IOC VP: Tokyo Olympics will go ahead "with or without Covid"September 7, 2020 - 16:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The postponed Tokyo Olympic Games will go ahead next year "with or without Covid", the BBC cited the vice-president of the International Olympic Committee as saying on Monday, September 7. John Coates confirmed to news agency AFP that the Olympics would start on July 23 next year, calling them the "Games that conquered Covid". They were originally scheduled to start in July 2020, but were postponed due to Covid-19 fears. The IOC had earlier said they would not delay the Games beyond 2021. "The Games were going to be their theme, the Reconstruction Games after the devastation of the tsunami," Mr Coates told AFP, referring to 2011 catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. "Now very much these will be the Games that conquered Covid, the light at the end of the tunnel." In July, Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto said it was possible that the Games be held to a "limited" audience, but said they wanted to avoid the possibility of having no spectators at all. Photo: AP/Jae C. Hong, File Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |