Emma Watson retrouvera le producteur de la saga “Harry Potter”, dans “Queen of the Tearling”, son nouveau projet adapté d’une trilogie de romans fantasy…
Héroïne générationnelle de la saga Harry Potter, Emma Watson reviendra à ses premières amours en retrouvant David Heyman, producteur de la franchise magique, pour son dernier projet “fantasy” intitulé Queen Of The Tearling. Adaptation de la trilogie de romans non encore publiés de Erika Johansen, le film suit le destin d’une princesse de 19 ans, devant récupérer le trône du royaume de Tearling après la mort de sa mère afin de protéger son peuple des maléfices d’une sorcière voisine. Un terrain plus ou moins familier à la demoiselle très demandée qui, après le The Bling Ring de Sofia Coppola (à l’affiche), s’aventurera sur les plateaux de Guillermo del Toro pour son adaptation de La Belle et la Bête. En attendant de le retrouver à l’écran, vous pourrez découvrir le premier tome de la trilogie fantastique “The Queen of the Tearling”, (inspirée, selon son auteur, d’un rêve et d’un discours de Barack Obama) annoncé l’été prochain par Harper Collins …
Alors qu’elle fera son retour au cinéma dans Premiers crus le 23 septembre, Laura Smet apparaît aujourd’hui plus épanouie que jamais. Dans un entretien accordé à Madame Figaro samedi, l’actrice a évoqué son actualité, son passé familial et son désir de fonder une famille.
Laura Smet aurait-elle définitivement tourné la page de ses années galères? Après des vacances de rêve en compagnie de son frère David Hallyday cet été, l’actrice a de nouveau montré un visage souriant et apaisé ce week-end. Présente pour la 41e édition du festival du cinéma américain de Deauville, Laura Smet est apparue rayonnante sur le tapis rouge normand et au Kiehl’s Club vendredi soir.
En marge de la sortie du film Premiers crus de Jérôme Le Maire dans lequel elle partage l’affiche avec Gérard Lanvin, Jalil Lespert et Alice Taglioni, la fille de Johnny Hallyday et Nathalie Baye s’est confiée dans les colonnes de Madame Figaro. L’occasion pour la jeune femme de 31 ans de faire un point sur sa vie. «On m’avait dit que la trentaine annonçait un autre cap. Je n’y croyais pas et pourtant, c’est vrai. J’ai aujourd’hui 31 ans et je me sens beaucoup mieux, plus mature, moins anxieuse. Je n’ai plus peur du regard des autres. Ma vie est plus fluide et harmonieuse» explique dans un premier temps la comédienne.
Depuis quelques mois, la belle semble avoir tourné la page de ses années «chaotiques». Consciente de cette période trouble, l’actrice remercie ses parents pour leur éducation visant à la protéger au maximum de leur statut. «J’ai eu une enfance merveilleuse avec des parents de rêve. Ils sont mes héros. Longtemps, j’ai vécu dans l’ignorance de leur célébrité. Je vivais avec ma mère à Paris. Mon père était un peu plus absent. Je le voyais chez lui, dans sa maison à Saint-Tropez. Là, il me traitait comme un reine. Quand il m’emmenait sur sa Harley, j’avais l’impression d’être Bardot. On s’entendait très bien tous les deux. Nous sommes des instinctifs. J’ai hérité de son côté animal».
Sereine, Laura Smet – qui révèle également être fan de Marion Cotillard et Vanessa Paradis – entend désormais aller de l’avant dans ses futurs projets, notamment au théâtre. «Maintenant, je n’ai plus peur de la scène. J’ai envie d’oser» affirme cette dernière. Avant peut-être d’endosser un plus grand rôle. «J’ai envie de devenir mère de famille». Après le doute, Laura Smet semble plus que jamais prête à croquer la vie à pleines dents.
Plus que quelques jours avant la sortie du film de Julie Delpy, Lolo. Lundi soir au cinéma Gaumont Opéra de Paris le casting était présent pour la première.
Julie Delpy réalisatrice et actrice de Lolo semblait légèrement tendue à son arrivée au cinéma hier soir. Son sourire est revenu sur le photocall quand Dany Boon, patient et avenant l’a rejointe. Comme Vincent Lacoste, il semblait ravi de signer quelques autographes et se prêter au jeu des selfies avec les fans.
The chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party resigned Wednesday after a disastrous caucuses process beset by technical glitches led to a days-long delay in reporting the results, inconsistencies in the numbers and no clear winner.
