By Agence France-Presse

Sports across the United States and Canada were gripped by coronavirus fears on Wednesday, with the NBA suspending its season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for COVID-19.

The NBA’s move followed a dramatic last-minute postponement of Utah’s scheduled game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, league officials taking action after deliberating during the day how best to proceed in the face of the outbreak.

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said.

“The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

READ MORE: NBA to suspend games after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tests positive for COVID-19

The move came days after the Indian Wells tennis tournament in California became the first high-profile casualty of the crisis.

Mounting concern over the possible spread of COVID-19 also prompted Canadian authorities to cancel the World Figure Skating Championships, which were due to take place in Montreal from March 16-22.

The decision came after escalating anxiety about the potential for unchecked transmission of the virus among fans attending sporting events.

Shortly after the NBA’s decision, the NHL said it would update the status of its season on Thursday.

“The National Hockey League is aware of the NBA’s decision tonight to indefinitely suspend its season due to a player testing positive for the coronavirus,” the NHL said in a statement.

“The NHL is continuing to consult with medical experts and is evaluating the options. We expect to have a further update (Thursday).”

Pending league-wide action, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks said they would play the three home games remaining this month without fans after a ban on mass gatherings in Santa Clara County in California.

The Santa Clara County edict also forced the postponement of a March 21 Major League Soccer game between the San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City.

The NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets said they would host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday behind closed doors after an order banning mass gatherings in Ohio, set to be the first major professional sports event to be played in an empty arena.

The San Francisco Giants baseball team said a planned pre-season game against the Oakland Athletics on March 24 would be rescheduled.

In Washington state, authorities announced a ban on all gatherings of more than 250 people in three counties until at least the end of March, including the area which covers Seattle.

‘More aggressive position’

“It is clear that our state needs a more vigorous and more comprehensive and more aggressive position if we are going to slow the spread of this epidemic,” Washington governor Jay Inslee said.

The MLS’s Seattle Sounders later said a game against FC Dallas on March 21 had been postponed.

The Seattle Mariners baseball team said they would seek to reschedule the club’s opening home games of the 2020 season, which had been set for late March.

Meanwhile, the wildly popular climax to the US college basketball season — “March Madness” — will be played in virtually fan-free arenas after the NCAA said only relatives and essential personnel would be allowed at games.

“I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance,” National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) president Mark Emmert said.

The NCAA took the unprecedented move after consulting public health officials.

Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a US Congressional panel in that the agency believed any large gatherings of people represented a risk of COVID-19 spreading.

“We would recommend that there not be large crowds. If that means not having any people in the audience, as the NBA plays, so be it,” Fauci said. “Anything that has large crowd is something that would give the risk to spread.”

Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker put the number of known US cases at around 1,300, with 36 dead.

Golf’s US PGA Tour said Wednesday it has no plans to postpone its schedule, but added it has not ruled anything out either. The Players Championship tournament is set to start on Thursday.

“The Players Championship will continue as scheduled, although we will absolutely continue to review recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and local health administrations,” the statement said.

“Players in the field have been notified to be prepared to play round 1, as scheduled.”

The Tour said it would provide a further update on Thursday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Josie Harris, ex-girlfriend of Floyd Mayweather who had three children with the former champion boxer, has been found dead at her suburban Los Angeles home, authorities said Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told KABC-TV that 40-year-old Josie Lynn Harris was the mother of three of Mayweather’s children.

She was found dead in a vehicle in the driveway of her apparent home in Valencia north of Los Angeles on Tuesday evening.

Sheriff’s deputies were investigating the death, which was first reported by TMZ, with the celebrity news website reporting foul play was not suspected.

In 2010, Mayweather was accused of assaulting Harris and threatening two of their children during an argument.

He admitted hitting Harris and twisting her arm, eventually pleading guilty to a reduced domestic violence charge and serving two months in jail.

After Mayweather told an interviewer that he was simply trying to restrain Harris, who was on drugs during the incident, Harris sued him for defamation in 2015.

Source: Manila Bulletin

 

By Agence France-Presse

The NBA will suspend games starting on Thursday after a Utah Jazz player preliminarily tested positive for the new coronavirus (COVID-19), the league said Wednesday.

The test result was reported shortly before Utah’s game against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, which was abruptly postponed.

The league said the affected player was not at the arena.

“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Team owners had been discussing Wednesday how best the league should respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Golden State Warriors confirmed they would host the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in San Francisco behind closed doors after San Francisco city officials announced a two-week ban on all gatherings of more than 1,000 people.

