McLaughlin wins virtual IndyCar event

Kiwi Scott McLaughlin’s real IndyCar debut is on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the V8 Supercars Championship winner is not letting that stop him from learning how to virtually drive the cars. McLaughlin won IndyCar’s virtual race from virtual Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, the second race in the series’ attempt to create content during the worldwide shutdown of sports. McLaughlin drives for Roger Penske in Australia and the team owner had planned to give McLaughlin his series debut next month on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That plan was scrapped when the IndyCar season was suspended last month. The road course race has been tentatively rescheduled for July 4, a date Penske said would be too hectic for McLaughlin to make his debut. McLaughlin, like seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, was an invited guest by IndyCar to participate in the iRacing Series meant to entertain fans during the stoppage. He had to wake up at 2am in Brisbane, Australia, to compete on his simulator. “I started iRacing 10 years ago and it was the best thing I did,” McLaughlin said. “For an aspiring race car driver, it is worth the investment in your future. It’s been an awesome tool for me and it’s great fun.” McLaughlin said his rig was not as flashy as some of the big simulators used by the stars and his is actually set for a touring car. It was 6am at the New Zealander’s house when he virtually crossed the finish line. “You know, e-sports has really been on the rise the last few years, and it’s really taken off during this pandemic,” McLaughlin said. He beat Team Penske driver Will Power, an Australian who was racing from his home in North Carolina, Scott Speed and IndyCar rookie Alex Palou, racing on a simulator in Spain. NBC Sports aired the

Pressure grows to stage shortened IPL

Players are putting pressure on cricket authorities to plan a shortened Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) later in the year to “kickstart” the sports economy after the COVID-19 lockdown. The world’s richest cricket tournament has been postponed until Wednesday next week, which coincides with the end of India’s 21 day nationwide shutdown to help prevent the virus’ spread, but with the number of cases and deaths rising, and India isolated from international travel, few believe any sport will be possible in the sub-continent for at least three months. “Let’s say July-August is the earliest,” former England batsman Kevin Pietersen told Indian broadcaster Star Sports. “I do truly believe the IPL should happen. I think every single player around the world is desperate to play the IPL.” Pietersen suggested that the eight-team tournament be shortened from its normal eight-week duration and played behind closed doors. “There could be a way in which to get some money into the franchises, into the economy by having a situation where you use maybe three venues which are completely closed to fans,” Pietersen said. “And the players can still go out and play the tournament in three weeks or in four weeks.” “I think the fans need to understand they can’t watch a live game at the moment and they might not be able to watch a live game for the foreseeable future,” he said. The league is a huge revenue earner for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is estimated to generate more than US$11 billion for the Indian economy. Chinese mobile phone-maker Vivo paid US$330 million to be the league’s top sponsor for 2018-2022. Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said that the league, which involves stars such as England’s Ben Stokes, David Warner and Pat Cummins of Australia, and India captain Virat Kohli, would inject life into

Rugby Australia chief to be axed

MEDIA RUMORS? With no pay agreement secured and players’ representatives calling for more financial information ahead of talks, the sport had another week of bad press

Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle could be sacked in a matter of days, media reported yesterday, as the embattled governing body struggles to deal with a financial crisis compounded by a shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Castle this week took a 50 percent pay cut and laid off 75 percent of Rugby Australia (RA) staff members, saying that the body would face losses of up to A$120 million (US$71.95 million) if no more rugby was played this year. With no pay agreement secured with the players and their representatives calling on RA to provide more financial information ahead of negotiations, the sport has endured another week of bad press. The Australian and the Daily Telegraph both reported that Castle had lost the confidence of a board to which three new members were added at this week’s annual general meeting. Former Australia captain Phil Kearns, who lost out when New Zealander Castle was appointed in 2017, was named as her likely successor by both newspapers. RA later said in a statement that it had shared specific financial information with the Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) yesterday regarding a short-term pay deal. “Rugby Australia believes the financial information it has provided today allows RUPA to accurately advise the players on these negotiations,” it said. The parties are to meet today to take the negotiations forward, it added. “We look forward to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement given the current circumstances the game is facing,” it said. Castle took significant flak for her handling of the dismissal of Wallabies fullback Israel Folau last year, the costs of which contributed to a A$9.4 million loss last year. She has also been criticized for spurning an offer from Fox Sports TV to extend their broadcast deal and instead taking the rights to market, potentially leaving Rugby Australia without a television deal at the

