Tokyo Olympics News
Russia
Looks like Russia is going to be banned for another 4 years. It's not set in stone yet but Wada pushes for it strongly and with good evidence to support it. Wada is the World Anti-Doping Agency and after a long investigation they have found that samples had been manipulated, evidence had been fabricated and a number of positive drugs tests were deleted from a database. If the ban proposal is approved, Russian athletes and teams won't be present at the Tokyo Olympics and athletes will be stripped from their medals, if posssible.
It is a very severe punishment for a country and athletes as well but if you ask me, it needs to be done as this cheating can't go on forever. These were not isolated cases, this doping, data manipulation was done at the highest level. This was organized at the highest level and everyone was in it no matter the position. Countries need to learn once and for all that actions have consequences and this can't be repeated.
Tokyo
I was wondering what's up with the Olympic venues in Tokyo as it's happened many times that Olympic villages were not finished in time and athletes got accommodated in half finished buildings or finished in a rush due to which toilets were broken and furniture missing.
What you see in the photo is the Tokyo Aquatics Center which will give home to swimming competitions and at the moment it's 90% finished. Still 8 months to go, so I guess this is excellent news as they say in February it'll be ready. Venues are newly built or refurbished but all are on schedule.
Tokyo is not new to this, as we all know this will be the second Olympics they will be hosting. The other one was a long time ago but still, it helps to have some kind of experience, besides, they were not completely unprepared for this.
I'd like to see the day when the right of organizing events like world championships and Olympics are awarded to countries that are taking the job seriously and can organize a quality event without people getting hurt or having to suffer in order to compete. I know money talks and making a profit besides getting some fame is essential but so is athletes life and safety.