Sports News

Tennis ace, Andy Murray, is set to play in a tournament that has been organised by his brother, Jamie, to raise money for the NHS Charities Together.

The ‘Schroder Battle of the Brits’ tournament is due to take place behind closed doors at the National Tennis Centre, in Roehampton, from June 23 to 28.

The tournament, which will have both singles and doubles champions, will be featuring the likes of current GB greats such as Dan Evens and Kyle Edmund and it will be shown on the Amazon Prime platform.

It is hoped that the event will raise somewhere in excess of £100,000 for the NHS charities.

Jamie Murray said: “The last few months have been incredibly challenging times for everyone and we see this event as our way of giving back.

“A lot of work has been put into making sure that this could happen and we are excited to be able to bring an action-packed week of tennis, while raising valuable funds for NHS heroes and sheroes to say thank you for the amazing work that you are doing”.

He added: “I am really excited to be, for the first time, bringing together the current generation of top British male players to compete against one another while raising significant funds for charity”.

Andy Murray has not played any competitive tennis since the Davis Cup Finals in November due to a bruised pelvic bone, but he has been contemplating a return to the ATP Tour in Miami in late March when professional tennis was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020 Netball Superleague season has been terminated with immediate effect because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The season was suspended on March 15 after only three full rounds of fixtures, with governing body, Netball England, making the “difficult decision” following consultation with the league’s board, all of the 10 teams and stakeholders.

Instead, a “stand-alone short-form” competition could be held in the autumn if it is “achievable and safe”.

England Netball chief executive, Fran Connolly, said: “It has become clear that large sporting gatherings will unlikely be deemed safe in coming weeks, or months.

“So, after lengthy discussions, we believe that it would be illogical or unsustainable to reignite the season without crowds.

“It was, though, very disappointing to have to make this announcement and we couldn’t keep teams and players in limbo on the matter”.

She also said that she was in discussions over a small-scale international tournament with Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, which could take place in the autumn to keep up the national side’s sharpness, provide revenue for the Superleague and keep the sport in the public eye.

Premier League players could be 25% more susceptible to injury when football resumes because of the intense schedule, research shows.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is "as confident as we can be" of restarting in June.

Time will need to be found for the FA Cup before the 2020-21 season starts in "late August, early September".

Based on Project Restart's provisional return date of 20 June, Manchester City players could face 13 games in 49 days.

City have played one fewer match than the majority of Premier League clubs but these figures do not take into account the completion of the Champions League, which has the potential of adding another four games should they reach the final - if the tournament can be concluded.

Research conducted by artificial intelligence platform Zone7, which specialises in injury risk forecasting and works with 35 professional football teams worldwide, shows that playing eight matches in a 30-day period increases the incidence of injury by 25% when compared with playing four to five matches in the same timeframe.

Eight matches in 30 days may seem a regular occurrence but only 4% of players across a season are subjected to such a run of games.

It is not just the congestion of the fixture list that poses a concern, but the time provided for teams to transition from individual, socially distanced training to higher-intensity group training, something Watford manager Nigel Pearson and Newcastle boss Steve Bruce are concerned about.

The Bundesliga was only officially given the go-ahead to recommence on 7 May, just nine days before the first fixture kicked off. Eight players picked up injuries in the six games on 16 May - a rate well above normal.

A standard pre-season schedule runs for a period of 30 days, or even longer.

But when examining data from 11 top-division professional teams from the past two seasons, Zone7 found that when the preparation period shortens, due to an international tournament or entry into European competition, 75% of teams had higher prevalence of injury in the first half of the season when compared to those that had more planning time.
Flaminia Ronca, an exercise physiologist at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, part of University College London, is working with Premier League players to assess what health risks they may face when returning after the suspension.

She said: "It's possible that the players may have lost up to 15% of their fitness, which they now need to regain in a very short time.

"And I think this is really where the science of training becomes so crucial. Coaches will have to be very creative and combine the most effective methods of training with the safest injury prevention methods, all condensed into this very tight timeframe."

Over five million hours of performance from various sports, including those 35 professional football teams, has been gathered by Zone7 and this data is used to assess the probability of a player sustaining an injury in the following seven days.