Bundesliga’s ‘ultra’ fan groups take fight to virus

When their side played promotion rivals Arminia Bielefeld in the German second division on March 9, VfB Stuttgart fans did not realize that it would be the last game before the coronavirus lockdown. A week later, soccer was suspended in Germany and Stuttgart’s “ultras” were focusing instead on helping elderly people and those who are vulnerable during the health crisis. “A lot of people are ready to put their own egos to one side and come together to help the community,” Clemens Knoedler of Stuttgart ultra group Schwabensturm said. “In the week after the [Arminia] Bielefeld game, it became clear that something would change. We met up and asked ourselves what we were going to do.” Along with other supporter groups across Germany, Knoedler and his fellow ultras decided to mobilize in support of the community. Where he once led thousands of Stuttgart fans in cheering on their soccer team, Knoedler now organizes about 80 volunteers to pick up groceries and prescription medicines for those who cannot leave their homes. The project sprang up in a few days, and now encompasses six districts in Stuttgart and the surrounding area. “We are doing this for our city... We are ready to help out where we can,” Knoedler said. Known for their ferocious support and stadium protests, the ultras are the organized front of the Bundesliga’s famous fan culture. Earlier this year, ultra groups were slammed for tasteless protests against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp, who was smeared as a “son of a bitch” in stadiums across the country. Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge referred to them then as “the ugly face” of soccer, but in recent weeks, they have proved the opposite. Fans at major clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04 have also organized volunteer delivery services similar to the one in Stuttgart, while Bayern supporters have called

Delay over virus leaves caddies in the rough

Caddies are golf’s unsung heroes, but they are never to earn the riches made by some of the players and many are likely to struggle during the European Tour suspension caused by the pandemic, their chairman said. The pandemic has also brought a halt to conversations that Sean Russell and his association were having with prospective sponsors after he negotiated a groundbreaking agreement with the European Tour. “There is zero job security,” Russell said. “There is no contract. Some caddies have been sacked the week after a player has won a tournament. It is not like a normal job.” His members — more than 150 active professional caddies — can from this season earn more money through branding on their caps or clothing, and in other ways, too. Caddies are generally paid US$1,200 per week by the golfer, which can usually be topped up by 10 percent of the prize money earned in a tournament. Travel and hotel expenses then have to be deducted. The schedule has been heavily disrupted with 12 European Tour tournaments postponed or canceled. “At the moment with the stoppage, those chaps who caddied for golfers who were successful last year and those who started the season well will be alright,” said Russell, from his home in Newcastle, England. “But for the others they still have to pay the mortgages, put food on the table and there are bills to be paid.” He said that the announcement by British Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid last week that the government would cover a percentage of self-employed people’s earnings was good news, “but it will still take a couple of months for those measures to come in.” Russell said that members are having to find part-time jobs, even those who would normally earn extra money alongside their caddying by working at exclusive golf clubs. Those clubs