The embarrassing episode also threatened Iowa’s cherished status as the first voting contest of the presidential primary season.
Chairman Troy Price announced his resignation in a letter a week and a half after Iowa’s caucuses.
“The fact is that Democrats deserved better than what happened on caucus night. As chair of this party, I am deeply sorry for what happened and bear the responsibility for any failures on behalf of the Iowa Democratic Party,” Price wrote.
“While it is my desire to stay in this role and see this process through to completion, I do believe it is time for the Iowa Democratic Party to begin looking forward, and my presence in my current role makes that more difficult.”
After a breakdown in tallying the results on Feb. 3, it took until Feb. 6 for the state party, which operates the series of roughly 1,700 local meetings statewide, to issue what it said are complete results. In those figures, released by the party, former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by two state delegate equivalents out of 2,152 counted. That is a margin of 0.09 percentage points.
The Associated Press said it was unable to declare a winner, based on the available information. The results as reported by the Iowa Democratic Party, the AP believes, may not be fully accurate.
Price had called the delays in reporting results “unacceptable.” He said the party would conduct a “thorough, transparent and independent examination” of what caused the delays and apologized for the breakdown in the process.
Both Buttigieg’s and Sanders’ campaigns requested a partial recanvass of the Iowa results, which the Iowa Democratic Party approved. The party says it expects the recanvass of more than 80 precincts to begin on Sunday and last two days. A recanvass is not a recount, but a check of the vote count against paper records created by caucus leaders to ensure the counts were reported accurately.
The party has said it will not change mistakes in the math and the only opportunity to correct it would be a recount, which would be the candidates’ next option after the recanvass is completed.
Price was elected to his second term as chairman of the state party in December 2018. He previously was part of several Democratic campaigns in Iowa, including those of former President Obama and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Price also had served as the party’s executive director and led One Iowa, an LGBTQ advocacy group.
The Iowa Democratic Party instituted new rules for the 2020 contest that were meant to enhance transparency in the process.
In previous years, the Iowa Democratic Party reported just one number: the number of state delegates won by each candidate. For the first time, the party this year reported two other numbers — who had the most votes at the beginning and at the end of the night.
The additional information is a nod to Sanders and his supporters, who argued that the previous rules essentially robbed him of victory in his 2016 race against Clinton. That contest ended in a narrow delegate victory for Clinton in Iowa.
Voters in New Hampshire’s Democratic presidential primary Tuesday set a state party record, following lower-than-expected turnout in Iowa.
The total of 300,622 ballots surpassed the state’s previous record from the 2008 primary, when 288,672 ballots were cast, according to the secretary of state.
For Democrats trying to gauge interest in the race, that was a welcome contrast to turnout in the Iowa caucuses Feb. 3. Party leaders had anticipated the turnout in Iowa might top the nearly 240,000 who showed up in 2008. But despite the close race and the eagerness of many Democrats to defeat President Trump, turnout barely beat the 170,000 mark from 2016.
On Tuesday in New Hampshire, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders edged out the rest of the field, with former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg close behind and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar in third place.
In the Republican primary presidential election, 156,418 ballots were cast, 85% for President Trump. His main challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, received 9% of the vote.
Tuesday’s results signaled the end for some campaigns, with three Democratic candidates — entrepreneur Andrew Yang, Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick — announcing they were dropping out.
The Democratic candidates will now compete in Nevada, where voters will have the chance to either participate in early voting or caucus on Feb. 22.
Hope Hicks, one of President Trump’s most trusted and longest-serving aides, is returning to the White House as his reelection campaign moves into high gear.
Hicks will be serving as counselor to the president, working with presidential son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made public. She will not be part of the White House communications department, but will be working closely with Kushner and White House political director Brian Jack, a White House official confirmed.
Hicks, who was one of Trump’s original 2016 campaign staffers and moved with him to Washington after he won, had served as White House communications director before she left in 2018. She moved to California, where she joined the Fox Corp. as executive vice president and chief communications officer.
“I have worked with Hope for almost six years and can say without hesitation she is one of the most talented and savvy individuals I have come across,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. “She has always impressed me with her quiet confidence, loyalty and expertise, and I am beyond thrilled to welcome Hope back to the White House.”
“There is no one more devoted to implementing President Trump’s agenda than Hope Hicks,” Kushner said in a statement. “We are excited to have her back on the team.”
