Sports affected by Coronavirus

[dtaai-maai]

There's only a few events that I follow in the Olympics if I stick it on. The 100m...

I'm with you there. I mean, the 200m and the 400m are soooo boring - they just go on forever!

[Lost]

There's only a few events that I follow in the Olympics if I stick it on. The 100m...

I'm with you there. I mean, the 200m and the 400m are soooo boring - they just go on forever!

Right?

Though I'm a keen runner, roughly 10 seconds watching it is about my limit before it loses my attention.

[pharvey]

Used to enjoy quite a bit with the Olympics - the obvious "sprints" (met Colin Jackson (Hurdles) a few times who used to train at Bath Uni), but also the 800 and 1500 with the whole Ovett/Cole competition. But who couldn't love the Decathlon with Daley Thompson and his German "Enemy" - Jürgen Hingsen!!

But then again, rumour has it Tiddlywinks could be introduced along with "SNAP!" and possibly Cluedo (although there's some discussions of a ban over possible violence, racism and sexism)...... A new dawn in the modern Olympics!!

[centermid7]

The Olympics lost me a few years back when they made ball room dancing a sport. I wonder if it still is? I'll google it.
On the other hand I quite enjoy the curling!

[Lost]

(met Colin Jackson (Hurdles):

Ah, that's nothing. I once served up Burger King to Linford Christie and his family when I was 16.

My 5 minutes of fame, that.

[pharvey]

My Old Man used to get a tad embarrassed when watching the Discus - he actually held the English and Yorkshire Schoolboy's and National records for many years and was throwing well over 50m consistently at 16. Big, Big distances in those days, but of little consequence against the "modern women"....... Hey, I'm still proud

That said, the LHG can hurl a saucepan the length of the street if I'm trying for a cheeky pint at the local.....

There are some strange (and sad) additions to the Olympics, but then again there is the Rugby 7's...

[Lost]

That said, the LHG can hurl a saucepan the length of the street if I'm trying for a cheeky pint at the local.....

Asian women can be a touch feisty, sometimes.

[buksida]

No surprise here ... (even though Buriram has been getting more than its fair share of the vaccines ).

Buri Ram MotoGP event spins out
The MotoGP event in Buri Ram might be postponed for a second year in a row because of the resurgence of the coronavirus in Thailand, says the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said the ministry and Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder, will make a decision soon on whether the race should be postponed to next year to reduce the risk of infection.

There is concern among foreign racers because Thailand is still recording high levels of new cases, he said.

The MotoGP race at Chang International Circuit, Buri Ram was postponed for the first time during the outbreak in March 2020, setting a new date of Oct 10-12, 2021, before a rejig to Oct 15-17.

Last July, the cabinet approved the licence extension, allowing Thailand to host the event for five years from 2021-2025.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2151 ... -spins-out

[pharvey]

^^ Absolutely ludicrous for it ever to happen (this year), but obviously an immense amount of money involved - regardless of crowds (advertising, TV coverage etc.), not to mention the political side of things.

That said with regards to advertising......

"One of the biggest sponsors of the Olympics, Toyota, has announced it will not run Tokyo 2020-related adverts on TV during the Games because of the lacklustre public support in Japan. Toyota’s chief executive, Akio Toyoda, and other senior executives will also not attend Friday’s opening ceremony in a further blow to these troubled Olympics....."

Things could get worse however.....

"Meanwhile organisers face an anxious wait to see if the 60 Japanese corporations who have paid more than $3bn for sponsorship rights follow Toyota in untying their brands from an event that has so far failed to win public support."

This not to mention a number of athletes as well as support/administration staff testing positive in the "Olympic Village", in turn leading to a fairly significant number isolating.... Does not bode well for a successful Olympics! To say it's only a few days away, there's been zero (that I've seen) regarding coverage etc....

Full Story: - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/ ... t-in-japan

[PeteC]

I imagine all teams will implement this or similar.

Chelsea fans will have to show full vaccination proof or negative Covid-19 test to attend games

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58000003

Chelsea say fans attending their home games will need to prove they have been fully vaccinated or show evidence of a negative Covid-19 lateral flow test.

The criteria will apply for men's and women's games involving the club.

The changes will apply for the men's friendly against Tottenham on 4 August.

The government is currently considering plans for fans attending sports venues with capacities of about 20,000 or more to be required to show proof of full vaccination from the end of September.

