The Fiji Times

Resumption of racing crucial, says BHA

LONDON (Reuters) – The government’s decision to give the green light for top-level competitive sport in England from Monday has been welcomed by the British Horseracing Authority which says livelihoods in the multi-billion pound industry are threatened. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden outlined stage three of the government’s elite and professional sport guidance on Saturday, saying...

England want ICC to allow coronavirus substitutes

LONDON (Reuters) – The England and Wales Cricket Board is in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) about allowing coronavirus player substitutions in its upcoming planned test series against West Indies and Pakistan, an ECB official said. ECB director of events Steve Elworthy was quoted in British media on Friday saying he hoped an...

Jamaican bobsleigh team push a Mini to keep Olympic dream alive

PETERBOROUGH, England (Reuters) – The Jamaican bobsleigh team is used to training without snow, but the coronavirus lockdown has seen its male athletes resort to pushing a car around the streets of an English city to stay in shape, with an eye on Olympic qualification. Some residents of Peterborough have offered their help to Shanwayne...

Women’s sports rely on women viewers

Women need to watch women’s sport to make broadcasting it viable according to the boss of a New Zealand sports streaming service. The head of Spark Sport Jeff Latch said broadcasters should promote and make women’s sport more accessible, but that was only possible if the audience numbers supported it. Spark Sport has the rights for...

Amateur athletes encouraged to take it easy returning to sport

Winter sports are set to resume this weekend and ACC is encouraging people to ease back into the game so they can reach their potential without picking up a season-ending injury. Sports injuries have been down during the Covid-19 lockdown – less than 14,000 compared with almost 90,000 in the same period last year, based...

Rise in number of people checking in on their mental health

The number of people contacting a New Zealand Rugby mental health website has almost tripled in the last couple of months. The Headfirst website allows people to take self-tests for anxiety or depression. The website has been around since 2017 and in its first year had almost 14,000 visit…. that number has grown steadily since....

Federer is the world’s highest-paid athlete, says Forbes

(Reuters) – Roger Federer is the world’s highest-paid athlete for 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic knocked soccer’s Lionel Messi off top spot, according to the annual Forbes list released on Friday. The Swiss tennis great, owner of a men’s record 20 Grand Slam singles titles, earned $106.3 million in the last 12 months, including $100...

Murray to return at ‘Battle of the Brits’ tourney in June

(Reuters) – Andy Murray will make his return to tennis at a behind-closed-doors tournament organised by his brother Jamie from June 23-28 in London, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said on Friday. Murray, 33, has not competed since the Davis Cup Finals in November due to complications with his hip. He was targeting a return...

Australian cricket faces further cost-cutting despite improved outlook

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian cricket faces another round of cost-cutting to shore up finances hit by the coronavirus shutdown and no part of the game will be immune, board chief Kevin Roberts said on Friday. Cricket Australia (CA) has already furloughed about 80% of its workforce, while state associations have also made deep staff cuts...

World Rugby turns down Baron proposal for 2021 international event

DUBLIN, 30 MAY 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – World Rugby has turned down a suggestion made by the former chief executive of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Francis Baron, who said that Britain could host a major international rugby event in 2021 to help with the impact of COVID-19. Baron drew-up plans for a “World...

Bach consults with IOC members on consequences of pandemic

LAUSANNE, 30 MAY 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has consulted with around 100 members on the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Bach spoke to the members across three different sessions. He discussed the handling of the pandemic and listened to the thoughts of the IOC members. Olympic Games...

Female membership of IOC Commissions rises to 47.7 per cent

LAUSANNE, 30 MAY 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – Female membership of the 30 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commissions has risen to 47.7 per cent. IOC President Thomas Bach and the Executive Board established the composition of the Commissions for 2020. The number of positions held by women has risen from 45.5 per cent in 2019...

League expects coaches to return to team facilities soon

NEW YORK (Reuters) – NFL teams may be able to bring back members of their coaching staff as early as next week, Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo distributed to teams on Thursday. All 32 clubs closed in March amid the coronavirus outbreak that forced coaches, players and personnel into lockdown, with some teams...

Tiger Woods docuseries coming to HBO in fall

Tiger Woods is the latest sports superstar to be the subject of an upcoming television documentary. HBO will air the documentary later this year, journalist Armen Keteyian told the Burst Your Bubble podcast. Keteyian was the co-author of the best-selling 2018 biography of Woods. Per Golf.com, Keteyian said the Woods docuseries will be four hours,...

