By Agence France-Presse

Major League Baseball jerseys are being turned into desperately needed hospital masks and gowns to help health care workers combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, thanks to the league’s uniform manufacturer.

People sit on a hill overlooking Dodger Stadium on what was supposed to be Major League Baseball’s opening day, now postponed due to the coronavirus, on March 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama / Getty Images / AFP)

MLB and official apparel maker Fanatics are absorbing all costs associated with converting machinery at the Easton, Pennsylvania, factory from uniform manufacturing to production of up to one million masks and gowns.

“I’m proud that Major League Baseball can partner with Fanatics to help support the brave healthcare workers and emergency personnel who are on the front lines of helping patients with COVID-19. They’re truly heroes,” MLB president Rob Manfred said.

“We hope this effort can play a part in coming together as a community to help us through this challenging situation.”

The first fabrics used to make masks and gowns were New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies uniforms, which come complete with the pinstripes typically worn by players on those clubs.

Jersey fabrics from all teams not already converted into uniforms will be made into new apparel for hospital workers and emergency personnel to combat a shortage of such equipment that has hampered efforts nationwide to control the deadly COVID-19 outbreak.

The Fanatics plant plans to make the items as long as they are needed, with the US Health and Human Services department estimating up to 3.5 million face masks will be needed.

“As the demand for masks and gowns has surged, we’re fortunate to have teamed up with Major League Baseball to find a unique way to support our frontline workers in this fight to stem the virus, who are in dire need of essential resources,” Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin said in a posting on the MLB website.

The MLB season was to have started on Thursday but has been postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe admitted Friday that settling on a new date for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will not satisfy everybody.

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP)

“All sports have made it pretty clear they have particular challenges at particular times of the year,” said Coe.

“We are probably not going to reach a solution that meets with the approval of every sport.

“But there does have to be an element of flexibility and there is going to be flexibility for the next two years.”

The 2021 World Athletics Championships, for example, are scheduled to be staged in August next year in Eugene, Oregon.

The 2020 Olympics, which were set for July 24-August 9 this year, were postponed until 2021 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week because of the coronavirus.

However, there is no definite date yet for the rescheduled Games with IOC chief Thomas Bach saying Tuesday the Olympics “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021”.

There have been suggestions even that the rebooted Olympics could be held in the spring and so allow athletes to avoid competing in the brutal heat and humidity of Japan’s summer.

“There are clearly demands for this decision to be taken as quickly as possible — the athletes and the federations need clarity,” added Coe.

“Once the decision is made, we can build (the calendars) around it.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus, and all Utah Jazz players and staff have been cleared of coronavirus (COVID-19) by the Utah Department of Health, the club announced Friday.

In this file photo taken on December 04, 2019 Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert signs autographs after warm ups, before a NBA game against Los Angeles Lakers in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by GEORGE FREY / AFP)

It was Frenchman Gobert testing positive for COVID-19 just before a game on March 11 at Oklahoma City that prompted the NBA to shut down the season, with his teammate Donovan Mitchell also testing positive.

Players and staff members completed a 14-day isolation and quarantine period and no longer pose a risk of infection to others, according to the state health department.

Clearance typically involves two negative tests for coronavirus that are taken at least 24 hours apart.

Jazz players had been in quarantine or isolation since March 11, staying in touch through video chat links.

Jazz players and staff will continue to practice distancing and limit time outside of their homes to essential activities, following guidelines from the NBA and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Jazz news comes a day after Detroit’s Christian Wood became the first publicly known NBA player to be cleared after testing positive for coronavirus on March 15.

Wood, the third NBA player to test positive after Gobert and Mitchell, had been matched against Gobert in a game against the Jazz just before the Frenchman’s positive test.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO

MANNY PACQUIAO

Sen. Manny Pacquiao tested negative for the coronavirus using a kit that came from Korea.

The test was done on Friday, just hours after Dasmariñas Village in Makati City sent him a letter asking that he and his family and household staff impose self-quarantine procedures.

The letter detailed his close contact with Sen. Koko Pimentel based on a video showing him and other lawmakers and luminaries meeting over dinner in his residence.

Manny Pacquiao shows off his negative test result using a kit imported from Korea.

But Pacquiao, 41, told the Manila Bulletin that the dinner happened on March 4 and not in the last two weeks as everyone feared.

Still, Pacquiao opted to be tested using the Koreanways -made kit and the result yielded a negative.

“Pero magpapa-test pa rin ako sa DOH para hindi sila mag-worry sa akin,” said Pacquiao, who earlier in the day presided over the distribution of testing kits that was donated by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma.

Pacquiao clarified that the Korean testing kit that he used has yet to be cleared by the Department of Health.