Millions of data points are taken from wearable technology that tracks workloads from training and matches, player injury history, fitness tests, and even sleep patterns to generate daily risk forecasts.

Historical data is used to detect data patterns that precede injuries and alert when those data patterns emerge and help prevent the injury before it occurs.

From here, teams are given risk forecasts and not only can they identify the type of injury a particular player could sustain if they are deemed "high risk", modifications can be made to that player's bespoke training schedule to avoid the injury occurring. Zone7 states it can provide accurate and timely alerts for 75% of injuries.

The English Premier League is set to restart on June 17 with the games between Aston Villa and Sheffield United and Manchester City v Arsenal the first two fixtures that will launch a deluge of games – subject to government approval.

As those two are games in hand that were still outstanding before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a full round of fixtures would then follow during the weekend of June 19 to 21.

There are 92 matches still to be played with the first ones to take place bringing the number of games in the division equally up to scratch.

All of the matches will take place behind closed doors and will be broadcast live by Amazon Prime, BBC Sport BT Sport and Sky Sport.

It’s the first time since the inception of the Premier League in 1992 that the BBC will be showing live games.

Safety guidelines are yet to be issued by the government and decisions will remain subject to the continuing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Richard Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League said: “The Premier League and our clubs are proud to have incredibly passionate and loyal supporters and it’s important to ensure that as many people as possible can watch the matches at home”.

He added that the resumption date would not be unreservedly confirmed “until we have met all of the safety requirements”.

British Athletics have announced a crucial partnership with London Marathon Events to improve the future development of athletics talent with a structured network of talent development hubs - running programmes that provide athletes aged 16-21 years with a seamless experience through the performance pathway, to ultimately fulfil ambitions of success on the international stage.
 
The talent hubs, developed in collaboration with the Home Country Athletics Federations, will see talent hubs and academies developed across all home nations. England Athletics will be supported by the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) to implement the University of Birmingham and Leeds Beckett University Hubs.
 
London Marathon Events will play a key part in the structure by providing investment specifically for the development of 1500m-plus events based at the two universities with the aim to support endurance athlete and coaches to progress and transition from junior to senior success.
 
With Birmingham and Leeds already operational having taken part in the strategy pilot, and in light of the Covid-19 outbreak, part of the programmes are already being adapted into virtual, online based activity and e-learning to ensure the ongoing support for athletes and coaches and the ability of the programme to ensure safe activity at this challenging time.
 
The TASS element will be key in providing additional performance support services and quality assurance of delivery in sports science and medical support.
 
British Athletics Talent Director Jonathan Roberts said: “We are thrilled with the launch of the talent hubs at Leeds Beckett and Birmingham, as they play a key part of providing a dual career pathway for athletes and additional support for coaches.
 
“London Marathon Events’ investment into the endurance events is a hugely significant boost to this newly evolving talent pathway across the UK.  We are thrilled that they have given the talent hubs their endorsement and support and look forward to working with them in this area of talent development.
 
“To work in collaboration with London Marathon Events, England Athletics, the universities and TASS gives us the best opportunity to provide the best pathway for athletes and additional support for coaches, as one part of our vision for talent development in the UK.”
 
Hugh Brasher, Event Director at London Marathon Events, said: “We are passionately committed to supporting the overall development of British distance running and we believe the creation of these new talent hubs at Leeds Beckett and Birmingham offer vital support to young British athletes as they move from school to university.”
 

Birmingham-based Mondelēz International’s employees joined forces to raise money for two charities, by cycling, running and walking an incredible 10,000 miles throughout April.
 
The virtual challenge was devised after the team’s annual charity cycle ride was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19, with the group working towards its 2020 target of raising £10,000 for charity. Each person was able to complete their miles however they could, while adhering to government guidance on social distancing.
 
Throughout the month, 42 employees clocked up an impressive 11,903 miles, beating their target for the challenge and initially raising £1,340. The Cadbury Foundation stepped in to match the total raised and Mondelēz International’s employees also chose to donate to each charity through the company’s BOOST employee wellbeing initiative – bringing the total to an incredible £3,340.
 
A 30 team members from the snacking company’s Bournville site took part, with the rest of the group comprised of employees from Mondelēz International’s other sites in Zurich, Uxbridge, Sheffield, Marlbrook and Chirk.
 
