Tokyo Olympics

Kolinisau and others sent a message of encouragement to the team.

Fiji 7s Head Coach, Gareth Baber confirmed the video message was put together by former captain Kolinisau.

Baber added it’s very challenging and inspiring to hear from Kolinisau and others.

The national coach said what those players did was unbelievable and their message was timely.

He says we should all be immensely proud of the past players and the legacy they created.

There were also upsets in the tennis, with Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty knocked out, and the taekwondo where Britain's two-time champion Jade Jones lost in the first round.

Even favourite Simone Biles was wobbly in gymnastics qualifying, while golf was robbed of two leading players through positive Covid-19 tests and defending tennis champion Andy Murray pulled out of the men's singles.

And in basketball, the USA had their 25-game winning streak at the Olympics ended by an 81-76 loss to France in their opening game.

Footage of Kentaro Kobayashi from the 1990s recently emerged in which he appears to make jokes about the Holocaust.

Japan's Olympic chief Seiko Hashimoto said the video ridiculed "painful facts of history".

The dismissal is the latest in a string of scandals to hit the Games.

Since the start of the year, three other organisers have been forced to step down from Tokyo 2020 - and the games have already been postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 29-year-old relayed the news to his parents soon after he told that he will lead Team Samoa carrying the nation’s flag on Friday.

“I was just over joyed. The first thing I did was call my parents and I talked to my father, it really truly meant a lot to him. Clearly growing up in Samoa and culture being so engraved inside of him. I think there’s a certain level of pride that every Samoan has for the country,” he said in a video interview by ONOC.

The thought of marching and playing in front of no spectators and empty stadium has not dampened Rose’s spirit.

Asked at a news conference if the global sporting showpiece might still be cancelled, Toshiro Muto said he would keep an eye on infection numbers and liaise with other organisers if necessary.

"We will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases," Muto said.

"We have agreed that based on the coronavirus situation, we will convene five-party talks again. At this point, the coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises."

Llanelli, south Wales. A small town backing on to green hills and a history of heavy industry.

Fiji, South Pacific. An tropical archipelago of palms, white sand and a slower way of life.

Half the globe away, and a world of difference.

But Baber, the Welshman who arrived as Fiji's sevens coach in January 2017, does not feel as far from home as all that.

"I spent a lot of time in Llanelli as a kid, in the pubs, playing pool, knocking about in the lanes outside," he told BBC Sport.

Toyota Motor Corp chief executive Akio Toyoda and other executives will not attend the opening ceremony, Toyota said on Monday.

"It is true that Toyota will not be attending the opening ceremony, and the decision was made considering various factors including no spectators," a spokesperson said.

"We will not be airing any commercials related to the Games in Japan," she added.

Samoa decided that its Olympic qualifiers who live and train within the island nation will not go to Tokyo due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus, Reuters reported. Samoa had 11 athletes bound for the games; three of them, all weightlifters, live on the island.

Because Rose lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he’s clear to compete.

Apart from fundraisings organised by Leilua and the Samoa Sailing Association, local organisations have stepped in with financial support.

These organisations are; the Central Bank of Samoa, SIFA, Aliki Wholesale, Bluebird Construction, EPC, Swire Shipping and the National Bank of Samoa. 

Leilua, who will be representing the country in sailing, has been preparing in New Zealand for the most anticipated world meet that gets underway in Tokyo next week.  

The sailing athlete will have nine days in Tokyo before the competition starts.

Just over a week before the opening ceremony, the spreading infections highlight the risks of staging the world's biggest sports event during a pandemic even without spectators in sports venues.

Seven staff at the hotel in Hamamatsu city, southwest of Tokyo, had tested positive for the coronavirus, a city official said.

But a 31-strong Brazilian Olympic delegation, which includes judo athletes, are in a "bubble" in the hotel and separated from other guests and have not been infected.