Hicks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Known for her loyalty and low public profile, Hicks was part of the small inner circle that traversed the country with Trump aboard his private jet as he waged his unlikely campaign for the Republican nomination and then the presidency in 2015 and 2016. She was often described as someone who was especially deft at reading the president’s moods and helping others navigate his instincts.
The news comes after another longtime former aide, body man John McEntee, rejoined the White House after being dismissed in 2018.
House lawmakers voted Thursday to remove the deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, legislation that would enshrine in the Constitution a ban on sex discrimination.
The measure, however, is unlikely to receive approval from the Republican-controlled Senate, and earlier this week took a major hit when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg repeated her view that recent state ratifications came too late.
The 1972 legislation originally required that 38 states ratify the ERA in seven years, though the deadline was later pushed to 1982. By then, however, only 35 states had ratified.
The effort stalled until the 2016 election of Donald Trump spurred liberal activism, the Women’s March and women running for public office. Nevada in 2017 became the 36th state to ratify. Illinois in 2018 followed suit. And in January, the Virginia Legislature approved it — becoming the 38th state.
Republicans have criticized the move, saying it is unnecessary because of court rulings over the past 30 years and illegal as it would retroactively approve the legislation.
“Congress does not have the constitutional authority to retroactively revive a failed constitutional amendment and subject citizens in all 50 states through the current political trend in just one state,” said Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.).
On Monday, Ginsburg spoke at the Georgetown University Law Center and repeated her view that the recent ratifications came too late. “There is too much controversy about latecomers,” she said. The votes by Virginia, Illinois and Nevada came “long after the deadline passed…. I would like to see a new beginning. I’d like it to start over.”
Republicans on Tuesday morning pounced on her statement.
“Democrats must abandon the expired 1972 ERA and start this process over again,” the GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee tweeted above an image quoting Ginsburg. “All states need to have the chance to reconsider its ratification.”
In the 1970s, five states — Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, Idaho and South Dakota — voted to revoke their ratifications. The courts have yet to rule on if states can rescind ratification.
Decades ago when the debate over ratification raged, conservatives intertwined it with abortion. Anti-abortion activists regard the House bill as an attempt to enshrine the right to abortion in the Constitution, saying it would lead to tax-funded abortions.
On Thursday, the president of the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said: “To install a ‘Right to Abortion’ in the U.S. Constitution would be to deny the most basic right upon which our nation was founded: the right to life.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America in its “ERA-YES” campaign said the amendment “would reinforce the constitutional right to abortion” and “would require judges to strike down anti-abortion laws because they violate both the constitutional right to privacy and sexual equality.”
Moments before the Kings took the ice for warmups Wednesday night, Staples Center organist Dieter Ruehle sent the theme song from the 1970s’ sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter” thumping through the arena.
It was a fitting tune. The Kings had last played at home Feb. 1 and were returning from a four-game East Coast trip.
Their roster was changed. Familiar faces Kyle Clifford and Jack Campbell, traded last week to the Toronto Maple Leafs, were gone. Young goalie Cal Petersen made his second start this season. On the second line, minor league call-up Martin Frk slotted into a lineup likely to change some more before the NHL’s Feb. 24 trade deadline.
But there was another noticeable absence too: The Kings’ weeks-long scoring struggles finally subsided, as 12 players got on the scoresheet in a 5-3 victory over the Calgary Flames that ended the team’s losing streak at five games.
“We haven’t been winning games and getting the bounces we want,” said Austin Wagner, who ended his goal drought at 22 games with a second-period breakaway that put the Kings in front for good. “Tonight, it was nice to see us grind one out and play a solid game. As a team, we stuck with it and played really well. We’ve got to carry that into the [Stadium Series] outdoor game on Saturday.”
Wagner’s tally capped a rollicking seven-minute second-period stretch. At the 6-minute 23-second mark, Kings enforcer Kurtis MacDermid dropped the gloves with former Kings tough guy Milan Lucic for a center-ice scrap that shook the game awake.
Four minutes later, the Flames opened the scoring after Petersen, who made 35 saves, misplayed the puck behind the net, leading to Mikael Backlund’s 18th goal.
But within the next 90 seconds, the Kings surged in front behind Tyler Toffoli’s 15th goal and Wagner’s first since Dec. 14, which was sprung by Trevor Lewis’ defensive-zone poke check.
