Other Sports
PGA Championship rescheduled for August: report
(Reuters) – The PGA Championship, one of golf’s four majors, has been rescheduled for Aug. 6-9 after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sunday. The event will remain...
‘We’re easy targets’: England great Wayne Rooney blasts UK government over pay row
English football great Wayne Rooney has hit out at both the UK government and the Premier League for putting the country’s top players in a “no-win” situation over the issue of pay cuts. Footballers have come under growing pressure to donate significant amounts of their multimillion-dollar salaries as Britain battles the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world. Writing in his weekly...
Coronavirus: Mountain-biker winched off Wellington hill amid lockdown
A mountain-biker had to be winched off a Wellington peak after going for a ride amid level-four lockdown. Police have given cyclists clear guidelines: “You must only be within the local area near your home – this is to help keep pressure off our emergency services and hospitals at this time. “This is a short-term sacrifice, but...
NFL: New Orleans Saints great Tom Dempsey dies after contracting coronavirus
Former NFL kicker Tom Dempsey, who played American football despite being born without toes on his kicking foot and made a record 63-yard field goal, died late Saturday (Sunday NZT) while struggling with complications from the new coronavirus, his daughter said. He was 73 years old. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate first reported Dempsey’s death....
Venus inviting others to join her virtual workouts
Venus Williams continues to welcome all interested parties to join her for workouts. Let’s be clear; Williams is not asking fans to deviate from social distancing as the world battles the coronavirus. Rather, the seven-time Grand Slam champion is asking for others to join her live on Instagram by using the hashtag #CoachVenus for virtual...
Bulgarian Pulev to donate half of Joshua fight money to coronavirus medics
(Reuters) – The IBF’s mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev said he will donate half of his purse from the world heavyweight title fight against Briton Anthony Joshua to help medical workers fight the “devilish” coronavirus. The 38-year-old Bulgarian is expected to earn around $5 million from the fight, which has been postponed due to the pandemic,...
Wickens set to make IndyCar return in virtual race
(Reuters) – Robert Wickens will be back behind the wheel on Saturday for the first time since a near fatal crash two years ago and while it will be a virtual IndyCar race the Canadian sees it is another step towards the real thing. “I’m just excited to drive something. Last night was the first...
Astros’ Verlander will donate pay during MLB shutdown
Veteran Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander said he will donate his adjusted paycheck during MLB’s coronavirus shutdown to multiple organizations providing assistance during the crisis. Verlander made the announcement via Instagram on Saturday along with his wife, Kate Upton. “Everyone around the world is affected by this virus, and we hope to contribute to the...
Athletics: Lavillenie claims ‘international home containment’ title
PARIS (Reuters) – France’s former Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie has found a way to keep his competitive juices flowing during the coronavirus lockdown by staging an “international home containment competition”. While some elite athletes have been struggling to find ways of staying fit while confined to their homes, the 33-year-old former world record...
5th April
Tough days for Fiji golf
THE president of Golf Fiji, Vidya Lakhan, is sceptical about all the major golf tournaments that were supposed to have been staged in the first half of the year, in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has unfortunately portrayed a bleak future. “There is not much happening in golf at the national level. Like...
Takayawa focuses on Olympics spot
FOR Fijian judoka Tevita Takayawa, the slight extension has given him more motivation in his hunt for a spot in the Fiji team to the Olympic Games next year. While currently still studying in Ryutsu Keizai University in Rygasaki City in Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, Takayawa has focused on intensifying his training. “When the International...
Plans in place regarding Olympics
THE chairman pf the Fiji National Sports Commission Peter Mazey has set the record straight in as far as the budget for Team Fiji to the postponement of the 2020 Summer and Paralympic Games is concerned. “The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games had been in the air for some time, and...
U.S. judge throws out Major League Baseball sign: stealing lawsuit
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit seeking to hold Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox liable to DraftKings fantasy baseball bettors for the sport’s sign-stealing scandal. Although both teams “shamelessly” used electronic devices to steal signs, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan...
At least I can be Wimbledon champion for two years, says Halep
(Reuters) – Simon Halep is trying to look on the bright side regarding the suspension of the tennis season due to the coronavirus pandemic, which means at least she will be referred to as reigning Wimbledon champion for two years. The Romanian former world number produced a flawless performance to beat Serena Williams in last...
Golf – U.S. Women’s Open postponed until December
(Reuters) – The U.S. Women’s Open has been postponed and moved from June 4-7 to Dec. 10-13 due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, said the United States Golf Association (USGA) on Friday. The tournament had been scheduled to be held on the Jackrabbit Course at Champions Golf Club in Houston but will now also be...