For the challenge, the team raised money for both Acorns Children's Hospice and Grocery Aid. The hospice provides vital care for life limited and life threatened children and support for their families.
 
Grocery Aid helps people across the whole of the grocery industry – from the largest factory, through the supply chain, to the smallest store. The charity provides support to members of the industry in times of need, both financially and emotionally.
 
Catriona Newman at Mondelēz International said: “We’re so happy to have been able to complete this challenge and we’re thrilled to have gone further and raised more money than we originally set out to do.

“Both charities are incredibly important to the beneficiaries they support, so we’re happy to be able to continue supporting them with our fundraising. We are still planning on completing our charity cycle ride later this year to boost our funds, either as planned or virtually.”
 
Kelly Farrell, community affairs manager at Mondelēz International, said: “With COVID-19 disrupting so many of our colleagues fundraising initiatives, we’re proud that the team didn’t let it stop them from raising money for two deserving charities. The Mondelēz International April 10,000 was an incredible undertaking and we want to thank everyone for their unwavering support.”
 

Hana Kimura, a professional Japanese wrestler who also appeared in the latest series of Netflix's reality show Terrace House, has died at the age of 22.

Stardom Wrestling, Kimura's organisation, confirmed the news and asked fans to be respectful.

The cause of death was not immediately clear.

Shortly before she died, she issued a series of troubling social media posts implying she had been cyber-bullied.

The most recent update on her Instagram story on Friday featured a photo of her with her cat, with a caption that read "goodbye".

A winner of Stardom's 2019 Fighting Spirit Award, Kimura was one of the cast members of Japanese reality TV show Terrace House, before it was suspended due to coronavirus. The show follows three men and three women as they temporarily live toagether in a house.

Confirming her death on Twitter, Stardom said: "Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends."

Her mother was also a well-known wrestler, Kyoko Kimura.

Golfing legend Tiger Woods teamed up with former American football hero Peyton Manning to beat sporting counterparts Phil Mickelson and former New England Patriots record-breaking quarterback Tom Brady in a charity match which raised $20,000,000 for coronavirus relief efforts in the United States, with the legend that is Brady hitting the shot of the day by holing out from the fairway on the seventh.

It was Woods and Manning who came out on top here after holding off Mickelson and Brady in what was a highly-anticipated ‘The Match: Champions for Charity’ exhibition match at the Medalist Golf Club in Florida which originally set out to raise $10m.

However online donations helped the end result reaching $20m.

“I take my hat off to Tom and Peyton”, Woods said. “This is our arena and what we do for a living.

“I couldn’t imagine going on the field and doing what they do”, he added.

British Athletics have had to confirm the cancellation of the 2020 Müller Anniversary Games - part of the Wanda Diamond League - scheduled for July 4-5 at the London Stadium.
 
The decision has been made in light of the ongoing global pandemic, with the safety of all athletes, coaches, volunteers, spectators and members of staff, at home in the UK and abroad, the upmost priority.
 
Joanna Coates, UK Athletics CEO, said: “We are hugely disappointed to confirm the cancellation of one of the flagship events of the global athletics calendar, but we must place the safety of the entire athletics family at the forefront of every decision we make during these unprecedented times and ensure we are following Government advice.
 
“Cancelling the event will have a significant financial impact on UKA and the wider sport. The revenue we generate from events - through ticketing, broadcast and sponsorship helps administer the sport and provide the essential governance services that we, as an NGB, oversee.
 
“We’re incredibly thankful to our commercial partners, some of which are continuing to support us during these tough times but there will be a substantial reduction in income from the cancellation of this event and this will have an impact moving forwards.”
 
Müller Anniversary Games ticket purchasers will receive an automatic refund via the method of payment originally used to buy tickets and will not need to do anything or make contact. However, given the extraordinary circumstances and high volumes placed on banks during these times, the refund process may take slightly longer than usual.
 
British Athletics will continue to provide updates concerning the competition calendar and all other athletics activities, in collaboration with the Home Country Athletic Federations, as and when there is further information.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has reinforced its fundraising plans for Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity and the NSPCC Childline service in Birmingham by releasing a new Bear & Ragged staff t-shirt, which is based on a design from men’s First Team Coach Jim Troughton.

