The All India Football Federation's video campaign to promote fitness among fans during the coronavirus-forced nationwide lockdown has received a huge response with more than four lakh views in less than four weeks.
The campaign #FitWithIndianFootball was launched on April 2 and it has so far recorded 4,31,000 video views -- an average of 86,400 views per video, along with 1,87,000 engagements in all.
The initiative has garnered 1.56 million impressions across social media platforms and has seen widescale participation, both male and female, from across the nation and all age groups, the AIFF said in a release.
The likes of Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan, Ashalata Devi, Aditi Chauhan and Jeje Lalpekhlua, among others, were involved in the campaign, explaining exercises one can execute at home with a football, and in the process, encouraging fans to stay fit and healthy.

AIFF's video fitness campaign receives huge response

PTI Automatic

Former India player VVS Laxman on Tuesday conducted his first online session for batsmen of Ranji Trophy runners-up, Bengal, and to start with, he focussed only on the mental aspect.
During his two separate 45-minute sessions with Abhishek Raman and Kazi Junaid Saifi, Laxman also had in attendance Bengal coach Arun Lal, cricket operations manager Joydeep Mukherjee, and state U-23 coach Sourasish Lahiri.
Bengal opener Raman, who frittered away a bright start last season, was given lessons on how to deal with failures and ways to regain confidence.
"We talked about our last season. What were my mindset through the season. A session with lot to learn from and how to prepare the mindset during ups and downs of the season," Raman said in a statement issued by the Cricket Association of Bengal.
Raman started the season with successive hundreds, against Kerala and Andhra, but eventually aggregated 406 runs at 25.37 from 10 outings.
Laxman talked about how to control the mind in order to ...

Laxman conducts first online session for Bengal batsmen

Chris Froome's hunger for a fifth or even sixth Tour de France victory remains undiminished although he is unsure the race can go ahead in 2020 due to coronavirus, he told French daily L'Equipe in an interview published on Tuesday.
The Tour's postponement until late August suits the four-time winner who has been fighting to regain fitness from severe injuries sustained in a training crash last June.
"It's an advantage for me, the race being put back, but it's not something to celebrate," said Froome.
The Kenyan-born racer feels the Tour may still be cancelled due to the pandemic, but is training hard for victory at his Monaco base.
"I'm confident I'll be 100 percent fit at the starting line," said Froome, who turns 35 next month and who is in the final year of his Ineos contract.
"Maybe it won't take place, but I'm training as if it will go ahead," he told L'Equipe.
"We have the new date and mentally I'm focussed on being ready."
The Tour has been rescheduled to embark from Nice on ...

Confident Froome trusts Tour de France safety measures

The medical community in Japan is moving toward a consensus that holding next year's Tokyo Olympics may hinge on finding a coronavirus vaccine.
Japan Medical Association president Yoshitake Yokokura said in a video media conference on Tuesday that the Olympics were possible only if the infections were under control, not only in Japan, but globally.
"In my view, it would be difficult to hold the Olympics unless effective vaccines are developed," Yokokura said.
He did not say whether he opposes the Olympics without vaccines.  Japan has reported 13,576 COVID-19 cases, and 712 others from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier this year. '
On Tuesday, the health ministry reported 389 total deaths from the virus.
Japan and the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo Games until July 23, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Japan is under a month-long state of emergency amid a rapid increase of infections across the country.
A Japanese professor of ...

Japan Medical Assn: Tokyo Olympics difficult without vaccine

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Tuesday suspended the US Open World Tour Super 300 tournament to be held in June due to the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic which has infected over 3 million people globally.
"The Badminton World Federation (BWF) can confirm the suspension of the YONEX US Open 2020 set to be held 23-28 June in Fullerton, California," the BWF said in a release.
"This decision was made in close consultation and consensus with USA Badminton.
"BWF accepts that all relevant health, safety and logistical risks have been considered by the tournament organisers."
Indian men's singles shuttler H S Prannoy had won the US Open in 2017, beating compatriot Parupalli Kashyap in the final.
Earlier this month, the BWF had announced the suspension of a number of HSBC BWF World Tour, BWF Tour and other BWF-sanctioned tournaments which are scheduled to take place in May, June and July.
Tournaments affected include three HSBC BWF World Tour events headlined by the BLIBLI Indonesia 

