Coronavirus | Olympic Betting Odds

Basketball New Qualifying Dates For The 2021 Tokyo Olympics Given The Green Light By FIBA

Robert Jones — Fri, 15 May 2020 18:17:03 +0000

Japan, USA, Nigeria, Argentina, Australia, Spain, France, and Iran have already qualified for the rescheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The remaining Olympic qualifying tournaments dates will be from June 29-July 4, 2021.
Only four qualifying spots remain for the 2021 Olympics.

TOKYO - The world’s basketball authority FIBA, has approved new dates for qualifying tournaments for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.

The Olympic qualifying tournaments and Olympic Basketball Games were originally scheduled to take place this summer but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There are only four remaining qualifying spots left for the 2021 Olympic Games and those tournaments will be played on June 29-July 4, 2021 as announced by FIBA in a press release.

The four Olympic tournaments will still take place in their scheduled countries of Canada, Croatia, Lithuania, and Serbia.

There will be a total of 24 teams vying for the four qualifying spots to the Tokyo Olympic Games that will take place from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Eight countries have already qualified for the Tokyo games and they are the United States, Nigeria, Spain, France, Iran, Australia, Japan, and Argentina have already claimed their spot in the quest for a gold medal.

With these dates now approved by FIBA, the only concern is that some NBA players might be in-season because of the postponement of the 2020 regular season which would potentially keep some of the best international players in the league from suiting up for their respective countries.

"Representing your country is one of the greatest honors in sport," said GlenGrunwald, the Canada Basketball President and CEO.

"I know our players will see the challenge ahead of them next summer as one small opportunity to recognize the daily sacrifices of all the front-line workers who are keeping our country safe and operating during this pandemic."

The post Basketball New Qualifying Dates For The 2021 Tokyo Olympics Given The Green Light By FIBA first appeared on Olympic Betting Odds.

2020 London Olympics? Mayoral Candidate Offers To Host Games

Samuel Profeta — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 16:29:29 +0000

London has previously held the 2012 Olympics.
The coronavirus has taken a big hit on the upcoming Summer Olympics.
London officials spoke out to offer to hold the Olympics if the coronavirus cannot be contained.

LONDON - With the 2020 summer Olympics coming up in Tokyo, the coronavirus has kept on spreading and it is starting to question the reality of the Olympics being able to take place in Japan.

This would be a very unfortunate situation as Japan has been preparing to host the Olympics for seven years when they first won the bid back in 2013.

If this nightmare does become a reality, London officials have spoken out offering to hold the Olympics once more if needed.

Coronavirus Affects

As the days go by, the deadly coronavirus continuously keeps spreading. The virus has caused a lot of fear as it has already caused more than 2,000 fatalities and has infected over 74,000 people globally. Japan has been aggressively trying to contain the fatal disease.

“We must firmly tackle the new coronavirus to contain it—or we are going to regret it. I will do the utmost to contain this new problem as we cooperate closely with all of you,” said Yuriko Koike, governor of Tokyo.

The Olympic committee in Tokyo has also been cautious when it comes to attempting to contain the virus as well.

“Countermeasures against infectious diseases constitute an important part of our plans to host a safe and secure (Olympic) games,” said the Olympic committee.

London 2020?

London has previously held the Olympics before back in 2012. With the coronavirus still spreading, it might be time for London to host the Olympics once more.

“London can host the Olympics in 2020. We have the infrastructure and the experience. And due to the coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up. As Mayor, I will make sure London is ready to answer the call,” tweeted Shaun Bailey a mayoral candidate for the Conservative Party.

London can host the #Olympics in 2020.

We have the infrastructure and the experience.
And due to the #coronavirus outbreak, the world might need us to step up.

As Mayor, I will make sure London is ready to answer the call and host the Olympics again.https://t.co/1jJesWS1D6

— Shaun Bailey (@ShaunBaileyUK) February 19, 2020

If this were to be the case, London would be more than prepared as the last time the Olympics were held there, there was a record-breaking 14 million people either attending or participating in the 2012 games.

