Japan is grappling with rising COVID-19 cases with numbers trending higher in Tokyo after the government ended a state of emergency, yet preparations for the Games have continued.
In late February, the White House said it had not made a final decision on whether the United States would take part in the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
The withdrawal due to COVID-19 concerns will be the first time North Korea has missed a Summer Olympics since it boycotted Seoul in 1988 amid the Cold War.
About 10,000 runners will take part in the four-month relay, which will go through all of Japan's 47 prefectures and visit a public that polls show is strongly against the Games.
The surfing star was struck by lightning while training on the water in El Salvador, officials said.
About 1 million tickets are reported to have been sold to fans from outside Japan.
Hiroshi Sasaki reportedly suggested that well-known entertainer Naomi Watanabe, who is heavy-set, could perform at the Games as an "Olympig."
Canadian athletes may be off to Beijing in 12 months for the 2022 Olympics, but that doesn't mean it's the right move to send them there, Rob Breakenridge says.
Yoshiro Mori said women talk too much at a Japanese Olympic Committee board meeting early this month, setting off a storm of criticism at home and abroad.
The International Olympic Committee said it will not urge Yoshiro Mori to resign, saying his apology was enough.
The 2020 Games were postponed last year due to the global spread of the novel coronavirus.
Keller swam for the United States at three Olympics before he joined the march against its latest election result.
Tokyo is battling a surge of COVID-19 cases that prompted the national government last week to call a state of emergency.
A senior member of the International Olympic Committee has said he ``can't be certain'' the postponed Tokyo Olympics will open in just over six months.
The man reportedly leaped over a 10-foot fence along the heavily-defended Korean DMZ, dodging guards and barbed wire to escape Kim Jong Un's regime.
Athletes arriving in Tokyo for next year's Olympic Games will be exempt from the 14-day isolation period.