Tokyo 2020 Archives - Phenomenal

~~The Nigerian senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, are out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after losing 71-80 in their last Group B game on Saturday.~~

D’Tigers had rounded off their pre-Olympic preparations with impressive wins over the U.S. and Argentina in Las Vegas.

But in Tokyo they have failed to reproduce such scintillating performances, and rather put up epileptic shows in matches they could have even won.

Saturday’s result meant the Italians are headed for the Olympic quarter-finals, ousting Nigeria to clinch that spot.

After losing to Australia 67-84 in their group opener and 92-99 to Germany in their second Group B match, expectations were high that D’Tigers would get it right against the Italians.

The D’Tigers had started on the front foot by taking the first two points before the Italians rallied and began to dominate the game for 29-17 at the end of the first quarter.

Nigeria, however, pulled off a stunning comeback as the Italians struggled to keep up with the pace of the D’Tigers for a 40-39 at the end of the second quarter.

Nigeria led 63-56 after three quarters, and even saw their lead increased before the fourth quarter resumed.

Italy’s Michele Vitali had drawn a technical for trying to slap the ball away before the start of the fourth quarter.

So, before the 10-minute clock even started, Nigeria’s seven-point lead increased to an eight-point edge.

However, the D’Tigers took their foot off the gas and did not score for nearly seven minutes from then on.

Nicolo Melli scored 15 points, Nico Mannion had 14 and Italy used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to rally and beat Nigeria 80-71 in the Group B finale for both teams.

Achille Polonara added 13, Simone Fontecchio scored 12 and Stefano Tonut finished with 10 for Italy (2-1).

Chimezie Metu scored 22 points and Jordan Nwora added 20, while Jahlil Okafor scored 14 points.

The Italians will finish either first or second in the group, as the final standings will not be decided until the Germany-Australia game later on Saturday.

Either way, the Italians will play again on Tuesday.

It is the fifth consecutive Olympic appearance in which Italy have reached the quarter-finals, the most recent of those coming in 2004 at Athens when they won the silver medal.

GROUP B MEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS

Team P W L PD Pts
Italy 3 2 1 +16 5
Australia 2 2 0 +20 4
Germany 2 1 1 – 3 3
Nigeria 3 0 3 – 33 3

The Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee said on Thursday they could suspend the upcoming torch relay should big gatherings raise coronavirus infection risks, asking spectators to support by clapping.

The toned-down torch relay, which will begin on March 25 and travel through Japan.

“It will be broadcast live to avoid gatherings on streets,” Yukihiko Nunomura, senior executive at Tokyo 2020, told a media briefing.

He said the organisers had put off a decision whether to proceed with the relay in Tochigi prefecture, initially scheduled for late March.

The Games official said this was because the prefecture has called for unnecessary outdoor activities to be scrapped amid the pandemic.

“By any chance, if any dense gatherings happen on streets, torch relay can be stopped as we prioritise safety and security,” Nunomura said.

Stricter measures like no spectators are possible, with little visibility over how the coronavirus pandemic will play out, officials said.

For torch relay ceremonies, eating and drinking are banned, but drinking water will be allowed to avoid the risk of heatstroke, according to the guidelines.

The Tokyo Olympics have faced a number of hurdles, including public opposition against the Games on health concerns and sexist remarks by a former chief of the organising team.

About 1,000 Olympics volunteers have quit over the past month, organisers said.

During this time, organising committee president Yoshiro Mori quit due to sexist remarks and a new president was chosen to replace him.

Volunteers are the backbone of any Games, performing everything from guiding people to venues, translating and driving visitors around.

Organisers have said they do not expect running the Games will be affected, since the number quitting is only about one percent of the total.