“Pero yan kasing test kit na ‘yan hindi pa approved ng FDA dito kasi wala pang nag-apply pero ‘yan ang ginagamit sa Korea at approved sa Korea ‘yan pero for the benefit of the doubt kaya magpa-test pa rin ako sa DOH doctor na approved ng FDA.

Pacquio said “the whole whole country will benefit from this donation and in the coming weeks, there’ll be more coming,” said Pacquiao, noting that the bulk of the Ma-donated testing kits will be used in Metro Manila and the nearby provinces.

“Regional offices of the DOH in the Visayas and Mindanao are also going to benefit from this,” he said.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, said he and his family have remained home-based the last week or so.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

PARIS – French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu says this year’s Tour de France could be staged without spectators in a bid to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In this file photograph taken on July 25, 2018, France’s Julian Alaphilippe, wearing the best climber’s polka dot jersey (R) seizes the fork of Tour de France fan Didi Senft (L) during the 17th stage of the 105th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, between Bagneres-de-Luchon and Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet, south-western France.  (Photo by Jeff PACHOUD / AFP)

The French government is in talks with Tour organizers about the future of the June 27-July 19 edition of world cycling’s top event which draws more than 10 millions fans annually to the roads of France.

All options are being considered including postponement or cancellation of the event which has been raced every year in peacetime since 1903, the minister said.

“Everything is imaginable. We have (imposed spectator bans) for other competitions before, even though it won’t have the same impact because the business model of the Tour doesn’t depend on ticket sales like football or rugby,” she told France Bleu radio station on Wednesday.

The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics and the Euro 2020 football championships has focused attention on the Tour which winds its way for thousands of miles through the towns and villages of France in a wide loop for three weeks ending on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

“I think that today everybody is aware and responsible about the period of isolation we are going through and everyone knows the reasons and the benefits that it can bring to all,” she said.

“So finally it wouldn’t be so bad because you could still watch it on TV.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON – The 104th Indianapolis 500 was moved from May 24 to August 23 on Thursday by IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In this file photo taken on May 27, 2019, Simon Pagenaud of France, driver of the #22 Team Penske Chevrolet, poses with the Borg-Warner Trophy during the Winner’s Portraits session after the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by CLIVE ROSE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

It will mark the first time the US classic on the famed 2 1/2-mile (4km) oval will be staged outside of May since its 1911 debut, with Frenchman Simon Pagenaud looking to defend his title.

Organizers also moved the IndyCar Grand Prix of Indianapolis, which had been scheduled for May 9 on the road course at the Speedway, to July 4 — the American Independence Day holiday — as part of a revamped IndyCar season schedule.

“The Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favorite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” series and speedway owner Roger Penske said.

“However, the health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we are facing.

“I’m confident we will welcome fans with a transformed facility and a global spectacle when we run the world’s greatest race.”

The Indy 500 will begin with practice sessions August 12-14 and qualifying on August 15-16 with a final practice session on August 21.

“This August, we’ll also have a unique and powerful opportunity to honor the contributions and heroism of the doctors, nurses, first responders and National Guard members serving on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19,” Penske Entertainment president Mark Miles said.

“We’re grateful for the patience of our fans as we’ve navigated this situation.”

The Indy Grand Prix will open an unprecedented double-header featuring the first Indy road course race for NASCAR, the closed-cockpit stock car series that is the most popular form of US auto racing.

“For very good reason, this historic pairing will be circled on the calendar of every motorsports fan,” speedway president J. Douglas Boles said.

“We appreciate our friends at NASCAR for their flexibility and support in this matter and will work with them on a memorable, exciting weekend of racing action.”

Enhanced coronavirus safety measures will be used at the speedway, including more hand sanitizer stations, less hand-to-hand contact between fans and concession staff, more frequent facility cleaning and cleaning products that meet health expert standards for coronavirus disinfectants.

Moving the Indy 500 required shifting two other races on a 2020 IndyCar schedule now shrunk from 17 to 14 races with Alabama, Long Beach and Austin, Texas, events cancelled due to the pandemic.

To accomodate the Indy 500 shift, an August 16 race at Mid-Ohio was moved to August 9 and the Gateway 500 near St. Louis will be contested August 30, eight days later than originally planned.

The season is now set to open with two Dual in Detroit street races May 30-31 as planned followed by races at Texas, Road America and Richmond before the Indy Grand Prix and races as scheduled in Toronto and Iowa.

After the revamped August run, IndyCar concludes with events at Portland and Laguna Seca but IndyCar listed an “expected finale TBD” 14th race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Florida street race was to have been the season opener on March 15 before being called off.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

The Philippine Sports Commission is conducting daily monitoring of athletes through online updates to get information on their health as the country continues to fight COVID-19.

PSC national training director Marc Velasco (MB file photo)

PSC national training director Marc Velasco said Friday that the government sports agency has been keeping tabs with athletes through constant communication with various national sports associations.

So far, Velasco said they have not received a single report of COVID-19 related concern.

“None at the moment, and we hope that it stays that way until this is over,” said Velasco when contacted by The Manila Bulletin. “We received some reports of headache, or not feeling well, but not symptoms of COVID-19.

“We’ll keep monitoring our athletes through their NSAs. What we’re doing now is online communications. All are online for now as we follow the government’s call of Enhanced Community Quarantine.”

Velasco said that while most of the national team members were able to return home or go back to their respective provinces, some 30 athletes from Philspada and five boxers are being accommodated at PhilSports Complex (formerly ULTRA) in Pasig City.

Since the government’s implementation of the ‘ECQ’ or lockdown, athletes from Philspada have been staying at the PSC-controlled facility, while the boxers were forced to stay at the PhilSports Complex after they failed to get a flight back to their provinces.

Also being monitored are athletes “trapped” abroad because of similar implementation of lockdown, including pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz.

Obiena is in Italy at the moment, Yulo in Japan and Diaz in Malaysia.

“We constantly remind them, of course to stay home and stay safe. That’s being implemented worldwide. So we monitor that and get information on their condition (health wise),” said Velasco.

“It’s a very tough situation, well especially on Obiena because of the number of COVID-19cases in Italy. Diaz is in KL and she can’t fly back home because of the lockdown. Caloy is ok so far in Japan, which was able to control the COVID-19 situation,” he added.

Aside from monitoring, Velasco said the PSC – under chairman Butch Ramirez – constantly reminds the athletes to continue with strength and conditioning from their respective homes.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Former players and colleagues expressed gratitude to legendary coach Aric del Rosario, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80 due to cardiac arrest.

Ex-Purefoods cager Rey Evangelista and PBA champion coach Siot Tanquingcen, members of University of Santo Tomas’ 1993 UAAP championship team that went unbeaten, were among those who paid tribute to the beloved coach fondly called “Tatay Aric.”

“Thank you Coach for everything,” Evangelista said on a Facebook photo of him and Del Rosario during last year’s Return of the Legends event at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“You are a very big part of the success of my basketball and professional career. I never thought that this picture will be our last. I will miss you. Rest in Peace Coach,” added Evangelista.

Tangquincen, who also played for Del Rosario with the Pampanga Dragons in the Metropolitan Basketball Association, produced a lengthy post on Facebook honored the veteran mentor for his humility, dedication and how he treated everyone around him with love.

“Truly its amazing how God has used you Tatay Aric to impact so many lives,” Tanquingcen said. “All of us are better not because you told us to do this or to do that, but because you showed us in the way you lived your life. And that is how we as young men at that time learn best by seeing you live by example rather than being told what to do or not to do.

“A coach that inspired us and instilled in us a desire to better ourselves cause you showed us the way by the way you lived. Rest in Peace Coach Aric and in behalf of us all, thank you,” added the three-time PBA champion coach.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone said Del Rosario’s passing is “crushing news to me,” given that he can’t pay respect to his former assistant given the country’s current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Del Rosario was one of Cone’s assistant when Alaska won numerous championships in the 90’s, including the Grand Slam in 1996.

“He was such a steadying influence on me when I was a young coach,” said Cone. “He always kept me grounded and taught me so much about humility. The winning he accomplished at UST and the players he touched was unsurpassed.

“His humility and low-key personality prevented him from being in that conversation of the best coaches of the country,” added Cone. “That was wrong; he was incredibly underrated and certainly should have been. He was a truly a great coach and a better friend.”
A heartbroken Scottie Thompson shared on his Instagram account a lesson he learned from Del Rosario during his time as coach of University of Perpetual Help.

It was also during Del Rosario’s tenure that the current Ginebra standout won NCAA Most Valuable Player honors in 2014.