“For that one to go in, it was nice to see,” Wagner said, laughing. “Lewie was coming at me [during the celebrating] going, ‘Oh my god! Oh my god!’ I was just yelling, ‘I got one, finally.’ He was laughing. It was a funny moment between us two.”
Elias Lindholm’s two third-period goals weren’t enough for the Flames. Instead, a snipe from MacDermid and one-timer from Jeff Carter gave the Kings their first performance of more than three goals since Jan. 9, an 11-game rut in which they were 1-9-1.
In the closing seconds, defenseman Sean Walker scored an empty-netter.
“It’s been a long time since we were the ones celebrating after the puck rolled in an empty net,” said McLellan, whose team improved to 3-1-0 against the Flames.
“We’ve been on the road so much lately, and the reward hasn’t been there for some real good efforts. … Coming home here, to stick with it, it’s always a competitive game against that team. A lot of emotion. It was a good thing for us tonight.”
Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.
The Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets 120-116 and held off the second-best team in the west, behind only the Lakers. The win gave the Lakers (41-12) a four-game lead over the Nuggets (38-17) heading into the NBA All-Star break.
LeBron James scored 32 points and notched at triple double, while Nuggets guard Jamal Murray led Denver with 32 points as well. Anthony Davis had 33 points, including two threes in overtime. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope contributed nine points and four steals, including one in overtime to ensure the Lakers’ win.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic scored 15 points in the first half, but only seven in the second.
The Lakers placed an emphasis heading into the game on staying focused at a time when many of them had vacation plans already scheduled for the next few days.
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The Lakers trailed by 13 in the second quarter with a three-pointer from Monte Morris. They struggled to contain Jokic and the Nuggets bench, which at the time had outscored the Lakers bench 20-10. The Lakers needed a way to get James some rest, and did so at the ensuing timeout. Without James, the Lakers fought their way back.
They went on a 13-2 run before James returned to the game and helped complete the comeback. The Lakers first lead since early in the first quarter came when James hit a jumper to make the score 53-51.
The Lakers held a six-point lead at halftime, that grew as the third quarter opened. But Denver showed just why they are one of the league’s top teams, fighting back to tie the game at 66 with a three from Jokic.
Both teams played to the raucous crowd. They traded flexes and threes. When James broke away for a dunk early in the fourth quarter, the crowd rose in anticipation for what followed.
9. Portland, 25-31, 4 GB of final spot 10. San Antonio, 23-31, 5 GB 11. New Orleans, 23-31, 5 GB 12. Phoenix, 22-33, 6.5 GB 13. Sacramento, 21-33, 7 GB 14. Minnesota, 16-37, 11.5 GB 15. Golden State, 12-43, 16.5 GB
DODGERS
It took until the final day of the offseason, after a long pursuit capped off by a strange weeklong saga, but the two splashy acquisitions the Dodgers believe will help end their World Series title drought strolled into Dodger Stadium on Wednesday for their formal introduction.
“They look good in Dodger blue, don’t they?” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said as he helped Mookie Betts put on his No. 50 jersey over a black hoodie on a pleasantly sunny afternoon. A few feet away Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, aided David Price, No. 33.
Getting them in Dodger blue was not easy. It took a failed trade that went public and a rush to mend the situation before reporting to Camelback Ranch for spring training this week. In the end, the Dodgers acquired one of baseball’s best players in Betts and a former Cy Young Award winner to bolster their rotation in the 34-year-old Price for the October sprint.
Both were members of the Boston Red Sox club that toppled the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series. They hadn’t been at Dodger Stadium since winning the championship.
“I’d like to celebrate again here, in this jersey,” Betts said, “for sure.”
As it stands, Betts is a one-year rental for the Dodgers. He is slated to become a free agent after making $27 million this season in his last year of arbitration. He was quoted as a member of the Red Sox as saying he is intent on testing free agency, which reportedly factored into Boston’s bold decision to trade its most beloved player. Asked if his plans to reach free agency have changed now that he is a Dodger, Betts declined to comment.
For now, the 27-year-old Betts will bat leadoff, setting the table for the deepest lineup in the National League. He will play right field with Cody Bellinger, the 2019 NL most valuable player, in center field.
“I’ll do my best to keep up with him,” Betts quipped.
Read more Dodgers
Bill Plaschke: Mookie Betts could be missing piece to puzzle to end Dodgers’ title drought
Helene Elliott: The fix is in at Dodger Stadium, but will it be ready for opening day?
