Novak Djokovic has reiterated he is against taking an anti-coronavirus vaccination if it becomes mandatory to travel once the pandemic subsides, but says he's open to changing his mind.
The top-ranked Djokovic said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, ''Personally I am opposed to the vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be
able to travel.
But if it becomes compulsory, I will have to make a decision whether to do it or not. This is my current feeling, and I don't know if it will change, but it really influences my profession.
A vaccine hasn't been made yet, but some such as Amelie Mauresmo have said the world tennis tours shouldn't restart until there is one.
Djokovic caused a stir in a live Facebook chat with fellow Serb players on Sunday when he said that if a vaccination was compulsory when the tours resume then he wouldn't want to be forced by someone to take it.
In his statement on Tuesday, Djokovic said many tennis players and other athletes have asked ..

Djokovic says he may reconsider his anti-vaccination stand

PTI Automatic

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has made a move that allows teams to lay off or cut the pay of major and minor league managers, coaches, trainers and full-time scouts starting May 1.
Manfred has suspended uniform employee contracts that cover about 9,000 people, including general managers on some teams. Manfred cited the inability to play games due to the national emergency caused by the new coronavirus pandemic.
"Our clubs rely heavily on revenue from tickets/concessions, broadcasting/media, licensing and sponsorships to pay salaries," Manfred wrote in an email Monday, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
"In the absence of games, these revenue streams will be lost or substantially reduced, and clubs will not have sufficient funds to meet their financial obligations."
"The impact of the suspension of the UEC on your personal employment situation will be determined by your club," Manfred said.
Manfred's intention to suspend the contracts was first reported by The ...

MLB can cut pay, lay off managers, coaches starting May 1

Bakary Meite's story of volunteering at a Paris hospital during the coronavirus pandemic has been seen, heard and read across the world, but the Ivory Coast back-rower remains humble about his efforts.
Meite, 36, has been helping out cleaning wards in the west of the city where he was born since late-March and has been interviewed by the BBC, numerous national radio and television stations as well as newspapers.
More than 20,000 people have died from COVID-19 in France and over 30,000 are in hospital across the country as of Monday with the capital's larger region the worst hit.
"My acts have been brought to the fore in the media but it's the personnel involved every day in the hospitals that you have to praise," he told AFP.
"It's the carers, the nurses, the cleaners... those with which I work now and who will still be there when I've stopped," he added.
After returning from holiday in Brazil the Parisian who plays for second-tier side Carcassonne and qualifies for the Ivory Coast ...

Back-rower to hospital cleaner - Meite joins France's fight against coronavirus

Talented Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies says it is a "dream come true" to extend his Bayern Munich contract until 2025, joining Thomas Mueller and coach Hansi Flick who have also prolonged their involvement with the German champions.
Davies is the latest Bayern star offered an extension after Mueller and Flick both recently signed new contracts until 2023.
Davies, 19, was originally signed until June 2023, but the versatile teenager has impressed this season, both on the left wing and at left back.
"I'm very happy. Bayern Munich is one of the best clubs in the world, and for me it's a dream come true to play here," Davies said in a statement.
"I want to win as many titles as possible with this club.
"The mentality of always wanting to win everything is in FC Bayern's DNA."
Davies was born in a refugee camp in Ghana in 2000, his parents fled the civil war in Liberia and the family moved to Canada when Davies was five years old.
He joined the German giants from Vancouver Whitecaps in 

Teenager Davies extends Bayern Munich deal

Former UK Athletics performance director Neil Black, who defended Mo Farah's involvement with now-banned coach Alberto Salazar, has died at the age of 60, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Black left his role last year after US authorities handed down a four-year doping ban to Salazar, who ran the Nike-backed Oregon Project training group in Portland.
Salazar worked closely with British distance runner Farah, who won four Olympic gold medals on the track, two at London 2012 and two more at Rio four years later.
A British Athletics statement read: "British Athletics is shocked and saddened to confirm the loss of our friend and former colleague Neil Black, who passed away suddenly at the weekend.
"Neil loved the sport of athletics and dedicated his life to supporting athletes -- as a world-class physiotherapist, as head of sport science, and then in recent years as performance director for British Athletics."
Black was in charge when UK Athletics appointed Salazar, whom he once ..

