3 new virus cases at Qatar WC sites
Doha: Qatar has detected three more coronavirus cases among workers on World Cup stadiums, bringing the number of infections among those involved in 2022 tournament construction to eight. The Gulf nation has reported seven deaths from the COVID-19 disease and 4,103 cases in total, announcing the first infections in stadium workers on Wednesday. Building work for the stadiums and infrastructure to stage the tournament has continued through the crisis even as non-essential retail has been halted and mosques, parks and restaurants have closed.
European Tour cancel French, BMW Open
London: The European Tour on Friday announced the cancellations of both the French Open and the BMW International Open in Munich due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Scottish Open postponed. The British Open, golf's only major tournament played outside the United States, had already been scrapped. The French Open, continental Europe's oldest Open competition, was due to be held from July 2-5, but was cancelled after the French government extended the ban on all mass gatherings until mid-July. The BMW event in Munich was scheduled for June 25-28.
Austrian football could return in mid-May
Vienna: Austrian Bundesliga could make its return to action from its virus-forced suspension as early as mid-May, the league's president revealed. Teams from the top division will be able to restart training next week, albeit in a scaled back format of just six players at a time, and Christian Ebenbauer is refusing to rule out matches being played behind closed doors and finishing the season by the end of June. “Personally I think that it's absolutely possible that we could restart playing matches in mid-May,” he told reporters.
Aus, Korea ittf tour events cancelled
Singapore: International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has confirmed that the Australian Open and the South Korean Open have been cancelled amid COVID-19 outbreak. “The ITTF is looking at a number of different scenarios and possibilities of rescheduling, but it is currently still too early to make any decisions until there is greater certainty about when activities can resume,” the sport's ruling body explained in a statement. The Australian Open had been scheduled for June 23 to 28, while the South Korean Open was to take place between June 16 and 21.
Women's hockey team to raise funds
New Delhi: The Indian womens hockey team will raise funds for helping the poor and migrant families whose lives have been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic by launching an 18-day fun fitness challenge. While the challenge aims to raise crowdfunding for the cause, the movement also encourages people to use this opportunity to adapt to an active lifestyle during the nation-wide. The challenge will see members of the team come up with fitness tasks that range from burpees, lunges, squats to spider man pushups, pogo hops and more. Each day a player will give a new challenge and tag 10 people on their social media handles, to take up the challenge and donate Rs 100 to the fundraiser.
Gremio prepared to sell Pepe
Rio: Gremio could be forced to sell Brazil under-23 forward Pepe as they grapple with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Pepe has reportedly attracted interest from Spanish clubs Sevilla and Valladolid, though Gremio said a firm offer has not yet been made for the 23-year-old.