NBA owners on Wednesday were discussing whether to delay the season or instead play in closed arenas league-wide.

The decision was made after the confusing scenes in Oklahoma City, where Jazz and Thunder players took the court to warm up, but shortly before the scheduled tip-off were sent to their locker rooms before police began to clear the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The NBA did not name the player who had tested positive, but several US media outlets reported it was French defensive standout Rudy Gobert, who was listed first as questionable for the game and then as out with illness.

ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski also confirmed on Twitter that Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.

“The Jazz and Thunder players are currently quarantined in the OKC arena, league sources tell ESPN. This is following Rudy Gobert testing positive for the coronavirus,” Wojnarowski tweeted.

Teammate Emmanuel Mudiay was also listed as suffering from an undisclosed illness on the team’s injury report.

Six NBA games were scheduled for Wednesday and four were underway when the game in Oklahoma City was called off.

“It’s unprecedented,” Detroit coach Dwayne Casey — whose Pistons fell to the 76ers in Philadelphia — said of the decision to suspend the season. “I think it’s the prudent thing to do.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Filipino puncher Eumir Felix Marcial’s stint in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament came with a bonus.

Early Thursday morning (Wednesday night in Jordan), Marcial won the middleweight gold medal after beating Abilkhan Amankhul of Kazakhstan, 3-2, in Amman.

Marcial had earlier booked a slot to the Tokyo Olympics after hurdling his quarterfinal round assignment but the 24-year-old Zamboanga native simply felt the mission was far from over.

A lopsided win over Ashish Kumar of India in the semifinals earned him a crack at the gold against Amankhul and Marcial displayed why he was seeded first in the slugfest.

Marcial took control of the first two rounds as he even had his Kazakh rival bending over after absorbing a wicked body blow in the second round of the showdown featuring world championship silver medalists.

The 2017 runnerup in Hamburg, Amankhul, sensing that the fight was slipping away, won the third round but Marcial, who was the second-placer in the 2019 edition in Ekaterinburg, had already built up a lead that his rally wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

Still, the job isn’t over for Marcial, whose ultimate dream is to win an Olympic gold.

Alongside female flyweight Irish Magno, who secured an Olympic ticket after winning a boxoff, Marcial is expected to dedicate the next few months honing his skills for Tokyo.

So far, the Philippines has a total of four Tokyo qualifiers aside from Marcial and Magno. The first two to make the Olympic grade were pole vaulter EJ Obiena and world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo.

The five other boxers who failed to qualify—Carlo Paalam, Ian Clark Bautista and James Palicte in the men’s category and top featherweight seed Nesthy Petecio and Riza Pasuit—could still end up taking the last bus if they finish well in the World Qualifying that Paris is hosting from May 13-24.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Juventus and Italy defender Daniele Rugani on Wednesday became the first Serie A footballer to test positive for coronavirus, the Italian champions confirmed.

The 25-year-old “is currently asymptomatic,” the Turin giants said, but the club is “currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including those who have had contact with him.”

Rugani is the first top-flight footballer to fall victim to the virus which has killed 827 in Italy and infected 12,000 people, including several Serie C players.

Rugani has spent the last seven years at Juventus apart from a two-year loan spell at Empoli.

He has played just three league games this season, most recently against Brescia on February 16 and SPAL on February 22.

He was on the bench in Lyon for the Champions League last 16, first leg clash on February 26 in France and the team’s last game against Inter Milan in Serie A on March 8.

Inter said Wednesday that “all competitive activities have been suspended until further notice” as a result of Rugani’s positive test.

“The club is currently taking steps to put all the necessary procedures into place,” the Milan club said.

Juventus are due to host Lyon in their Champions League return fixture behind closed doors in Turin next Tuesday.

All sports in Italy have been suspended until April 3, including Serie A football, but Champions League and Europa League matches are under the jurisdiction of UEFA.

UEFA called off two Europa League games on Thursday between Italian and Spanish teams. Inter Milan were set to host Getafe with Roma due to travel to Sevilla.

In the Champions League, Barcelona are also due to host Italian club Napoli next Wednesday.

Many Serie A clubs had suspended training until next week but Juventus continued to train ahead of their planned Champions League tie.

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo is currently in Portugal with his mother who suffered a stroke.

“Cristiano Ronaldo did not train and remains in Madeira pending developments related to the current health emergency,” the team said earlier Wednesday.

