Brazil vs Germany LIVE: Final score, result and reaction from 2020 Olympics

Dina Asher-Smith has hailed Marcus Rashford and the rest of the England football team’s “moral leadership” in the fight against racial inequality, and believes Olympic organisers would be “shooting themselves in the foot” by punishing athletes who use the platform of Tokyo 2020 to protest against racism.

Asher-Smith will be one of Great Britain’s strongest medal hopes when she takes to the track for the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay at the rearranged Olympics, which officially open with the Games’ opening ceremony on Friday.

“I think what Marcus and all the other players have been doing is fantastic,” she said, speaking to the media from Team GB’s base at the Olympic Village. “It made me so proud to watch them and see how they conducted themselves.

Lawrence Ostlere reports.

With the Olympics set to be officially opened in Tokyo, Google is launching an interactive series of Doodle games based on events there over the next two weeks, writes Graeme Massie.

The Doodle, which is called Doodle Champion Island Games, has seven mini-games created by Japanese animation company Studio 4°C. Users can take part in the Olympic event-themed 16-bit games and contribute their scores to one of four teams, which will be tracked by Google.

Skippy is getting an up-close view of the Olympics that fans aren’t getting to see.

A 3-foot tall yellow inflatable kangaroo with green paws has been a fixture at Australia’s softball games. He has a seat in the dugout and even accompanied coach Laing Harrow, pitcher Kaia Parnaby and left fielder Jade Wall to the postgame news conference after Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Italy.

“He loves to entertain, loves coming to the games. Everywhere we go he seems to be a fan favorite with the locals and it puts a smile on their face,” Wall said. “We want to bring entertainment on the field, and he’s got the enterainment off the field for us.”

“Skippy the Bush Kangaroo” was an Australian television series that aired from 1968-70 about a young boy and his brainy pet, and it was followed by the movie “Skippy and The Intruders.”

“They’re very special back home for us as Australians,” Wall said, “so to bring him on all of those trips, I know he gets a buzz out of it. We love him.” - ap

The Olympic opening ceremony in Japan will be sobering. Covid-19 has put a dampener on the excitement that usually accompanies the quadrennial festival of sport, writes Tony Evans.

“It is in stark contrast to the intoxicating mood that surrounded London’s prelude to the Games nine years ago. Danny Boyle’s Isles of Wonder show seemed to capture the essence of a nation. The rest of the planet looked on approvingly. ‘Britain presented itself to the world as something it has often struggled to express even to itself,’ The New York Times said. ‘A nation secure in its own post-empire identity, whatever that actually is’.”

With the games are getting into full swing athletes from around the world are posting their Ws and Ls on social media along with the high and lows of the Olympic Games.

A list of the 50 most active on social media compiled by the Associated Press will keep spectators up to date with the best of the behind the scenes drama of the games.

3-ON-3 BASKETBALL

• Rae Lin D’Alie, Italy: Wisconsin native and former University of Wisconsin player who plays pro basketball in Italy.

ARCHERY

• Brady Ellison, United States: Three-time Olympic medalist nicknamed “The Arizona Cowboy.”
• Ana Paula Vázquez, Mexico: Young archer who began her career using the compound bow, but who has since switched to the recurve bow.
• Mete Gazoz, Turkey: Named the 2018 Male Recurve Athlete of the Year and Breakthrough Athlete of the Year by World Archery.

ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS

• Simone Biles, United States: Gymnastics superstar and gold medalist.
• Rebeca Andrade, Brazil: Gymnast whose career since the 2016 Olympics has been defined by a streak of injuries.

BADMINTON

• Viktor Axelsen, Denmark: Bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics.

BASEBALL

• Masahiro Tanaka, Japan: Former New York Yankees pitcher who returned to Japan in early 2021.
• Julio Rodríguez, Dominican Republic: Plays in the Seattle Mariners minor league system.

BASKETBALL

• Luka Dončić, Slovenia: Dallas Mavericks All-Star guard.
• Rui Hachimura, Japan: Washington Wizards forward who played collegiately at Gonzaga.

BOXING

• Bakhodir Jalolov, Uzbekistan: Carried the country’s flag at the 2016 Olympics.

EQUESTRIAN

• Jessica Springsteen, United States: Daughter of rock star Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa.

FENCING

• C.A. Bhavani Devi, India: Became India’s first Olympic fencer in sabre.

GOLF

• Collin Morikawa, United States: Won the British Open last week. He is an American of Chinese and Japanese descent.
• Xander Schauffele, United States: Finished in third at the Masters in April.

HANDBALL

• Yahia Omar, Egypt: His father also played on the Egyptian national team.

JUDO

• Shohei Ono, Japan: Gold medalist at the 2016 Olympics.
• Naohisa Takato, Japan: Ranked first in the extra-lightweight division.
• Noël van ’t End, Netherlands: Won a gold medal at the world championships in 2019.

SHOOTING

• Seonaid McIntosh, Britain: Continued her family’s tradition of competing in shooting, despite suffering from arthritis.

SOCCER

• Megan Rapinoe, United States: Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year in 2019.
• Takefusa Kubo, Japan: Midfielder for Real Madrid.

SOFTBALL

• Monica Abbott, United States: Named MVP of the Japan Women’s Softball League five times.