UEFA’s ultimatum leaves Scottish clubs in the lurch

UEFA’s ultimatum to national leagues that a failure to complete the soccer season could lead to exclusion from European competition has left the continent’s less wealthy leagues, such as Scotland, in limbo. Scottish clubs were due to meet by videoconference on Friday with the possibility of following the Belgian league’s recommendation to call their season to an end amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That meeting has been pushed back to next week, as Scottish clubs scramble just to survive in the months to come with matches indefinitely suspended on public health grounds. Meagre television rights deals, especially in comparison with the English Premier League across the border, have seen Scotland slide down the food chain of European soccer. The existing broadcast contract for the Scottish Premiership is reportedly only worth ￡21 million (US$22.7 million) annually. Clubs can therefore little afford to miss out on European competition, with even those who do not participate eligible for solidarity payments from UEFA. “Since participation in UEFA club competitions is determined by the sporting result achieved at the end of a full domestic competition, a premature termination would cast doubts about the fulfilment of such condition,” UEFA said in a joint letter with the European Clubs Association and European Leagues. Many Scottish clubs had been eager for the season to be called as it stands — with Celtic crowned champions — so that prize money could be handed out to solve a cash-flow crisis. A proposal for league reconstruction whereby two teams are promoted and no side relegated from the top four leagues would also mitigate the damage and any potential legal challenges. Instead, as so often, Scottish clubs have had to turn to their fan bases for support. According to UEFA’s annual report on club licensing benchmarks, gate receipts provide 43 percent of revenue for the 12 clubs in the Scottish Premiership, by far

India cricketers make the most of virus lockdown

From Virat Kohli having his hair cut by his Bollywood wife to Ravindra Jadeja on a stallion, India’s superstar cricketers are making the most of their enforced break during the national coronavirus lockdown. At a time when the Indian Premier League (IPL) would normally be in full swing, Kohli has sent out a number of video messages telling people to stay indoors so that the virus’ spread can be contained. However, the tweet that got the most media coverage and “likes” — more than 100,000 — was one posted by his actress wife Anushka Sharma of her cutting her style-icon husband’s hair. At the same time, Kohli, 31, has been chatting live on Instagram with former England star Kevin Pietersen “about what’s happening world over at the moment and also about all the years we’ve known each other.” Elite cricketers have a relentless travel schedule and while the lockdown is tough for many, Australia coach Justin Langer said that it was “nirvana” for his players to have an extended break at home. Jadeja has been able to indulge his love of horses, posting a video of himself riding a white stallion. The all-rounder was also seen sprinting without a shirt on a treadmill. Paceman Jasprit Bumrah, famous for his lethal sling-arm action, is contenting himself with watering plants, and using “this time to reflect on the aspects of my life that are truly important and picking up some new hobbies along the way.” With many rich and middle-class Indians forced to do the housework themselves because their domestic staff cannot get to work, Bumrah also posted a video of him mopping a floor — less than successfully. “My modified mobility drills are keeping the house clean and my mother very happy. (P.s — I had to do everything again without the slippers),” the 26-year-old wrote on Twitter along

COVID-19 takes National Rugby League players from grand final to building site

Six months ago they were playing one of the biggest games of their careers, but now stars of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) are working as builders and plumbers after the coronavirus shutdown forced them to find new jobs. Several members of the Sydney Roosters, who won the grand final against the Canberra Raiders in October last year, are among the players back “on the tools,” as they try to pay bills and mortgages after the season was suspended. Players from the NRL, one of Australia’s most popular sports, are facing hefty pay cuts this year after the pandemic shuttered sports worldwide and left the league battling for survival. “Some of them are looking for jobs... Some of them are on the tools already,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson told radio station Triple M. “Plumber, builder — there are lots of jobs that have been thrown out there for the guys, and they’re still continuing to look. They know they’re going to have some time. They know they’ve got to train, but after that they’re looking to get back into some of their old trades.” It is a similar story for players across the 16-team NRL, which came to a screeching halt after two rounds — one played behind closed doors — last month. The NRL — which is cash-strapped despite its immense popularity and ubiquitous media presence — strongly resisted closure before disease prevention measures made it impossible to continue playing. On Thursday, the NRL and the players’ association agreed on an emergency deal under which players will lose five months’ pay this year if this season is abandoned. The league’s suspension has meant a dizzying turnaround for the players, especially for the Roosters, who were celebrating their grand final win. Now, Roosters lock Victor Radley is plying his trade as a carpenter, while Elliott Whitehead is

US judge dismisses sign-stealing suit

NO LEGAL CLAIM: US District Judge Jed Rakoff wrote in his opinion that a sport that celebrates ‘stealing,’ even if only of a base, might not foster honest play