Former UK Athletics chief Neil Black dies aged 60

Former India batsman and Zimbabwe coach Lalchand Rajput has created a training module encompassing both the physical and mental aspects, and is monitoring his players' progress through the use of technology.
Like in India, the lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended in Zimbabwe, too.
"We have given a training programme to the players. The activities we have included are the ones which can be done at home like skipping, side to side running and thera bands. We have also included stretching and Yoga  activities," Rajput told PTI.
According to Rajput, he shared the training-cum-fitness programme with the team's trainer and Zimbabwe cricket director of coaching, who shared it with the players.
"Skipper Sean Williams messages me sometimes about what he does, also one-two others are also in touch with me. Not all players are from Harare (a prominent city)," he added.
Citing an example, he said he has asked the batsmen to follow a simple drill - put a ball inside a sock ..

Rajput creates training module for Zimbabwe players, monitoring on weekly basis

Young golfer Arjun Bhati continued to contribute in India's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, managing to raise Rs 3.3 lakh this time by selling his torn shoes which he wore during his triumphant campaign at the 2018 Junior World Championship.
The 15-year-old from Greater Noida, who had earlier donated Rs 4.30 lakh by selling all his 102 trophies, has donated the money to PM-CARES Fund.
"The torn shoes with which I had won the trophy in the US at Jr GOLF WORLD CH.SHIP-2018- were taken by Uncle Vanish Pradhan ji for Rs 3,30,000, and I have donated the money to PMCARES.
"Whether we live or not, my country should stay, everyone has to be saved from Corona," Arjun tweeted in Hindi.
Arjun had earlier sold all his trophies, including three world junior golf championship titles and a national championship, to his relatives and friends of his parents to raise funds.
Many former and current star cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sunil Gavaskar, Suresh Raina to Olympic ...

Teen golfer Arjun now sells his torn shoes, raises Rs 3.3 lakh for fight against COVID-19

An open conflict broke out Tuesday between Tokyo Olympic organizers and the IOC over who will pay for the unprecedented year-long postponement.
Tokyo spokesman Masa Takaya said the organizing committee has asked the Switzerland-based International Olympic Committee to remove a comment from its website suggesting that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had agreed that Japan would shoulder most of the postponement costs.
Media reports in Japan estimate the year-long delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic will cost $2 billion to $6 billion. Neither side has given an official estimate, but Tokyo CEO Toshiro Muto has called the postponement costs massive.
It's not appropriate for the prime minister's name to be quoted in this manner," Takaya said on a 90-minute teleconference.
Almost all of the questions, mostly from Japanese reporters, centered on the IOC's statement and the costs for Japan.
The IOC statement, on a page titled Frequently Asked Questions about Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, said Abe ..

Tokyo Olympics, IOC conflict over who pays for postponement

American football superstar Tom Brady was found exercising in a Florida city park closed due to the coronavirus and kicked out, the local mayor said.
Brady, 42, moved to Tampa recently after signing a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, closing a successful two-decade stint with the New England Patriots.
During a daily update Monday on the virus, Tampa mayor Jane Castor said a warden spotted someone exercising alone in one of the city's parks, which are closed to prevent help curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
"She went over to tell him that it was closed and it was Tom Brady," she said.
"Sorry @TomBrady! Our @tampaparksrec team can't wait to welcome you and our entire community back with even bigger smiles -- until then, stay safe and stay home as much as you can to help flatten the curve" the city said on its Twitter account.
Brady, married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, announced on March 20 that he was leaving the Patriots after winning a record six titles and .

NFL superstar Brady kicked out of park closed due to virus

Sunil Gavaskar says India can swap the T20 World Cup with Australia and host it this year instead of the scheduled 2021 edition, provided the COVID-19 curve flattens in the country.
Global sporting activities have come to a halt due the COVID-19 pandemic, jeopardising events like the 2020 T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia from October 18-November 15. India are supposed to host the next edition in 2021.
"As we all know, Australia has barred foreigners from entering the country till September 30. The tournament starts mid-October so it is looking difficult at the moment," Gavaskar told India Today.
"Next year the T20 World Cup is in India. If India and Australia come to an agreement and the COVID-19 curve in India flattens out, they can swap. It can be held in India this October-November and next year in Australia around the same time."
The IPL too has been indefinitely postponed but there is a possibility of it being held in September.
"If it (T20 WC swap) happens that way, IPL is .

