SOCCER
England restart doubted
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has reportedly told the Premier League that he does not believe the domestic soccer season will be completed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Premier League on Friday suspended all fixtures at an emergency meeting. “It was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time,” the Premier League said in a statement. Clarke said at the meeting that he did not think it was feasible for the season to be completed, the Times reported. The virus is not expected to peak in Britain for many weeks, raising doubts over a restart early next month. The Times said it is understood that Brighton & Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber also questioned the brevity of the suspension. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is reported to have said it would at least allow time to consider the potential consequences and debate the possible solutions. The decision was taken after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for COVID-19. Arteta welcomed the move to put the season on hold. “Feeling better already,” he tweeted. “We’re all facing a huge & unprecedented challenge.Everyone’s health is all that matters right now.”
GYMNASTICS
Biles snaps at birthday tweet
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles wants more than good wishes from USA Gymnastics. The US federation wished Biles a happy 23rd birthday on social media on Saturday. Biles used the tweet to demand an independent investigation into the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal. “How about you amaze me and do the right thing ... have an independent investigation,” Biles wrote on Twitter after the federation’s birthday tweet. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most decorated gymnast of all time, @simonebiles!” USA Gymnastics wrote, posting a video of Biles in action in a floor exercise. “We know you will only continue to amaze us and make history!” Former national gymnastics team doctor Nassar was jailed for life for abusing more than 250 athletes, including stars of the US’ 2012 and 2016 gold medal-winning Olympic teams. A US Senate investigation found that “multiple institutions” failed to adequately respond to credible allegations against Nassar, but Biles has said that USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee still owe his victims, including herself, more answers and a framework to ensure such abuses would not occur again. “Wish they BOTH wanted an independent investigation as much as the survivors & I do,” she tweeted earlier this month.
MOTORSPORT
Ogier wins shortened rally
Sebastien Ogier won the Rally Mexico for a sixth time yesterday after the world championship event was cut short due to changing travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to end the rally after Saturday’s second leg was to allow teams and officials time to travel home to Europe from Mexico. “A victory is a victory of course, but this one feels different from any other,” said six times world champion Ogier, who had led the Leon-based event since Friday and whose win was the Frenchman’s first with Toyota.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was