Available in men’s, women’s and children’s sizes, the t-shirts are priced at £15 each with all proceeds raised being donated to the two charities.

Bears fans can now pre-order one of the special edition Bear & Ragged Staff charity t-shirts online at Store 94. However, please do bear in mind that all deliveries will take place once the current Government working guidelines are amended and staff can return to Edgbaston.

The charity t-shirts follows on the commitment from Warwickshire CCC and Edgbaston staff to raise funds for both charities through the 2.6 Challenge; a series of exercise-related challenges undertaken individually before the end of May. These challenges include Safety Manager David Clarke cycling 260 miles, Executive Membership Account Manager Heidi Smith undertaking 26 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on 10 consecutive days, and Head of Conference & Events Sales Maria Clune running 2.6 miles each day.

Donations to the team’s fundraising efforts can be made at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/Bears4

The Club has also promised to use one of its Vitality Blast fixtures to celebrate the efforts of NHS staff later in the summer, whilst its home of Edgbaston has been donated for use as a COVID-19 drive-through testing centre, which is used to support the Government’s testing of key workers.

NBA legend turned social entrepreneur, Magic Johnson, has committed to providing $100 million in capital to fund small business loans through the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). His companies, Magic Johnson Enterprises and EquiTrust Life Insurance Company, have partnered with a New Jersey-based lender called MBE Capital Partners that specializes in financing minority and women-owned businesses.

In total, his investment will fund loans for about 5,000 small businesses.

The former LA Lakers great reportedly has launched the initiative to help the many Black and minority-owned small businesses that were overlooked during the first round of loans that the U.S. government launch. Many who applied never even heard anything regarding their application.

“What we’re launching here now is so important because we’re going to save a lot of small, minority businesses because they can’t just walk into the bank and get that loan,” Johnson said.

Black and minority communities in the U.S. have been disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Major cities like New York City, Chicago, and Detroit have all seen higher African American death rates because of the virus. Even worse, their local business communities have been shattered leaving many Black entrepreneurs with no other option but to shut their enterprises.

Following an announcement by the English Premier League, the twenty clubs in the top division have agreed to stage one of the return-to-training protocols, which allows teams to start training in small groups.

Clubs voted unanimously to the decision at the recent ‘Project Restart’ meeting.
Players must observe social distancing rules, and contact training is not permitted.

The first stage was agreed in consultation with players, managers, club doctors, independent experts and the government.

Some players, however, are not totally convinced with Watford captain, Troy Deeney, saying that concerned players are yet to receive ‘simple answers’ on health implications of ‘Project Restart’.

He voiced his concerns after being contacted by fellow-players who have shared his fears, but are reluctant to speak pout openly.

“I think that the concern is with Phase 2 (that is when players start to make contact in training)”, he said. “And Phase 3 is not yet clearly laid out. A lot of ‘simple questions’ have not been answered yet.

“One, for example, is the BAME situation, where government guidelines are saying that people of colour are four times more likely to get coronavirus and twice as likely to have lasting illnesses. But, there is no extra screening or additional checks carried out on players because it costs too much money. Simple things like that are where people are asking questions and they are not being answered when people can answer the questions, you start panicking and worrying”.

Adding to his worries, the Chelmsely Wood-born star continued: “I saw Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham saying that he lives with him dad who has asthma and he has concerns there.

“It just shows that from the Premier League to League Two, there are concerns right across the board”.

The Premier League had previously identified June 12 for matches to possibly restart but there is now an expectation that this will need to be pushed back.

A statement – by the Premier League – added; ‘Strict medical protocols of the highest standard will ensure that everyone will return to training in the safest environment possible. The health and well-being of all participants is our priority, and the safe return to training is a step-by-step process. Full consultation will now continue with players, managers, the clubs, the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) and the LMA (League Managers’ Association) as protocols for full-contact training are developed.’

Meanwhile, in the Scotland’s SPL, Celtic was confirmed as champions for the ninth consecutive year after the SPL ended its season, with Hearts being relegated. The decision follows a board meeting after the 12 clubs agreed that completing the campaign was unfeasible.

