Great Britain vs Chile LIVE: Ellen White double earns Team GB victory in Tokyo 2020 opener
Follow all the latest from the Tokyo Games as Team GB kick-off the women’s football against Chile
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Your support makes all the difference.Great Britain women begin their campaign at the Tokyo Olympics against Chile with the Games underway in both the football and softball before Friday’s opening ceremony.
The women’s football competition gets under way with Great Britain taking on Chile in Sapporo at 8.30am BST (4.30pm in Japan). Kicking off in Tokyo at 9.30am BST will be the highly anticipated meeting between Sweden, who won silver in Rio losing to Germany in the final, and the reigning world champions USA.
The Games remains on course although the head of the organising committee Toshiro Muto refused to completely rule out a last-minute cancellation amid ongoing concern surrounding Covid-19. “At this point, the coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises.”
Follow all the latest news and updates below.
Sweden 3-0 USA
90 min: A couple of late chances at both ends as Sweden substitute Madelen Janogy miscontrols a pass into the box before Lloyd sees a header saved.
Sweden 3-0 USA
90+1: What a save! Lindahl dives to her right to keep out a downward header from Press that looked set for the far corner. Lindahl then gets out well to punch the corner clear.
There will be four minutes of added time.
FULL TIME: Sweden 3-0 USA
The USA’s 44-game unbeaten run comes to an end as Sweden dominate their opening match of the Olympic Games with a commanding 3-0 win in Tokyo.
Given the scoreline, it’s the first big shock of the Olympics. Sweden are the fifth best team in the world and made the semi-finals of the last world cup, but the USA are the world champions and were favourites to win the gold medal in Tokyo - so a 3-0 thrashing is a remarkable outcome.
It’s not over for the USA yet, but it’s an uphill battle from here. They have games against New Zealand and Australia to come in the next week and will be looking to bounce back and get their gold medal bid back on track.
Report: White brace earns Team GB opening win
Ellen White’s double gave dominant Team GB a comfortable 2-0 win over Chile in their opening match at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Manchester City striker struck in each half to give Team GB a winning start to their campaign in Japan.
That Hege Riise’s side failed to add to the scoreline owed much to their own profligacy and desperate, last-ditch, defending from Chile.
They now face the hosts in Sapporo on Saturday before playing Canada in Kashima to complete Group E next Tuesday.
More here:
Ellen White bags a brace as Team GB start Olympic campaign with win over Chile
Team GB opened their Group E campaign with a comfortable victory in Sapporo.
Head of the WHO backs staging of the Olympics in Tokyo
The head of the World Health Organisation [WHO], Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has backed the staging of the Olympics in Tokyo, telling the International Olympic Committee that the effectiveness of Covid-19 protocols will mark a “successful” Games.
Dr Ghebreyesus gave his speech following another couple of positive cases among athletes in the Olympics village. A Dutch skateboarder and a Chilean taekwondo athlete became the latest athletes to be ruled out of the Olympics due to Covid-19 earlier today.
“There’s no zero risk in life; there is only more risk or less risk,” Dr Ghebreyesus told the IOC.
“The mark of success in the coming fortnight is not zero cases, and I know that some cases have already been detected.
“The mark of success is making sure that any cases are identified, isolated, traced and cared for as quickly as possible, and onward transmission is interrupted. That is the mark of success for every country.
“The Olympics have the power to bring the world together, to inspire, to show what’s possible. It is my sincere hope the Tokyo Games succeed.”
Jessie Knight one of six British athletes in self-isolation
400m hurdler Jessie Knight is one of the six British track and field athletes in self-isolation in Tokyo, the 27-year-old told the Guardian.
The six athletes were forced to self isolate after coming into close contact with a passenger on their flight to Tokyo who later tested positive for Covid-19.
Despite the “panic” of the initial news, she has repeatedly tested negative and says she has been able to train every day within a bubble.
“The one time I can leave my room each day is to go to the track, so I feel quite lucky,” she said. “I do actually feel that it’s not altered my preparations at all.”
Team GB players take the knee before opening win
Team GB’s footballers took the knee before their opening match of the Olympics against Chile, marking a significant moment in the history of the Games.
It was the first time athletes were able to “express their views” after the International Olympic Committee relaxed its rules on athletes protesting.
In Tokyo, athletes can make statements such as taking the knee before or after competiting, as long as gestures are not “targeted, directly or indirectly, against people, countries, organisations and/or their dignity”.
Protests are also banned during events, medal ceremonies or at the athletes village and cannot be “disruptive” at any time.
Team GB were taking the knee to highlight racial injustice and as a stance against all forms of discrimination.
Captain Steph Houghton said: “Taking the knee was something we spoke about as a group. We want to fight all forms of discrimination and as a group of women we wanted to kneel against it.”
Olympics ‘more important than ever’, says Murray
Andy Murray will get the defence of his gold medal in the men’s tennis singles underway when the tournament kicks off on Saturday, and the two-time Olympic champion insists the Games are “more important than ever” despite the difficulties of staging the event during a pandemic.
“The Games are the biggest competition in the world and as athletes we train hard for moments like this,” Murray said.
“Tokyo 2020 in 2021 is unique, falling during the pandemic and we have seen incredible resilience from athletes, fans and all those involved in making this happen.
“In so many ways, right now it’s more important than ever that people around the world get to reconnect to the raw emotion of sport, watch incredible performances and celebrate the achievement of athletes coming from around the world.”
He added: “My goal is to try and win a medal. Ideally a gold one for my country.”
BREAKING: GB athlete withdraws from Olympics after positive Covid test
Shooter Amber Hill has withdrawn from the Olympic Games after testing positive for Covid-19 in the UK, Team GB have announced.
The 23-year-old, who was a finalist in the skeet competition in Rio 2016 and was ranked number one in the world ahead of these Games, had yet to depart for Tokyo.
“There are no words to describe how I’m feeling right now,” Hill said in a statement.
"After five years of training and preparation, I’m absolutely devastated to say that last night I received a positive Covid-19 test, meaning I’ve had to withdraw from Team GB’s shooting team.”
Bear on the loose at Tokyo softball venue ahead of Olympic Games opener
There might not be any fans at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but a bear took a closer look at the Fukushima softball venue as the Games got underway on Wednesday.
Just hours before the first pitch in the match between Japan against Australia, the animal snuck into Azuma Sports Park.
Bears are common across Japan and sometimes venture into towns, with a local police spokesman confirming they have not yet caught the Asian black bear.
Bear on the loose at Tokyo softball venue ahead of Olympic Games opener
The Fukushima police are yet to catch the Asian black bear, which was spotted twice at the Azuma Sports Park
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