Reports: Bryant, 7 others elected to Basketball Hall
All eight finalists for enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, headed by the late Kobe Bryant, will be inducted, according to various media reports Friday. The other reported members of the Hall’s Class of 2020 will be Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens....
NBA, union negotiating player-pay plan
The NBA and the players association are in discussions regarding withholding player pay in the event regular-season games are canceled, ESPN reported Tuesday night. According to the report, the sides are discussing withholding up to 25 percent of players’ remaining salaries in a league escrow, allowing for the players and owners to share in some...
Time to take a break from tennis, says top U.S. group
(Reuters) – Playing tennis might not be a good idea in these critical times, says the U.S. group typically busy encouraging more to take up the sport. “Based on the recommendations of the USTA COVID-19 Advisory Group, the USTA believes that it is in the best interest of society to take a collective pause from...
New England Patriots’ truck delivers masks to New York to help coronavirus effort
(Reuters) – A truck emblazoned with the colors of the New England Patriots football team was out on the streets of New York on Friday, delivering 300,000 N95 masks to a makeshift hospital set up in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. New York state recorded more than 500 coronavirus-related deaths in a single day...
4th April
Antonio Brown reportedly charged in alleged assault of driver
A Broward County (Fla.) court document obtained by ESPN revealed that Brown is charged with felony burglary conveyance, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief charges. Brown allegedly was involved in a dispute with a moving-truck driver outside his Hollywood, Fla., home on Jan. 21. The driver was attempting to deliver Brown’s household items from California,...
Nadi club wants more events
THE Jet Runners Club of Nadi will re-schedule its 2020 events after the sporting ban is lifted by government with a lot of focus on road and cross country runs. The club was set to start its new season with a 10 kilometre road run in Nadi on May 2 but this has been postponed...
European football focusing on restart in July and August
(Reuters) – European football, currently at a standstill because of the coronavirus, is focusing on a restart in July and August with clubs and leagues being told that stopping competitions should “really be the last resort.” UEFA, the European Club Association and the European Leagues umbrella group sent a joint letter to their members on...
National committees have final say on qualified athletes for Tokyo Games
ATHENS (Reuters) – Athletes already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will need to be picked again by their respective National Olympic Committees to compete at the postponed Games in 2021, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday. The IOC and Japanese government succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world...
England’s Buttler to auction World Cup final shirt for coronavirus fight
(Reuters) – Wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler has said he will auction the shirt he wore in England’s 2019 World Cup final victory to raise funds for efforts to fight the coronavirus. Buttler was instrumental in England’s thrilling victory over New Zealand in the final at Lord’s last year, scoring a half-century and then dislodging the stumps...
NFL expects to play full season as scheduled despite coronavirus
(Reuters) – While the coronavirus wreaks havoc on the global sporting calendar, the NFL said on Tuesday it planned to have a full season, including games in London and Mexico City, and to kick off on time in September. With a little over five months to go before the 2020 season is scheduled to begin,...
Logano finds new purpose during break in racing
Like so many in the world right now, NASCAR champion Joey Logano is spending his downtime figuring out ways to make a positive difference in his community. While home waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic, Logano has kept busy playing with his 2-year-old son Hudson and spending time with his expectant wife Brittany. A two-time race...
Keep courses closed during coronavirus lockdown: Golf Australia
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Golf Australia on Thursday reiterated its recommendation that all golf courses in the country should be closed until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic after some clubs continued to allow play this week. Australia has instructed people to stay inside unless shopping for food or taking exercise as it tries to...
MLB cancels June’s Cubs-Cardinals London Series due to coronavirus
(Reuters) – Major League Baseball, which already postponed the start of its 2020 season because of the coronavirus outbreak, said on Wednesday it has decided to cancel its planned return to London in June. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, who make up one of the National League’s most storied rivalries, were scheduled to...
NBA, union negotiating player-pay plan
The NBA and the players association are in discussions regarding withholding player pay in the event regular-season games are canceled, ESPN reported Tuesday night. According to the report, the sides are discussing withholding up to 25 percent of players’ remaining salaries in a league escrow, allowing for the players and owners to share in some...
3rd April
‘There may be no more tennis this year’, says Wimbledon chief Lewis
LONDON (Reuters) – Tennis may not return until 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the entire grasscourt season and most of the claycourt campaign, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Richard Lewis said on Thursday. The outbreak has played havoc with the global sporting calendar and the Wimbledon championships were...
