Athletes in Spain have been forced to train at home since early March due to one of the strictest lockdowns in Europe, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced they are free to begin individual training at facilities from next Monday. Players and staff must undergo a RT-PCR test for the virus and a serology test before returning to training as part of phase one of La Liga’s protocol for a return to activity.
* New Zealand Rugby (NZR) faces a 70% decline in revenue in 2020 amid a global shutdown of sport due to the coronavirus, officials said on Thursday. NZR Chief Financial Officer Nicki Nicol said in a video conference the coronavirus had affected all areas of the game in New Zealand.
* Formula One teams and drivers have sent 100th birthday congratulations to Captain Tom Moore, the World War Two veteran whose own laps have raised more than 29 million pounds for Britain's National Health Service. Moore, a big fan of the McLaren team, completed a record-breaking charity walk of 100 laps of his garden with the help of a walking frame. He had originally set a target of 1,000 pounds.
* Former England defender Trevor Cherry has died aged 72, his former club Leeds United said on Wednesday. Cherry made 486 appearances for Leeds, winning the English league title in 1974, and played alongside Norman Hunter, who died this month aged 76 from the coronavirus.
* UEFA's chief medical official says it is "definitely possible" to plan a restart of European soccer leagues despite the Dutch and French ending their seasons and Italy's sports minister raising the prospect of a similar fate for Serie A. The comments from UEFA's Tim Meyer contrast with FIFA’s medical committee chairman Michel D’Hooghe who on Tuesday said football should not be played until at least September to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.
* Qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic golf tournament will be extended to June 2021 to accommodate the year-long delay caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the International Golf Federation said on Wednesday. For the men's Olympic Golf Ranking, points can now be accumulated through the period ending June 12, 2021 while the women's qualifying will run through June 28. The field for both men and women will consist of 60 players.
* Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo insists he is keen to stay at the Catalan club despite being linked to a move to Juventus, the Brazil international said on Wednesday. Arthur, who has 20 caps for Brazil, joined Barca in 2018 from Gremio and helped the Spanish side win their 26th league title. Spanish media reports had linked the Serie A champions with a transfer bid for the 23-year-old.
* Italy's Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Wednesday the country's top-flight Serie A soccer championship looks unlikely to resume this season because of the COVID-19 epidemic. There are 12 rounds of matches still to play in Serie A plus a number of games from previous rounds. Title holders Juventus are one point clear of Lazio at the top.
* MotoGP's German, Dutch and Finnish rounds in June and July have all been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sport's governing body and promoter announced on Wednesday. The German Grand Prix had been scheduled for Jun 21, followed by the Dutch TT at Assen on June 28 with Finland's new KymiRing making its debut on Jul 12.
* Standard Liege have asked their former player and Belgian international Marouane Fellaini to invest money and help ensure the survival of the club as it faces being relegated to the amateur ranks, local media reported on Wednesday. Fellaini, who began his career at the Belgian club before moving to the Premier League and now China, is being asked to follow former Standard team mate Axel Witsel in a group of investors seeking to buy the club's stadium and then rent it back to them, thereby raising the cash they need to stay afloat. Witsel has put 1.5-million euros (US$1.63 million) into the project, the reports claimed.
* Watford have signed Frenchman Pape Gueye on a pre-contract agreement and the midfielder will join the team on July 1, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. Gueye is leaving French side Le Havre, where he broke into the senior team in the 2018-19 season, at the end of his contract with the Ligue 2 (second tier) club.
* The Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Aarhus, Denmark will be held from Oct. 3-11 after the Danish government extended its ban on large gatherings in the country until the end of August, the Badminton World Federation said on Wednesday. The biennial international tournament, originally scheduled to take place from May 16-24, had been postponed to August 15-23 due to the new coronavirus outbreak.
* This year's Tour of Spain will not start in the Netherlands as planned because of the coronavirus crisis, organisers said on Wednesday. The race was due to start from Utrecht on Aug. 14 but the International Cycling Union suspended competitive racing until Aug. 1 and said the Tour de France, initially due to be held in July, had been postponed to Aug. 29-Sept 20.