BWF suspends US Open due to COVID-19 pandemic

Critics' concerns about the National Rugby League's push to restart during the coronavirus pandemic have been compounded by sanctions against four players who flouted social distancing restrictions.
The NRL has yet to receive formal consent of governments to resume in Australia on May 28 after it was suspended last month following the second round.
The late-May restart means clubs would return to practices next week, while social distancing laws remain in place for the public.
Those opposed to the NRL's plans say they pose health concerns, particularly if the players who are supposed to be socially isolating to prepare for a COVID-19-free environment can't abide by existing rules.
Three high-profile players  South Sydney's Latrell Mitchell, Melbourne Storm's Josh Addo-Carr and Penrith Panthers' Nathan Cleary  were fined and given suspended one-match bans on Tuesday, shortly before plans for a 20-round competition with an Oct. 25 grand final were confirmed by the league.
Addo-Carr and .

Four NRL players fined for flouting social distancing rules

Liverpool's former Republic of Ireland striker Michael Robinson, who became a well-known commentator in Spain, has died aged 61, his family announced on Tuesday.
Robinson, who settled in Spain after his retirement and had an extensive media career, succumbed to cancer first diagnosed in 2018. He passed away at his home in Marbella.
"With tremendous sadness we inform you of Michael's death," his family announced on Twitter.
"It leaves us with a great emptiness, but also countless memories, full of the same love that you have shown him.
"We will be eternally grateful to you for making this man SO HAPPY, he never walked alone. Thank you."
After spells with Preston North End and Manchester City Robinson featured in the 1983 FA Cup final for Brighton, before moving to Anfield.
He was part of the Liverpool squad that captured the league, League Cup and European Cup treble in 1984.
"We're deeply saddened by the passing of former player Michael Robinson, aged 61," Liverpool tweeted.
"The ...

Former Liverpool striker Michael Robinson dies at 61

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is ready to host the USD 400,000 India Open, an Olympic qualifier, in December this year or January next year, provided the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and the government gives its approval.
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) had last week sent a letter to BAI, asking it for a slot to conduct the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament, which was suspended last month along with the other Tokyo Games qualifiers due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In reply, BAI has given BWF two slots, saying it is ready to host the event either in December or January, pending government approval, said Ajay K Singhania, General Secretary, BAI.
"...we told them we are ready to conduct the India Open in December or January but it all depends on how this global health crisis comes under control and if we get the government approval," Singhania told PTI.
"We received the mail (from BWF) last week, asking us if we can host the event in September but gauging the ...

BAI ready to host India Open in December-January

The online international shooting championship has been able to "awaken the competitive spirit" in top shooters and put them under some pressure too, the kind that normally accompanies a tournament at a range outside, says the brain behind the initiative.
Former India shooter Shimon Sharif has successfully organised the second edition of the virtual tournament last Saturday and he is optimistic of this becoming a regular affair at a time when the world is under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In fact, he feels similar tournaments can be organised even when normalcy returns, athletes venture out and sporting events resume outdoor.
"After the tournament the participating shooters Divyansh Singh Panwar, Manu Bhaker (she had competed in the first edition as well) and Sanjeev Rajput told me that they felt the same kind of pressure and that is very important," Sharif told PTI.
Olympic and World Cup medallist Gagan Narang endorsed the event, saying it is great that the momentum is ...

'Shooters felt competitive spirit as well as pressure in online championship'

Australia batsman Chris Lynn feels that the T20 World Cup should not go ahead as planned this year in the country as it would be a logistical nightmare to arrange for the visiting teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to 'Fox Sports', the 30-year-old said that administrators would do well to accept the enormity of the crisis, which has claimed over 2 lakh lives the world over.
"My personal opinion is no," Lynn said.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in October-November and there is intense speculation about the fate of the event given the current circumstances.
"Obviously we're praying for it to go ahead but we've just got to play what's in front of us," he reasoned.
Lynn then went on to list the many challenges that the organisers will be confronted with should they decide to move ahead.
"Having teams come from all over the world is going to be a logistical nightmare.
"Hotels, travel, keeping the teams in the hotels for a number of weeks before the tournament is going to 

Australia batsman Lynn says T20 WC shouldn't go ahead, calls it logistical nightmare

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja on Tuesday said  criminalising match-fixing can be a "useful deterrent" to fight the menace which, according to him, needs a concerted effort like the one currently on to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Batsman Umar Akmal was handed a three-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday after he failed to report corrupt approaches, prompting Raja and Zimbabwean cricketer-turned-commentator Mpumelelo Mbangwa to have a discussion on match-fixing on social media.
"This war seems to be being won by the bad guys, Rambo? He's (Akmal) quite high profile, isn't he? Do you think jail time would win the war?" Mbangwa tweeted.
In reply, Raja said all stakeholders of the game must come together to eradicate match fixing.
"Jail time could be a useful deterrent Pommie, possibly the last resort!! It's like fighting covid 19, all will have to pitch in to save the cricket world: Fans, Boards, stake holders,law enforcement agencies, You & I," Raja ...