View this post on Instagram

Isa sa pinaka malungkot at nakakagulat na balita na natanggap ko buong buhay ko! TATAY, PAPA , DADDY , LOLO , COACH AT MENTOR ARIC. Maraming maraming salamat sa lahat ng tinuro mo sakin sa lahat ng ginawa mo sa buhay ko. Ikaw isa sa dahilan kung saan ako ngayon at kung anong meron ako ngayon, hindi lang pala isa sa naging dahilan kundi ikaw naging dahilan! Hanggang sa PBA dala dala ko padin ang laging mong sinasabi mo samin. Magsipag ka lang, maglaro ng maayos magpakabait at laging madasalin may papupuntahan ka bata at higit sa lahat tanggapin anong meron ka ngayon. Kung gusto mo ng higit? Pagtrabahuan mo! Dahil sa mga linyang yan andito ako ngayon. Ang pinaka d ko makakalimutan na laging mong tanong sa mga player mo na galing probinsya ay yung may pera kpa ba? Laging sinasagot ng player wala na po coach sarili mong pera na galing sa bulsa mo yung binibigay mo sakanila. Yung tipong pinaparamdam mo hndi lang basta coach pinaramdam mo din samin na parang tatay ka namin kasi alam mo malalayo kamibsa pamilya namin. Coach A. Simula nung nakilala kita naging coach kita lahat ng pananaw ko sa buhay nag-iba. Lahat ng mga duda ko sa sarili ko kung kakayanin ko ba o hndi nag-iba. Lahat ng pagsubok na dumaan sa buhay ko hanggang ngayon hindi na ako nagduda sa sarili ko. Kasi tinuruan mo akong maging palaban at kayanin lahat. Sa lahat ng mga mura at suntok mo saaming mga player mo ramdam namin kung gaano mo kami gusto e push pa sa kakayanan namin. Haaayyyys Ang mas nakakalungkot pa lalo is yung panu ka po kaya namin madalaw dahil sa mga nangyayari ngayon. Panu po kaya namin madamayan ang pamilya mo coach☹️ i pray na sana makagawa kami ng paraan para makasama ka namin coach at ang pamily mo. Again thank you for everything coach Aric!! You will be missed! And you will be always in our hearts! We Love you coach!!

A post shared by Scottie Thompson (@scot_thompson6) on Mar 26, 2020 at 1:59am PDT

“Maraming maraming salamat sa lahat ng tinuro mo sakin sa lahat ng ginawa mo sa buhay ko,” Thompson said. “Ikaw isa sa dahilan kung saan ako ngayon at kung anong meron ako ngayon, hindi lang pala isa sa naging dahilan kundi ikaw naging dahilan!

“Hanggang sa PBA, dala-dala ko padin ang laging mong sinasabi mo samin. Magsipag ka lang, maglaro ng maayos, magpakabait at laging madasalin may pupuntahan ka bata at higit sa lahat tanggapin anong meron ka ngayon. Kung gusto mo ng higit? Pagtrabahuan mo! Dahil sa mga linyang yan andito ako ngayon,” he added.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Former Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit believes the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has its advantages.

A general view shows an installation of the Olympic rings in Tokyo on March 24, 2020. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

“This should be good for the Olympic Movement, and to all stakeholders including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), international federations (IF), National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the Japanese people, sponsors and above all, the athletes,” said Dayrit, who now heads the Fencing Confederation of Asia.

The IOC and the Japanese organizers were forced to postpone the staging of the July 24-Aug. 9 Olympics as the world continues to battle COVID-19.

The IOC said that Tokyo 2020 will have to be held “not later than the summer of 2021.”

“As the 32nd Olympic cycle is extended by one year, immeasurable benefits could be derived,” said Dayrit.

“More aspiring individual athletes could be given a ‘second chance’ to qualify for the delayed Tokyo Games. In team sports where countries have already qualified, the composition of their team could still be adjusted, giving more athletes the chance to make it to the Olympics,” he said.

“While some individual athletes have already sealed their slots for Tokyo, some International Federations may recommend new guidelines to qualify additional athletes who may prove deserving by next year. The possibility of having a ‘bigger’ Olympics in 2021 looms.”

Dayrit feels that the IOC could up luring more sponsors.

“Most of the big IOC sponsors signed up for at least two Olympic cycles, so to postpone Tokyo Games is not detrimental to them. More sponsors could even be attracted to come in now as they will benefit from having four Olympic Games (the Winter and Youth Games in 2022 and two Summer Games) in the next four years.”

Even host Japan stands to cash in on the postponement by attracting more companies to become a part of the historic Games, pointed out Dayrit.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Fred “Curly” Neal, whose trademark shaved head and dazzling dribbling skills delighted audiences of the Harlem Globetrotters, died Thursday at the age of 77.

Fred ‘Curly’ Neal (AFP Photo/Taylor Hill, File)

Neal died at his home near Houston, according to an announcement on the official webpage of the exhibition team, which brought basketball to a global audience with its entertaining blend of comedy and athletic skill.

“It was Curly’s magical ball-handling, shooting, charismatic smile and iconic bald head in more than 6,000 games in 97 countries, that made them start to play and fall in love with the game,” the Globetrotters said of Neal, who played for the Globetrotters from 1963-85.

“One of the truly magical dribblers and shooters in basketball history, Neal fittingly played for 22 seasons in the red, white and blue, wearing No. 22.”

“We have lost one of the most genuine human beings the world has ever known,” Globetrotters general manager Jeff Munn said. “Curly’s basketball skill was unrivaled by most, and his warm heart and huge smile brought joy to families worldwide.”

Source: Manila Bulletin