By Nick Giongco

Training camps in Thailand, Vietnam and some other countries that are starting to get back to normalcy amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak are being eyed by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) to host Tokyo Olympic qualifiers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno and members of the team.

ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson, fresh from presiding over the boxing team in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Amman, Jordan, admitted that the current situation has made it difficult for them to plot the buildup for the July 24-Aug. 9 Olympics.

“With all these happening, you can’t prepare,” said Picson, noting that Marcial and Magno have gone home alongside the other national team mainstays.

“Only a couple of boxing coaches have opted to remain at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex,” said Picson.

Originally, the Filipino punchers were looking at training and competing in Spain in April before some of them troop to Paris for the World Qualifying.

With Marcial and Magno making the Olympic grade, those vying for slots include flyweight Carlo Paalam, feather Ian Clark Bautista and welter James Palicte in the men’s and top featherweight Nesthy Petecio and lightweight Riza Pasuit in the women’s class.

READ MORE: Boxer Eumir Marcial secures 2020 Tokyo Olympics berth; Irish Magno makes Olympic grade

Petecio, the 2019 world championships gold medalist, was upset in the quarterfinals.

“We were thinking of spending two weeks in Spain before the actual tournament starts and do the same thing when we head for Paris,” said Picson.

“But you know what’s happening and we all can’t plan way ahead,” he added.

Nonetheless, Picson reminds the boxers to remain focused as there has been no announcement over the fate of the Tokyo Olympics.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

With most of their tournaments scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines will use the safer online chess as an alternative to continue with its programs.

In fact, the NCFP will hold the first Philippine Bullet Chess Championship via lichess, an online chess application, with a total cash purse of about P200,000 courtesy of NCFP chairman and president Prospero Pichay, Jr.

“Your NCFP will organize the first official national bullet chess championship as an online event,” said NCFP executive director Cliburn Orbe in the NCFP’s official Facebook page. “We’d like to thank Congressman Pichay for this brilliant idea and for sponsoring the event.”

The event was a response to the recent postponement of its national championship as well as its age-group events due to the pandemic threat.

Orbe said the tournament will have 10 open qualifying legs in March and April with a total cash prize of P10,000 each leg followed by a semifinal to select the 16 grand finalists who will play a double-round robin format to determine the country’s first bullet king.

The finals will have a guaranteed prize of P100,000.

Orbe said the tournament will be streamed live on its social media accounts.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Donovan Mitchell Sr., a New York Mets executive whose son was one of the first US sports stars to test positive for coronavirus, tested negative for COVID-19, the team announced Friday.

The younger Donovan Mitchell, a guard for the Utah Jazz, confirmed Thursday that he had the illness. A day earlier, Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.

The elder Mitchell is the Mets’ director of player relations and community outreach.

The Mets had issued a statement on Thursday that read, in part, “When news surfaced last night of the situation involving the Utah Jazz, we immediately contacted Donovan Mitchell Sr. to advise him to not report at our facility this morning.

“Upon learning today that his son, Donovan Mitchell Jr., tested positive for the Coronavirus, we brought that fact to the attention of our medical team, who recommended, as a precautionary measure, that Donovan Sr. be tested.”

The Jazz beat the Knicks 112-104 on March 4 in New York with Donovan Mitchell scoring 23 points.

According to the New York Post, Mitchell Sr. was in attendance for the game at Madison Square Garden. Per the report, Mitchell Sr. rejoined the Mets the next day at their spring training camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen plans to speak with reporters Saturday on a conference call.

The NBA season was halted Wednesday night after the league learned of Gobert’s positive test.

Major League Baseball announced Thursday that it was canceling the remaining spring training games and pushing back the start of the regular season at least two weeks. On Friday, MLB ended official spring camps, telling all players that they could go home.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level-Media Reuters

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who apologized for acting carelessly before being diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wednesday, will not be fined or suspended by the NBA, according to a report Friday by Yahoo Sports.

Gobert on Monday joked about the NBA’s policy to keep media members at a safe distance from players in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

He touched all the microphones and other recording equipment at the press table before after concluding interviews with the media in a room at the Jazz’s press facility.

He also continued to high-five teammates before it was announced that coronavirus had become a pandemic. Gobert’s diagnosis led the NBA to suspend its season indefinitely.

After Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell confirmed Thursday that he tested positive for coronavirus over social media, Gobert issued an apology on Instagram.

