By Agence France-Presse

The Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23 next year, organizers said on Monday, after the coronavirus (COVID-19) forced the historic decision to postpone the Games until 2021.

“The Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The Paralympics will be held from August 24 to September 5,” Tokyo 2020 chief Yoshiro Mori told reporters at a hastily arranged news conference.

Only hours earlier, Mori had said he expected a decision from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during the course of the week.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were due to open on July 24 this year and run for 16 days, but the coronavirus pandemic forced the first peace-time postponement of the Games.

The IOC and Japan had for weeks insisted the show could go on but the rapid spread of COVID-19 prompted growing disquiet among athletes and sporting federations.

The Olympics was the highest-profile sporting casualty of the coronavirus that has wiped out fixtures worldwide and all but halted professional sport.

There was some speculation that Japanese organizers could take advantage of the blank canvas to shift the Games to spring, avoiding the heat of the Tokyo summer that had been their main concern before coronavirus struck.

Due to the heat, the marathon has been moved to Sapporo, a city some 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the north of Tokyo where the weather is cooler even at the height of summer.

The postponement has handed organisers the “unprecedented” task of rearranging an event seven years in the making, and Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto has admitted the additional costs will be “massive”.

According to the latest budget, the Games were due to cost $12.6 billion, shared between the organizing committee, the government of Japan and Tokyo city.

However, that number is hotly contested with a much-publicized government audit suggesting the central government was spending several times that amount — on items organizers claim are only tangentially related to the Olympics.

‘Mankind’s victory’

The postponement affects every aspect of the organisation — hotels, ticketing, venues and transport being among the major headaches.

Hotels have had to cancel bookings, dealing them a bitter blow at a time when tourism is already being hammered by the coronavirus.

Some venues that had booked events years in advance will potentially have to scrap them to make way for the rescheduled Olympics and there is still uncertainty about whether ticket-holders will get refunded.

Another thorny issue is the athletes’ village, which was due to be converted into luxury apartments after the Games, some of which have already found buyers.

The Japanese government had touted the Games as the “Recovery Olympics”, designed to show how the country had bounced back from the 2011 triple disaster of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in the northeastern Fukushima region.

The Games are now being billed as the expression of humanity’s triumph over the coronavirus.

“We are embarking on an unprecedented challenge,” said Mori earlier Monday.

“But I believe it is the mission of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee to hold the Olympics and Paralympics next year as a proof of mankind’s victory” against the virus.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Three months after fighting for flag and country in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, several Filipino athletes are back at the forefront battling a much more menacing opponent.

This time, these sports heroes are in a ‘war’ that has gone deadly — against COVID-19.

Two members of the Philippine water polo team, Romark Belo and Mark Jerwin Valdez, are part of more than 150 ‘enlisted’ athletes that belong to various units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police helping the country as frontliners in the global health crisis.

“Madami na rin na naka-deploy sa tingin ko na tropang atleta,” said Valdez in an interview Monday with The Manila Bulletin. “Ni-recall lahat ng sundalo, coast guard and police kasi naka-red alert kami.”

Valdez and Belo are both with the Philippine Navy.

Three other members of the water polo team are also enlisted personnel but are currently training with the Air Force — Adan Gonzales, McGyver Reyes and Bnel Amiladjid.

It was only last December when they played key roles for the national team following a silver medal finish in water polo in the 30th SEA Games here – the first podium finish in the sport for Philippines in nine years.

While other teammates were forced to a lockdown by the Enhanced Community Quarantine, Valdez and Belo – both Seaman Second Class officers – were deployed to separate locations.

Valdez just finished his stint manning a post at the Naval Base Cavite (formerly Naval Station Sangley Point) in Cavite City last Sunday and will return to the said camp on April 6.

As for Belo, he started his stint Monday as part of a navy unit that will conduct checkpoints at the Cavitex Tollgate for the next 15 days before they undergo another 15-day quarantine.

“Mahirap… malayo sa pamilya. Tapos ang kalaban hindi pa nakikita,” said Belo, a father of one-year-old Amara Elyz and husband to Pau Genido-Belo. “Pero wala namang pagsubok na hindi natin kayang lampasan.

“Saka itong ginagawa namin napakasarap sa pakiramdam, lalo na yung nakakatulong ka para sa bayan. Alam mong may purpose ang paghihirap mo – kagaya pa din bilang atleta.”

Valdez shares the same sentiment despite the challenges and danger of being infected with the virus.

“Always ready kami whenever duty calls, iyan na kasi talaga iyung doctrine na tinuro sa amin. Na simula nung ma-enlist kami, pagmamay-ari na kami ng gobyerno; hindi na namin hawak ang oras namin,” said Valdez.

“Any order na galing sa taas, kailangan namin sundin kaya pag mga ganitong sitwasyon, banat lang nang banat. Pareho lang din naman halos ng pagiging athlete. Ginagawa namin lahat ng ito para sa bayan.”

According to Marc Velasco, national training director of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), there are 134 enlisted athletes that belong to the AFP, while nine are part of the Philippine Coast Guard, and two are with the Philippine National Police.

Velasco said the PSC gets a list from the following departments called “detached service” for them to be allowed to train and compete for flag and country.

“If they have that DS or detached service, these athletes report to the PSC for training and of course they compete as part of the national team. Normally the DS is for one year,” said Velasco, adding that without the DS, these enlisted athletes return to their mother units.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart, who tested positive for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) 10 days ago, has been cleared by American health officials, he announced Sunday on Twitter.

“Corona Free as of two days ago. Cleared by Mass (Massachusetts) Dept of Health,” Smart wrote on social media. “Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers and I’m doing the same for everyone that’s been effected by this. Stay safe and stay together- apart! Much love!”

Corona Free as of two days ago. Cleared by Mass Dept of Health.
Thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers and I’m doing the same for everyone that’s been effected by this. Stay safe and stay together- apart!
Much love!

— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) March 30, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

So far at least 14 NBA team members have tested positive for COVID-19, including the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. He joins France’s Gobert and Mitchell and Detroit Piston’s Christian Wood with all-clears after coming down with the illness.

Earlier this month, league commissioner Adam Silver said NBA players should be considered “super spreaders” of the disease. Silver’s comments followed criticism that wealthy athletes were getting tested ahead of critically ill patients in American hospitals.

Smart said he was tested March 14 and got the results five days later.

He added that he had no symptoms and felt good enough to play an NBA game if he had to.

In 53 games in 2019-20 season, Smart was averaging 4.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. Smart is a first-round pick of the Celtics in the 2014 NBA draft.

As of Sunday night, more than 142,000 Americans have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus with 2,490 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Reaching the 10,000-point club this season is something to look forward to for San Miguel Beer’s Arwind Santos even as he tries to bounce back from the lowest offensive production of his PBA career.

An unofficial count revealed that Santos currently has 9,334 career points after scoring 18 in the Beermen’s 94-78 win over the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok last March 8, a game that came before the Philippine Cup was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once action resumes, Santos will have to regain his old offensive form in order to get a chance before the end of the season to reach the milestone already achieved by 15 local players and one import.

Santos averaged just 9.4 points in 58 games during the 2019 campaign, the first time the 2013 Most Valuable Player failed to score double figures in a season since being drafted second overall by Air21 in 2006.

He also scored 547 points which is also a career-low. Santos has never scored less than 600 points in a season prior to 2019.

But the injury sustained by June Mar Fajardo during the preseason could open the door for Santos to get himself more involved on offense as SMB showed against Magnolia a different dimension by relying on perimeter scoring.

Atoy Co, Ramon Fernandez, Bogs Adornado, Francis Arnaiz, Philip Cezar, Abet Guidaben, Robert Jaworski, Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa, Nelson Asaytono, Benjie Paras, Jerry Codinera, James Yap and Mark Caguioa are the current members of the 10,000-point club.

Only Fernandez (18,996), Guidaben (15,775) and Patrimonio (15,091) have scored more than 15,000 points in their careers.

Caguioa was the last player to join the club, reaching the mark during Ginebra’s 106-92 win over NLEX on Oct. 6, 2018 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Current Meralco coach Norman Black is the only foreign player to join the list after compiling 11,329 points during stints with Tefilin, Great Taste, Alaska and San Miguel Beer.

Once he hits the five-digit mark, Santos will also be part of a rare company as one of six players to score 10,000 points and 800 blocks in a career.

Santos has compiled 852 blocks, currently ranked sixth all-time in blocks behind Fernandez (1,853), Cezar (1,370), Paras (1,333), Codinera (1,221), Marlou Aquino (1,131) and Guidaben (922).

Fernandez, Guidaben, Cezar (12,077 points), Codinera (10,868) and Paras (10,367) are the only players to have reached the 10,000-point/8,000-block plateau.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Jerome Angelo Aragones turned back FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri in the 20th and final round to capture the second leg of the 1st Philippine National Bullet Championship held online over the weekend.

Aragones, 16, finished with 15.5 points for the crown, earning as well a semifinal berth for next month.

It was his first title since snaring a gold and silver in the blitz event of the Eastern Asia Age Group Championship last year in Thailand.

Aragones’ victory came out of nowhere after International Master Daniel Quizon, who was leading after 19 rounds, succumbed to Cotabato City native Datuali Sinsuat in the last round to settle for runner-up honors with 15 points.

It was Quizon’s second straight runner-up finish after also winding up second to opening leg winner Grandmaster Banjo Barcenilla.

United States-based GM Mark Paragua, meanwhile, had a quick draw with GM Darwin Laylo to end up third with 14.5 points.

Rounding up the Top 10 were Sinsaut, Henry Lopez, Jerome Villanueva, FM Sander Severino, Narquinden Reyes and Nouri.

The online chess tournament was held to continue the National Chess Federation of the Philippines’ program for athletes in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Around this same time last year, Filipino boxer Renerio Arizala was on the brink of death in a Yokohama hospital, strapped to a ventilator, his head wrapped in bandage.

Arizala was in the ring with a heavy-handed Japanese named Tatsuyoshi Temada, who stopped him in the sixth round of an undercard featherweight fight.

Shortly after the fight that took place on March 31, Arizala, who entered the bout with a pedestrian record of 13-8 with four KOs, passed out and within minutes was in a hospital’s ER with Japanese surgeons getting ready to perform a craniotomy (brain operation).

Almost four hours later, Arizala was wheeled into the ICU, his future bleak.

But in a couple of days, the Masbate-born fighter began moving his fingers and responding to questions from well-wishers, including Japan-based Filipinos and Kei Nidaira, who used to be a member of Jerwin Ancajas’ team.

Arizala made the trip simply to earn a few cash.

Promoters guaranteed him $1,500 (P75,000) in what looked like an ordinary day in the office.

The knockout loss proved devastating.

“Masakit tanggapin na hindi ko na maaabot yung pangarap ko na maging world champion,” Arizala told the Manila Bulletin from his home in Bacoor, Cavite Monday.

“Noong una hindi ko matanggap na hanggang doon na lang po yung pangarap ko pero siguro ay may dahilan si Lord kung bakit nangyari yon sa akin.”

One year removed from that harrowing experience, Arizala is thankful he survived the operation and was able to return home to his family.

“Masaya po kasi nabigyan ako ng pangalawang buhay tapos hindi rin po ako pinabayaan ng Panginoon kasi may mga tao sa tabi ko na umaalalay sa akin katulad po ng mga magulang ko at coach at si (Games and Amusements Board) chairman Abraham Mitra,” said Arizala, who celebrates his 26th birthday on April 12.

The fact that Arizala was able to return to his family and given a job at the GAB is proof somebody must be looking after him.

“Masasabi ko lang din po na milagro lahat nangyari sa buhay ko. Aminado naman po ako kung dito sa Pilipinas yung aksidente, maaring patay po talaga ako. Unang-una po wala po kaming sapat na pera pang opera.”

It was the Japan Boxing Commission that shouldered Arizala’s hospital expenses with the help from local promoters.

In the Philippines, financial assistance to boxers injured during a fight is limited; in Japan, it is the opposite.

And it is for that reason why Arizala managed to get his life back on, unlike two other Filipino boxers who had the same fate.

In 1995, Domingo ‘Pretty Boy’ Lucas, a three-time world title challenger, collapsed after losing a hard fight to Korean Chang Jae Kwon in Tokyo.

While the operation was successful, Lucas was never the same again and he walks with a pronounced limp and part of his skull missing.

He now lives with his parents after his marriage collapsed.

Z Gorres, a promising flyweight from the ALA Boxing Club, and like Lucas, fought for a world title, was hospitalized in Las Vegas in November 2009 after passing out following a victory over Colombian Luis Melendez.

Gorres did return to Cebu but is coping with life after boxing and a failed marriage.

While Lucas and Gorres struggle on, Arizala is in a better place..

Late last year, the JBC people flew to Manila to hand over a cash donation of ¥3 million (P1.4 million) to Arizala for the career-ending injury he suffered, a windfall he never expected.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Former NBA star Stephon Marbury, now coaching in China, says he has a deal with a Chinese manufacturer to provide 10 million coronavirus (COVID-19) protective masks to his hometown of New York.

The New York Post reported Sunday that Marbury, whose 13 NBA seasons included five with the New York Knicks, had an agreement to supply masks for hospital workers and first responders at cost to a city that has become the epicenter of the US virus outbreak.

Marbury, a former guard who played six seasons in China and now coaches the Beijing Royal Fighters, said he was inspired by tales of huge price hikes for maasks so desperately needed by New York workers.

