Some of the world’s toughest gun-control laws are posing unusual problems at the Tokyo Olympic Games, from the coach who cannot touch a firearm to strict limits on ammunition.
For Goran Maksimovic, the extent of Japan’s restrictions only became clear when he arrived to coach the national team and found he could not lay a finger on a gun, let alone fire one.
“I was very surprised in the beginning,” said the Serb, a 10m air rifle gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Photo: AFP
Just 500 people can own an air pistol in Japan, whose history of controlling guns and other weapons dates back hundreds of years.
Japan’s gun laws are among the strictest in the world and annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people are regularly in single figures.
Getting a gun license is a long and complicated process even for Japanese citizens, who must first get a recommendation from a shooting association and then undergo strict police checks.
It is even more difficult for foreigners, with Maksimovic having to use Japanese assistants as intermediaries when he is coaching.
During the Games, coaches are to be allowed to help with “minor repairs,” as long as the athlete is holding the weapon.
The rules have been relaxed so that technical officials can handle firearms and inspect ammunition under International Shooting Sport Federation rules.
Working around local legislation has been a complicated process, National Rifle Association of Japan president Kiichiro Matsumaru said.
“We were involved in negotiations with the police and government so that teams coming here wouldn’t have any complaints,” he said.
Japan has a limit of 800 rounds of ammunition per shooter at any one time, fewer than at previous Olympics and other international competitions.
Organizers had to come up with a “complex plan” to stop competitors from potentially running out of bullets, Tokyo Games shooting sport manager Peter Underhill said.
“This has been introduced specifically for Tokyo, to help mitigate the effects of this particular piece of legislation,” he said.
There will be a few options, including shipping bullets to Japan through a designated contractor, but the rounds must be stored outside the shooting venue and brought in to replenish supplies.
Teams will also be able to buy ammunition at the Olympic shooting range, though they’ll have to settle for whatever is available, which may differ from their usual specifications.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS