Cycling’s Tour de France should have embarked from the Mediterranean city of Nice this weekend, but the two-month coronavirus delay will heighten the drama on a “unique edition”, race organiser Christian Prudhomme has told AFP.
Category: Other Sports
World No.1 Novak Djokovic, wife test positive for COVID-19
BELGRADE – Men’s world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic said on Tuesday he and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized. “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went…
Federer out until 2021 after knee surgery
PARIS – Men’s Grand Slam singles record-holder Roger Federer said Wednesday he would be sidelined until 2021 after undergoing keyhole surgery on his right knee. “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at…
It’s 2021 or never for Tokyo, confirms senior Olympic official
BRUSSELS – High-ranking Olympic official Pierre-Olivier Beckers on Saturday made plain that the delayed Tokyo Olympics “will be held in 2021 or not at all”. The Belgian was reiterating the stance put forward by Japan and International Olympic Committee chief…
Archery federation’s founding former AGS passes away
DHAKA – Heroic freedom fighter, renowned sports organiser and Bangladesh Archery Federation (BAF) founding former assistant general secretary Sayed Khan Dalu passed away on Tuesday last due to long illness at his residence in the city, said a BAF press…
Murray warns tennis chiefs against quick return after virus
LONDON (BSS/AFP) – Andy Murray insists tennis must take it slowly as the sport’s bosses consider when to return after the coronavirus. The men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours are suspended until at least July 13 due to the pandemic,…
Nadal does’t see tennis back soon, is worried about injuries
Rafael Nadal says it will be “very difficult” for tennis to return to action any time soon and is concerned about the risk of injuries when the sport resumes. Nadal spoke in a joint interview with NBA player Pau Gasol…
Tsitsipas trying to learn French during coronavirus lockdown
ATHENS (BSS/AFP) – Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas said on Tuesday the coronavirus pandemic lockdown has given him a chance to brush up on his French. The 21-year-old ranked sixth in the world has returned home with the global season…
Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament canceled
The Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament will not be played this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tennis Canada announced the event, scheduled for Aug. 7-16 in Montreal, is off the schedule. Quebec’s government announced Friday that no sporting events…
Tokyo Olympic CEO hints games could be in doubt even in 2021
TOKYO (AP) — As the coronavirus spreads in Japan, the chief executive of the Tokyo Games said Friday he can’t guarantee the postponed Olympics will be staged next year — even with a 16-month delay. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe…
Athletes Village for Olympics could house virus patients
TOKYO (AP) — The under-construction Athletes Village for the Tokyo Olympics could be used as a temporary hospital for coronavirus patients. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has been talking about the possibility of occupying the massive development on Tokyo Bay, which…
Japan’s baseball, soccer seasons delayed again amid pandemic
TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese professional baseball and soccer seasons will be further delayed as the country grapples with the outbreak of the coronavirus. Japanese professional baseball had aimed to open its season on April 24 after previously pushing it…
The countdown clock is clicking again for the Tokyo Olympics
TOKYO (AP) — The countdown clocks have been reset and are ticking again for the Tokyo Olympics. The model outside Tokyo Station, and others across the Japanese capital, were switched on almost immediately after organizers announced the new dates —…
With Olympics on hold, Phelps worries about mental health
Michael Phelps has been open about his mental health struggles, even as he became the most decorated athlete in Olympic history. Now, with the Tokyo Games on hold because of the coronavirus, the retired swimming great worries that some athletes…
All signs point to Tokyo Olympics being postponed
IOC members, national Olympic committees and athletes were all racing toward the same conclusion Monday: The Tokyo Olympics are not going to take place this summer. Craig Reedie, a longtime member of the International Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press…
Tokyo Olympics seem sure to happen — but in 2021, not 2020
TOKYO (AP) — The Tokyo Olympics are going to happen — but almost surely in 2021 rather than in four months as planned. This became clear after the IOC on Sunday announced it was considering a postponement. Major Olympic nations…
Aussie Olympic chiefs advise athletes to prepare for 2021
SYDNEY (AP) — The Australian Olympic Committee is advising its athletes to prepare for an Olympics in 2021. Ian Chesterman, Australia’s team leader for Tokyo, on Monday said “It’s clear the games can’t be held in July” because of the…
As virus spreads, next casualty could be Tokyo Olympics
TOKYO (AP) — As infections soared in Europe and the United States and the world economy spiraled downward, Japan on Monday hinted at the next possible victim of the globe-spanning coronavirus: The 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe…
Former Olympic swimming champion van der Burgh has virus
Former Olympic swimming champion Cameron van der Burgh said he has contracted the coronavirus and added his voice to concerns for athletes’ well-being if the Tokyo Games go ahead as scheduled. Van der Burgh, who retired from competitive swimming in…
Infantino eyes reboot for soccer to avoid crisis
GENEVA (AP) — The future of soccer could be fewer games and fewer top competitions to help avoid a financial crisis, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a newspaper interview published Monday. With soccer around the world in near-total shutdown…
A look back at Olympics that never were: 1916, ’40 and ’44
With more and more calls to postpone the Tokyo Olympics because of the coronavirus outbreak, it’s worth noting that this every-four-years spectacle has been rocked before by traumatic events. Three other times, the games were canceled altogether because of World…
Flame in Japan; How long until news if Olympics will open?
TOKYO (AP/UNB) — The Olympic flame has arrived in Japan from Greece. Next comes the torch relay around the country, which is scheduled to start on Thursday from Fukushima prefecture in northern Japan. Organizers have asked crowds to be restrained,…
Olympic flame lands in Japan as doubts grow over Tokyo Games
Matsushima Air Base, Japan (AP/UNB) — The Olympic flame arrived in Japan on Friday from Greece in a scaled-down ceremony at an air base in northern Japan. The flame, carried in a special canister, touched down amid growing doubts if…
Australian sports begin feeling effects of the coronavirus
Brisbane, Australia (AP/UNB) — Australian sports fans didn’t really need a reminder about the coronavirus, but they got one anyway Friday when a number of major events Down Under were affected by concerns over the pandemic. And more are likely…
Sikder Group Independence Day Cup Golf ends
Dhaka – The 8th Sikder Group Independence Day Cup Golf Tournament 2020 ended at the Kurmitola Golf Club here on Friday. Sikder Group & R&R Aviation Ltd, a concern of the group, organised three-day the international tournament on the occasion…
School Hockey: Dinajpur Jubilee School beat Armanitola Govt High
Dhaka – Dinajpur Government Jubilee School maintained their winning run in the Bangabandhu First Security Islami Bank National School Hockey Tournament beating Armanitola Government High School of Dhaka by 3-1 goals at Maulana Bhashani National Stadium here on Wednesday. Mohammad…
Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open postponed due to Covid-19
Dhaka – The Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open 2020, the US$400,000 Asian Tour event that was poised to become the most lucrative professional golf event in Bangladesh, scheduled for March 25-28 at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka, has been postponed…
Davis Cup: Australia beats Brazil 3-1 to qualify for finals
Adelaide (AP/UNB) — Australia has advanced to the Davis Cup Finals in November with a tight 3-1 win over Brazil on hard courts at the Memorial Drive tennis center on Saturday. John Millman beat Brazil’s Thiago Monteiro 6-7, (6), 7-6…
Bangabandhu Sports Championship begins here on Saturday
Dhaka – The Bangabandhu Inter-University Sports Championship, a multi- sports event, ceremonially began through a marathon race at Hatirjheel area in the capital on Saturday. Al Amin of Jashore University of Science and Technology clinched the boys’ marathon gold medal…
9th Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games to begin Apr 1
Dhaka – The 9th version of the country’s biggest multi-sports event, Bangabandhu Bangladesh Games, named after Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will begin on April 1. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to inaugurate the 10-day mega…