Dylan Hernandez: David Price says he’s still got it, but he’ll have to prove it with the Dodgers
Dodgers reportedly alerted Nationals to Astros’ sign-stealing ahead of World Series
Here’s a look at the first Mookie Betts Dodgers bobblehead
MLB announces rules changes for 2020 season
ANGELS
The lack of remorse displayed by high-profile members of the Houston Astros found to illegally steal signs during the 2017 and 2018 seasons so bothered Angels starter Andrew Heaney that he profanely excoriated them when addressing the situation Wednesday.
“I know how it is,” Heaney said. “You get caught up in something. I’m sure they look back now and say ‘Oh [man], we really took that overboard.’
“But I think that somebody in that locker room had to have enough insight to say this is not OK. . . . Somebody in that locker room had to say, ‘This is [messed] up. We shouldn’t be doing this.’ For nobody to stand up and nobody to say, ‘We’re cheating other players’ — that sucks. That’s a [bad] feeling for everybody. I hope they feel [bad].”
Seven former Astros, including Mike Fiers, the pitcher whose testimony to the Athletic sparked a two-month investigation by MLB , have admitted to wrongdoing. Catcher Max Stassi became one of them on the Angels’ first day of workouts for pitchers and catchers. He was called up by the Astros in August 2017 and played with them until he was dealt to the Angels at last season’s July trade deadline. He expressed regret for not trying to halt the operation.
“When you’re a lower man on the totem pole, you just show up and you go out there and play,” Stassi said. “I apologize to all those around the game, the people who were affected by it, the fans, coaches. Especially the kids who look up to us. We’re supposed to set an example and do the right thing. We didn’t do that.”
USC FOOTBALL
The Trojans’ rebuilt defensive staff is officially complete.
After hiring a new defensive coordinator, safeties coach and cornerbacks coach, as well as a new special teams coordinator, USC is working to finalize its staff of football assistants this week by hiring Virginia defensive line coach Vic So’oto, according to a person familiar with the decision.
So’oto, 32, has just three seasons of experience as a full-time assistant, all spent at Virginia. But while So’oto joins a revamped USC staff as its least-experienced hire, the up-and-coming defensive line coach impressed during his short tenure in Charlottesville, helping oversee a Cavaliers defense that finished seventh in the nation in sacks last season.
RAMS
As he addressed reporters during a news conference Wednesday, Rams coach Sean McVay sat at the far right of a table, his three new coordinators to his left.
But McVay’s decision to overhaul his coaching staff has left him front and center — perhaps more than ever — as the Rams attempt to rebound from a disappointing 2019 season.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in his three-year tenure, McVay did not retain veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Veteran special-teams coordinator John Fassel left to join the Dallas Cowboys staff.
In 2017, the experienced coordinators enabled the then 30-year-old McVay to hit the ground running as the youngest coach in modern NFL history.
Three years later, after sitting out the playoffs, McVay introduced new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and special-teams coordinator John Bonamego.
Only one of the Rams’ 21 coaches — assistant offensive line coach Andy Dickerson — predates the now 34-year-old McVay with a franchise that wants to put behind 2019 and gear up for 2020 in new SoFi Stadium.
“I’m excited and motivated and, really, I would say more rejuvenated and reinvigorated than I’ve ever been since I first got here,” said McVay, the recipient of a contract extension before last season.
CLIPPERS
Going by the box score alone would not have suggested Tuesday‘s game resulted in a Clippers loss.
Philadelphia won 110-103 despite making only eight three-pointers on 29.6% shooting. The Clippers had been 11-0 when holding opponents to fewer than nine made three-pointers, 16-1 when allowing 10 or fewer and 19-0 when opponents made fewer than 30% of their shots beyond the arc.
The Clippers’ nine turnovers were also the second fewest they committed in a loss this season, and five fewer than their season average.
“I mean, we played well,” All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard said. “We fought to the end.”
But if coach Doc Rivers’ team held onto possessions better than it had in more than two weeks, it squandered its chance to be only the third team to beat Philadelphia on its home court through an offense that relied more on isolation plays instead of passing the ball.
“We played into their hands of playing one-on-one ball,” forward Paul George said. “If we move the ball and kept it hopping, we would have been successful.”
KINGS
Tyler Toffoli and Austin Wagner scored 39 seconds apart in the second period to give L.A. the lead, and the Kings went on to beat the Calgary Flames 5-3 on Wednesday night.