Draisaitl wins Art Ross, Ovechkin wins ninth Richard Trophy

With the NHL regular season officially deemed final, the league announced its regular-season trophy winners on Thursday, led by Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl and more history made by Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin. Draisaitl won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leader in points after finishing with 110, 13 clear of teammate Connor...

Players building counter to MLB’s pay-cut proposal

Upset with MLB’s economic offer to players, the Major League Baseball Players Association soon will present a counteroffer to owners that includes a schedule of more than 100 games and an accompanying prorated cut in pay, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Thursday. Major League Baseball presented the players union with a revised economic plan for the...

IOC says record high female representation on commissions

LONDON (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says women now account for almost half of the membership of its various commissions, an all-time high in the organisation’s drive for gender equality. Across the 30 IOC commissions, 47.7% of the positions are held by women, up from 45.4% in 2019. “Since 2013, as a result...

Hall delays Bryant’s enshrinement ceremony due to COVID-19

(Reuters) – The Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame said on Thursday the enshrinement ceremony for the Class of 2020, a group that includes the late Kobe Bryant, has been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The enshrinement ceremony for the nine-member group, which includes Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, was scheduled for Aug. 29...

Pandemic postpones boxing program at Ba Town

The Southern Boxing Promotions has deferred its second program of the year which was supposed to be held in Ba next month. Promoters cancelled the program because of the restrictions in place on contact sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the international travel restrictions. After the success of its first program in Ba in February,...

Kiwi rider conquers ‘Everest’ by climbing more than 9000m on his mountain bike

A Kiwi mountain bike rider living in Canada has “knocked the bastard off” by climbing the accumulative height of Mt Everest in an epic 24-hour lockdown challenge. Tom Bradshaw is a former New Zealand age-group representative who moved to British Columbia last year to follow the Enduro World Series international circuit. But with all of...

Alberta asks Trudeau to lift travel ban for NHL

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is asking Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, to set aside coronavirus-related travel restrictions to bolster Edmonton’s chances of becoming an NHL hub city. Commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday that the NHL will end its current hiatus with 24 teams resuming play in a playoff format in two hub cities as soon...

Kobe’s Hall of Fame enshrinement postponed to ’21

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony for Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett and six others is postponed until 2021. Hall of Fame Board of Governors chairman Jerry Colangelo broke the news Wednesday to ESPN. The ceremony was due to be held Aug. 29 in Springfield, Mass., following a presentation the previous...

NFL onside kick alternative clarified before Thursday vote

When NFL teams vote on the proposed rule change to adopt an alternative to the onside kick on Thursday, the language will be different from what was first introduced. The rule would permit teams to attempt a fourth-and-15 untimed play from their own 25-yard line twice per game in regulation. The updated language also clarifies...

LeBron James joins athletes voicing outrage over death of unarmed black man after arrest

(Reuters) – LeBron James was among a number of high-profile athletes who took to social media to speak out on the death of an unarmed black man seen in a video lying face down in the street while a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Four Minneapolis police officers were fired...

Tennis body starts post pandemic preparations

THE opening of playing venues is a major obstacle that sports such tennis face as restrictions on sporting activities are slowly being relaxed in the country. Tennis, volleyball, squash, bowls, badminton and golf are the six non-contact sports on which restrictions have been lifted however strict social distancing guidelines have to be followed. Tennis Fiji...

F1 teams limited to a $145 million budget cap from next year

Formula One teams will be limited to spending $145 million (NZ$234 million) next year and even less in following years, after motorsport’s governing body approved an anticipated budget cap. FIA said in a statement that the cap will be scaled down to $140 million in 2022 and $135 million for 2023-2025, based on a 21-race...

Trackside Radio’s demise another serious blow for NZ sporting world

There are no upsides to the decimation of another specialised sports programme in New Zealand. Radio Sport became the first victim of the economic uncertainty created by Covid-19 when, without warning, it was suddenly ditched by owner NZME on March 30. On Tuesday Trackside Radio, a station that promoted much more than just horses and...

Postponing Ryder Cup to 2021 would be right call, says McIlroy

(Reuters) – World number one Rory McIlroy believes the Ryder Cup is unlikely to take place this year and postponing the biennial match play event to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic would be the right call to make. The golf calendar has been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak, with three of the sport’s four...

FASANOC maps plans

THE Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee’s (FASANOC),Voices of the Athletes (VOA)Program will draw inspiration from the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) #StayStrong campaign for this year’s Olympic Day Run which was scheduled for June 23, 2020. Despite the cancellation of the Olympic Day Run which is usually held in the month of June,...

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Pacific Mini Games to be delayed