CYCLING
Shutdown extended to June
Cycling’s shutdown was on Wednesday extended until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that French one-week stage race the Criterium du Dauphine would be postponed, organizers said. However, the Tour de France, scheduled to start in Nice on June 27, remains on schedule. The Criterium was to have started in Clermont Ferrand on May 31, with the only remaining key Tour de France warm-up race not yet postponed being the Tour de Suisse. The Criterium is organized by Amoury Sports Organisation, which also runs the Tour de France. “The priority is the health of the nation,” group president Christian Prudhomme told reporters. “For now the Tour de France dates remain the same.” International Cycling Union president David Lappartient made the announcement of the extended suspension. The governing body said that it is preparing a new potential calendar taking into account different scenarios and would present it in the coming weeks.
OLYMPICS
Beijing studies Tokyo delay
Organizers of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games said that they would conduct a “detailed assessment” of the effects on their plans of the decision to postpone the Tokyo Games to next year. Beijing Games organizers said in a statement carried by Xinhua news agency that they were in close communication with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ensure that the “special situation” is handled properly. The IOC and local organizers last week agreed to push the Tokyo Games back a year because of the pandemic. The revised dates for Tokyo are July 23 to Aug. 8 next year. The Beijing Games are scheduled to open on Feb. 4, 2022. Although the Summer and Winter Olympics would now be held within six months of each other, Beijing organizers said that their preparations are on target and they have no plans to delay events. “We believe the Summer Games in Tokyo and the Winter Games in Beijing will both be a success,” the statement said. Beijing was awarded the games in 2015, beating Almaty, Kazakhstan, in the voting to become the first city to have been awarded both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
SOCCER
Bayern fine Jerome Boateng
Bayern Munich have fined defender Jerome Boateng for leaving the Munich, Germany, “without permission,” an act in breach of the strict rules of confinement imposed due to the pandemic. TVO reported that the 31-year-old had on Tuesday left the city to visit his sick son and was involved in a minor road accident. “Bayern defender Jerome Boateng left Munich yesterday without permission from the club,” the German champions said in a statement. “Boateng has transgressed the guidelines issued by the club by being too far away from his home… These guidelines govern the behavior of the FC Bayern players in the current situation in line with government directives on restrictions on movement and the recommendations of the health authorities.” Bayern did not specify the amount of the fine, which was being donated to local hospitals. “I know it was certainly a mistake not to inform the club of my journey, but at the time, I was only thinking about my son,” Boateng told Bild. “He was not in good health. If a son calls his father, then of course I will go, whatever the time of day.”
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
RSS