News Snapshot:
The decision to ban spectators from attending all but a handful of Tokyo 2020 events amid a surge of Covid-19 cases in the host city has stripped Japanese athletes of the psychological advantage of performing in front of home crowds. It is no surprise, then, that Japan’s Olympic committee – like those in other countries – is focusing on athlete safety instead of formal medal targets, despite the country coming off its best-ever haul of 41 medals at Rio. That said, Japan is quietly optimistic about the prospect of seeing its sportsmen and women earning enough medals to take it...