Italy’s 60 million residents are in lockdown in a desperate bid to halt the spread of a virus which claimed 196 lives in the last 24 hours.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Wednesday that all stores except for pharmacies and food shops would now be shut.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Ceres-Negros thrashed Indonesia’s Bali United 4-0 to stay on top of Group G in their AFC Cup match held behind closed-door Wednesday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

OJ Porteria delivered the opener in the first half, Spanish striker Bienvenido Maranon scored twice in the second half and Robert Lopez Mendy also found the back of the net to give the Busmen the maximum three points.

The defending Philippines Football League champions improved to seven points after three matches, three clear of Vietnam’s Than Quang Ninh and four ahead of Cambodia’s Svay Rieng and Bali United.

Coach Risto Vidakovic’s side beat Indonesia’s Liga 1 titleholders despite playing before empty seats as part of precautionary measures brought upon by the rising numbers of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

“We were a bit sad because there’s not a lot of people in the stadium, and it’s not ideal football,” said Maranon. “But we have make sure that everyone can stay healthy.”

WATCH | @CeresNegrosFC 4-0 @BaliUtd

The Filipino champions returned to winning ways in #AFCCup2020 Group G after easing past Bali in Manila. pic.twitter.com/IG7rOduhK2

— #AFCCup2020 (@AFCCup) March 11, 2020

It also served as the last home match of Ceres for the group stage as it will play its remaining three matches on the road, beginning with a return duel against Bali on April 14.

Porteria broke the ice in the 35th minute after rebounding a deflected attempt by team captain Stephan Schrock.

Maranon came through with his first goal off a spot kick in the 53rd before completing a brace in the 69th by heading Schrock’s cross into the back of the net.

Mendy completed the onslaught four minutes later, firing a low shot in the far side of the post for his first goal of the competition.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points and hit the go-ahead basket, and Caris LeVert added 22 points as the Brooklyn Nets surprised the host Los Angeles Lakers 104-102 on Tuesday night.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 13 points, Joe Harris finished with 12 and Chris Chiozza added 11 for the Nets, who have won four of their past five.

Dinwiddie’s jumper with 28.8 seconds left was the difference.

LeBron James had 29 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds but missed a game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Washington Wizards 122 – New York Knicks 115

Bradley Beal scored 27 of his 40 points in the second half as host Washington blew an early 14-point lead and then stormed back from an 18-point deficit to record a victory over New York.

After his streak of 21 consecutive games scoring at least 25 points ended Sunday, Beal scored 20 points in the third quarter as the Wizards outscored the Knicks 33-17. He scored 16 of Washington’s final 23 points in the period and tied the game 87-87 heading into the fourth by hitting a 3-pointer with 37.5 seconds left.

Frank Ntilikina posted his second career double-double with a career-high 20 points and 10 assists as the Knicks lost for the ninth time in 12 games. Bobby Portis also scored 20 points, with 16 of those coming in the first half when the Knicks built a 70-54 lead.

Boston Celtics 114 – Indiana Pacers 111

Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Gordon Hayward recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Boston recovered after giving up a late lead to beat Indiana in Indianapolis.

The Pacers’ Victor Oladipo finished with 27 points and seven rebounds, and T.J. Warren added 22 points.

Daniel Theis scored 20 points for the Celtics and Kemba Walker added 11, giving all five Boston starters double figures in scoring.

Houston Rockets 117 – Minnesota Timberwolves 111

James Harden scored a game-high 37 points and Russell Westbrook added 27 while keying a decisive stretch late in the third quarter as Houston beat visiting Minnesota.

The Rockets snapped a four-game losing skid. Harden and Westbrook combined to shoot 22 of 36, with Harden connecting on half of his 10 3-point attempts. Both recorded seven assists, with Harden feeding Eric Gordon (16 points) for a pair of decisive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

D’Angelo Russell paced the Timberwolves with 28 points and five assists while Juancho Hernangomez posted 18 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Jarrett Jarrett Culver scored 12 points off the bench for Minnesota, which fell for the fifth time in seven games.

Portland Trail Blazers 121 – Phoenix Suns 105

Damian Lillard registered 25 points and seven assists to help Portland notch a victory over visiting Phoenix.

Trevor Ariza registered season highs of 22 points and five 3-pointers as Portland won for just the fourth time in the past 12 games. CJ McCollum also scored 22 points, and Hassan Whiteside had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Devin Booker recorded 29 points and nine assists for the Suns. Dario Saric contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds while Ricky Rubio had 21 points and nine assists.

Los Angeles Clippers 131 – Golden State Warriors 107

Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high-tying 23 points in 25 minutes, helping visiting Los Angeles beat Golden State in San Francisco.

