Sports News Roundup: Cleveland team to change name to Guardians from Indians; With more LGBTQ athletes than ever, Games put focus on Japan and more

That has put a focus on host nation Japan, which activists say is out of step with much of the rest of the world, having not seen the same sweeping social change that made same-sex marriage and greater inclusion a reality in many countries. Olympics-Mask-shy Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan rain on COVID-compliant opening parade The Olympic teams of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan paraded mostly maskless through Tokyo's National Stadium at Friday's Games opening ceremony, marking an awkward contrast with other national teams who covered their faces in line with COVID-19 protocols.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 23-07-2021 22:31 IST | Created: 23-07-2021 22:26 IST
Sports News Roundup: Cleveland team to change name to Guardians from Indians; With more LGBTQ athletes than ever, Games put focus on Japan and more
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Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NBA-Milwaukee wins first NBA title since 1971, Antetokounmpo named Finals MVP

The Milwaukee Bucks, powered by a masterpiece from Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, ended their 50-year wait for a second NBA championship with a 105-98 win over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. With the victory, the small-market Bucks clinched the NBA Finals 4-2 and became only the fifth team to win the best-of-seven championship series after losing the first two games.

With more LGBTQ athletes than ever, Games put focus on Japan

More than 160 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer athletes are due to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, making this year's Games the most inclusive ever. That has put a focus on host nation Japan, which activists say is out of step with much of the rest of the world, having not seen the same sweeping social change that made same-sex marriage and greater inclusion a reality in many countries.

Olympics-Mask-shy Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan rain on COVID-compliant opening parade

The Olympic teams of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan paraded mostly maskless through Tokyo's National Stadium at Friday's Games opening ceremony, marking an awkward contrast with other national teams who covered their faces in line with COVID-19 protocols. Just one Kyrgyz athlete covered his face, with the other members of the around 15-strong delegation, including its two flag bearers - shooter Kanykei Kubanychbekova and swimmer Denis Petrashov - waving and smiling as they walked in.

Olympics-Nostalgic nods to 1964 in opening of Tokyo's second Games

Drones and other high-tech marvels were on parade at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony on Friday, but some of the most heartfelt moments were a look back to the past - 1964, when the Japanese capital became the first place in Asia to host the Games. Those Olympics have long been a touchstone of national pride, marking Japan's return to the global stage fewer than 20 years after its devastating defeat in World War Two and ushering in a period of robust economic growth and technological innovation.

Olympics-Superstar Osaka lights flame as Japan's COVID-hit Games open

Japan's global superstar Naomi Osaka on Friday lit the Olympic cauldron to mark the start of Tokyo 2020, in an opening ceremony shorn of glitz and overshadowed by a pandemic but defined by hope, tradition and gestures of diversity. Postponed by a year due to the coronavirus, the Games are being held without spectators in a city under a COVID-induced state of emergency, as many other parts of the globe also still struggle with a resurgence of cases.

With subtle language change, Japan's emperor 'commemorates' solemn Games

Japan's Emperor Naruhito opened the Tokyo Olympics on Friday with a subtle departure from the script his grandfather used in 1964, a shift reflecting the solemnity of the Games being held in the shadow of a pandemic. Unlike his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito, who used the word "celebrate" in declaring the Games open, the 61-year-old Naruhito opted for a more neutral Japanese word closer to "commemorate".

Baseball-Cleveland team to change name to Guardians from Indians

Cleveland's Major League Baseball team said on Friday it will change its name to the Guardians from the Indians following the 2021 season, after having promised to give up a name that Native Americans view as disparaging. The team, known as the Indians since 1915, began considering a possible name change in mid-2020 and selected Guardians from a list of 1,198 options that were narrowed down through 14 rounds of vetting.

What you need to know right now

Tennis star Naomi Osaka climbed a stage in the shape of Mt. Fuji and lit the Olympic cauldron, capping off an opening ceremony like no other. Here's what you need to know about the Tokyo Games:

Some countries opt not to have male and female flagbearers despite IOC plea

A few countries stood out at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games on Friday for having only either a man or a woman bearing the flag, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) encouraged both male and female flagbearers. Ethiopian male swimmer Abdelmalik Muktar and Tajikistani male judoka Temur Rakhimov waved the flags of their respective countries, despite having a mixed delegation.

Olympics-After 49 years Israelis killed at 1972 Munich Games remembered in opening ceremony

Israeli Olympic team members killed by Palestinian gunmen at the 1972 Munich Olympics were remembered during the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday with a moment of silence, the first time in 49 years. The move was welcomed by relatives of the victims, some of whom were in the stadium, and Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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