
-
Indian patriotic movie 'icon' Manoj Kumar dies aged 87
-
China floats battle barges in Taiwan invasion plans
-
McLaren's Piastri fastest in chaotic second Japanese GP practice
-
South Korea seize two tons of cocaine in largest-ever drug bust
-
Pacific nations perplexed, worried by Trump tariffs
-
The race to save the Amazon's bushy-bearded monkeys
-
TikTok must find non-Chinese owner by Saturday to avert US ban
-
Trump tariffs to test resiliency of US consumers
-
Clamping down on 'forever chemicals'
-
Prominent US academic facing royal insult charge in Thailand
-
Yana, a 130,000-year-old baby mammoth, goes under the scalpel
-
'Don't want to die': Lesotho HIV patients look to traditional medicine
-
Curry scores 37 as Warriors outgun LeBron's Lakers
-
Crops under threat as surprise March heatwave hits Central Asia: study
-
Japan PM says Trump tariffs a 'national crisis'
-
Security 'breakdown' allows armed men into Melbourne's MCG
-
Norris fastest in Japan GP first practice, Tsunoda sixth on Red Bull debut
-
Albon says Thailand taking bid for F1 race 'very seriously'
-
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
-
Protest as quake-hit Myanmar junta chief joins Bangkok summit
-
EU leaders push for influence at Central Asia summit
-
Asian stocks extend global rout after Trump's shock tariff blitz
-
Lewandowski, Mbappe duel fuelling tight La Liga title race
-
South Korea court upholds President Yoon's impeachment, strips him of office
-
Liverpool march towards title as Man City face Man Utd
-
Finland's colossal bomb shelters a model for jittery Europe
-
Athletes frustrated as France mulls Muslim headscarf ban in sport
-
Korda downs Kupcho to stay alive at LPGA Match Play
-
German industry grapples with AI at trade fair
-
Irish school trains thatchers to save iconic roofs
-
'Frightening': US restaurants, producers face tariff whiplash
-
Cuba looks to sun to solve its energy crisis
-
Experts warn 'AI-written' paper is latest spin on climate change denial
-
PSG eye becoming France's first 'Invincibles'
-
Late birdie burst lifts Ryder to Texas Open lead
-
Five potential Grand National fairytale endings
-
Trump purges national security team after meeting conspiracist
-
More work for McIlroy even with two wins before Masters
-
Trump hopeful of 'great' PGA-LIV golf merger
-
No.1 Scheffler goes for third Masters crown in four years
-
Where Trump's tariffs could hurt Americans' wallets
-
Trump says 'very close to a deal' on TikTok
-
Trump tariffs on Mexico: the good, the bad, the unknown
-
Postecoglou denies taunting Spurs fans in Chelsea defeat
-
Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements
-
With tariff war, Trump also reshapes how US treats allies
-
Fernandez fires Chelsea into fourth as pressure mounts on Postecoglou
-
South Korea court to decide impeached president's fate
-
Penguin memes take flight after Trump tariffs remote island
-
E.T., no home: Original model of movie alien doesn't sell at auction

IOC long-shot Watanabe hopes 'crazy' Olympic idea sparks debate
Japan's Morinari Watanabe is a rank outsider to become International Olympic Committee president but he hopes his "crazy idea" to host the Games in five cities at once can spark debate.
The 65-year-old International Gymnastics Federation chief is one of seven candidates vying to succeed Thomas Bach as head of the IOC, with members set to decide in March.
The son of a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor, Watanabe would be the first Asian in the high-profile post.
Watanabe is proposing to host the Games simultaneously in five cities across five continents in a bid to reduce costs and let the whole world share Olympic fever.
He told AFP in an interview that he wants to bring "reform" to the IOC and embrace the possibility of "something new".
"Whether it happens or doesn't happen is not so important -- we must open discussions and make new ideas," said Watanabe.
"I give the first time some crazy idea, but I think young people have more ideas. My job is to open the door."
Watanabe is seen as a long shot to succeed Bach in a field that also includes British Olympic legend Sebastian Coe, France's David Lappartient and Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry.
Spain's Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Jordan's Prince Faisal al-Hussein and Sweden-born Johan Eliasch are also in the running.
Watanabe, who has led the world gymnastics body since 2017, is one of four international sport federation leaders on the ballot, along with athletics' Coe, cycling's Lappartient and skiing's Eliasch.
Watanabe says the Olympic format of having one host city, which has been in place since the modern Games began in Athens in 1896, has become "stifling".
He proposes instead to have five cities sharing events, beamed around the world in a rolling 24-hour broadcast.
His idea involves an enlarged programme of 10 sports for each city, with events being hosted in the time zone and climate that suits them best.
He says his plan would allow Games organisers to "create the best conditions for the athletes".
"It would be done across different time zones so they wouldn't need to compete early in the morning or late at night," he said.
"When it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so you could have the marathon and the athletics events there."
- Hands-on approach -
Watanabe believes IOC sponsors could also benefit from having a global network of host cities and says fans would feel more connected if the action was happening locally.
"Most people enjoyed the Paris Olympics, but looking at it from Asia it felt like something far away," he said.
"I don't think there was the sense of unity that there should have been. If you host it across five continents, more people would be involved."
If he pulls off a shock and wins the top job, Watanabe says his priority as IOC chief would be to create a more "open" governing body.
Unlike Bach or Coe, for example, Watanabe was never an Olympian.
He studied physical education in Tokyo and Bulgaria before becoming director of a large Japanese company's sport business division.
He became managing director of the Japan Gymnastics Association before going on to be elected president of the sport's world governing body, the first Asian to hold the role.
Watanabe says he has travelled to more than 160 countries as part of his job and describes his approach to leadership as "hands on".
"I like to meet people and understand each other and talk," he said.
Bach's successor will be chosen at an IOC session in Athens from March 18-21.
C.Kovalenko--BTB