The Fiji Times

Cook Islands Games to return in 2022

The revived Cook Islands Games will be back in 2022, after staging the biggest event in the Pacific this year. The multi-sport event returned for the first time since 2015, as a way to bolster sporting competition in the country in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost 4,000 locals took part in the event,...

U.S., Britain call out Russian hacking spree, cyberattacks against Olympics

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Britain and the United States on Monday condemned what they said were a litany of malicious cyberattacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including attempts to disrupt next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. British and U.S. officials said the attacks were conducted by Unit 74455 of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency,...

Players may withdraw from tours due to bubble burnout: Morgan

(Reuters) – England’s players can withdraw from tours if they feel playing in bio-secure bubbles during the COVID-19 pandemic will take a toll on their mental health, limited overs captain Eoin Morgan has said. England hosted West Indies, Pakistan and Australia after cricket’s restart in July, with the teams restricted to playing in Manchester and...

Japan emphasises Olympics cybersecurity, condemns ‘malicious’ hacks

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan said on Tuesday it would emphasize cybersecurity around the Tokyo Olympics and condemned “malicious cyberattacks” after Britain and the United States called out Russian military intelligence for trying to disrupt next year’s Games. Olympics organisers reported no significant impact on their operations for the Games, which were originally set for this...

Raj leads top team

The Anant Raj captained Olosara Club jumped to join the Simla Dragons on second position in the Phill’s Autoport North West Billiards and Snooker Association 2020 League after defeating South Seas Warriors 4-3 in an exciting fixture. Olosara led 3-1 before Chung Lee secured a hard fought 121-118 win against Ronald Singh in the billiards...

Fiji starts bid

Cricket Fiji has begun its preparation towards two international events that will take place next year. CF starts the journey by staging the Associations Cup which began yesterday at Albert Park in Suva. Federation president Alex Konrote said during the week-long tournament, players to represent the men’s and women’s national teams towards the East Asia-Pacific...

West golfers brace for tourney

THE Lautoka Golf Club is once again all geared up to host the 2020 Shop N Save supermarket sponsored 18 holes Individual stroke Pro-Am championship at the golf Links on Sunday. Club president Chong Lee has confirmed a bonanza sponsorship of $3000. He said the amateurs would compete for $1500 worth of prizes in the...

Olosara snooker club confident of reaching semis

The Olosara Club is confident of reaching the semi-finals of the Phil’s Autoport-sponsored North West Billiards and Snooker Association (NWBSA) 2020 League. The side with homegrown talents such as Salvin Shalendra, Ronald Singh, Navin Datt and Manav Raj defeated Simla Warriors 4-3 to move up to second position on the NWBSA 2020 League points table....

Golfer Ryan Fox happy not to be swinging a club for a while

New Zealand professional golfer Ryan Fox admits being in quarantine sucks, however, not swinging a club for at least three weeks won’t be a problem for him. Fox is halfway through his isolation period at an Auckland hotel after spending three months back on the European Tour. Fox decided to rejoin the European PGA Tour...

After 233 tries, Kokrak claims first-ever PGA Tour win at CJ Cup

(Reuters) – American Jason Kokrak fired off eight birdies in a flawless final round for his first-ever PGA Tour victory at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, clinching his maiden title on the 233rd try. The 35-year-old outclassed a crowded field of elite performers, carding an eight-under-par 64 at the Shadow Creek...

Lal says Namosi is toughest marathon race

It was the toughest race I had participated in during my running career. These were the words from 2020 Namosi Marathon (full marathon) winner Avikash Lal when asked for a comment after he hit the finish line at Navunikabi in Namosi yesterday. The inaugural Namosi Marathon was run in three categories; full marathon (42.2km), half...

Surfing helps heal body pains

From easing general aches and pains that come with getting older to helping you complete daily tasks more easily, being mobile is extremely important as you age. When you think about Yoga, most people don’t really think about surfing, but surprisingly they match! Yoga complements surfing perfectly as it builds strength, flexibility and balance. When...

China Railway signs deal with Fiji Volleyball Federation

A three-year partnership deal was signed and sealed last week between the Fiji Volleyball Federation and China Railway No.5 (CR5) Engineering Group Fiji Limited. CR5 Finance Manager, Liu Bingyong handed over a $2000 cheque which was approved by CR5 general manager Jin Ming to the president of the Fiji Volleyball Federation, Liga Gukisuva, to seal the...

Tokyo 2020 Athletes’ Village could be used to treat individuals suspected of COVID-19

TOKYO, 19 OCTOBER 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – The Athletes’ Village at next year’s Olympic Games could be used to treat competitors and coaches suspected of having coronavirus. Kyodo News understands Tokyo 2020 organisers are considering supplying the village with “health centre-like” functions to support infected individuals. Citing officials “with knowledge of the situation”, the...