“I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of concern and support over the last 24 hours. I have gone through so many emotions since learning of my diagnosis…mostly fear, anxiety, and embarrassment,” Gobert wrote.

“The first and most important thing is I would like to publicly apologize to the people that I may have endangered. At the time, I had no idea I was even infected. I was careless and make no excuse. I hope my story serves as a warning and causes everyone to take this seriously. I will do whatever I can to support using my experience as way to educate others and prevent the spread of this virus. I am under great care and will fully recover. Thank you again for all your support. I encourage everyone to take all of the steps to stay safe and healthy. Love.”

Mitchell was the only other player or member of the Jazz organization who tested positive for coronavirus out of 58 tests performed on Wednesday night, The Athletic reported.

On Friday, Sports Illustrated reported that Mitchell is “extremely frustrated” with Gobert. There was an indication of that in his Instagram post on Thursday, which read in part, “We are learning more about the seriousness of this situation and hopefully people can continue to educate themselves and realize that they need to behave responsibly both for their own health and for the well being of those around them.”

The Jazz returned to Utah from Oklahoma City on a charter flight Thursday after their Wednesday game against the Thunder was postponed. But Gobert and Mitchell reportedly were not on that flight.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The majority of the reigning NBA champion Toronto Raptors tested negative for the new coronavirus (COVID-19), but there is still one result pending from the medical examinations that were done in Canada, the club announced on Friday.

The team said they were still waiting on the test results of one person. They did not name the individual and didn’t provide any details.

The team decided to do the testing on Wednesday in Toronto after the Raptors played Monday in Utah against the Jazz, whose players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell both tested positive for COVID-19.

READ MORE: Rudy Gobert apologizes for ’embarrassing, inexcusable’ virus gaffe

“All of the members of the travel party who were tested on Wednesday in Toronto have received their results, and they are all currently negative,” a Raptors spokesman said in a news release.

“These results will not affect our protocols, however. Those asked to self-isolate by Toronto Public Health will continue to do so.

“We will all practice social distancing and good hand hygiene, and — most importantly — carefully monitor our health.

“We continue to be in close contact with public health authorities and infectious disease experts, and are very grateful for their guidance. As always, we appreciate the support of our fans, families, and friends.”

The Raptors beat the Jazz 101-92 for their fourth consecutive win.

The NBA suspended its season Wednesday “for at least 30 days” after France’s Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Footballer Emiliano Sala was killed when the unlicensed pilot of his plane lost control and flew too fast as he tried to avoid bad weather, British aviation investigators said on Friday.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in its final report into the January 21, 2019 crash that the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft suffered an in-flight break-up and plunged in to the water, north of Guernsey, upside down.

The AAIB also confirmed that pilot David Ibbotson, 59, was unlicensed to fly that particular aircraft and at night, when the tragedy occurred.

He was also operating an unlicensed commercial flight and being paid an unspecified amount for the flight, which was illegal.

Investigators said it was likely that he was affected by carbon monoxide.

An interim report also found that Sala had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning before the plane crashed and was likely unconscious when it hit the water.

Geraint Herbert, Senior Inspector of Air Accidents at AAIB, said the plane was flying erratically in its last moments as the pilot tried to avoid bad weather.

“During this accident the pilot lost control of the aircraft during a turn, which we believe he was making to avoid poor weather,” Herbert told AFP.

“After that the aircraft broke up in flight because it was manoeuvring at a speed well in excess of its maximum manoeuvring speed.”

‘Not survivable’

The plane was travelling at an estimated 270 miles per hour (435 kilometers per hour) when it hit the water, said the AAIB.

Investigators said the impact was “not survivable”.

Although there was no single cause for the accident, said investigators, the tragedy has thrown a spotlight on lax regulation.

The 115-page report highlighted concerns over the growing use of unlicensed commercial flights, such as the one used to transport Sala, by the “sporting world.”

The AAIB also recommended that carbon monoxide monitors be fitted as standard on all planes.

The plane, built in 1984, did not have such a monitor and it is believed that the poisoning was caused by a faulty cabin heater.

Herbert said two main factors contributed to the crash.

“One was that the pilot was not experienced and qualified to fly the flight, but the other one of course was that he was probably suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning,” he said.

“We have made a recommendation to the regulators to require the carriage of carbon monoxide detectors on aircraft such as this.”

Illegal charter flights

Sala had signed for Cardiff in a £15 million ($19 million, 17-million-euro) deal completed just a few days before the crash.