Gavaskar proposes T20 World Cup swap between India and Australia

World Rugby has welcomed the decision of the Fiji Rugby Union to stand down chairman Francis Kean from the World Rugby Council after accusations of "rampant homophobia".
The move also means Kean, who was convicted of manslaughter in 2007, is no longer a candidate for the World Rugby Executive Committee.
A report in Britain's Sunday Times said Kean had been accused of "rampant homophobia", with the newspaper saying they had heard a recording of him making offensive remarks when he was in charge of the Fijian prison service.
The Fiji Rugby Union has seconded Bill Beaumont's bid to serve a second four-year term as World Rugby chairman, with the former England captain being opposed by Argentina great Agustin Pichot.
World Rugby on Monday launched an investigation into the allegations against Kean and on Tuesday acknowledged the steps taken by the FRU.
"World Rugby takes all allegations of behaviour that is not in keeping with the sport's strong and inclusive values and bye-laws extremely .

Fiji rugby boss steps down after homophobia accusations

Cricket Australia is considering the prospect of turning its four-match Test series against India later this year into a five-game contest as it continues looking for ways to compensate the financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and is scheduled to end with a four-match Tests series in December. In between there is the T20 World Cup, scheduled for an October 18 start, but the mega event's future is also shrouded in uncertainty due to the global health crisis.
"If you contemplate the prospect of the international season in particular being affected, we have an issue of hundreds of millions of dollars on our hands," Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press on Tuesday.
"So it's very important that ... we do everything possible to stage the season. Whether or not there's people at the venue or not ... we will explore all viable options." he added.
Adding a ...

Cricket Australia considering five-match Test series against India

Former England spinner Monty Panesar dismissed Sachin Tendulkar four times in 11 Tests but says the Indian legend was the best batsman he played against alongside Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
Virender Sehwag was the "most destructive" of that era, Rahul Dravid was "The Wall", but the ability to change gears made Tendulkar the best.
Panesar, who played 50 Tests, got the better of Tendulkar in his debut game in Nagpur in 2006 before dismissing him twice in the Mumbai Test of 2012 when England won a rare series in India.
"Sachin was just ruthless. Once he got in, he would look to score big. But like any other batsman, he was vulnerable. He was on a different wavelength once set," the British-Indian cricketer told PTI from the UK.
"It was just hard to get Sachin out. With him, you were always like which gear he is going to take but you had to be competitive. Having said that, I backed myself to get him out."
Panesar said Dravid and Sehwag were the other two Indians 

Panesar picks best batsmen of his playing days: Tendulkar, Sangakkara, Jayawardene

The families of four passengers who were killed in the helicopter crash with NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna have launched legal proceedings against the firms that owned and operated the chopper, media reports said.
The lawsuits were filed Sunday in the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of the families of basketball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and their 13-year-old daughter Alyssa -- who played basketball with Gianna -- and of assistant coach Christina Mauser, the TMZ website said.
The complaints accuse Island Express Helicopters and Island Express Holding Corp. of negligence.
Bryant's widow Vanessa filed a lawsuit nearly two months ago against the operators of the helicopter and the estate of the pilot, Ara Zobayan, who was among the nine killed when they crashed in rugged terrain west of Los Angeles on January 26.
Her complaint faults the company for allowing the helicopter to fly in "heavy fog and low clouds."
The helicopter was headed to ...

Families sue helicopter firm in Kobe Bryant crash

Asian Games gold-winning boxer Dingko Singh will be brought here on April 25 by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to resume his treatment for liver cancer after he was forced to miss a scheduled radiation therapy session due to the ongoing coronavirus-forced lockdown.
The 41-year-old, who is currently in Imphal, was due to undergo radiation therapy a fortnight back but could not come to Delhi because of the lockdown.
"He has been contacted and arrangements have been made for him to be brought here on an air ambulance to continue his radiation therapy," BFI Executive Director R K Sacheti told PTI.
Earlier, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju requested the Manipur government to take stock of the boxer's condition and extend all possible help for his treatment at the nearest available medical facility.
Dingko, an Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee, is battling a relapse of liver cancer. The Manipuri was a swashbuckling bantamweight boxer and won the Asian Games gold in the 1998 edition in ...

Ailing Dingko to be brought to Delhi by air ambulance for cancer treatment

After years battling his own demons, All Black legend John Kirwan is attempting to help fellow Kiwis struggling through COVID-19 lockdown by releasing a mobile phone app he calls "a mental wellbeing coach in your pocket".
The World Cup winning winger broke one of sport's great taboos after a stellar international career when he revealed his struggles with depression, helping explode the myth that on-field glory equates to happiness off the pitch.
"I had medical depression, I was on anti-depressants -- I wanted to jump out of a window one night," Kirwan told AFP in a telephone interview.
"I've got learned experience in this space." Such is Kirwan's passion for speaking out about mental health that when he was knighted in 2012 it was his pioneering advocacy, not his exploits in a black jersey, that earned him the award.
After writing two memoirs on the topic, Kirwan has in recent years devoted himself to a more hi-tech means of communication, a mobile phone app called Mentemia.
The app .