Kurtis MacDermid, Jeff Carter and Sean Walker also scored to help the Kings end a five-game losing streak. Calvin Petersen stopped 35 shots to get his first win of the season in his second start.
Elias Lindholm had two goals and Mikael Backlund also scored for Calgary. Johnny Gaudreau had two assists and David Rittich finished with 28 saves in the Flames’ fourth loss in six games.
Toffoli tied the score 1-1 off a rebound for his 15th of the season just 44 seconds after Backlund had put the Flames ahead.
Wagner then gave Los Angeles the lead for good with his fourth on a breakaway with seven minutes to go in the middle period.
HOCKEY
St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester remained hospitalized and was undergoing tests Wednesday one day after suffering a cardiac episode and collapsing on the bench during a game in Anaheim.
General manager Doug Armstrong said the 36-year old Bouwmeester was unresponsive after collapsing on the bench Tuesday night. A defibrillator was used and he regained consciousness immediately before being taken to hospital in Orange.
“He is doing very well and is currently undergoing a battery of tests. Things are looking very positive,” Armstrong said during a news conference in Las Vegas.
TODAY’S LOCAL MAJOR SPORTS SCHEDULE
All times Pacific.
Clippers at Boston, 5 p.m., TNT, Fox Sports Prime Ticket, AM 570
Calgary at Ducks, 7 p.m., FSW, AM 830
Washington State at UCLA (men), 8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks, AM 1150
Washington at USC (men), 6 p.m., ESPN 2, 790 KABC
BORN ON THIS DATE
1918: Golfer Patty Berg (d. 2006)
1936: Sprinter Leamon King
1944: Baseball player Sal Bando
1947: College basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski
1971: Hockey player Mats Sundin
1977: Football player Randy Moss
DIED ON THIS DATE
1964: Baseball player Ken Hubbs, 22
2003: Boxer Kid Gavilan, 76
AND FINALLY
Randy Moss gets emotional over his Hall of Fame induction. Watch it here.
Tokyo Olympic organizers reiterated their message on Thursday at the start of two days of meetings with the International Olympic Committee: The 2020 Games will not be waylaid by the virus that is spreading from neighboring China.
“I would like to make it clear again that we are not considering a cancellation or postponement of the Games. Let me make that clear,” organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori said, speaking through an interpreter to dozens of top IOC officials gathered in Tokyo.
The Olympics open in just over five months, and the torch relay begins next month in Japan — a clear signal the Games are getting close.
Japan reported its first death from the coronavirus on Thursday, a development that will add to the jitters among organizers and IOC officials. Japan has confirmed almost 250 cases, including 218 from a cruse ship quarantined at the port of Yokohama, near Tokyo.
Sitting among the IOC officials this time was Dr. Richard Budgett, the IOC’s medical and scientific director who does not always travel for these inspection visits.
Last week Toshiro Muto, chief executive of the Tokyo organizing committee, said he was “seriously worried that the spread of the infectious disease could throw cold water on the momentum toward the Games.”
He backed down a day later and said he was confident the Games would go forward, which is the message this time.
On Wednesday, the virus forced the cancellation of a Formula One race set for April in Shanghai, which draws more than 100,000 over a race weekend.
The Hong Kong and Singapore rounds of the World Rugby Sevens Series were rescheduled from April to October on Thursday, with organizers saying the decision was taken “in response to continued health concerns relating to” the outbreak of the virus. Also, the SportAccord conference, an event with close ties to the Olympic movement, will not take place in Beijing in April as scheduled, organizers said Thursday.
The virus has also wiped out the indoor world track and field championships in Nanjing, golf tournaments, soccer matches, and almost all sports in China, including Olympic qualifying events. It is also keeping Chinese athletes from traveling to qualify, which could put their presence in Tokyo in jeopardy.
Saburo Kawabuchi, a former Olympian and the so-called mayor of the Olympic Village that will house 11,000 athletes and thousands more staff members, suggested Tokyo’s hot and humid summer would stop the virus.
“The biggest concern is the coronavirus and the infection,” he said, speaking in Japanese. “Currently we don’t have any clue when this issue will be resolved. Based on various pieces of information we receive, it seems that this virus is not as strong as the influenza virus. The virus is susceptible to humidity and heat. In Japan, we have the rainy season which could defeat the virus.”
John Coates, an IOC member who heads the regular inspection visits to Tokyo, said he expected to receive reports on the virus from the Japanese government, the Tokyo city government, and local organizers in order to see the “necessary precautions that are being taken.”