“Everyone is working towards what will be a fantastic Tokyo games. In the unlikely event that it is required, London, as it has done throughout history, will do its best to step up to the plate,” said a representative for London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Tokyo is expecting 920,000 people to travel abroad in order to either witness, participate, or bet on the Olympics in 2020. That many people traveling to Japan could be very dangerous if the virus is not contained by then.

“The epidemic has indeed presented severe challenges as we prepare for Tokyo…but as of now, preparations for all teams are going smoothly and no suspected case has occurred,” said Liu Guoyong, the head official in charge of competitions from the General Administration of Sports.

The post 2020 London Olympics? Mayoral Candidate Offers To Host Games first appeared on Olympic Betting Odds.

Coronavirus Causes Cautious Preparation For 2020 Olympics

Samuel Profeta — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 21:22:48 +0000

The coronavirus has shifted plans for the 2020 Olympic events.
The U.S. and Japan have been taking serious precautionary measures.
Training and travel plans have been redirected as the games will take place in Tokyo.

TOKYO, JAPAN - With the outbreak of the contagious coronavirus, both the United States and Japan have been taking precautionary measures in order to keep it contained. Both countries have been holding restrictions for Olympic players and officials regarding travel and training.

The effect it will have for certain athletes Olympic betting odds may not be seen until the games start. However, many are still finding ways to get in the best shape possible before the biggest events of their lives.

Postponed/Canceled Events

Many different sporting events have been either postponed, canceled or the location has been changed. All events that were held in China that are not being postponed or canceled have been relocated to either Australia or Serbia. Four sports that were moved there are:

Women’s Soccer (Australia)
Women’s Basketball (Serbia)
Badminton (Canceled)
Boxing (Canceled)

The LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) has canceled 3 events that were to be held in Hainan Island, China, Singapore, and Thailand and has no plans of rescheduling any of them for the remainder of 2020.

The World Indoor Athletics Championship will, however, postpone their event by a whole year and will be scheduled for March of 2021. They released a statement on the change of plans.

“We know that China is doing all it can to contain the new Coronavirus and we support them in all their efforts but it is necessary to provide our athletes, Member Federations and partners with a clear way forward in what is a complex and fast-moving set of circumstances.”

United States Safety

The main concern for the U.S. is the international traveling by the players, coaches and general staff as well as the travel from Asian athletes to the United States for pre-Olympic events.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has been working hand in hand with Homeland Security in order to process incoming athletes from Asia for skiing and speed skating events held in Utah.

Colton Brown, a member of the United States Judo team has spoken out about the cancelation of some events. “I remember being told I should take extreme caution—some people warned me against even traveling to Brazil for the Olympics—but everything turned out to be fine.”

Brown continued, “I feel terrible for the Chinese athletes who currently aren’t able to travel to some of the Olympic qualifying events—but I seriously think that we are at a point with international medicine that this won't last too long and everything will be resolved before the Olympics.”

Japan Safety

Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, said, “We must firmly tackle the new coronavirus to contain it—or we are going to regret it. I will do the utmost to contain this new problem as we cooperate closely with all of you.” Koike also advised the citizens of Tokyo to take proper sanitary measures to avoid contamination.

The Olympic committee in Tokyo added to Koike’s concerns, “Countermeasures against infectious diseases constitute an important part of our plans to host a safe and secure (Olympic) games.”

Travel And Training Disruptions

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has voiced their concerns about the virus. They are pushing for non-U.S. citizens who were in China within 14 days of their travel plans to not be permitted into the United States.

UFC fighter, Weili Zhang was originally training in Beijing but moved it back to the U.S. in Las Vegas. Chinese Sports authorities have canceled training for 10 sports. Sports that training has not been canceled has been moved to isolated areas.

The head official in charge of competitions from the General Administration of Sports, Liu Guoyong said, “The epidemic has indeed presented severe challenges as we prepare for Tokyo…but as of now, preparations for all teams are going smoothly and no suspected case has occurred.”

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