Chelsea will require supporters to show they have been fully vaccinated, with both doses received at least 14 days prior to a match, or proof of a negative lateral flow test, which has been carried out within 48 hours of a game kicking off, for those aged 11 and over.

"This is to increase the safety and comfort of our supporters, players and staff as we begin hosting capacity crowds for the first time since March last year," said the club.

Chelsea's stewards will check the Covid-19 status of fans at "point of entry", although the club would not say if extra stewards would be in place.

Tottenham will trial the same system for their friendly at home to Arsenal on 8 August and Arsenal are considering a similar move for their friendly against Chelsea at Emirates on 1 August.

One club told BBC Sport that it will be hard to check all fans coming into stadiums once full capacities are permitted, so there may be a degree of encouragement in their messaging rather than strict rules.

The Premier League is yet to issue any league-wide guidance to clubs but it wants stadiums full and safe, and is looking at a range of options to ensure this.

In April, the Premier League was among several leading sports bodies to sign a joint letter to the leaders of the major political parties, which suggested the introduction of a Covid certification process.

[handdrummer]

There will be a thriving business in counterfeit proofs and tests.

[Big Boy]

I went to Chonburi for the footie yesterday. Crazy? Yes, not much argument on that one Especially when you team forgets to turn up, and you are thrashed 3-0.

Not much different to other stadiums I've been to apart from 1 thing - buying tickets. They have a fully manned box office, but there are signs outside directing everybody to the nearest 7-11 about a mile away to purchase tickets.

259730474_930041837908351_320279286078045579_n.jpg (112.61 KiB) Viewed 1301 times

There were quite a few away fans who turned up close to K.O. who missed most of the first half due to this silly ruling.

Absolutely bonkers in my mind. Directing people away from a fresh air complex (in a large public park) into a cramped air-conditioned building, with little social distancing to purchase tickets. What is this doing to lessen the Covid effect on sport?

[Jimbob]

I wait in fascination on how China handles Omicron when their winter Olympics hits the (belt and) road.
Its been pointed out by pundits that WHO skipped 'Xi', the Greek letter before Omnicron along way from delta

[pharvey]

I wait in fascination on how China handles Omicron when their winter Olympics hits the (belt and) road.
Its been pointed out by pundits that WHO skipped 'Xi', the Greek letter before Omnicron along way from delta

The twunts caused it, and I hope all boycott it! F China.

Closer to the times, numerous Wendyball and Rugby games are off in the coming weekends. Rugby, not being as financially supported as the round ball game will suffer far more. We could well be looking at major teams in Wales going bankrupt...... A very, very sad predicament.

[PeteC]

China withdraws as Asian Cup host due to pandemic

https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2309 ... 9-pandemic

China has withdrawn as the 2023 Asian Cup host due to the coronavirus, football officials said Saturday, with Beijing's strict zero-Covid strategy dealing another blow to the country's sporting ambitions.

Authorities in China are pursuing a strategy of stamping out the virus entirely, which includes rapid lockdowns and mass testing, and millions in Shanghai have faced onerous restrictions for over a month.

But the measures -- now rare globally, as most countries shift to living with the coronavirus -- have made hosting sporting events a major challenge.

The Olympic-sized Asian Games, due to be staged in September in Hangzhou, had already been postponed earlier this month, and on Saturday the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said China would not host the Asian Cup.

Chinese football officials had informed the AFC that they would not be able to host the 24-team competition, which was to be staged in 10 cities in June and July next year.

No new host nation was named.

"The AFC acknowledges the exceptional circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the relinquishment by (China) of its hosting rights," the governing body said in a statement.

Those involved in organising the tournament had made "this very difficult but necessary decision in the collective interests of the" tournament, it added.

The Asian Cup is staged every four years. Qatar won the last edition in 2019.

It would have been the second time that China had staged the Asian Cup. They hosted it in 2004, when the hosts lost 3-1 to Japan in the final.

The loss of major sporting events is a blow to the ruling Communist Party, which had burnished its global image with an array of dazzling spectacles such as Beijing's 2008 Summer and 2022 Winter Olympics.

With the exception of this year's Winter Olympics -- held in a virus-secure, closed-loop Beijing bubble in February -- the world's most populous nation has cancelled or postponed almost all events since Covid emerged in Wuhan in late 2019.