Raja suggests jail time for match-fixing, compares it to COVID-19

Broadcasters in 10 foreign territories have bought rights to air the upcoming South Korean football season, the K-League said, with major sports on hold around the world over the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China, prompting professional sports to suspend or delay their seasons.
But the country appears to have brought its outbreak under control thanks to an extensive "trace, test and treat" programme, and its football season will start on May 8, shortly after baseball resumes on May 5, both behind closed doors.
It will be an oasis of live action in a world where sports fans have been starved of such content by the virus, with broadcasters resorting to repeats of matches from past years, while leagues face the prospect of paying rights-holders multi-million-dollar refunds.
As a result there is new-found interest among broadcasters who would not normally screen the likes of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors or Pohang ...

South Korean football snapped up by sport-deprived foreign broadcasters

World champion Lewis Hamilton said Formula One's coronavirus suspension had left a "big void" in his life as the sport waits to see if it can return in July.
Hamilton, who began go-karting as a child and has risen through the ranks of motorsport, said he misses racing daily after the F1 season failed to get underway.
"I miss racing every day. This is the first time since I was eight that I haven't started a season," the British Mercedes driver posted on Instagram.
"When you live and breathe something you love, when it's gone there's definitely a big void. But there's always positives to take from these times."
The first practice session of the year was just hours away when the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was scrapped in March, triggering a succession of cancellations.
F1 bosses are now hoping to start the delayed season at the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5, while fans will be barred from the British Grand Prix on July 19.
However, Hamilton said the virus shutdown -- which has 

'I miss racing every day', says F1's Hamilton

The postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be cancelled if the coronavirus pandemic isn't brought under control by next year, the organising committee's president said in comments published Tuesday.
The pandemic has already forced a year-long delay of the Games, which are now scheduled to open on July 23, 2021, but Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said no further postponement was possible.
In an interview with Japan's Nikkan Sports daily, Mori was categorical when asked if the Olympics could be delayed until 2022 if the pandemic remains a threat next year, replying: "No." "In that case, it's cancelled," Mori said.
Mori said the Games had been cancelled previously only during wartime and compared the battle against coronavirus to "fighting an invisible enemy".
If the virus is successfully contained, "we'll hold the Olympics in peace next summer", he added. "Mankind is betting on it." Under heavy pressure from athletes and sports associations, Japanese organisers and the International ...

Next year's Olympics will be cancelled if pandemic not over: Games chief

Former New Zealand wicket keeper-turned-commentator Ian Smith was on Tuesday honoured with the Bert Sutcliffe Medal for outstanding service to cricket in the NZC Awards presented online for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Zealand women's cricket team captain Sophie Devine and Devon Conway won the Dream11 Super Smash Player of the Year titles (women and men respectively) on the opening day of the Awards.
NZC will present the remainder of its awards over the next three days, culminating in the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for the player of the year on Friday.
The First Class and domestic batting and bowling trophies and the overall Domestic Player of the Year awards will be presented on Wednesday.
The 63-year-old Smith, who played 63 Tests and 98 ODIs between 1980 and 1992, was presented (virtually) the award by NZC Chairman Greg Barclay.
"... it's perhaps behind the microphone that he has made his greatest impact  calling in many of New Zealand's greatest cricket moments ..

Former wicketkeeper Ian Smith honoured for service to game in NZC Awards held online

IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore's Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson returned to New Zealand on Tuesday after being stranded in India for over a month amid the nationwide lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ex-New Zealand player and coach had arrived in India on March 5 for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League but was stuck in the country after the lockdown was imposed and all flights were suspended.
"What a wonderful sight after spending over a day on a bus to get to Mumbai airport. The staff on @FlyAirNZ  were simply outstanding on our return to New Zealand," Hesson tweeted.
He also thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the New Zealand Embassy in India, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
"Special thanks to Down pointing backhand index @NZinIndia @MFATNZ @narendramodi @jacindaardern #repatriationflight #india #NZ" he added.
To stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, India and New .