SURFING

• Stephanie Gilmore, Australia: Seven-time World Surfing League World Tour champion.

SWIMMING

• Federica Pellegrini, Italy: Holds the 200-meter freestyle world record.
• Katie Ledecky, United States: Five-time Olympic gold medalist.

TRACK AND FIELD

• Sydney McLaughlin, United States: Holds the women’s 400-meter hurdled world record.
• Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Jamaica: Two-time Olympic gold medalist.
• Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway: Pacemaker for Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2 hour marathon.
• Dina Asher-Smith, Britain: Won a gold medal in the women’s 200 meters at the 2019 world championships.
• Noah Lyles, United States: Won gold medal in the 200 meters at the 2019 world championships.
• Johannes Vetter, Germany: Won gold medal in the javelin at the 2017 world championships.
• Mutaz Essa Barshim, Qatar: High jumper named the 2017 IAAF Male Athlete of the Year.
• Katerina Stefanidi, Greece: Pole vaulter who won Olympic gold medal in 2016.
• Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, France: Three-time medalist in the 60-meter hurdles at the World Indoors.
• Malaika Mihambo, Germany: German-Tanzanian long jumper and sprinter.
• Ryan Crouser, United States: Shot put gold medalist at the 2016 Games.
• Akani Simbine, South Africa: Won a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
• Kendra Harrison, United States: Broke the world record for the women’s 100-meter hurdles in 2016.
• Femke Bol, Netherlands: Competes in the 400 meters and the 400-meter hurdles.
• Anita Włodarczyk, Poland: Two-time Olympic gold medalist in the hammer throw.
• Ajeé Wilson, United States: Pennsylvania native who specializes in the 800 meters.
• Léa Sprunger, Switzerland: Competes in the 200 meters and the 400-meter hurdles.
• Anthony Zambrano, Colombia: Won a silver medal in the 400 meters at the 2019 world championships.
• Thomas Barr, Ireland: Finished fourth in the the 400-meter hurdles at the 2016 Olympics.
• Yomif Kejelcha, Ethiopia: Holds the indoor world record for the mile.
• Lukas Weißhaidinger, Austria: Won a bronze medal in the discus at the 2019 world championships.

WRESTLING

• Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Russian Olympic Committee: Won an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Games.
• Risako Kawai, Japan: Won an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Games.

It all began so well. Back in 2013 in Buenos Aires, Tokyo was selected as the host city for the Olympic Games in 2020, the second time the city was to host the summer Games since its first hosting in 1964. And yet it wasn’t long before the Tokyo Games began to miss a stride, writes John Amari.

“A public backlash in 2015 due to skyrocketing costs and a clash between the original design of the Olympic stadium and its surroundings led to an embarrassing swivel: British architect Zaha Hadid’s winning bid was scrapped in July and replaced by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s new creation.”

And the mis-steps kept coming:

The favourite to win the men’s 100m breaststroke, Adam Peaty, is looking to become a double Olympic winner at Tokyo 2020 this summer.

Great Britain’s leading light in swimming events will be hoping for multiple medals in Japan, starting with retaining the gold medal he won in Rio five years ago - breaking his own world record along the way.

If that alone wasn’t enough to establish him as the dominant force in the event, he also holds 19 of the 20 fastest-ever times in the 100m breaststroke - he’s the clear front-runner heading into the pool in Japan.

Karl Matchett has everything you need to know about when to watch Adam Peaty in action at the 2020 Olympics.

The host country’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, spoke to the Games’ US host network NBC to discuss the different styles of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The crux; Trump is an individualist while Biden focuses on the group. A rather standard observation of right vs left wing politics.

"is a president who tries to build a consensus among allies and like-minded countries in order to advance policies," he told NBC News.

"It’s a different kind of political method.”

The First Lady will meet the Prime Minister in Japan, representing the US at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Ms Biden arrived on Thursday and will be in the city for 48 hours before returning after the Opening Ceremony.

One of her first events is dinner with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and wife Mariko Suga at Akasaka Palace. She returns to the Palace on Friday to be hosted by the prime minister’s wife.

The tour will include a video conference with Team USA, which makes it a long flight for a Zoom call. Also on the agenda is a meeting with the Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace.

She’ll close out Friday night at the opening ceremony for the Games.

On Saturday, she’ll “dedicate” a room in the US chief of mission’s residence to a deceased Senator and his wife, while also hosting a watch party for the US vs Mexico softball game at the US Embassy.

While she had a layover in Alaska on the way to Japan she is expected to stop into Hawaii on the way home, according to the AP.

The number of countries at this year’s games just increased by one after Guinea walked back its plan to stay on the side-lines due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The country’s Minister of Sports, Sanoussy Bantama Sow, announced the decision on Thursday after international outcry at their absence.

Guinea had only just announced its cancellation on Wednesday, so Thursday’s flip-flop gets them back in before the Opening Ceremony (but after official competition began earlier this week).

“After obtaining guarantees from the health authorities, agrees to the participation of our athletes in the 32nd Olympics in Tokyo,” Bantama Sow said in a statement, according to the AP.

That allows the country’s five athletes return to the games in wrestling, swimming, judo, and the 100-metre sprint.