Average points-per-game played was used to determine the final placing.

English Premier League clubs are hoping to give their players the go-ahead to return to training in small groups this week.

But, there is a growing feeling that the intended June 12 date set for matches to start again will need to be pushed back.

A vote was due to take place on training and medical protocols when the 20 top-flight clubs where due to hold their next meeting.

If at least 14 of the 20 clubs passed through, players would be able to train in groups of five thereafter.

The Premier League would have been encouraged with the return of the Bundesliga, in Germany, this weekend.

They were the first major football league to in the world to resume after the easing of the lockdown.

As in Germany, Premier League will have to undergo safety measures including tents where temperature checks will be conducted, strict hygiene criteria, no canteens and no showers.

A maximum of five players will be allowed per pitch with tackling forbidden.

Players will be tested twice per week and are being asked to provide written approval that they have received and understood the club’s Covid-19 policy.

The prospect of clubs playing their remaining fixtures at neutral grounds has receded with more than half speaking out against such a proposal.

Players and staff at Birmingham City F.C. got together to take up the challenge of covering the entire distance between John O’ Groats to Land’s End to help to raise funds for local hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Championship club’s players and staff; including Men’s and Women’s First Team, Academy, BCFC Community Trust, the Former Players Association, Media, Ticket Office, Commercial and Retail recorded their cumulative miles travelled by either running or walking in their respective local surroundings whilst adhering to guidelines on exercise and social distancing.

Backed by Principle partners, Boylsports, who took part themselves, they chose to support the University Hospital Birmingham Charity.

A statement from the club said: “The money raised can now go to delivering care packs to nurses, provide ‘wobble rooms’ for staff to get psychological and emotional support, helping patients to stay in contact with their families by providing tablets with video conferencing apps and much more”.

Charlotte Schofield, Director of Fundraising at the University Hospital Birmingham Charity said: “Our thanks go out to everyone at Birmingham City who took on, or supported the Keep Right On Challenge, as their support will now help us to do more for our NHS Superheroes and the patients who they are treating at these difficult times/

The eyes of the football world are fixed on Germany as the country’s Bundesliga are preparing for a restart next weekend.

And, with it already suffering a major setback, the powers that be there are determined to push forward nevertheless.

Dynamo Dresden, who plays in the second tier of German football, have put their entire squad and coaching staff into two-week isolation after two of their players tested positive for coronavirus.

The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are due to restart on Saturday May 16 and is still fully set to be the first European league to restart following the Covid-19 shutdown.

A spokesperson at Dresden said: “The fact is that we can no longer train nor participate in a game in the next 10 days or so”.

The decision was taken after laboratory samples revealed the news, although the two players concerned are currently free of any symptoms of the virus.

In a statement, the club’s sports manager, Ralf Minge, said; “In the past few weeks, we have made enormous efforts in terms of personnel and logistics in order to strictly implement all of the prescribed medical and hygienic measures.

“We are in contact with the responsible health authorities and the DFL to coordinate all further steps”.

Dresden was due to resume their season on May 17 at Hanover 96, but that match has now been cancelled due to the quarantine measures.

The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 are set to resume behind closed doors – subject to strict safety checks.

The English Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ (Their plans to restart their season) was set to step up pace this week.

However, the revelation that three Brighton players tested ‘positive’ for coronavirus may well ‘kick’ those plans further down the road.

Tottenham Hotspur forward, Son Heung-min, has won an award for the best performance after he completed his three-week military service in his native South Korea.

Officials said that the 27-year-old Premier League superstar had excelled in his shooting skills and he was also the top performer among a group of 157 trainees.

He was due to serve 21 months, but earned an exemption after being part of the South Korea team which won the Asian Games in 2018 and, as a result, only had to complete three weeks.

Son returned to his homeland, in March, to continue with his recovery from a fractured arm while the season is in suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is mandatory that all South Korean men must complete military service in their country by the time they reach 27.

With the Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ hoping to see the top-flight resume in July, it could mean an official return to group training very soon – which Son could miss, due to him having to spend a period of time in quarantine on his return to the UK.

The Spurs star underwent exposure to rear gas, went on lengthy hikes and was trained in how to fire guns during his national service.