18 Established 1961 Sports Sunday, May 17, 2020

Photo of the day Djokovic: ‘I can beat Slam titles and world number one record’ PARIS: Novak Djokovic said he is confident he will end his career as the greatest title winner of all time and break the record for weeks in the world number one spot. The Serb has 17 majors, three back from the record of Roger Federer’s 20 and two behind the 19 of Rafael Nadal. Before the coronavirus brought the 2020 season to a halt, Djokovic had captured an eighth Australian Open and was on an 18-0 winning streak for the year. “I think that I still have things to do in this sport. I believe that I can win the most Slams and break the record for most weeks at No. 1. Those are definitely my clear goals,” Djokovic told the ‘In Depth with Graham Bensinger’ TV show. Djokovic has been on top of the rankings for a combined total of 282 weeks. Federer leads the way on 310 with the long-retired Pete Sampras on 286. However, time is comfortably on the side of Djokovic who will celebrate his 33rd birthday on May 22. Federer will be 39 in August while Nadal turns 34 in June. Djokovic even sees himself still playing at 40. —AFP NFL says teams can begin reopening facilities next week LOA ANGELES: The National Football League says teams can reopen their facilities with strict health guidelines in place and as long as state and local gov- ernments allow it, US media reported Friday. In a memo to the general managers of all 32 clubs, commissioner Roger Goodell said the doors for specific personnel can start swinging open on Tuesday. “Clubs may reopen their facilities beginning on May 19 if they are permitted to do so under governing state and local regulations,” Goodell said in the memo obtained by the NFL Network. He added they must be “in compliance with any additional public health requirements in their Roope Tonteri and Jaakko Ojanen performing on the winter miniramp in Finland. —Photo taken from www.redbullcontentpool.com jurisdiction, and have implemented the protocols that were developed by (NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills) and distributed to all clubs on May 6.” —AFP postpones July Test matches over coronavirus I understand that everyone is trying to impose their own thing: Laporte

PARIS: All rugby Test matches scheduled for July tions, professional club competitions and interna- have been postponed because of the coronavirus, tional rugby players, will be involved in the contin- World Rugby announced on Friday, saying they ued evaluation of potential contingency options were impossible to stage given ongoing quarantine with a view to achieving an aligned calendar for the and travel restrictions. remainder of the year,” World Rugby said. “Extended travel and quarantine restrictions that “All decision-making will be entirely contingent apply to numerous countries, and concerns over on national government travel, quarantine and adequate player preparation time, mean that any health advice and important player welfare and sort of cross-border international rugby competi- hosting considerations in line with return-to-rugby tion cannot be hosted in July,” World Rugby said in guidance recently published by World Rugby.” a statement. The northern hemisphere Six Nations tourna- On Friday evening, Bernard Laporte, the presi- ment remains unfinished while the southern hemi- dent of the , cast doubt on sphere nations have concerns about the four-nation the autumn Test matches. France were due to tour Rugby Championship, featuring New Zealand, Argentina in the summer South Africa, and but, Laporte, newly elect- Argentina, which is due to ed vice-president of start in August. World Rugby, told AFP: “We’ve been expecting ‘FINANCIAL this for some time.” DIFFICULTIES’ “Our big question We can’t let Laporte is campaigning mark is October- federations die for a longer international November,” Laporte window in the autumn: added. “Will the northern “We want to go to the hemisphere be able to go southern hemisphere in to the southern hemi- October and have them sphere and vice versa? come to the north in We’ll really know in mid- November, replacing July President of the French Rugby Federation, Bernard Laporte holding the cup. June or late June. But it seems compromised.” with October.” The decision to cancel the summer Tests comes Laporte’s suggested solution could cause prob- as a fresh blow to rugby, with unions suffering a lems for the European club competitions which had Afterwards, if the conditions forbid us to go, it’s New Zealand and Australia are in talks about a slump in revenues since the pandemic brought pro- reached the quarter-final stage. Organisers have something else. And I understand the clubs who possible Test series later in the year, and Australian fessional sport worldwide to a halt. talked of concluding in October in . need to do play their competitions but we’ll have to Rugby’s interim chief executive Rob Clarke said Ireland and Fiji had been due to visit cash- “I understand that everyone is trying to impose find common ground. We’ll be taking decisions at restoring the Ireland and Fiji fixtures remained a strapped Australia, New Zealand were to host their own thing,” said Laporte. “But we can’t let the end of June.” possibility. and Scotland, and England were set to visit federations die. We’re not going to say to the South Africa Rugby boss Jurie Roux said the “We are planning accordingly to host the fix- Japan in what is a key period for the sport. southern hemisphere ‘No, no, we’re not coming’ Springboks were already evaluating potential con- tures later in the year, if possible, and will continue Scotland and Georgia were also scheduled to because we have club competitions. It’s not possi- tingency options while Wales have already said to work with World Rugby to identify a new win- tour world champions South Africa. “All parties, ble.” “When you see the financial difficulties these they hope to reschedule their matches in Japan and dow within the international calendar to stage the including member unions, international competi- federations are in, you have to help them. New Zealand. matches,” he said. —AFP