The Argentinian was returning to Cardiff to take part in his first training session after saying goodbye to his teammates in northwest France.

In a statement, Cardiff City said it “welcomed” the report which “raises a number of new questions which we hope will be addressed during the inquest recommencing next week”.

That inquest is due to start next Monday in Bournemouth, southern England.

The European Business Aviation Association said the tragedy and report had highlighted “the risks of illegal charter flights”.

Reports in the British press have said former football agent Willie McKay said he paid for the fatal flight, but did not choose the pilot or the plane.

Sala’s body was found several days after the crash, attached to wreckage from the plane, while Ibbotson’s body was never found.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Four footballers from Sampdoria and one at Fiorentina have tested positive for coronavirus, the Italian clubs said on Friday.

Gambia defender Omar Colley, Sweden midfielder Albin Ekdal, Norway playmaker Morten Thorsby and former Italy Under-21 forward Antonio La Gumina as well as team-mate Manolo Gabbiadini are suffering from COVID-19.

“The state of their health is good and they are at home in Genoa,” a statement said.

Former Southampton striker Gabbiadani’s case was confirmed by the outfit on Thursday for the virus.

Club doctor Amedeo Baldari has also tested positive.

Fiorentina’s Serbia forward Dusan Vlahovic was the fifth player case to be confirmed on Friday.

Juventus’ Daniele Rugani is the other instance in the Italian top-flight but the defender posted on Instagram on Wednesday saying he was “fine.”

Serie A as well as all sport in Italy has been suspended until April 3 and earlier on Thursday the country, the most affected by the virus in Europe, recorded its highest one-day death toll yet of 250.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

FIFA on Friday recommended that all international football matches scheduled for March and April be postponed due to the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

Falling short of banning matches outright, world football’s governing body said that clubs would be allowed to refuse to send their players to national squad gatherings in March and April.

FIFA also said that it was working on rescheduling qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup in both Asia and South America which have been postponed.

“All international matches previously scheduled to take place in March and April should now be postponed until such time that they can take place in a safe and secure environment,” FIFA said.

FIFA added that the “final decision” on any postponements “rests with the respective competition organisers or relevant member association in case of friendlies”.

FIFA rules normally oblige clubs to release players for national team matches, but this rule has been temporarily reversed.

“In light of the current situation concerning the Coronavirus, FIFA has decided that general football rules which normally oblige clubs to release players for national team matches will not apply for the up-coming international windows in March/April,” the statement said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Two players at second-division club Troyes became the first French footballers to test positive for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) on Friday.

“One player from the senior team and one from the academy have contracted the coronavirus — COVID-19,” the club announced on Twitter.

“The two players were immediately placed in isolation in their homes. The whole club remains under medical supervision,” Troyes added on their website.

Communiqué officiel – COVID19 : " Un joueur du groupe professionnel et un du Centre de Formation touchés par le Coronavirus – COVID19. Ils sont en situation de confinement et suivis de près par la cellule médicale du club."
> https://t.co/Y9gNwDPjMb pic.twitter.com/fSc8ZKGliJ

— ESTAC Troyes (@estac_officiel) March 13, 2020

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

The announcement came just a few hours after the French league suspended all Ligue 1 and second-tier games “until further notice”.

Elsewhere in football, seven players in Italy’s Serie A have tested positive for the disease, as have Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

All major European leagues have suspended competition.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) suspended all tournaments from Monday until April 12 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.

“The suspension of the circuit will come into effect following the completion of the Yonex All England Open in Birmingham on Sunday,” it said in a statement.

The tournaments affected include the Swiss Open, India Open, Orleans Masters, Malaysia Open, and Singapore Open.

The decision comes after top shuttlers hit out at the world body, accusing it of not taking the epidemic seriously and putting them in danger by going ahead with international tournaments.

The coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday, has led to more than 5,000 deaths globally.

Dozens of major sporting events have been cancelled over the epidemic, from Formula One motor racing to England’s Premier League and the Masters golf major.

BWF also warned that the cancellations could hurt Olympic qualifying, which closes on April 30.

In February, BWF said it would not make any adjustments to the Olympic qualification period despite a string of events being impacted by the virus in the lead-up to the Tokyo Games, which are due to open in July.

But in the latest statement, the world body signaled it may reconsider, saying “BWF will make a further announcement on regulations related to Olympic qualification points at a later date.”

Source: Manila Bulletin