South China Morning Post - Other Sports

Tokyo Olympics ‘has to happen’ but flashy ceremonies axed and fewer freebies to be offered ...

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:11:52 GMT

Athlete welcome ceremonies will be scrapped and flashy spectacles axed at a scaled-back Tokyo Games next year, organisers said yesterday, but a senior Olympic official insisted the event “has to happen”.Fewer free tickets and savings on banners, mascots and fireworks are among more than 50 cost-cutting measures agreed by organisers and Olympic officials, less than a year before the virus-postponed event begins.Despite the complications and extra costs of the delay, and continued uncertainty…

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s ‘amateurs’ jibe returns to haunt him as rookie dumps ‘Rocket’ ...

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 05:37:26 GMT

World snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan’s harsh words about the standard of the emerging generation of players came back to haunt him when he was dumped out of the European Masters by an 18-year-old rookie.O’Sullivan, who was playing his first match since sealing a sensational World Snooker Championship win at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield last month, was eliminated 5-4 by 115th-ranked Irish youngster Aaron Hill in Milton Keynes on Thursday.The “Rocket” found himself trailing 3-1, but…

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft cleared of ‘Orchids of Asia’ massage parlour sex charge

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 21:03:49 GMT

Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanour charge against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlour sex.Palm Beach County court records show that the charge was dropped on Thursday. Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg will explain the decision during an online press conference later in the day.Court records show that the owner and manager of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa are still facing…

Tokyo 2020 organisers need to convince sponsors Olympics will really happen

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 07:16:41 GMT

The only thing more difficult than staging next year’s Tokyo Olympics in a pandemic might be convincing sponsors to keep their billions of dollars on board in the midst of economic turbulence and scepticism.To make the point this week, IOC President Thomas Bach will join a number of Japanese government and city officials, local organisers, and other top International Olympic Committee leaders in repeating a message they’ve failed to convey forcefully enough to deep-pocketed sponsors: Trust us,…

Letters of exemption, quarantines and family squabbles – toils of competing during Covid-19 ...

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 03:44:25 GMT

History-making racing car driver Jonathan Hui is one of the only Hong Kong athletes to lift silverware during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic – but competing under such hazardous circumstances has not been easy.“My teammates have been very patient and understanding with me, because I need to do testing and get exemption letters from Ferrari, from the FIA [motorsport governing body], from the organisers, from the track – six or seven letters of exemptions every time I travel – to make sure I’m…

Tour de France: Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar becomes youngest champion in 116 years as iconic ...

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 00:12:33 GMT

In a first, the Tour de France winner wore a face mask on the podium on Sunday, bright yellow to match the colour of the iconic jersey so snug on his young shoulders. But at least there was a winner.Three weeks ago, when 21-year-old Tadej Pogacar set off with 175 other competitors that he ended up beating, not even race organisers were sure they would make it through the storm of France’s worsening coronavirus epidemic and reach Paris.“Really, I was scared we wouldn’t get to the end,” race…

Tour de France: champagne on ice as Tadej Pogacar leads peloton arriving in Paris

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 04:18:53 GMT

The world’s greatest cycling race will culminate in a triumphant procession into Paris on Sunday after a 21-stage jaunt around France that provided thrills, spills, heroes and chokers while outsprinting the dark shadow of Covid-19.After 3,400km of intense racing, stage 21 of the Tour de France starts with a parade for the winners of the various categories before a pulsating finale of eight laps around the iconic Champs Elysees in Paris.The task of leading the peloton into the French capital in…

Tour de France: Slovenia’s Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar lead race going into last two stages

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 04:26:29 GMT

Tiny Slovenia is on edge. Two of its own, Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar, go into the last two stages of the Tour de France first and second in the general classification.Neither has won the Tour before. If one of them does this weekend, they will also be the first champion from Slovenia.The nation of just two million people, known more for its alpine skiers, ski jumpers and basketball players such as NBA star Luka Doncic than cyclists, is expected to come to a standstill on Saturday as it…

Match-fixing: ‘more than 10 suspicious basketball games’ in restarted Asian league with ...

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 06:34:39 GMT

More than 10 suspicious games have been detected in a restarted Asian basketball league with sports integrity professionals expecting an increase in match-fixing activity in a Covid-19-depressed environment.Despite a significant decrease in sports competitions because of the pandemic, gamblers are still looking for ways to bet, with Asia leading the world, said Tan You Chen, Sportradar’s senior manager, Integrity Partnerships Asia in Singapore.He said many gamblers resorted to betting on lower…