2021

After the clasp of teammates around Ellen White peeled away following her close-range strike against Chile that brought Team GB’s first goal in 3,277 days, the forward looked down and held her hands to her face in her familiar glasses celebration. It was muted; a world away from the exuberant uplifting celebration that became a […]

After a year’s delay and months of rancour … finally, some Olympic sport. Few will remember the details of Yukiko Ueno’s opening pitch to Michelle Cox in Japan’s softball match against Australia in Fukushima on Wednesday morning. But her delivery, witnessed by the organising committee president, Seiko Hashimoto, signalled that the most bizarre Games of

The 400m hurdler Jessie Knight has revealed she is one of the six British track and field athletes forced to self isolate after coming into close contact with a passenger on her flight to Tokyo. The 27-year-old told the Guardian she had initially panicked when approached by an official on Sunday, as she thought she

Back in the spring of 2019, Naomi Osaka was coming off consecutive grand slam titles and digesting her newfound presence as a leading name in world sport when the subject shifted to the seemingly imminent 2020 Olympics. In order to represent Japan there, the then 21 year-old Osaka would have to attempt to gain full

The Olympics will return to Australia for a third time with Brisbane formally awarded hosting rights for the 2032 Games after a vote of International Olympic Committee member nations in Tokyo. Wednesday’s decision was a foregone conclusion given Brisbane was the only bid city still in the running and it was firmly endorsed by the

Megan Rapinoe said “it is what it is, we got bopped” after two goals from the striker Stina Blackstenius helped Sweden to a stunning 3-0 defeat of the United States at the Tokyo Stadium in their opening game of the Olympics. “I wouldn’t say they’ve got in our heads,” said the forward of the team

The International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organisers have banned their social media teams from posting pictures of athletes taking the knee at these Olympic Games, the Guardian can reveal. An insider said the message was delivered from on high on Tuesday evening Tokyo time, with a specific reference to Team GB’s women’s first football

The chiropractor for the American women’s wrestling team has apologized after comparing Covid-19 protocols to Nazi Germany in a social media post. Rosie Gallegos-Main, a chiropractor for women’s wrestling since 2009, said in a letter to the USA Wrestling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee on Wednesday that she was sorry “for my poor judgment and

At a pre-Olympics press conference, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson was asked about his team’s reliance on the form of star striker Sam Kerr. He was unimpressed with the question. “It is a team,” the Swede insisted. “It takes every single one of us to be successful. Sam is one piece of that puzzle.” On a

9.57am EDT 09:57 Here is Kieran’s report. With one match played, Australia sit second in Group G behind Sweden, with tougher tests to come against both them and the US. And with that I’m going to sign off. It’s been a pleasure as always. I’ll be back to live blog much more of the Olympics