avirus, crowds effectively practised social distancing ers and supporters. Other problems include broad- white men in . “That’s not the reality of the Virus crisis — with top sides playing in cavernous stadiums to cast deals that keep club rugby locked behind sport,” he said, pointing to the high proportion of only a handful of fans, often Kiwis supporting the expensive TV paywalls, to complex scrummaging players with blue-collar backgrounds, or with parents visiting team. laws and top players leaving for lucrative contracts who moved from the Pacific Islands or South Africa. highlights Aussie According to one consultancy report, audiences in Europe or Japan. “You play down here, every single person is wear- for have halved in the last seven years ing hi-vis (work vests), they have already done a shift. rugby’s decline and rugby is now the ninth most popular sport in the ‘BUTCHER, BAKER, CANDLESTICK MAKER’ That’s the reality of rugby in Australia. But it’s just not country. Amid this bleak outlook, diagnosing the But for some former players, rugby is struggling translating.” “At a grassroots level the game has held SYDNEY: With the Wallabies languishing at seventh causes of Australian rugby’s ailments has become because its leadership and top players stopped its participation rates. People love the sport. They love in the world rankings, ’s leadership in something of a sport in itself. reflecting society. “In the great days of rugby, you playing. Kids fall in love with it. Those things haven’t flux and the sport facing fierce competition from oth- Almost a dozen former Wallabies captains — would look down on the field and you would see changed.” er codes, the coronavirus pandemic has turned long- including greats like Nick Farr-Jones, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, rich man, poor man “Australians say they are not class conscious. But standing problems with rugby Down Under into a and — recently circulated a letter saying beggarman, thief,” former Wallabies forward Peter they are.” FitzSimons maintains rugby still has every- battle for survival. the game had “lost its way”. FitzSimons told AFP. man appeal. “Rugby is the most egalitarian of all If the glory days of Aussie rugby seem like the dis- Commentators most often cite the poor form of the “The 15 Wallabies that took the field, there was a games, inclusive of all games,” he said. tant past, that is because they are. In the nearly 30 Wallabies, after twice winning the World Cup in the huge connection between them, their clubs and, their “If you want to play basketball, you’ve got to be years since sailed through the All 1990s, as one reason for the game’s decline. Coach community.” “There was romance in that. There was tall and coordinated. If you want to play rugby league, Blacks’ backline at the 1991 World Cup, or a bloody- departed after the 2019 Rugby chivalry in that,” he said. you have to be built like a refrigerator. “If you are eyed hoisted the Webb Ellis trophy in 1999 World Cup having won 34 games and lost 32, among “Now somehow in Australia, that connection — short, fat and squat with no discernible ball skills or — the last Australian captain to do so — the game the worst records of any top-tier nation. the connection between the people and the Wallabies no hygiene, you’re in the front row. If you’re built like has struggled. It is probably not a coincidence that the profes- — has been lost.” Brent McDonald, a former player a thermometer without a friend to bless yourself with, With roughly a quarter-of-a-million registered sional era has been considered much more of a suc- and a lecturer at Victoria University, believes the you’re on the wing.” players, it no longer cracks the top 20 participant cess in places like New Zealand or Ireland, where game is in good health at the grassroots level, but The last year has been particularly tough for sports in Australia, sitting well below surfing, mar- teams have consistently won top competitions. there is “a disconnect between the power brokers and Rugby Australia, which came to an out-of-court set- tial arts and pilates, according to But experts also point to other problems like what the game actually represents”. tlement for sacking star fullback for rankings. Australia’s hyper-competitive sports market, with The loudest and shrillest voices, he said, have pro- homophobia, and saw the Wallabies crash out in the TV audiences are small and even before coron- rugby league and Aussie rules vying hard for play- pelled an image of the game being about privileged World Cup quarter-finals. —AFP