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FIFA wants uniform global use of VAR, says refs chief Collina
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – FIFA wants VAR video reviews to be applied in the same way across all competitions, as they take over direct responsibility for the system. Issues concerning VAR have been handled primarily...
“Fight Island” opens with three UFC titles up for grabs
(Reuters) – The UFC’s “Fight Island” venue comes into operation on Saturday as UFC 251 takes place in Abu Dhabi, with three title fights and a set of health and safety measures in place due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The card is the first of four to be held at a purpose-built facility which...
Our players are not assassins, Bologna’s Mihajlovic says
(Reuters) – Bologna are picking up so many yellow cards it is like they are fielding a team of “assassins”, the Serie A side’s coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has said. Mihajlovic was ordered from the touchline during his team’s 2-1 home defeat to Sassuolo in Serie A on Wednesday after he lost his temper with the...
Rugby inclusivity
The Fiji Rugby Union took a major step in achieving inclusivity with the pioneer women’s high performance induction workshop program at the Wesley City Mission Church hall in Suva yesterday. High performance general manager Simon Raiwalui highlighted the initiative as a beginning of a new era for women’s rugby in Fiji. “We wanted to bring...
Khan wary of Rodu’s influence
Suva Football head coach Babz Khan is keeping his cards close to his chest as they prepare for the resumption of the Vodafone Premier League. Suva is scheduled to play an unpredictable Rewa outfit which is under the guidance of former national football player and coach Marika Rodu. “Rewa is Rewa,” Khan said. “Rodu is...
Back sweat replaces saliva but England struggle v Windies
SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – England fast bowler Mark Wood said on Thursday that players were using ‘back sweat’ rather than saliva to try and shine the ball in the first test against West Indies at the Ageas Bowl. Strict health protocols are in place for the return of international cricket after a 117-day stoppage caused...
Tokyo 2020 organisers tipped to issue ticket refunds for delayed Games
TOKYO, 10 JULY 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – Tokyo 2020 has confirmed it will issue ticket refunds to people unable to attend the Olympics and Paralympics after the postponement to 2021, it has been reported. Around 4.48 million tickets for the Olympics have already been sold as well as 970,000 for the Paralympics, through the...
Revamp of Commonwealth Games athletics venue pushed back to April 2022
BIRMINGHAM, 10 JULY 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – The completion date for work to revamp the Alexander Stadium, which is due to host the athletics and Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has been pushed back to just three months before the event. Originally the revamp of the stadium, at a cost...
Ikuvalu scores five as Roosters rout Cowboys
SYDNEY, 10 JULY 2020 (NRL) – Matt Ikuvalu became the first Roosters player to score five tries in a match since 1955 after receiving a late call-up to replace Brett Morris in Thursday night’s 42-16 win over the Cowboys. Morris hurt his groin in the warm-up and Ikuvalu made the most of his first game...
‘Master-servant’: McLennan whacks New Zealand Super Rugby plan
SYDNEY,10 JULY 2020 (SMH) – Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan delivered a scathing assessment of New Zealand plans to limit Australia to two or three teams in a trans-Tasman competition, calling the dynamic between the nations “master-servant” as negotiations heat up over the future of Super Rugby. McLennan paid tribute to the longstanding ties between...
Blues avoid mind games with the Crusaders
Rugby fans won’t get to see the sight of Dan Carter playing against the Crusaders this weekend afterall. Carter who won three Super Rugby titles during his time with Christchurch based side hasn’t been named in the Blues squad for the top of the table Super Rugby Aotearoa clash on Saturday night. Carter signed with...
Whetukamokamo Douglas: The power in a name
Whetukamokamo Douglas is a Crusader and a Māori All Black, who’s taken his famous name from the East Coast to Italy to Christchurch. “I’m named after one of my great ancestors from back home (Ngati Porou, East Coast), and I’m very proud to carry the name.” Douglas, of Ngāti Porou and Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue,...
Rain ruins the return of cricket
After a 117-day absence, international cricket returned in familiar fashion as rain and bad light restricted the first Test between England and West Indies to 17.4 overs and the hosts closed a frustrating day on 35-1. After all the anticipation, day one of the first of three Tests turned out to be a damp squib....
Australia must tour England for ‘health’ of the game, Langer says
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia must tour England for the “health of world cricket” and let its top players compete in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) if it goes ahead, coach Justin Langer has said. Australia are slated to tour England for limited overs series in September despite the logistical challenges posed by the COVID-19...
Salah double keeps Liverpool on track for points record
BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) – Mohamed Salah scored twice as champions Liverpool moved on to 92 points with a 3-1 win at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Wednesday. The victory kept Liverpool on target to secure a record Premier League points tally, with Juergen Klopp’s side needing nine from their remaining four...
IOC headquarters receives US Green Building Council Leadership Award
LAUSANNE, 10 JULY 2020 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – Olympic House, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) headquarters, has received the European 2020 US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership Award. The award has been given to five organisations that are “a model for how Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) can be used to improve communities,...
9th July
Ryder Cup postponed due to coronavirus
(Reuters) – This year’s Ryder Cup, which was scheduled to be held in late September in Wisconsin, has been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organisers said on Wednesday. The hotly-contested biennial team competition between the United States and Europe, known for its raucous, partisan crowds, was originally scheduled for Sept. 25-27 at...
England 35-1 as weather spoils long-awaited test return
SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – After a 117-day absence, international cricket returned in familiar fashion on Wednesday as rain and bad light restricted the first test between England and West Indies to 17.4 overs and the hosts closed a frustrating day on 35-1. After all the anticipation, day one of the first of three tests turned...
Everton need home wins to reach Europe, says Ancelotti
(Reuters) – Everton must target maximum points from their three remaining home games this season to keep their European qualification hopes alive, manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday. Everton are 11th in the Premier League standings with 44 points and suffered their first loss since the restart to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. Ancelotti said the...
Belarus would consider Russian athletes who wish to switch allegiance
(Reuters) – Belarus would consider offers from Russian athletes who wish to switch allegiance and compete for the ex-Soviet republic instead, the head of the Belarusian athletics federation said on Wednesday. Russian athletes are currently barred from competing under their country’s flag at major international events, including the Olympics, for four years after the World...
Namosi expects tough clash with Tailevu
Namosi expects Tailevu to be no walk in the park when the two provincial giants clash in their opening round of the Skipper Cup competition later this month. “Tailevu is always a tough side to play against,” said Namosi Rugby Union chairman Tui Saladoka. “They have been preparing for some time and have very committed...
Navua gears up
The Navua football team is treating its match against traditional champion Ba with renewed vigour as the side readies itself for a daunting challenge. The Men in Black will host Navua at the Fiji Football Association academy ground 1 in Ba on Saturday at 3pm. “Preparation has been ongoing. The players regrouped last week. All...
Fifita set to stay at Brisbane but Titans not giving up
BRISBANE, 09 JULY 2020 (NRL) – Brisbane’s David Fifita has informed Gold Coast officials he plans to knock back the club’s AUD$1.1 million(US$767,000) to offer to stay with the Broncos on a one-year extension. Fifita’s latest round of negotiations sent the game into a spin on Tuesday night when he called coach Anthony Seibold to...
Second Tongan application for International Rugby League membership
NUKU’ALOFA, 09 JULY 2020 (TONGA WIRES) – Another organisation hoping to become Tonga’s recognized national rugby league governing body, has applied for full membership of the International Rugby League (IRL). According to the Asia Pacific Rugby League, they have received the second new application and will review it initially before a recommendation is made to...
Australia-only option on table as NZ play hard ball over Super Rugby
SYDNEY, 09 JULY 2020 (SMH) – Australia is contemplating a Big Bash-style domestic rugby competition dotted with international names as New Zealand attitudes appear to harden against a five-team Australian presence next year. Despite reports on Wednesday a New Zealand Rugby review favoured a trans-Tasman replacement for Super Rugby in 2021, Australian officials were alarmed...
Super Rugby: Australian, Pacific Island stars back proposed ‘Aratipu’ reform
WELLINGTON, 09 JULY 2020 (NEWSHUB)–Wallabies and Polynesian greats have backed calls for Super Rugby to move to a trans-Tasman format – plus a team from the Pacific Islands – as the competition stares down major changes from next year. On Tuesday, Newshub revealed that format was one of the key recommendations in the draft ‘Aratipu’...
Wallabies remain upbeat about All Blacks encounter
New Wallabies coach Dave Rennie remains confident his first international assignment will be against the All Blacks in Wellington in October despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Officially a week into his latest role, the former Chiefs coach is still a month away form being able to join his new team on the training pitch in Australia....
Big surge in netball fans outside NZ streaming ANZ games
There’s been a big increase in the number of netball fans across the world live streaming New Zealand’s ANZ Premiership games. Netball New Zealand was able to get the league back up and running within weeks of the country coming out of the Covid-19 enforced lockdown. The United Kingdom’s Superleague season was cancelled in late...
Hammer time for former gymnast in Olympic quest
There may not appear to be many similarities between gymnastics and the hammer throw, but for South Canterbury’s Lauren Bruce she believes there are a few and that helped her make successful transition that has her close to Olympic selection. Bruce was a contender to make Tokyo this year despite only specializing on the hammer...
Milan hit back with three goals in five minutes to floor Juve
MILAN (Reuters) – AC Milan scored three times in five astonishing second-half minutes as they hit back from two goals down to beat visiting Serie A leaders Juventus 4-2 on Tuesday, the first points dropped by the Turin side since the season restarted last month. Juve appeared to be cruising to another win when Adrien...