The win was the Clippers’ seventh in their past eight games, the only loss in the run a 112-103 setback against the rival Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. Reggie Jackson scored 16 points while Paul George and Patrick Beverley had 14 apiece.

Dragan Bender matched Leonard’s total with 23 points for the Warriors, who snapped a 10-game home losing streak in their previous game, a 118-114 win over Philadelphia on Saturday. Stephen Curry (flu) sat out his second game in a row.

Chicago Bulls 108 – Cleveland Cavaliers 103

Rookie Coby White scored a team-high 20 points in his first career start, and Chicago held on for a win over visiting Cleveland.

Wendell Carter Jr. added 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting for the Bulls, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr. and Denzel Valentine finished with 15 points apiece.

Collin Sexton scored a game-high 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting for the Cavaliers, whose two-game winning streak ended. Andre Drummond had 21 points and Larry Nance Jr. scored 16, but it was not enough as the Cavaliers fell short several hours after head coach J.B. Bickerstaff signed a multiyear extension.

San Antonio Spurs 119 – Dallas Mavericks 109

LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 24 points, nine of them in a pivotal late-game stretch, as San Antonio rallied to beat visiting Dallas and snap a two-game losing streak.

Marco Belinelli scored 16 points for the Spurs, with Rudy Gay hitting for 17, Trey Lyles and Derrick White adding 14 points each. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points and dished out 12 assists, and Patty Mills tallied 12 in the win.

Luka Doncic had another brilliant game, scoring 38 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 20 points, Dorian Finney-Smith hit for 15 and Maxi Kleber had 12 points for the Mavericks. Porzingis led Dallas, which took its second straight loss, with 12 rebounds.

Orlando Magic 120 – Memphis Grizzlies 115

Terrence Ross highlighted his 24-point performance with five 3-pointers to lift visiting Orlando over Memphis.

Michael Carter-Williams scored 20 points to eclipse his previous season-best total of 17, set during Orlando’s win over Minnesota on Friday.

Nikola Vucevic recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, who overcame a 17-point deficit to post their third win in a row overall and seventh in their past nine games against Memphis. Jonas Valanciunas led the Grizzlies with 27 points and 16 rebounds while Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks had 21 points apiece.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Lewis Hamilton believes his all-conquering Mercedes is even better than last year as he begins his bid to equal Michael Schumacher’s record seven world titles at an Australian Grand Prix given the green light despite rising novel coronavirus (COVID-19) fears.

The British driver has been the dominant force in recent times, winning five of the last six drivers’ championships, including in 2019 when he passed legendary five-time Argentine champion Juan Manuel Fangio on the all-time list.

“It’s been intense, with a huge amount of work from everybody at the track and back home at the factories,” the 35-year-old said of preparations overshadowed by concerns about the virus and its impact on the sport.

“The car’s feeling like a step forward from last year,” Hamilton added after pre-season testing.

“But it’s clear we’ve still got a few issues we need to iron out,” said the driver who won 11 of last season’s 21 grand prix.

There were fears the Melbourne race may be ditched due to travel restrictions affecting team personnel, particularly from Italy-based Ferrari.

On Wednesday, two Haas team staff and one from McLaren were isolated while tests are conducted to see if they have coronavirus after they showed symptoms at the track.

“We expect to receive the results overnight. The team is operating as per our normal schedule,” a McLaren official said.

It is not clear what it might mean for the grand prix if the test results come back positive.

F1, like many other sports, is already reeling from COVID-19 with next week’s Bahrain Grand Prix set to be held behind closed doors, and the Chinese Grand Prix in April postponed.

‘I can beat anyone’

Mercedes head into the race with a new dual-axis steering system (DAS), which has inevitably sparked complaints from other teams over whether it is legal.

While Hamilton has taken every pole at Albert Park since 2014, he has won just once in that time, and it was teammate Valtteri Bottas who sizzled at pre-season testing.

The Finn will be looking for a second successive win in Australia after sweeping to an emphatic victory last year, a massive 20.9 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

“On a good day, when I get 100 percent out of myself, I feel I can beat anyone. But how to be there at every race weekend -– that’s the tricky thing,” Bottas said.

So dominant was Mercedes in 2019 that Ferrari had to wait until the 13th race at Belgium in September for their first win, courtesy of new boy Charles Leclerc.

Team principal Mattia Binotto said after testing that Ferrari’s new engine was “not as strong” as last year, bad news for the Scuderia as they chase a first drivers’ title since 2007.