Mike Hesson flies back home to New Zealand after being stranded in India

Former Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal is still not over the disappointment of missing Sachin Tendulkar's wicket in the lost 2011 World Cup semifinal against India and is now deriving solace from English umpire Ian Gould's recent assertion that the iconic batsman was indeed out.
Tendulkar, who made crucial 85 runs in the semifinal at Mohali, was on 23 when Gould ruled him out LBW off Ajmal. But third umpire Billy Bowden, after a review, overturned the decision.
Gould, who served on the ICC's elite panel of umpires, recently said that he would stands by his decision of giving Tendulkar out.
Recalling the incident, Ajmal, now 42, said, "It was straight in front and I was 100 percent sure he was out. Shahid Afridi, Kamran, Wahab and other players asked me was he (Tendulkar) out and I told them he is gone."
He said he was heart-broken after the third umpire ruled Tendulkar not out.
"I never got a chance to bowl to him in a Test so whenever I played against him in white ball cricket I ...

Ajmal still believes he got Tendulkar out in 2011 WC semifinal

The head of Japan's medical association thinks it will be difficult to hold the Olympics without an effective coronavirus vaccine.
I hope vaccines and drugs will be developed as soon as possible, Japan Medical Association President Yoshitake Yokokura said Tuesday.
Japan and the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games until July next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Japan is under a monthlong state of emergency amid a rapid increase of infections throughout the country, where hospitals are overburdened.
Yokokura did not say whether he opposes the Olympics without a vaccine.
The key is a situation with the infections at that point. If the infections are under control only in Japan, it will still be difficult to hold the games unless the pandemic is over in the rest of the world, he said.
Experts have said it could take 12-18 months or longer to develop a vaccine that is safe and effective for clinical use.
Japan has 13,576 reported virus ...

Tokyo Olympics unrealistic without a vaccine?

Liverpool have halted their planned redevelopment of a stand at Anfield for a year in response to the coronavirus crisis.
The Premier League leaders said Monday the pandemic had seen them call a halt to work on the Anfield Road stand that will increase the capacity of the ground to 61,000.
Liverpool had hoped to have the work finished in 2022 but the project won't now be completed until 2023 at the earliest.
"We have experienced a number of delays to the planned project as a direct result of the COVID-19 lockdown," Liverpool chief operating officer Andy Hughes told the club's website.
"Given the challenges that many sectors are facing right now, including the construction, procurement and public sectors, we are taking a responsible approach to pause the project for at least 12 months.
"The complex build programme for Anfield Road is an 18-month process and needs two clear summer closed season windows in order for it to be successful.
"This is why we are pausing on the project for at ..

Virus halts Anfield redevelopment

The NBA informed clubs that it plans to allow individual workouts by players at team facilities no sooner than May 8 in areas where allowed by government regulations.
The league shut down its 2019-20 season on March 12 after Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus and this marks the first small step toward resuming the campaign, although no timetable for that has been announced.
The move comes as several state and local governments have started easing stay-at-home orders on non-essential business activity.
Georgia and Oklahoma were among the first states with NBA teams to relax quarantine regulations, opening the door to possible workouts at club gyms and courts, with more states set to follow suit in the coming days.
"The purpose of these changes is to allow for safe and controlled environments for players to train in states that allow them to do so, and to create a process for identifying safe training options for players located in other states," the league said in a 

NBA set to allow individual workouts not before May 8

The Argentine football association will put an end to the 2019-20 season which has been interrupted since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, its president Claudio Tapia said.
"We are going to end the tournaments so we can designate the teams qualified for continental competitions next year," Tapia told a local news channel.
The Argentine FA also said there will be no relegation this season or next due to the disruption caused by the health crisis.
Gimnasia, the club coached by Diego Maradona, will remain in the top division as a result. Relegation is calculated by a complicated system of points taken over a three-year period.
Boca Juniors won the league championship with a 1-0 victory over Gimnasia on the final day at the start of March.
The Copa Superliga, a 24-team tournament scheduled to finish with a play-off at the end of May, has been scrapped after just one round of games.
Argentina has been in lockdown since March 20, with the quarantine restrictions in place until at .

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