Governing Bodies
CORONAVIRUS: TOKYO 2020 TO DOWNSIZE TORCH RELAY
BY LIAM MORGAN.
Tokyo 2020 is considering downsizing the Torch Relay for this year’s Olympic Games because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to chief executive Toshirō Mutō.
Japanese media quoted Muto as saying the relay, considered an important event in the build-up to the Games, could be reduced in size as part of measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Muto insisted the Torch Relay, which begins in the disaster-hit Fukushima Prefecture on March 29, would not be cancelled despite the outbreak.
Scaling down the size of the departure and arrival ceremonies could be among the measures put in place by Tokyo 2020 amid fears over the virus, which has so far killed 2,770 people and infected more than 81,000 worldwide.
“Bringing spectators together in large numbers increases the risk of infection,” Mutō said, according to the Kyodo news agency.
“Downsizing is among the approaches we can consider.”
The virus has had a significant impact on Olympic qualifiers and sparked suggestions the Games may be postponed or cancelled – claims which organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have consistently played down.
Richard Pound, the IOC’s most senior member, told the Associated Press this week they did not have to make a decision until late May.
Pound said the Games could be cancelled if the virus, given the official title of COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, is not under control by that time.
“You could certainly go to two months out if you had to,” the 77-year-old Canadian said.
“A lot of things have to start happening.
“You’ve got to start ramping up your security, your food, the Olympic Village, the hotels, the media folks will be in there building their studios.
“This is the new war and you have to face it.
“In and around that time, I’d say folks are going to have to ask: ‘Is this under sufficient control that we can be confident about going to Tokyo, or not?”
In response to Pound’s comments, Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto dismissed the concerns and reiterated the Games, scheduled to begin with the Opening Ceremony on July 24, would go ahead as planned.
“All we’ll be doing is to prepare to host the Games with ease of mind and to satisfy the IOC,” Hashimoto added.
The outbreak has forced the cancellation, postponement or relocation of dozens of events, including World Championships and Olympic qualifiers.
The J-League, the top-level football league in the country, announced this week that it had postponed all official matches across its three divisions until March 15.
Tokyo 2020 has also postponed the training of Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers due to the outbreak.
There are 172 cases of the coronavirus in Japan, which has so far reported two deaths.
A further four have died on a cruise ship, which has been quarantined in Yokohama since February 3, although Japan is not counting these deaths in its overall tally.
The Japanese Government has been criticised in recent weeks for an alleged failure to respond to the crisis.
-insidethegames
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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