“At the end of the day, I’m from Brooklyn,” Marbury told the Post. “This is something that’s close and dear to my heart as far as being able to help New York.

“I have family there in Coney Island, a lot of family… who are affected by this, so I know how important it is for people to have masks during this time.”

Marbury contacted Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams to coordinate the sale, which would see two million masks at a time delivered over five weeks if finalized.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The towel that Kobe Bryant wore over his shoulders during his farewell speech after his final NBA game has fetched over $33,000 at auction, the US media said on Sunday.

With the towel draped around him to help mop up his sweat, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar closed his speech with his signature phrase, “Mamba Out.”

The towel ended up in the hands of a fan as Bryant walked off the court and was then sold several times before the latest online auction.

The winning bid on Sunday was $33,077. The buyer also received two used tickets to the April 13, 2016 Lakers game.

Bryant scored 60 points in the Lakers’ 101-96 win over the Utah Jazz that night.

Jeff Woolf, president of Iconic Auctions, told American news broadcaster CNN that the winning bidder is famous for having a large Lakers memorabilia collection.

“He is a devoted Lakers fan,” Woolf said. “His long-term plan is to create a museum in southern California.”

Bryant died in January at age 41 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles that killed eight others, including his daughter Gianna.

Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with the Lakers. The superstar guard led the club to five NBA titles during his stay.

He was an 18-time NBA All-Star and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player and also helped the United States capture Olympic gold in 2008 at Beijing and 2012 in London.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Tokyo Olympics organizers are eyeing next July as a start date for the postponed Games, Japanese media reported Sunday, following the historic decision to delay the event due to the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Given the ongoing pandemic and need for preparation time, the most likely plan would be for the Games to begin on July 23, 2021, public broadcaster NHK said, citing sources within the organizing panel.

It came after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike raised the idea on Friday of moving the event to a less hot and humid time of year.

She argued that this would make marathons and other races easier to endure, meaning they could be held in the capital instead of in northern Sapporo city, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had decided to move them.

The Tokyo 2020 team led by Yoshiro Mori is currently discussing possible dates with the IOC, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

On Saturday, Mori told a Japanese TV station that “some kind of conclusion” would be reached within a week.

The Olympics were scheduled to open on July 24 this year with the Paralympics on August 25, but Japan announced last week it had secured agreement from the IOC to postpone the Games — a decision unprecedented in peacetime.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said they would be held in around a year instead as a testament to humanity’s victory over the pandemic.

The decision had been seen to open options for Tokyo, with IOC chief Thomas Bach saying that “all the options are on the table” and rescheduling “is not restricted just to the summer months”.

Meanwhile, NHK said the Olympic flame would be displayed for a month at the J-Village sports complex in Fukushima, which was used as a base camp for thousands of relief workers in radiation protection suits during the 2011 nuclear disaster.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Sen. Manny Pacquiao made the assurance to everyone at Dasmariñas Village of his family’s utmost cooperation in the observance of strict quarantine procedures amid concerns over the rapid spread of COVID-19.

In a letter dated March 28 and addressed to Punong Barangay Rosanna Hwang of Dasmariñas Village in Makati, Pacquiao raised the issue of news stories that came out that branded him as a Person Under Monitoring (PUM) based on a video of himself receiving guests, including COVID-19-positive Sen. Koko Pimentel, in his residence.

Pacquiao said that gathering, which happened on March 4, was not a party but a “political meeting” of the PDP-Laban as the 41-year-old boxing champ maintained that holding a party reeked of insensitivity given the country’s current state.

Pacquiao likewise questioned why the letter was made public as it caused unnecessary panic among the general public since it was based on a raw video that later went viral.

“I wish to know how this private letter addressed to me went around social media with total regard to my right to privacy,” wrote Pacquiao, who has quarantined himself with just family members since March 24.

Pacquiao also requested Hwang that he be granted a quarantine pass for his household staff that will handle “essential errands” during the quarantine period.

Hwang had earlier volunteered that the Barangay will provide Pacquiao’s needs so as to prevent him, his family and staff from going out of their house.

Pacquiao made it clear that only he and his family are staying at Dasmariñas Village with household staff and some members of his security and Senate detail housed separately at his Forbes Park residence.

Pacquiao said he “doesn’t wish to burden our community” by asking people other than his own to provide their daily needs and that he will “strictly and conscientiously abide by rules governing the enhanced community quarantine.”

“We fully support the community’s effort to address this pandemic,” said Pacquiao, who tested negative for the virus based on a rapid test kit imported from Korea.

Source: Manila Bulletin