SYDNEY: Tokyo’s postponed Olympics will go ahead next year regardless of the coronavirus pandemic, IOC vice president John Coates said Monday, calling them the “Games that conquered Covid.”
The Olympics have never been canceled outside of the world wars and Coates, speaking in a phone interview, was adamant that the Tokyo Games will start on their revised date.
“It will take place with or without Covid. The Games will start on July 23 next year,” said Coates, who heads the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission for the Tokyo Games.
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Tokyo Olympics will go ahead ‘with or without COVID’: IOC official
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Tokyo Olympics will go ahead ‘with or without COVID’: IOC official
- ‘It will take place with or without Covid. The Games will start on July 23 next year’
Kuwait welcomes its new PFL MENA champion
- Mohammad Alaqraa, 25, hailed on return home after welterweight title win over Badreddine Diani in Alkhobar
DUBAI: On Dec.15 Mohammad Alaqraa touched down at Kuwait International Airport carrying something he had been chasing for years: the PFL MENA welterweight championship belt.
His arrival came just 10 days after a unanimous decision victory over Morocco’s Badreddine Diani at Dhahran Expo in Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia. It marked a significant milestone for the Kuwaiti fighter and the combat sports landscape in the Middle East.
Greeted at the airport by his father, brother, excited fans and media representatives, Alaqraa spoke about his plans.
“It’s been a long journey, thanks to everyone that came to the airport and past events. Just like I promised I’ll get the MENA championship, my goal is to raise Kuwait’s name in this sport (and) now I promise next time I’ll come back with a world title,” he said.
Alaqraa’s arrival became an impromptu celebration. Fans had phone cameras ready for selfies and videos as he emerged holding his belt.
The championship fight against Diani was a full five-round affair that showcased Alaqraa’s growth. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47 in his favor. Alaqraa had established control through pressure wrestling, fence work, and a steady jab.
The win was sweet after losing by referee’s stoppage to Omar El-Dafrawy in the 2024 PFL MENA Finals.
Alaqraa defeated Omar Hussein and Ayman Galal en route to the 2025 finals, with his semifinal victory over Galal ending in just 21 seconds with an oblique kick, the fastest finish in PFL MENA history.
At 25 years old, Alaqraa now holds a 10-1 record in MMA. His background encompasses multiple martial arts disciplines developed since childhood. He holds a judo black belt and finished first in an International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation tournament before turning professional in 2021.
Since leaving Kuwait at 17 to pursue MMA, Alaqraa has trained at American Kickboxing Academy under head coach Javier Mendez, the gym that has produced champions including Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.
Alaqraa graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in industrial systems engineering while developing his fighting career.
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