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 the rescheduled Tokyo Olympic Games due to the pandemic. The Olympic rule amended on Friday retains the “players born on or after Jan. 1, 1997” standard, meaning that players eligible for the intended under-23 tournament this year could still play in Japan at age 24 next year. Men’s soccer kicks off ahead of the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 23 next year. FIFA also confirmed that no international games for men or women are to be played on the dates in early June reserved for national team call-ups. Soccer’s world governing body said that “health must always be the first priority and the main criteria in any decisionmaking process, especially in these challenging times.”
GRAND NATIONAL
Virtual race to sate gamblers
Even though Tiger Roll won the past two Grand Nationals, the race was to be a “roll of the dice” this year, as Britain’s highest-profile horse race over fences — one that used to be a TV highlight for households across the land and made heroes of horses such as Red Rum and Aldaniti — was to go virtual. Yesterday, ITV broadcast the “Virtual Grand National” as a random, number-generated event with prices fixed for each of the 40 entrants proportionate to that horse’s chance. The public could bet on it, although wagers were to be limited to ￡10 (US$12.27) and all profits donated to the British National Health Service’s Charities Together Appeal. Tiger Roll, owned by Ryanair Holdings boss Michael O’Leary, was the favorite at 5:1, Ladbrokes said. The horse finished second at the Cheltenham Festival on March 11, a week before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson directed people to remain at home, and asked pubs, restaurants and sporting venues to close.
Fenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Forest entered the second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead from the opener in Istanbul — where Vitor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge — and that proved enough to advance to the round-of-16 with a 4-2 aggregate score. The result was a boost for Forest, struggling at 17th place in the Premier League, in their return to Europe after three decades. They next face Real Betis Balompie or Kerem Akturkoglu gave Fenerbahce
The Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday emphatically got back to winning ways in the NBA, coasting to a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks as their recent star signing, James Harden, scored 20 points. The Cavs took the lead barely a minute into the game with an Evan Mobley three-pointer and never gave it up in a thoroughly comfortable night for the red-hot Ohio franchise. Former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Harden, who was brought in from the Los Angeles Clippers this month, has never won a championship, despite being one of the most decorated players in the league. That was a key
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
HAT-TRICK: In the other games, Newcastle United and Leverkusen also advanced, as did Atletico Madrid, with Alexander Sorloth scoring three goals What a difference a year makes. Or nine months to be precise. Last season, Inter reached the UEFA Champions League final in style, with thrilling victories over Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but on Tuesday, the Italian giants limped out of the competition with a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Bodo/Glimt — knocked out in the playoff round 5-2 on aggregate — in what is being labeled as one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history. It was not the first major upset the tiny Norwegian team have pulled off this season after wins over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, and
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