A US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by fantasy sports contestants who claimed they were damaged by sign stealing in Major League Baseball. Five men had sued MLB, MLB Advanced Media, the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox in US federal court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, contravention of consumer protection laws, negligence, unjust enrichment and deceptive trade practices by teams that broke league rules against the use of electronics to steal catchers’ signs. “A sport that celebrates ‘stealing,’ even if only of a base, may not provide the perfect encouragement to scrupulous play,” US District Judge Jed Rakoff wrote on Friday in a 32-page opinion. “Nor can it be denied that an overweening desire to win may sometimes lead our heroes to employ forbidden substances on their [spit] balls, their (corked) bats, or even their (steroid-consuming) selves, but as Frank Sinatra famously said to Grace Kelly (in the 1956 movie musical High Society): ‘There are rules about such things.’” League commissioner Rob Manfred ruled in January that the Astros broke regulations against electronic sign-stealing during home games on their way to World Series titles in 2017 and 2018. He suspended manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season apiece, and both were fired by the team. Manfred fined the Astros US$5 million, the maximum under league rules, and stripped the team of its next two first and second-round draft picks. Manfred fined the Red Sox in 2017 for using Apple Watches to pass along signals. Boston is being investigated for possible breaches of electronic sign-stealing rules in 2018, when it won the World Series. “In 2017 and thereafter, the Houston Astros, and somewhat less blatantly the Boston Red Sox, shamelessly broke that rule, and thereby broke the hearts of all true baseball fans,” Rakoff wrote. “But did the initial efforts of those teams,

Compressed MLB schedule could mean more pitchers

When and if opening day comes around this year, New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake anticipates a brimming bullpen. Major League Baseball and the players’ association have talked about a compressed schedule to get in as many games as possible, which would set off a call to arms. “I think if you have 15 guys it gives you some depth,” Blake said on Wednesday. Active rosters were to expand from 25 to 26 players from opening day through Aug. 31 in exchange for the limit dropping from 40 to 28 from Sept. 1 on. When a strike delayed the start of the 1995 season until April 25 of that year, teams were allowed 28 players through May 15. There is talk of 28 to 30-player rosters following the shutdown caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Teams are preparing for a season that could extend into late November or even December, if domes and ballparks in warm-weather cities are used. “Both the PA [Players Association] and the MLB are very, very adamant about playing as many games as we can this year,” Seattle pitcher Marco Gonzales said. “I think it favors everyone — the fans, the ownership group, the players. I think it’s the right thing to do, and so we’re going to probably have to get creative on how to do that. There’s been talk of doubleheaders, skipping off days here and there. There’s going to be a lot of things that we have to get creative with.” Teams that carried nine or 10 pitchers in the 1960s and 1970s have had 13 in recent years, and even 14 for some American League games. A new rule this season limits pitchers to 13 through August and 14 the rest of the way, but that could be tossed in a reconfigured season, as openers and perhaps six-player rotations gain prominence. “We haven’t

Surviving as a minor leaguer on US$8,000 per year

By the end of January, John O’Reilly was chomping at the bit to get to spring training. Like most minor leaguers, the 24-year-old pitcher, newly assigned to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, viewed baseball’s pre-season as a mecca of opportunity. O’Reilly, who played last season in Double-A — minor league baseball’s second-highest level — was not expecting to make it to the majors and become the Pirates’ opening day starter, but with a decent showing, he could perhaps inch his way up minor league baseball’s arduous, low-salaried ladder. When the pandemic started, O’Reilly was having what he considered to be a highly successful spring training — he had even been called on to finish innings for major league pitchers. In one game, he pitched against the New York Yankees, a big deal for a kid from New Jersey. Then on March 13, O’Reilly got a message from the organization: Beginning tomorrow morning, everyone must go home. By that point, the COVID-19 outbreak had been officially declared a pandemic and it was no longer safe for any large groups to gather together — baseball games were no exception. “It is definitely scary,” O’Reilly said. “Less of a chance to go out and play the game you love with your teammates. You look forward to it for the five months you’re away [during the off-season].” O’Reilly went home to his family in New Jersey, where he is anxiously following the news. Mitch Horacek, a 28-year-old pitcher in the Minnesota Twins organization, opted to stay in Florida with his girlfriend’s family, instead of going home to the cold of Colorado. One day, Twins doctors were cautioning players to wash their hands and avoid signing autographs. Three days later, Horacek’s big league hopes were paused. Horacek had been following the spread of the coronavirus since the first outbreak in Wuhan, China, and sensed that baseball

