Governing Bodies
Tokyo 2020 Games: Ten thousand volunteers quit
The Tokyo Olympics chief said the Games would be cancelled only in extreme circumstances on Thursday (June 3) as organisers revealed 10,000 volunteers had quit over coronavirus fears, a sexism row and scheduling problems.
Exactly 50 days before the opening ceremony, Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said the show would go on unless the pandemic stops a majority of teams from travelling.
“If various countries around the world experience very serious situations, and delegations from most countries can’t come, then we wouldn’t be able to hold it,” she told the Nikkan Sports daily.
“But conversely, unless such a situation emerges, the Games will not be cancelled.”
The 2020 Games, due to open a year late on July 23, remain beset by doubts and low public support as Japan battles a fourth virus wave with much of the country, including Tokyo, under a state of emergency.
Late on Wednesday, Tokyo 2020 chief executive officer Toshiro Muto said around 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers – vital to the smooth running of the Games – had quit, largely over coronavirus concerns.
Others dropped out after the Games were postponed, or in protest at sexist remarks made by Hashimoto’s predecessor who was forced to resign, Muto told Japanese media.
Former Tokyo 2020 chief Yoshiro Mori stepped down in February after causing a furore by saying that women talk too much and waste time in meetings.
However, Muto said the reduction in volunteers would not affect the Games because the event has been scaled back, so fewer people are needed.
Overseas fans have already been barred, and a decision on whether to allow domestic spectators is expected after the state of emergency in Tokyo ends on June 20.
The number of overseas officials and participants has been cut by about half, to around 78,000, with calls for further reductions.
Medal ceremonies
As the coronavirus continues to overshadow the Olympic build-up, organisers will unveil details of the medal ceremonies later on Thursday – the latest attempt to generate positive momentum.
Polls show 80 per cent of Japanese oppose hosting the Games this year. But surveys among the population of Tokyo have found a more even split between those in favour and against.
Hashimoto said she believed the tide of public opinion could be turning as Japan’s initially slow vaccine campaign begins to speed up.
“We are hearing more and more voices from people saying, ‘If this is the case, the Olympics may be able to take place’,” she said, reiterating that the Games will be safe for all.
Australia’s softball team this week became the first Olympic athletes to arrive in Japan, a major step forward.
But in a sign of the challenges ahead, a member of Ghana’s Under-24 Olympic football team tested positive upon arriving in Japan for a friendly late on Wednesday, the Japan Football Association said.
All of Ghana’s team, who will play Japan’s U-24s on Saturday, tested negative in the 72 hours before their departure.
Japan has seen a smaller Covid-19 outbreak than many countries, with just over 13,000 deaths. Around 2.9 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated.
-AFP
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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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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