But with Italy one of the countries worst-hit by the coronavirus, he wants Ferrari to “put a smile on people’s faces” this weekend.

“We know that the opposition is strong, but we also know that it is the start of a long season where development rate, reliability, and our operational effectiveness will be key,” he said.

Ferrari has a revamped engine after rivals last year expressed suspicions about their straight-line speed superiority, though a probe by governing body FIA was unable to prove the Maranello team had cheated.

Leclerc, 22, overshadowed teammate Sebastian Vettel in his debut season for Ferrari, with the German four-time world champion looking to reassert himself this year.

Verstappen ‘ready’

Binotto insisted the two Ferrari drivers would start on an equal footing, a stance Vettel accepted after a 2019 season where he won only once, in Singapore.

“I don’t see Charles going up and me going down. We have the same car and, for me, it doesn’t change anything. That was also the case last season,” he said.

Leclerc won two races to beat Vettel to fourth place in the world championship by 24 points.

Dutchman Max Verstappen was third behind the two Mercedes drivers last year and could be one of Hamilton’s closest challengers in his Red Bull, which excelled in testing.

“I definitely feel ready for Melbourne,” said the 22-year-old, who won three races last year.

In the midfield, Renault, McLaren and Racing Point will all be looking to set down a season marker in Australia.

Canadian Nicholas Latifi is the only rookie on the grid, replacing Robert Kubica at Williams, while Esteban Ocon returns to F1 for Renault alongside Daniel Ricciardo.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Flyweight Irish Magno took advantage of a rare chance to secure an Olympic slot after she posted a dominating win over Somaiya Qosimova of Tajikistan in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament on Wednesday in Amman, Jordan.

Magno was awarded a 5-0 victory and it came just a day after being denied an outright entry following a loss in the quarterfinals.

Since there are six slots being dangled in her weight class, Magno, being a quarterfinalist, was afforded the luxury of a boxoff.

But flyweight Carlo Paalam, another quarterfinalist, wasn’t so lucky after bowing to Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov, the 2019 world championships bronze medalist, in another boxoff, 4-1.

Like in Magno’s case, Paalam needed a win in the boxoff to ensure himself of a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.

Magno’s victory enabled her to join top seed middleweight Eumir Felix Marcial on the early list of qualifiers for the July 24-August 9 Olympics.

READ MORE: Boxer Eumir Marcial secures 2020 Tokyo Olympics berth

The five other Filipinos who faltered, including Paalam, will have their last chance when Paris stages the World Qualifying in mid-May.

Others who failed to make a dent in Jordan also include feather Ian Clark Bautista and welter James Palicte and women punchers Nesthy Petecio, the top seed at featherweight, and lightweight Riza Pasuit.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

With the cancellation of the Asian Championship next month due to COVID-19, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is now eyeing an Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Cali, Colombia.

According to Marc Velasco, the national training director in charge of the international exposure of athletes under the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) has reached out to the agency for Diaz to compete in Colombia.

“The weightlifting association is currently communicating to the PSC for our weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz to be able to able to complete her qualification status,” said Velasco Wednesday, pointing out that Diaz needs a sixth OQT to qualify to the Tokyo Olympics.

“We’re coordinating with the team of Hidilyn Diaz for her to go to Colombia as soon as possible. Hopefully if she competes in Colombia, she’ll be able make the qualification status,” added Velasco.

The 28-year-old Diaz, silver medalist in the Rio Olympics, is currently No. 5 in the 55kg women’s category in the IWF world ranking with 3,717.0982 points, behind Chinese weightlifters in Jiang Huihua (4,667.8878), Liao Qiuyun (4,288.9622), Zhang Wangqiong (4,212.6639) and Li Yajun (4,099.0223).

Under the rules, however, only one weightlifter per country will advance to the Games in July.

The situation concerning the spread of COVID-19 forced the IWF to cancel the 2020 Asian Championship, which serves as OQT after Uzbekistan begged off to stage the event set April 16 to 25.

Kazakhstan was the original venue for the OQT, but organizers backed out due to the global health crisis.

The South American-Ibero American and Open Senior’s Championship is set Match 18 to 23.

“Of course right now our focus is on Hidilyn Diaz, but if you look at the calendar, there are other tournaments for other members of the national team for them to qualify,” said Velasco.

Aside from Diaz, currently training in Malaysia, also in the running for Olympics berth are weightlifters Nestor Colonia in the 67kg men’s, Elreen Ann Ando and Kristel Macrohon in the women’s 64kg and 71kg.

Source: Manila Bulletin