SPORTS NEWS - 2

Japan's Kazuto Ioka successfully defended his WBO super flyweight title for the second time on Thursday in an eighth-round technical knockout of previously unbeaten compatriot and top-ranked contender Kosei Tanaka. (Kyodo)

Naomi Osaka’s meteoric rise to the top earns her a prestigious title, both for herself and the country she plays for. (soranews24.com)

Wakatakakage, a wrestler in sumo's elite makuuchi division, has become infected with the novel coronavirus, the Japan Sumo Association announced Thursday. (Kyodo)

Get to know more about the Japan National Stadium, which will play host to the 2020 J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP Final! (J.LEAGUE International)

The Japanese government has decided to suspend special entry conditions for athletes and team staff from countries and regions where new, potentially more infectious variants of the coronavirus have been found, sources with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

Twenty-three-year-old Wakaba Tomita captured her first national women's judo championship on Sunday in the unlimited weight-class meet. (Kyodo)

Rika Kihira nailed a quad salchow in her free skate to overcome a powerful challenge from Kaori Sakamoto and capture her second straight women's crown at Japan's national figure skating championships on Sunday. (Kyodo)

The Winter Cup is Japan’s biggest high school basketball tournament, but the 2020 edition is facing an unprecedented crisis amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Japan Times)

Japan's two-time Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu made a stylish return to competition Friday after skipping the Grand Prix season over fears of coronavirus infection. (Japan Times)

Tokyo 2020 organizers said Thursday that all 68 domestic sponsors for the Summer Olympics have agreed in principle to extend their contracts for the delayed games, even as growing coronavirus infections in Japan overshadow the event. (Japan Times)

日本は言わずと知れたギャンブル大国。 (newsonjapan.com)

The coronavirus-delayed Tokyo Games will cost at least ¥1.64 trillion ($15.9 billion), organizers said Tuesday, unveiling a final budget swollen by the unprecedented postponement and a raft of pandemic measures. (Japan Times)

Tokushima Vortis lifted the J-League second-division championship trophy Sunday following a 1-0 loss to second-place Avispa Fukuoka in the final round of the season. (Kyodo)

Japan forward Takumi Minamino recorded his long-awaited first goal in the English Premier League on Saturday by opening the scoring in Liverpool's 7-0 victory over Crystal Palace. (Kyodo)

The J-League first division brought down the curtain Saturday on a 2020 season marked by unprecedented challenges stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, and a record-breaking march to the title by three-time champions Kawasaki Frontale. (Kyodo)

World champion karateka Ryo Kiyuna, who is among Japan's leading hopes for gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has contracted coronavirus. (insidethegames.biz)

Japan's Kei Nishikori married 29-year-old former model Mai Yamauchi last week, the former world No. 4 men's singles player announced Friday on his personal app. (Kyodo)

Japan will have a driver in Formula One for the first time in seven years after AlphaTauri confirmed Wednesday that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Daniil Kvyat at the team in 2021. (Japan Today)

The international Olympics committee and the Japanese govt determinant to host the Tokyo Olympics but public support for the games is waning in Japan. (WION)

With just eight months until the Olympics, Japanese sports leagues are carrying out high-tech experiments to learn how COVID-19 spreads in stadiums. ()