The Wider Image: Japanese boxing nurse has Olympic dream crushed by COVID
Arisa Tsubata, 27, a nurse and a boxer, wraps her hands before her a training session at Tajima boxing gym in Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, April 22, 2021. Tsubata has trained around her work shifts for over a year to prepare for a final Olympic boxing qualifier in the hope of making it to the Tokyo Games this summer. That dream was shattered earlier this year after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to cancel the boxing qualifiers due to take place in June and to allocate spots based on the rankings of recent years instead. "I can't say I am aiming for the next Olympics in Paris, but what I can do is try to keep working hard step by step, at any competitions ahead, small or big," Tsubata said. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "NURSE BOXER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES