By Agence France-Presse

NBA star Stephen Curry took his questions on the coronavirus pandemic to senior US scientist Anthony Fauci on Thursday in an Instagram conversation that drew almost 50,000 viewers, including former president Barack Obama.

The message from Fauci, who leads research into infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health: “This is serious business.”

“One of the reasons why I wanted to have this Q&A, is to hopefully reach different demographics and people who are interested in the facts,” Curry told Fauci during the Instagram Live broadcast.

He said seeing pictures of people at crowded beaches and parks, even as Californians are under orders to stay home and pratice social distancing, prompted him to try to reach out.

Curry talked about his bout with what was confirmed to be seasonal flu earlier this month, revealing he was tested at the time for COVID-19.

“I had flu-like symptoms about two days before the NBA shut down and I got a test pretty much right away,” Curry said. “And I know there’s a conversation right now about the overall accessibility of tests.”

Fauci responded: “That’s been a real issue early on. Several weeks ago we were not in a place we wanted to be or needed to be.

“Right now there are literally hundreds of thousands of tests out there, mostly because we got the private sector involved.”

Fauci said people should first call a healthcare provider if they experience symptoms, rather than heading straight to an emergency room.

Fauci said he was hopeful that a vaccine will be available by next winter, but in the meantime social distancing, testing and use of personal protective gear are important measures to protect health care providers and those battling the illness.

“If we really push, we hope we will know by the time we get to next winter whether or not we have something that works,” Fauci said. “Vaccines are going to be important for next time around, not for what we’re dealing with now.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

PARIS – Athletes who had already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before they were postponed will keep their places when the showpiece takes place in 2021, sources told AFP on Thursday.

Around 57% of the 11,000 scheduled participants for Tokyo had already made sure of taking part when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) pushed the Games back to 2021 due to the coronavirus on Tuesday.

The IOC and 32 international sports federations held a teleconference on Thursday where it was decided to respect the qualification process.

“Thomas Bach (the IOC President) first explained the reasons for the postponement of the Games, then said that the athletes qualified for Tokyo 2020 would automatically be qualified for 2021,” one of the participants in the conference told AFP.

“One of the main subjects was to know when and how to organise the qualifications.

“In some federations, many sportsmen and sportswomen are not qualified and it takes at least three months for the Olympic Games to organise them.”

The 2020 Tokyo Games were scheduled for July 24-August 9, but after telephone discussions between Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a historic joint decision was taken for the first postponement of an Olympics in peacetime

However, there is no definite date yet for the rescheduled Games with Bach saying Tuesday the Tokyo Olympics “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community”.

Many Olympic sports, such as boxing, saw the vast majority of their qualifying tournaments either interrupted or cancelled due to the global health situation.

Others, such as sailing however, already had 90% of their competitors qualified.

“The allocated quotas remain allocated,” confirmed another participant in Thursday’s meeting.

“Thomas Bach has confirmed that a decision (on a new date for the 2021 event) will be made within the next four weeks,” he said.

“Some said they prefer May 2021, others June …”

Some federation chiefs also expressed financial concerns, claiming in advance part of the sums traditionally allocated after the Olympic Games by the IOC to the governing bodies.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, musing on the potential permutations of an NBA return in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reiterated in a podcast aired Thursday he wouldn’t relish competing without fans in the stands.

“What is the word ‘sport’ without ‘fan’?” James said on the “Road Trippin’” podcast put out via his Uninterrupted multimedia platform.

“There’s no excitement. There’s no crying. There’s no joy. There’s no back-and-forth.

“That’s what also brings out the competitive side of the players to know that you’re going on the road in a hostile environment and yes, you’re playing against that opponent in front of you, but you really want to kick the fans’ ass too.”

He said a return to NBA competition — which shut down March 11 after Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus — would be more like glorified practice games if no fans were present.

“To get back on the floor, I would love it,” he said. “I just don’t know how we can imagine a sporting event without fans. It’s just, it’s a weird dynamic.”

James joined the podcast from his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Brentwood.

He took some ribbing from hosts Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye, both former Cleveland teammates of James, and Lakers media host Allie Clifton, when he mentioned he was speaking from his smoking room-cum-wine cellar.

James said he was training regularly in anticipation of a return to NBA action this year. The 35-year-old three-time champion said he didn’t think the enforced rest just as the season was steaming toward the playoffs was a good thing.

“The narrative that I don’t like: ‘Well, now guys get so much rest.’

“Or, like, ‘LeBron, he’s 35, he’s got so many minutes on his body, now he gets so much rest,’” James said. “It’s actually the opposite for me because my body, when we stopped playing, was asking me, like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’

“I was right there turning the corner, like, I felt like I was rounding third base, getting ready for the postseason.

“So the rest factor, I think it’s a little bit overblown.”

It’s not yet clear when play will resume amid widespread bans on large gatherings aimed at slowing the spread of the virus.

James thinks some sort of training period and a possibly shortened end to the regular season will be needed before a post-season can begin.

“One thing you can’t just do is go straight to the playoffs,” James said. “Because it discredits the 60-plus games that guys had fighting for that position.”

The podcasters suggested using those games to give teams battling for the final playoff spots a chance to play each other in an abbreviated play-in tournament. Top-ranked teams could face those out of the post-season hunt.

“It’ll be very interesting to see what happens,” James said.

The podcast came out on the day the Lakers were to have played the Cavaliers in Cleveland, and James admitted he was sorry to miss the trip to a city where he played 11 seasons and won the title in 2016.

“It’s always special going back there and looking up there and look at that banner,” James said.

“Think about all the great memories that we had. And then being able to play in front of my friends and family again. That would have been so cool. … I’m kind of bummed out about that.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

The ALA Boxing Club in Cebu City, whose production line spawned a four-division world champion and a bevy of standouts through its 35-year of existence, is eerily silent.

Ever since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus as a pandemic, the sweat shop owned by boxing patron Tony Aldeguer, has been forced to shut down.

The gym now houses less than 15 boxers, according to Tony’s son Michael, who now handles boxing for the promotional outfit.

“First time in over 30 yrs this has happened. It’s a very difficult situation for all,” said Aldeguer, noting that many fighters in their stable have gone home to their provinces.

Those who either opted to stay or don’t have to go home to, are being taken care of.

“It is an alarming situation for all and their families but there is food provided in the gym,” said Aldeguer, who assured those who stayed that they won’t be taken for granted.

“For over 30 years we gave them support and we won’t leave them,” he added.

The lockdown over the deadly virus has forced the cancellation and postponement not only of major global sporting events as the world battles to contain it.

World champion Jerwin Ancajas, who was supposed to make the ninth defense of his title on April 11 in Las Vegas, has isolated himself in Magallanes, Cavite, with manager-trainer Joven Jimenez.

Though they have scaled down the training regimen, Ancajas continues to work out but admits “safety is No. 1.”

Jimenez said the postponement was the right thing to do given the magnitude of the situation.

John Riel Casimero, who was scheduled to see action on April 25 also in Las Vegas, is also on training mode but is likewise on reduced exposure, opting to work out behind closed doors in a rented house in Sin City.

Art Monis, who manages another world champion in Pedro Taduran, is also on standby but continues to watch over the training of some of his fighters in La Union.

“My boxers jog in the mountains while Pedro is in Albay as he failed to return to Manila because of the lockdown,” said Monis.

For a sport whose practitioners are used to staring death in the face, this latest adversary is something that has send shivers down their spine.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Filipino boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno plan to use the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics to become even better.

After the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese organizers reached an agreement to move the July 24-Aug. 9, 2020 Games to “not later than the summer of 2021” over the coronavirus pandemic, the two recently-minted qualifiers told the Bulletin of their respective plans.

Middleweight Marcial, who didn’t only qualify but won the gold medal in the Asia-Oceania qualifiers early this month in Amman, Jordan, intends to improve his craft.

“Gagamitin ko ang postponement para mag-improve pa lalo,” said Marcial, who remains thrilled that he is officially qualified.

“Mabilis lang naman ang panahon,” said the Zamboanga-born Marcial from his own house in Imus, Cavite.

Magno, who made the Olympic grade after winning a box-offs in the flyweight quarterfinals also in Jordan, echoes Marcial’s sentiments on getting ready for next year.

“Okay na rin kasi mabibigyan ako ng chance na mag-ensayo at pagbutihin ang paghahanda,” said Magno from a rented room in Baguio City where she remains quarantined.

Like Marcial, Magno uses the lockdown to sweat it out on a daily basis.

“Hirap din kasi yung wala kang ginagawa. Lalo ka lng manghihina,” added Magno.

The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) has reminded Marcial and Magno and the rest of the national team to be on ‘active rest’ mode.

ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson said that once everything clears up, the fighters will be re-assembled and the Olympic buildup will commence.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Grandmaster Banjo Barcenilla welcomed the postponement of the 44th World Chess Olympiad, saying that health comes above everything else at the moment in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) global crisis.

The World Chess Olympiad joined the list of high-profile tournaments affected by the pandemic after the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced its postponement to 2021.

“I think that is the best decision made by FIDE. It should always be safety comes first. Our safety should be the top priority,” said Barcenilla, who qualified to the PH team after winning the Battle of the Grandmasters last November.

Other PH qualifiers are GMs John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo, and International Masters Paulo Bersamina and Haridas Pascua.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, prompting global sports tournaments to a halt including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics scheduled in July.

The Chess Olympiad was supposed to take place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia on Aug. 5 to 17 with around 200 countries participating.

In a statement released in their official website, FIDE said it took into account the reports from the World Health Organization regarding the ongoing global health crisis.

They also took consideration the postponement of the Tokyo Games announced a few days before.

“Given the International Olympic Committee (IOC) statement regarding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, FIDE has decided to postponed the 44^th Chess Olympiad including the competition for players with disabilities and the FIDE Congress,” the statement said, also referring to the World Chess Paralympiad scheduled July 25 to Aug. 5 also in Khanty-Mansiyk.

“FIDE will continue to work hard in order to support various chess activities, at the same time caring first and foremost about the health and well-being of the entire chess community.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Legendary coach Aric del Rosario, best remembered for steering University of Santo Tomas to four straight UAAP championships from 1993 to 1996, died on Wednesday. He was 80.

His son Lester confirmed that the elder-Del Rosario passed away due to cardiac arrest but gave no additional details.

Del Rosario became a folk hero at the Espana campus after the Growling Tigers won the 1993 UAAP championship by virtue of sweeping the 14-game eliminations with a roster led by future PBA stars Dennis Espino and Rey Evangelista.

The victory was UST’s first title since it shared the 1968 crown with archrival University of the East.

UST capped off its historic run by defeating La Salle in the Finals over the next three seasons, with notable players Chris Cantonjos, Estong Ballesteros, Dale Singson, Gerald Francisco and Patrick Fran.

He also coached the Pampanga Dragons to the inaugural title of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association in 1998 while still in charge of UST at the same time. Many recall the time Del Rosario rode a helicopter in order to coach both teams on the same day.

With Ato Agustin playing the starring role, the Dragons defeated the John Ferriols-led Negros Slashers in five games, clinching the title before a packed crowd at the Bren Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando.

Del Rosario served as one of Tim Cone’s assistant coaches during Alaska’s PBA title runs in the 1990s, highlighted by a historic Grand Slam in 1996 and mentored the Philippine team that took the gold in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

I’m broken up because of the loss of Coach Aric. I am so sorry I can’t pay my respects to him and his family. He was such an influence early in my coaching career, teaching me about humility and compassion. He touched so many lives through his journey. He will be terribly missed.

— Tim Cone (@manilacone) March 26, 2020

He spent his post-UST career serving as NCAA Commissioner while co-organizing the Father Martin Cup tournament along with former San Beda high school coach Ato Badolato before coaching University of Perpetual Help from 2012 to 2015.

The Altas reached the NCAA Final Four three times during Del Rosario’s tenure that also saw current PBA star Scottie Thompson win Most Valuable Player honors in 2014.

His last coaching stint came in 2018 when he handled the Paranaque Patriots in the first season of the MPBL.

Del Rosario was fondly known for shedding tears of joy whenever he felt that his teams were able to overcome the odds while his fatherly approach prompted those within the local basketball community to call him “Tatay Aric.”

Born Januario del Rosario on Jan. 3, 1940, he first gained prominence as a player by leading the Caloy Loyzaga-mentored UST to the 1964 UAAP title.

The Glowing Goldies went 7-1 during the eliminations before defeating the Far Eastern University Tamaraws in the deciding third game of the finals.

Rare photo of Aric del Rosario playing for UST during the 1964 UAAP title run https://t.co/5S0ATCqtpy

— Jonas Terrado (@jonastsinelas) March 26, 2020

Del Rosario eventually turned to coaching, serving as an avenue for him to lead UST back on top in the mid-1990s.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Several players from the PBA have joined forces to provide disinfectants to local government units and financial aid to game day crew of the league’s TV production.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel guard LA Tenorio said alcohol bottles will be distributed in Pasig City and that another batch of disinfectant is expected to arrive this week for distribution elsewhere.

“Nag-order ako ng mga alchohol para ipamigay dito sa Pasig City, tapos merong parating ako bukas mga alchohol din para naman sa Cainta kasi nag-request sa akin si Matt Nieto,” said Tenorio.