June 2022 dates confirmed for Pacific Mini Games

SUVA/SAIPAN, 19 OCTOBER 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – New dates for the Pacific Mini Games which avoid a clash with the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics have been confirmed. The Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) had been due to host the next edition of the Pacific Mini Games in June 2021, but following the postponement of the...

Rublev sets up final clash with Coric at St Petersburg Open

(Reuters) – Russian home favourite Andrey Rublev rallied from a set down to beat Canadian Denis Shapovalov 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the semi-final of the St Petersburg Open on Saturday to set up a title clash with Borna Coric. Rublev saved five of six break points to advance and took advantage in the final set...

Ex-Angels employee indicted in Skaggs’ death

A former Los Angeles Angels employee was indicted in the 2019 overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Eric Kay, who worked in the team’s media relations department for 24 years, is charged in the indictment with distributing the drug fentanyl that caused Skaggs’ death. A federal grand jury in Texas, where Skaggs died, returned the...

No Supporters’ Shield in 2020, league says

(Reuters) – Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Supporters’ Shield will not be awarded this year, the league said on Saturday, due to the changes to the standard competitive environment forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. MLS was among the numerous North American leagues to suspend its season in March due to the outbreak, kicking off a quarantined...

New Zealand-bred horse Verry Elleegant triumphs in crowdless Caulfield Cup

One champion trainer denied another as New Zealand-bred mare Verry Elleegant repelled the Irish stayer Anthony Van Dyck to win the $5 million Caulfield Cup on Saturday. In a memorable Cup, Chris Waller continues to rewrite racing’s record books at an astonishing rate as he claimed the race for the first time. And he did...

Gymnastics abuse claims: Train long, train hard, train injured

Artistic gymnasts trying to reach the highest levels in the sport are training more than 30 hours a week, often breaching both international and government guidelines. There are also allegations athletes are being forced to return from injury early by coaches, and against doctors’ recommendations, at both club and elite level. Several athletes reported training...

Tough race in Namosi

At sixty-nine, former national athletics rep Shiri Chand Mushroom still managed to hit the finish line in the 2020 Namosi Marathon yesterday. Mushroom, who has had a long and distinguished career in athletics said after the race, he wished he had trained for the race because he only opted for the 10km because he was not well prepared. “The race route was...

Lal wins Namosi tourney

National athletics rep Avikash Lal braved the heavy rain at the end of the 2020 Namosi Marathon to take out the inaugural race yesterday. The Nadi man led from the start and held on until the finish line. The race’s full marathon took the runners through 42.2km of the wildest and dramatic gravel roads in...

After successful bubble, league grapples with uncertain future

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – As the NBA bursts its bubble following the completion of the Finals on Sunday, the league now faces tough questions about when next season will begin and what it will look like. The league’s three-month stay at Walt Disney World in Orlando was a huge success, with no players and coaches...

Hatton grabs first round lead at CJ Cup

(Reuters) – Englishman Tyrrell Hatton fired four birdies and an eagle in his first nine holes and finished with a seven-under-par 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the PGA Tour’s CJ Cup in Las Vegas on Thursday. Starting on the back nine, Hatton seized the momentum early in his round...

Australia Open cancelled for first time since WW2

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Australia Open will be absent from the sporting calendar for the first time since World War Two this season after Golf Australia and the PGA of Australia cancelled all of their top events on Friday because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 105th edition of the country’s oldest and most prestigious tournament,...

Pro Football Hall of Fame DE Dean dies

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Fred Dean died late Wednesday night. He was 68. “The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Fred Dean,” Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker said in a statement. “He exemplified many of the values learned from this great game — commitment,...

NFL: Players will miss games due to flu-like symptoms

(Reuters) – Players exhibiting cold and flu symptoms will miss practice and games even if they test negative for COVID-19, NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills said on Thursday. Sills said he expects symptoms such as coughs, sore throats and stuffy noses to ramp up as the U.S. approaches cold and flu season. He added...

Buadromo out of Olympics race

2019 Pacific Games double gold medallist Matelita Buadromo has been ruled out of contention for the Olympic Games. Swimming Fiji president Ben Rova confirmed the decision after an injury ruled out the star swimmer. “Matelita Buadromo has pulled out because she has an injury,” Rova said. “Because of her injury, and in need for her...

Miller reaps benefits

Former Fiji Athletics runner and Zumba queen Litiana Miller finished an inaugural 30-day fitness challenge via SMS with participants reaping immense benefits. The challenge ended on August 30. The program aimed at helping the Fijian public to move to a healthier and fitter lifestyle, adopted a culture of regular exercises as a way of being...

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