Rugby legend Kirwan tackles COVID-19 mental health

The Chinese Football Association has proposed clubs slash wages of players and coaches by at least 30 percent to cut costs because of the coronavirus, state media said Tuesday.
The People's Daily said that the CFA is now awaiting feedback from teams in the top-tier Chinese Super League (CSL) and the two divisions below.
The CSL season was supposed to begin on February 22 but was indefinitely postponed after coronavirus emerged in central China in December, before spreading worldwide.
"After the opinions are collected and revised, the Chinese Football Association will report to FIFA and other relevant departments," the state-run newspaper said.
"It is understood that the target of the Chinese Football Association (wages cuts)... does not include youth players and ordinary employees with relatively low salaries," People's Daily added.
The CSL has enticed foreign coaches and players in recent years with vast pay packets.
Shanghai SIPG's Brazilian attacking midfielder Oscar is one of the .

China FA proposes minimum 30 percent pay cut because of virus

Professional sport returned to South Korea on Tuesday as coronavirus restrictions ease, with the first pitch thrown in a baseball preseason derby in front of empty stands.
The Seoul-based Doosan Bears and LG Twins are Korea's biggest rivals in the country's most popular spectator sport and their shared stadium in the capital's Jamsil area would usually be packed.
But the stands were empty with fans barred as the Twins' Cha Woo-chan threw the first pitch.
Even the cheerleaders -- an essential element of firing up the atmosphere at what would normally be a fever-pitch encounter -- were also absent.
The stadium was silent except for the continuous clicking of camera shutters from around 50 members of the media and occasional shouts from the dug-outs.  Reporters were not allowed to approach the players.
South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the disease outside China, prompting professional sports including football and baseball to suspend or delay their seasons.
Sports ..

S. Korea baseball returns as virus curbs ease

Members of the Indian women's hockey team are utilising the forced break from the sport to introspect on their own game and identify the areas that require improvement, says midfielder Sushila Chanu.
The the 24-member core probables for the Olympic Games are currently stationed at the SAI Centre here where they continue to focus on individual fitness routine and workout in isolation.
"Though hockey training is suspended, we watch a lot of our previous match videos as well as opponent teams videos to analyse their game," said Chanu, who had led the side at the Rio Olympics.
"We use a software to do this and I feel this is the best time to introspect on our own game to understand which areas need improvement," she added.
Leaving behind the disappointment of the Tokyo Games being postponed, the players hope they can carry forward the momentum they have built in the past one year.
"I think the disappointment over Tokyo Olympics postponement is behind us.
"We collectively felt that this ...

Using time to introspect on our own game: women's hockey team midfielder Sushila Chanu

Delaying the Tour de France is good for four-time champion Chris Froome, his team manager Dave Brailsford said.
When the French extended their ban on large gatherings into July, the Tour's start was shifted from late June to late August. Doubt remains about whether it will start even then because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the new dates injected positive news through the sport.
Professional cycling has been shut down for more than a month, but Brailsford said Froome hasn't wasted time while in lockdown.
He is an amazing guy. If anybody has got the right mentality to be in this situation, it is Chris. He is very, very strong mentally, Brailsford said.
He is up in the mornings like a machine. In the gym, he is on his bike, he is training.
He is working so hard and, to work through this period, I don't think there is any doubt that he is going to benefit from this (lockdown) as much as anybody -- in terms of being able to put the work together and consistently build a very, very ...

Focused on Le Tour, Froome not wasting time in lockdown Fo

The All India Football Federation's executive panel on Tuesday ratified its league committee's recommendations to cancel the remaining 28 matches of the I-league in view of the coronavirus-forced lockdown and declare runaway leaders Mohun Bagan as champions.
The AIFF also said it is waiting to discuss with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) the feasibility of organising a shorter duration tournament next season with second division clubs for qualification to the Hero I-League 2020-21.
"The Executive Committee agreed with conclusions and recommendations of League Committee that this was a force majeure circumstance and the AIFF and all stakeholders must focus on a priority basis on safety and health aspects of players, officials and fans," the AIFF said in a release.
"In fact, there is still no certainty of when sporting activities including football can be resumed across the country."
The league committee had on Saturday placed its recommendations in front of the all-powerful ...

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