vaccinated.

Tokyo Olympics Bach IOC President Thomas Bach bows to Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto during their meeting at the Tokyo 2020 Headquarters Tuesday, July 13, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Bach appeared in public on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week with the pandemic-postponed Olympics opening in just 10 days. Bach's comments in the briefing were interpreted from English to Japanese, but the slip was not included in the interpretations. NHK public television reported the four suspects entered Japan from February to May and were staying in Tokyo. The office of the Japanese prime minister said Tuesday that 18.5% of Japanese are fully vaccinated.

Tokyo Olympics Bach IOC President Thomas Bach, left, speaks to Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto, not in photo, during their meeting at the Tokyo 2020 Headquarters Tuesday, July 13, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Bach appeared in public on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week with the pandemic-postponed Olympics opening in just 10 days. (Takashi Aoyama/Pool Photo via AP) (Takashi Aoyama)TOKYO — (AP) — IOC President Thomas Bach appeared in public on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week with the pandemic-postponed Olympics opening in just 10 days. Bach's comments in the briefing were interpreted from English to Japanese, but the slip was not included in the interpretations. IOC Vice President John Coates it to visit Nagasaki the same day.

IOC President Thomas Bach has appeared in public for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week and with the pandemic-postponed Olympics opening in just 10 days.

IOC President Thomas Bach appeared in public on Tuesday for the first time since arriving in Tokyo last week with the pandemic-postponed Olympics opening in just 10 days. Bach spent his first three days in isolation at the International Olympic Committee's five-star hotel in central Tokyo, and his movements in Tokyo are limited — like almost everyone entering for the Olympics — for the first 14 days. Organizers and the IOC decided last week to ban fans from all but a handful of outlying venues, a move that came after the Japanese government instituted a state of emergency in Tokyo forced by rising coronavirus cases.

Two more prefectures outside the immediate Tokyo area are also barring fans from attending Olympic events because of rising coronavirus infections.

Japan is famous for running on consensus.

California will require that masks be worn at schools when classrooms open this fall, despite new guidance issued Friday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that says vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear face coverings inside school buildings.

Japan is set to place Tokyo under a state of emergency that would last through the Olympics, fearing a COVID-19 surge will multiply during the Games.