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Basketball: NBA postpones Bulls fixtures over Covid outbreak

NEW YORK (AFP) - Two upcoming Chicago Bulls fixtures became the first games of the NBA season to be postponed due to Covid-19 on Monday (Dec 13) as the franchise battles a coronavirus outbreak. The NBA said in a statement Chicago's game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday and Thursday's clash with the Toronto Raptors, had both been called off due to Covid-19. The league said 10 Bulls players were currently unavailable after entering Covid-19 health and safety protocols, while "additional staff members" were also unavailable. With a minimum of eight players required for a game, the crisis has left the Bulls in danger of not being able to field a team for the two games. ESPN reported forward Alize Johnson had become the latest player to test positive for Covid-19 on Monday. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Coby White, Troy Brown Jr., Matt Thomas, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu and Derrick Jones Jr. and Stanley Johnson have already entered the health and safety protocols. The NBA postponed 31 games due to Covid-19 last season, but Monday's annoucement marks the first time games have been called off in the 2021-2022 campaign. The Bulls, who are among several NBA teams to have a fully vaccinated roster, are third in the Eastern Conference standings with a 17-10 record this year. More on this topic   Related Story NBA: Lakers' LeBron James has Covid-19, is ruled out of Kings clash   Related Story Football: Manchester United suffer Covid-19 outbreak

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Golf: Hurricane sees final round of PGA Northern Trust postponed to Monday

NEW YORK (AFP) - The US PGA Tour has postponed the final round of the Northern Trust tournament in suburban New York to Monday because of concerns caused by Hurricane Henri, officials said on Saturday (Aug 21). The Atlantic Ocean storm, which gained hurricane status on Saturday, is expected to make landfall on Long Island and has caused a storm warning in the area. That includes the Liberty National course in Jersey City, New Jersey, where the first US PGA FedEx Cup playoff event is being staged, with the fourth and final round originally set for Sunday. Due to the storm and related warnings, there will be no play Sunday and the final round will be staged on Monday, with tee times for the 75 players who made the cut beginning no earlier than 7.30am on Monday, according to a statement issued by the US PGA Tour. Canada's Corey Conners had the early clubhouse lead on 12-under par 201 for 54 holes after firing a nine-under par 62 on Saturday. The top 70 players in season points after the conclusion of the event will advance to the BMW Championship, which begins on Thursday at Baltimore, Maryland. More on this topic   Related Story Henri upgraded to hurricane as it threatens US coast

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Istana Open House on Aug 1 postponed amid tightening of Covid-19 measures

SINGAPORE - The Istana Open House, slated for Aug 1, has been postponed, amid a tightening of pandemic measures here. The event was meant to celebrate National Day, and guests who had tickets for a previous scheduled open house on May 13 had been invited to return. That occasion - to mark Labour Day and Hari Raya Puasa - was cancelled due to a worsening Covid-19 situation then. "We apologise for any inconveniences caused," said the President's Office in a statement on Wednesday (July 21). The Istana has closed its grounds to the public since February last year due to the pandemic. The open house is popular among Singapore residents, with more than 12,000 visitors turning up on Jan 26 - the second day of Chinese New Year - last year. More on this topic   Related Story NDP to continue as planned; Mindef to review scale of parade, safety measures   Related Story Inside the Istana: An immersive guide to the President's official residence

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Boxing: Fury-Wilder heavyweight fight postponed over Covid outbreak, says WBC

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Tyson Fury's heavyweight title defence against Deontay Wilder has been postponed after the champion and members of his camp contracted Covid-19, the World Boxing Council (WBC) confirmed on Friday (July 9). In a brief post on Twitter, the WBC confirmed the July 24 bout had been postponed but did not say when the trilogy fight would be rescheduled. "Fury vs Wilder III will be postponed," the WBC said. "We wish Tyson Fury's team and him speedy recovery from Covid." Multiple reports in the US and Britain have said Fury and several members of his team had tested positive for Covid-19 at their Las Vegas training base. ESPN reported that the fight at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena had been tentatively rescheduled for Oct 9. The positive test was the latest twist to what has been a tortuous year for Fury. The undefeated "Gypsy King" had been set to face a money-spinning heavyweight unification fight against fellow Briton Anthony Joshua. However that fight was scuppered after an arbitrator ruled that Fury was legally obligated to face Wilder in a third fight. Fury handed Wilder a brutal beating in seven one-sided rounds in their second fight in February 2020. Their first fight, in December 2018, ended in a controversial split-decision draw in which Fury was knocked down twice. Neither Wilder, 35, nor Fury, has fought since their bout in Las Vegas last year. More on this topic   Related Story Boxing: Fury-Wilder reach tentative agreement for third fight - report   Related Story Boxing: Fury says heavyweight title showdown against Joshua in Saudi Arabia on Aug 14

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Tennis: Postponed Indian Wells tournament to be held in October

CALIFORNIA (REUTERS) - The BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California that was scheduled to be held in March will now take place in October, the ATP said on Thursday (May 20). The dual ATP-WTA hardcourt event was planned for March 8-21 but was postponed due to Covid-19 concerns, the second consecutive year the tournament was impacted. Popularly known as the "fifth major" after the four Grand Slams, the 2020 Masters 1000 tournament was the first major professional sporting event in the United States to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic. "Since the resumption of the Tour in August 2020, we have had to take an agile approach to the calendar with the aim of staging as many of our events as possible," ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said. "Everyone in our sport has missed the BNP Paribas Open over the past two years and its return this October is great for tennis. "The calendar is extremely complex and I would like to thank all events in that section of the season, as we look to accommodate these changes for the benefit of the overall sport." The tournament could affect the Asian swing with events scheduled in Beijing, Tokyo and Shanghai in October. Dominic Thiem and Bianca Andreescu are the defending champions at Indian Wells. The wait is over. pic.twitter.com/i6C3w9vjBH— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) May 20, 2021 More on this topic   Related Story Tennis: Indian Wells postponed due to Covid-19 concerns

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Postponed National Day Awards Investiture Ceremony 2020 to be held on April 4

SINGAPORE - Last year's postponed National Day Awards Investiture Ceremony (NDI) will be held this year on April 4 at ITE College Central. President Halimah Yacob will present the awards at the ceremony, which will be split over two sessions and organised in accordance with safe management measures, the Istana said on Tuesday (Feb 2). The annual National Day Awards, which began in 1962, recognise individuals for their contributions to the civil or military service, social and community work, or for excellent performance in their respective fields. Last year's in-person ceremony was postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 5,472 individuals in 24 award categories received National Day Honours, announced on Aug 9 last year. It was topped by former senior minister S. Jayakumar, who is senior legal adviser to the foreign minister. He was awarded Singapore's highest civilian honour, the Order of Temasek (With High Distinction), for his sustained and invaluable contributions to Singapore. Mr Jayakumar served as a diplomat and minister in a public service career spanning more than 30 years, and continued to lend his expertise on issues such as the Pedra Branca dispute and water agreements with Malaysia after his retirement from politics. Those at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 were also recognised. They include recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal: Ms Chan Lai Fung, permanent secretary for national research and development as well as public sector science and technology policy and plans, and chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star); and Associate Professor Benjamin Ong, who helped set up the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). More on this topic   Related Story Jayakumar tops list of 5,470 honoured on National Day   Related Story National Day Awards 2020

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