Nieto, together with his brother Mike, gave away disinfectants and face masks in their hometown.

Last week, Tenorio – together with other players – posted a video through his Instagram as they belted lines from one of the hit songs of the late Michael Jackson, ‘Heal The World’.

Also on the music video were fellow Ginebra players Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar and Mark Caguioa, Magnolia’s Paul Lee and Marc Pingris, James Yap, Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine, Jayson Castro of TNT KaTropa, NLEX’s Kiefer Ravena and June Mar Fajardo or San Miguel Beer.

Tenorio’s former Ginebra teammate Jayjay Helterbrand, as well as onetime Gilas backcourt partner Jimmy Alapag, also took part in the video that has now reached more than 22,000 views and 4,000 likes.

The players, according to Tenorio, made their respective donations.

Aside from the disinfectants, Tenorio said that they also plan to give financial assistance to some 100 per game TV crew – cameraman, audio man and technical staff. The veteran player said these individuals only get paid every game day of the pro league.

“With regards naman dun sa (cash) donations, kaming mga players nag-donate naman din kami sa TV production team. Madami kasi din sa kanila daily wager,” Tenorio said.

 

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Tennis great Roger Federer on Wednesday donated more than a million dollars to help support his “most vulnerable” Swiss compatriots through the coronavirus (COVID-19)  crisis.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion and his wife donated one million Swiss francs ($1.02 million, 943,000 euros), saying nobody should be left behind as Switzerland battles against the global pandemic.

According to official figures reported to the World Health Organization, Switzerland has the ninth-highest number of infections in the world.

According to the Swiss health ministry, more than 8,800 people have tested positive for COVID-19, while 86 people had died as of Monday.

“These are challenging times for everyone and nobody should be left behind. Mirka and I have personally decided to donate one million Swiss francs for the most vulnerable families in Switzerland,” world number four Federer, 38, said on Instagram.

“Our contribution is just a start. We hope that others might join in supporting more families in need. Together we can overcome this crisis! Stay healthy!”

On Friday the Swiss government further tightened measures against the new coronavirus, banning all gatherings of more than five people, while anyone standing closer than two metres to others risks a fine.

The government had already ordered the closure of schools and all places of leisure, including restaurants, bars and non-food shops.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

NBA star center Karl-Anthony Towns revealed in an Instagram video Wednesday that his mother has been hospitalized for a week and is in a coma with what he thinks is coronavirus (COVID-19).

The 24-year-old Dominican-American, the top pick of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, said his mother had to be placed in a medically induced coma and has been put on a ventilator.

“It’s important that everyone understands the severity of what’s happening in the world right now with the coronavirus, and I think where my life is right now could help, so I decided to do this video,” Towns said in his early morning post.

“My sister told her she needs to get checked for corona. I don’t think anyone really understood what it was, with deteriorating condition. She kept getting worse…and the hospital was doing everything they can.”

View this post on Instagram

Sharing my story in the hopes that everyone stays at home! We need more equipment and we need to help those medical personnel on the front lines. Thank you to the medical staff who are helping my mom. You are all the true heroes! Praying for all of us at this difficult time.

A post shared by Karl-Anthony Towns (@karltowns) on Mar 24, 2020 at 9:48pm PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

Towns, pausing several times to gather himself, said his mother’s temperature would hover near 103 degrees, dipping slightly only to spike again as she deteriorated.

“We always felt that the next medicine would help. This is the one that’s going to get it done. This mixture is going to get it done,” he said.

“She was feeling great. We talked and she felt she turned the corner. I felt she was turning the corner.

“They said that she went sideways and things had went sideways quick. And her lungs were extremely getting worse, and she was having trouble breathing and they were just explaining to me that she had to be put on a ventilator.”

Towns said his father was released from a hospital and self-quarantined as the family awaits results of his coronavirus test.

Towns said he is confident his mother will recover.

“It’s rough, and day by day we’re just seeing how it goes,” he said. “I’m being very positive. So I’m just keeping the strength up for everybody and my family.”

It was his family that prompted Towns to go public with his situation.

“(They) told me to make this video so that people understand that the severity of this disease is real,” Towns said.

“This disease needs to not be taken lightly. Please protect your families, your loved ones, your friends, yourself. Practice social distancing. Please don’t be in places with a lot of people. It just heightens your chances of getting this disease.

“It’s deadly. And we’re going to keep fighting on my side, me and my family, we’re going to keep fighting this. We’re going to beat it. We’re going to win.”

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© Agence France-Presse

Source: Manila Bulletin