+++ COVID-19-related updates from the Olympic Games in Toyko +++

July 20 

British journalist in isolation after 'close contact'

Philip Barker, a sports journalist with sports news portal Inside the Games, has been ordered to isolate for 14 days after being identified as a "close contact" of a confirmed COVID-19 case on his flight to Tokyo.

Inside the Games tweeted that Barker "is double jabbed and has had six negative PCR tests in two weeks, including three since he arrived in Tokyo." Referring to existing COVID-19 related media restrictions, the portal described the measures as "excessive and, quite frankly, unacceptable."

Barker himself tweeted: "It is frustrating to be prevented from properly reporting [on] the Olympics when in possession of negative certificates & also [being] double vaccinated. Hoping others do not face the same situation."

Athletes identified as "close contacts" at the games are able to avoid isolation and continue their training as long as they produce negative tests every day.

IOC adds 'Together' to official Olympics motto

The official Olympic motto, "Faster, Higher, Stronger," has been revised to include the word "Together."

Officials say the amendment shows the need for solidarity in the tough times brought on by the pandemic.

July 19

Toyota distances itself from Olympic Games

Japanese carmaker Toyota has announced that it will not run Olympics-related TV commercials during the Tokyo Games.

"There are many issues with these games that are proving difficult to be understood,'' Toyota Chief Communications Officer Jun Nagata told reporters on Monday.

'Anti-sex' beds are 'fake news'

Tokyo Olympics organizers on Monday insisted that the cardboard beds in the Olympic Village "are sturdy" after a gymnast debunked "anti-sex beds" reports.

Media reports had suggested that organizers had provided athletes with cardboard beds that would collapse under the weight of more than one person or any vigorous activity.

On Sunday, however, Irish gymnast Rhys McClenaghan filmed himself jumping on a bed to prove that reports of the so-called anti-sex beds were not true.

First COVID-19 cases in Olympic Village

Less than a week before the start of the postponed Games, three athletes have already tested positive for COVID-19 in the Olympic Village in Tokyo. South African men's football players Thabiso Monyane and Kamohelo Mahlatsi were the first to produce positive tests, followed by Czech beach volleyball player Ondrej Perusic.

In total so far, organizers have reported at least 59 COVID-19 cases directly linked to the games, but an IOC spokesperson said they were "relieved that all protocols were followed and that infections have been identified."

July 17

'Zero fairness' in Olympic Games preparation

For athletes gearing up for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, preparation has been anything but easy.

But there have been huge discrepancies from sport to sport and country to country, and fairness has gone out the window, according to Irish karateka Caradh O'Donovan.