RUGBY UNION
Wallabies’ pay restored
The Wallabies marked their first day in isolation in New Zealand with news that they would return to full pay for the rest of the year according to an agreement between Rugby Australia (RA) and the Rugby Players Union Association. Dave Rennie’s team arrived in New Zealand on Friday and were immediately placed in isolation for 14 days ahead of their Bledisloe Cup Tests with the All Blacks next month. RA was forced to enact pay cuts earlier this year due to financial uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic, with players in April accepting a 60 percent pay cut. They had their salaries reinstated to 70 percent in July and would return to 100 percent on Oct. 1 ahead of their international program, which also includes the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship. Super Rugby players’ salaries would remain at 70 percent, RA and the union said in a statement yesterday. “We are obviously not alone in the financial challenges that we are facing, but our playing group have stood up and acknowledged their role to play in securing the game’s future in Australia,” RA interim chief executive Rob Clarke said.
BADMINTON
Tour’s Asian leg moved
The Asian leg of the Badminton World Tour scheduled for November has been moved to next year in Bangkok, officials said on Friday, in the latest disruption to the sport due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport has seen international matches called off throughout the year as authorities around the world restrict movement and public gatherings in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. The Badminton World Federation said three tournaments under the tour were now scheduled to be played back-to-back in the middle of January, with the finals at the end of the month. The Asian leg of the games originally planned for November were no longer “viable” and the Asian leg of the tour would be played in Thailand, it said. “The January dates provide BWF with the best possible opportunity to resume and complete the HSBC BWF World Tour for 2020 as part of our return to international badminton,” it said in a statement.
OLYMPICS
Suga vows Games success
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga yesterday said that he is determined to host the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer as “proof that humanity has defeated the pandemic.” The Games were postponed as COVID-19 spread worldwide and there has been widespread doubt about their future. Suga said in a prerecorded speech at the UN General Assembly that he would “spare no effort in order to welcome you to Games that are safe and secure.”
ATHLETICS
Russia granted extension
Russia’s suspended athletics federation (RusAF) has been granted a six-month extension to finalize its reinstatement plan before World Athletics decides on potential fresh sanctions or even expulsion, the sport’s global governing body said yesterday. RusAF was suspended in 2015 after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found evidence of mass doping among track and field athletes. The World Athletics Council said it had approved a recommendation from its Russia Taskforce to extend the deadline for the federation to produce an appropriate reinstatement plan by March 1 next year. The taskforce said that the missed deadline “appears to be due not to a lack of willingness, but rather a lack of know-how and resources.”
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
Taiwan yesterday defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ farm team 5-1 in their final warm-up game ahead of their World Baseball Classic (WBC) Pool C opener. Taiwan’s bullpen used an unconventional rotation, with a different pitcher throwing each inning for the first seven innings. Together, they combined for eight strikeouts while allowing only four hits. The lone run surrendered came in the bottom of the eighth inning after a pitcher from Japan’s independent league took the mound. The pitching strategy was designed to preserve the arms of the Taiwanese ahead of their game against Australia at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow morning. Taiwanese-American Stuart Fairchild
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