Professional women's golf will resume in South Korea next month after a coronavirus hiatus, with a report Tuesday saying two of the world's top 10 would seize the chance to return to competition.
South Korea dominates the women's game globally, with its best players gravitating towards the lucrative US-based LPGA tour, where they occupy three of the top six ranking spots and eight of the top 20.
But sport events around the world have been put on hold as the novel coronavirus has swept the globe with total cases nearing 2.5 million.
South Korea once had the largest confirmed cases outside China but appears to have brought the outbreak under control with a huge "trace, test and treat" strategy.
And government officials have said that outdoor sports events will now be allowed, with restrictions.
The Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Championship is scheduled to be played over four days from May 14 in Yangju, east of Seoul.
World number six Kim Sei-young and 10th-ranked ..

South Korea women's golf resumption draws world top-10 players: report

PTI Automatic

Family members of four of the eight passengers killed in a helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant and his daughter have joined the NBA star's widow in filing wrongful death lawsuits against the companies that owned and operated the aircraft.
The suits on behalf of three members of one family, and a woman who helped coach Bryant's 13-year-old daughter in basketball, were filed electronically Sunday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The pair of lawsuits comes about two months after Bryant's widow, Vanessa, the mother of Gianna, also sued Island Express Helicopters Inc., which operated the Sikorsky, and its owner, Island Express Holding Corp.
A person who answered the phone at Island Express Helicopters declined to comment and an email from The Associated Press requesting comment was not immediately returned.
Unlike Vanessa Bryant's lengthy lawsuit, the new identical 7-page cases do not name the dead pilot, Ara Zobayan, or his representative, as a defendant. All the suits allege that the two ...

Families sue helicopter company in deadly Kobe Bryant crash

Sri Lanka and Mumbai Indians pace spearhead Lasith Malinga was rated as greatest bowler in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL) by his contemporaries, who are also commentators.
Malinga was bestowed the honour by Star Sports, commentators includes Kevin Pietersen, Dean Jones, Mathew Hayden, Aakash Chopra, Graeme Smith, Simon Doull, Ian Bishop and Tom Moody.
The Sri Lankan veteran, part of an elite 10-bowler nominee list, pipped the likes of Dale Steyn, Ashish Nehra, Sunil Narine and Jasprit Bumrah for the award.
Former England captain Pietersen backed his decision to choose Malinga for the coveted award.
"I'm going with Lasith. You look at the numbers he has served up and the way he has consistently used that yorker, that makes everyone talk about it. Malinga is my guy.
"I would go with Narine, but he has bowled on wickets which helped turn. Also, he has been questioned on a few occasions for this suspect bowling action, so I am afraid to say that I am going with Malinga," he ...

Former stars name Malinga as greatest bowler of IPL

The All India Chess Federation's (AICF) Special/Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM), called by 12 state associations on April 22, will be held as scheduled with the help of digital media.
"The Special/Extraordinary General body meeting will be held as scheduled. Nineteen state associations have sent the names of persons who will be attending the general body meeting," Chandigarh Chess Association secretary Vipnesh Bhardwaj told PTI on Monday.
According to Bhardwaj , the members can attend the meeting through audio/video conference or even by email, given the restrictions on movement of people due to the coronavirus lockdown.
He said so far 19 associations had sent names of those who would attend the meeting, adding president P R Venketrama Raja too had been invited.
Twelve state chess associations had called the extraordinary general body meeting soon after AICF president dismissed secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan from the post, which the latter objected to.
Raja had also appointed ...

AICF to hold April 22 EGM via digital media

- Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon believes a return of football even behind closed doors risks boosting the spread of coronavirus as fans could congregate to watch games.
Matches across Britain have been suspended indefinitely because of the virus.  Strict measures regarding social distancing and mass gatherings mean it will likely be months before sports venues can reopen to full capacity.
It has been hoped that matches can resume behind closed doors before then to fulfil broadcasting contracts and keep clubs afloat.  But Sturgeon is wary of crowds gathering to watch games together or close to stadiums where matches are being played.
"We have to consider if that completely takes away the risk," said the Scottish National Party leader. "If a match is still on TV, the danger is people will congregate together to watch.
"What I will say is they will be very carefully considered and we'll share as much of that as we can." Scotland's lower-league seasons have already been ...

Scottish First Minister wary of football behind closed doors

Lewis Hamilton has hailed Mercedes as his "dream team" as the world champion made it clear he has no plans to leave when his contract expires after the 2020 season.
The British driver was linked with a move to Ferrari after the six-time world title winner revealed in January he had yet to open talks over a new deal with Mercedes.
Ferrari chief executive officer Louis Carey Camilleri said in December that he was "flattered" that Hamilton had agreed to discuss his future in conversations with the team's chairman John Elkann.
But the 35-year-old appeared to end talk of a switch on Monday when he said his future remains with British-based Mercedes.
"There is no dream of another team. I am with my dream team," Hamilton said on Instagram.
"There's not a thing in my way, as I'm not trying to move. I'm with the people who have cared from day one."
Hamilton, who added that Mercedes were "the best team", will have been aware that any opportunity to join Ferrari would be quashed if reports that .

Hamilton ready to stick with Mercedes 'dream team'

Football fans in Denmark are banned from attending matches due to restrictions over the new coronavirus, but top division club Midtjylland has come up with a solution inspired by classic drive-in theatres.
Sporting and cultural events are one of the pleasures that Danes, like many Europeans, have had to give up as restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 have been introduced.
The Danish league is currently suspended until further notice but Midtjylland has already invited fans to enjoy matches, once they resume, from the parking lot outside the stadium.
Sitting in parked cars, fans will be able to follow the action inside on giant screens, while adhering to social distancing restrictions.
"At first, we'll have a capacity of 2,000 cars with up to five fans in each," Mads Hviid Jakobsen, spokesman for the 2018 Danish league champions, told AFP.
The announcement has already been praised by fans.
"I'm proud of my club," said one Facebook user, while another was delighted that .

Danish football club offers drive-in viewing for match

West Indies and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo said that former BCCI president N Srinivasan's franchise makes every player feel like being a part of an "extended family".
"It's a very unique team, a special team. From the first day that I joined the team I could sense the family atmosphere. Every player who joins the team feels the same way - that it's not just a team but being welcomed by extended family," Bravo told CSK's website.
"Over the years, when you look at cricketers who joined CSK, they only got better...it's a very special franchise," he said.
He said that CSK brings the best out of him and the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is largely responsible for that.
"CSK brings the best out of me. I'm trusted by my captain MS (Dhoni) and coach (Stephen) Fleming, and they allow me to be myself," the former West Indies captain was quoted as saying.
"We all enjoy each other's success. If my team is winning, that's more important to me than my personal performances," he ...

CSK makes you feel that you are part of an extended family: Bravo

Lothar Matthaeus says he is puzzled by reports of stalled contract extension talks between Germany captain Manuel Neuer and Bayern Munich.
"It seems out of place for me that Manuel Neuer is not appreciated at FC Bayern," former Germany and Bayern captain Matthaeus told Sky Sport News.
The 59-year-old former midfielder advised his old club to "sit down at the same table" for clear-the-air talks with the disgruntled Neuer.
"It's a matter of 10 minutes. I don't understand it," said Matthaeus.
Neuer's current deal expires in 2021 and if the talks fail, the Germany captain could attract strong interest from Premier League clubs.
Neuer, 34, gave an explosive interview to Bild at the weekend admitting he was "irritated" about the leaked details of the extension talks.
"Details about the current talks are constantly appearing in the media," fumed Neuer.
"That irritates me. It's not something I am used to at Bayern." Since joining from Schalke in 2011, Neuer has made 373 appearances and kept ..

Neuer's stalled contract talks at Bayern Munich baffle Matthaeus

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has decided to conduct an advanced online education programme for the IAAF-certified Level 2 coaches in the country to utilise the free time amid the nation-wide COIVID-19 lockdown.
As many as 93 out of the 130 Level 2 coaches have registered for the interactive programme which will offer a mix of general sport and scientific knowledge as well as event-specific aspects of coaching.
"The nation-wide lockdown to avert the spread of COVID-19 has left these coaches free and we wanted to not only keep them engaged but also share new developments in coaching," AFI president, Adille Sumariwalla said.
"We believe that this lot of mostly young coaches will help India improve its standing in the world of track and field sport," he added.
Two-time Asian Games medal winning heptathlete Soma Biswas, middle and long-distance runner Surender Singh, javelin thrower Kashinath Naik, high jumper Nallusami Annavi and triple jumper Mohammed Nizamuddin are among the .

AFI to start online programme for top-notch Level 2 coaches

The Spanish government says it has reached a deal with the country's soccer league and federation for teams to return to practice.
The government has not provided a timetable or given any other detail about when practice would resume. It says it will depend on the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic and on decisions by health authorities.
The government says strict protocols will have to be followed when teams begin training again. The Spanish league and the federation have created health protocols for the return to training.
The league says the competition is not expected to resume until the end of May at the earliest and games will be in empty stadiums at first.
Government officials and the presidents of the league and the federation met for nearly eight hours this weekend.

Spain reaches deal to return to soccer practice

- Snooker referee Olivier Marteel has swapped the green baize for a frontline role in the fight against coronavirus in his native Belgium.
Marteel, who refereed the World Championship final in 2015, would have been at the Crucible in Sheffield to officiate in this year's tournament had it not been postponed but instead he is working as a nurse in Veurne.
The 50-year-old normally works in the radiology department but was asked to work in his hospital's emergency department during the COVID-19 crisis.
His job is to triage patients, assessing them to decide whether they need to be tested for the disease or to see a doctor.
Marteel said the volume of patients and a lack of personal protective equipment meant he had to be creative in an attempt to keep himself safe.
"I have never worked in an A&E (accident and emergency) situation like this before," he said on World Snooker's official website.
"When I was asked to take on this role, I didn't even have one second of doubt. Ever since I ...

Snooker ref on virus frontline in Belgium

Former Pakistan head coach, Mickey Arthur says leaving out pacer Muhammad Aamir from T20 World Cup squad would be detrimental to team's title chances.
Aamir had quit Test cricket last year, a decision which did not go down well with the team management.
It led to speculations that the pacer may be ignored when the squad is picked for the World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia later this year.
"I wouldn't imagine Pakistan going to the World T20 without Aamir. He is a match-winner. If you leave him out of the fray you potentially are sacrificing chances of winning the tournament," Arthur said in an interview on a YouTube cricket channel.
He also didn't agree that Aamir and Wahab Riaz had let down the team by retiring from red ball cricket in haste.
"Aamir spoke to me about it and he kept me in the loop on his decision. We discussed it many times. But maybe I was too hard on him playing him in every Test I could. I could see he was losing his hunger for test cricket and his body ...

Can't imagine Pakistan going into T20 World Cup without Aamir: Arthur

German FA chief Fritz Keller has insisted the Bundesliga could only resume next month behind closed doors, while supporters have questioned the morality of football returning at all during the coronavirus pandemic.
The German Football League (DFL) hopes to get the go-ahead from Angela Merkel's government for the top two tiers to resume next month -- possibly on May 9 or 16.
There are hopes a decision will be made Thursday after the 36 clubs in the first and second divisions meet via video call.
German football was halted on March 13 to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus in Germany, which currently has 141,672 confirmed cases and 4,404 deaths as a result of the pandemic.
"This week, important decisions will be made on how to proceed," Keller told Kicker.
With large public events banned in Germany until August 31, the only viable option for league action to resume next month would be in empty grounds -- dubbed 'ghost games' in German.
"We are very much aware that football without 

'Ghost games' only option for Bundesliga return: German FA chief

Increasing numbers of professional footballers are struggling with anxiety and depression having been forced out of action with the sport suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by global players' union FIFPro released on Monday.
FIFPro surveyed 1,602 players across 16 countries, including England, Scotland, France, Australia and the United States, with 468 female players featured in the study.
It found that 13 percent of male players surveyed, and 22 percent of female players, reported symptoms of depression. Close to one in five of both male and female players reported symptoms of anxiety.
"In football, suddenly young men and women athletes are having to cope with social isolation, a suspension of their working lives and doubts about their future," said Vincent Gouttebarge, a French former player who is FIFPro's chief medical officer.
While many countries have gone into strict lockdowns in attempts to slow the spread of Covid-19, Gouttebarge pointed out that 

Report highlights growing concern of depression among footballers

Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini has revealed he would like wife Flavia Pennetta to follow in the footsteps of another former US Open champion, Kim Clijsters, and make a comeback to the sport after having a child.
Pennetta, 38, retired soon after winning the US Open in 2015, and the couple have two young children, three-year-old Federico, and a daughter Farah born last December.
"I'm trying to get Flavia back in 2021, like Kim Clijsters," Fognini told Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
"I spoke to (Francesca) Schiavone and (Corrado) Barazzutti, they train her and I manage them, I already have the tournament programme ready." Pennetta won 28 WTA titles during her career, reaching a career-high number six ranking in singles and number one in doubles.
The couple returned to their home at Arma di Taggia, south of Genoa after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
And the 11th-ranked Fognini, who won the Monte Carlo Masters last year, said he could not see the 2020 tennis season ...

Fognini wants wife Pennetta to make comeback like Clijsters

Not in a position to feed people during the Shraddh ceremony of his late father scheduled for April 25 because of the nationwide lockdown, Agartala-based Mohun Bagan fan Debu Dutta has donated the amount kept aside for the purpose to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tragedy struck the 50-year-old science teacher of a Higher Secondary School, a die-hard Mohun Bagan fan since his college days, when his businessman father, Swaraj Kanti Dutta died at the Agartala Government Medical College Hospital on April 13 after battling a fortnight with hypoglycemia.
"The Shraddh function is due on April 25 but owing to the ongoing situation it will not be possible to feed people during the ceremony. So I decided to donate the amount I had kept aside for this to the State Relief Fund," Dutta told PTI from Agartala.
"At least it will be of some help during this crisis and my father's soul will rest in peace. My father was a known businessman in our locality. He always helped the poor and I felt it 

Bereaved Bagan fan donates Sharddh money to COVID-19 relief fund

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said Monday that leagues across Europe were ready to return to action behind closed doors in a bid to limit the damage caused by coronavirus.
Football leagues have been suspended since mid-March due to the pandemic which has claimed more than 100,000 lives throughout the continent.
But the head of European football believes that playing would be an important step towards a return to normal life and avoid heavy financial losses for leagues.
"I believe there are options that can allow us to restart cup championships and to complete them," Ceferin said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
"We may have to resume without spectators, but the most important thing, I think, is playing games.
"It is early to say that we cannot complete the season. The impact would be terrible for clubs and leagues. Better to play behind closed doors than not at all.
"In such hard times it would bring happiness to people and a certain sense of normality even .

UEFA president Ceferin said leagues ready to play behind closed doors

The ICC's Chief Executives Committee (CEC) will discuss the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic over a conference call on Thursday in which the World Test Championship and the ODI league schedule will also come up for deliberation.
The ODI league was to start in June but the first series under the it -- South Africa's away three-match rubber against Sri Lanka in the first week of June -- was cancelled on Monday due to the pandemic.
It is clear that no concrete decision can be taken unless the ICC is able to figure out how many events they are going to lose due to the global lockdown which has brought the world to a standstill.
"We are almost at the halfway point of the World Test Championship, and the Super League is yet to commence so we will consider a range of options for each with our Members. But it's still some way to go before," a senior ICC Board member told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The senior official, who has attended a number of ICC board meetings, made ..

ICC CEC Meet on Thursday: WTC schedule, ODI league to be discussed

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Monday launched an online coach development programme, under the leadership of chief national coach Pullela Gopichand.
The online programme will be held five-days a week for three weeks and the entire course has been divided into 39 topics, giving an enriching opportunity for coaches at various levels to interact and learn from elite level coaches.
The first session, which was conducted by Gopichand and foreign coaches -- Agus Dwi Santoso and Namrih Suroto, saw an overwhelming response from over 800 participants from all over the country.
"This is a great platform where the experience of our foreign coaches will help to sharpen the skills of coaches at all levels throughout the country. This kind of wonderful insights into coaching and basic perspectives is something nobody thought was possible in lockdown," Gopichand said.
The online programme focussed on badminton discipline and the 

BAI hold first-ever online coach development programme

Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh's daughter and ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh's elder sister has been running a "marathon" in New York -- not on a track but at a hospital, battling the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world.
Mona Milkha Singh is a doctor at the Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York, attending to emergency patients of coronavirus, which has so far claimed more than 40,000 lives in the US alone while causing over 1.5 lakh deaths worldwide.
"She is basically an ER (Emergency Room) doctor in Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York city. So, when someone comes with the coronavirus symptoms, she has to treat them," Jeev, a four-time European Tour champion, told PTI.
"She checks the patients, stabilises them, performs intubation (insertion of artificial ventilation tube into a patient) before they are sent to special wards to quarantine the COVID-19 patients," he added.
The 54-year-old Mona passed out of Patiala Medical College before moving to the USA in the '90s. ..

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