Delay poses ‘mental strain’

Reigning world and Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Simone Biles said that coping with the mental strain of waiting another year for the Tokyo Olympic Games would take a heavy toll on gymnasts. Biles, who turned 23 last month, told NBC’s Today show that she expects that coaches would help her get in top condition, but that getting her mind in top shape in July a year later than planned would be difficult. “Physically I have no doubt that my coaches will get me back in shape,” Biles said. “But mentally going another year, I think that’s what’s going to take a toll on me — and all of us, most of the athletes.” “We have to stay in shape mentally as much as physically, and that will play a big factor moving forward, listening to your body and your mind,” she added. Biles told the Wall Street Journal that she had been planning to retire after the Tokyo Games this year, but added that she is playing next year’s Tokyo Games “by ear.” Biles won all-around, vault, floor and team gold at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, and owns five all-around world titles among the 19 world titles that she has won since 2013. After taking off 18 months following the Rio Games, Biles returned to top form with a goal of success in July in a sport that has dominated much of her time since she first tried it at the age of six. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for one year, a delay that she learned about by telephone in the locker room during training. “I didn’t really know what to feel,” Biles said. “I just kind of sat there — I cried — but ultimately it was the right decision. We need to make sure that everyone

Hungary’s Cseh to put off career finale until 2021

Hungarian swimmer Laszlo Cseh has resolved to “keep going” for his dream to end his career with a golden swan song at the Tokyo Olympic Games postponed until next year, in what would be his fifth Olympic appearance. In his long career, Cseh has won individual medals at four different Olympics, including four silver and two bronze, but never a gold. The former world and European champion had pledged to end his long career in July, but quarantined in his house near Budapest, he is trying to adjust on the fly. “I thought 2020 would be my last year with the Olympics, but then life happened, and the pandemic proved stronger,” he said. “I must keep going, start training and competing soonest.” However, the competition calendar has gone up in smoke. “I should probably decide on one event and prepare the hell out of it,” he said when asked about his best chance for attaining that elusive gold. “Really, I just want to do my best — nothing mysterious about it. If in the end, I remain a multiple silver medalist, well, life goes on, doesn’t it?”

Russia coach urges team to stay trim

The main concern for the coach of the Russia women’s gymnastics team is that they do not gain weight in quarantine at home, she said after the squad’s training camp was canceled this week due to concerns over COVID-19. All activities at the Novogorsk training center in Moscow were halted this week after media reported that men’s team coach Andrey Rodionenko and one of his team members had tested positive for the coronavirus. Women’s team coach Valentina Rodionenko, Andrey’s wife, told TASS media on Friday that her husband had taken a subsequent test that came back negative. All team members based at the training center have been sent into self-isolation, like many across the globe, but Valentina Rodionenko’s main concern is that the temptation to indulge in home comforts would not become overwhelming for her athletes. “We will be home in quarantine until April 15. The main thing is that the girls don’t gain any weight. That’s the main problem. They have all received homework,” the 83-year-old said. Almost all gymnastics events or World Cups this season have been postponed or canceled, with the Tokyo Olympic Games also having been moved to 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday prolonged until April 30 a paid non-working period across Russia in a move that he said was designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

SPORTS BRIEFS

OLYMPICS Delay pushes rower to retire British rowing gold medalist Tom Ransley on Friday announced his retirement after deciding that the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to next year was a step too far. The 34-year-old was part of the men’s eight who won gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics and also a bronze in the 2012 London Games. “I have used up everything I had and I know that to get myself in the necessary condition to compete for a seat in 2021 is a step too far,” he told the BBC. The years of early starts, of three training sessions a day and a “selfish and monastic existence” to test his body to the limits has taken its toll and the fire is burning out, Ransley added. “A friend suggested that if you stop loving something it is impossible to give it your all — and I believe that she is right.” TOUR DE FRANCE Not postponing is ‘madness’ Allowing the Tour de France to go ahead as scheduled amid the COVID-19 pandemic would be “madness” and a “crime against humanity,” said David Douillet, an Olympic judo champion and a former French minister of youth affairs and sports. The risks involved in staging the Tour outweigh the financial implications of postponing or canceling it, Douillet said. “God knows I am a fan of the Tour de France — I never miss a stage every summer,” he told France TV. “If we have enough means to ensure that all the players in the Tour and the public can be tested and are all negative, then why not? But that’s not very likely, so it can’t happen. There is no vaccine, nothing — and people are dying.” OLYMPICS FIFA extends men’s top age FIFA has extended the age limit for the men’s soccer tournament at

Tokyo Games delay adds work, costs

WAIT AND SEE: The estimated cost of postponement started at US$2 billion and has kept rising, but the IOC has yet to say whether it would help pay for the extra expenses

Postponing the Tokyo Olympics to next year would make the event more costly for all parties, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) acknowledged on Thursday, although it offered few details on what the final bill might be. Four directors of the Olympic body held a conference call three days after Tokyo’s new dates were finalized, with the Games pushed back to July 23 to Aug. 8 next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the new dates cleared up any uncertainty about the event’s future, there are still plenty of question marks as the committee begins to work with Tokyo organizers and the governing bodies of 33 sports in a huge task to amend thousands of contracts. They include agreements for 41 venues, an Olympic village of 5,000 apartments, hotels and transport, as well as the supply of goods and services. “All of this now has to be resecured for one year later,” IOC Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said. “There will be costs for [Tokyo local organizers] and the IOC and Olympic family side.” The estimations for how much it will cost to postpone the Games have started at US$2 billion and gone much higher. Japanese taxpayers are expected to meet most of it, adding to their share of an official budget of US$12.6 billion. The IOC was contributing US$1.3 billion to Tokyo’s original operating budget. Asked if the Switzerland-based Olympic body would meet some of the extra costs from its own insurance policy or US$1 billion reserve fund, the official line on Thursday was that it was too early to say. It was also unclear how the payments from broadcasters would be structured. “We’re only just getting into all of this,” IOC managing director of TV and marketing Timo Lumme said. Broadcasters including the US’ National Broadcasting Corp contributed 73 percent of the IOC’s US$5.7 billion income

Wimbledon boss worried ‘no more tennis this year’

Wimbledon chief Richard Lewis on Thursday admitted that he feared the remainder of this year’s tennis season could be wiped out. Tennis has been in lockdown since early last month and is not scheduled to return until July 13 at the earliest following the cancelation on Wednesday of Wimbledon for the first time since World War II. The decision to axe the sport’s oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam due to the COVID-19 pandemic followed the French Open’s unilateral switch from its traditional May-to-June slot to September to October. The double body blow resulted in the entire clay-court and grass-court seasons being abandoned. “I don’t think it’s unrealistic to say that there may be no more tennis this year,” All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club chief executive Lewis said. “But I would like to think that things will settle down so that tournaments can be played sooner rather than later. Who knows what will happen?” Lewis told the Guardian that, despite his fears, he hoped that the season’s next Grand Slam, the US Open in August to September could take place. “Let’s hope the US Open and Roland Garros [rescheduled to start in Paris a week after the final of the US Open in New York] can take place,” he added. “The optimist in me — and I am often not optimistic — still hopes the American hard-court season, the big tournaments, the Masters and the Premiers, will take place: Montreal, Toronto and then Cincinnati,” he said. “But we all know that’s probably tenuous at the moment.” Earlier on Thursday, Royal Spanish Tennis Federation president Miguel Diaz said that he hoped the sport could return to the courts “in the last quarter of the year.” “I think that in the last quarter of the season we will be able to see tennis again, we don’t know if