F1 Return with Two Races Per Venue Looks Increasingly Likely

NFL | Page 3 TENNIS | Page 5 Two thumbs up Tough for for work-from- Murray to win home draft: NFL another Slam, bosses says Rusedski Monday, April 27, 2020 FOOTBALL Ramadan 4, 1441 AH Bayern expects to GULF TIMES extends Neuer’s contract: report SPORT Page 2 MOTORSPORT SPOTLIGHT Paris 2024 Olympics F1 return with two plans ‘obsolete’: IOC member Drut races per venue looks increasingly likely ‘I have complete confidence in our ability to put on these events’ DPA Munich, Germany ormula One has long had a habit of trying to cram in as many races as pos- Fsible but this season may take it to extremes. This year’s calendar was meant to start in Australia on March 15, but with all the teams already in Melbourne, the race was called off with two days’ notice after McLaren personnel AFP “Can the response to this cri- tested positive for the new coro- Paris, France sis be translated by simply post- navirus. poning dates, without the Games In total, nine grands prix have model — both economic and or- now been postponed or can- lans for the 2024 Sum- ganisational — also being deeply celled due to the pandemic, with mer Olympics in Paris rethought?” asked the 69-year- most in F1 accepting the French are “obsolete and out- old, who served as sports min- race on June 28 will almost cer- Pdated” in light of the ister in France between 1995-7 tainly have to be called off too. coronavirus pandemic, IOC under Jacques Chirac. That leaves the Austrian member and former French “The beautiful project that we Grand Prix at Red Bull’s own sports minister Guy Drut said built and carried in the bid phase track in Spielberg on July 5 as a yesterday. for Paris 2024 is now obsolete, possible starting point, if the Former Olympic champion outdated, out of touch with real- government gives the go ahead. Drut, who won gold in the 110m ity. After initial stringent lockdown hurdles in 1976 and took silver “If the project is to remain measures, the Austrian authori- four years before, added in a col- unchanged, we must review its ties have begun to ease restric- umn for franceinfo that the Ol- means and refocus on the es- tions. ympic Games needed to be “re- sential. The first necessity is to “Obviously a lot of research invented” to put them more in make a budgetary reassessment has gone on into how a race touch with reality. of what Paris 2024 Olympics will could be hosted without fans “The crisis we’re going cost. and the minimum amount of through has a lasting impact on “The Games of yesterday will people in attendance,” Red Bull In this November 15, 2019, picture, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz (right) and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc drive around the Jose Carlos Pace Circuit during our daily lives, our way of life, not be the Games of tomorrow. team boss Christian Horner told a practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo. (Reuters) our economy, our social pact, our We have to accept that and to- Britain’s Sun newspaper. choice of society,” wrote Drut. gether imagine a new model. “Procedures would be put in But F1 bosses, whose original “two races, on Sundays, July 5 of permutations including host- Races at Silverstone would al- “It cannot and must not re- “We have to rethink them to place, including (virus) testing calendar included 22 races from and 12,” and that only a second ing two races over one weekend most certainly have to be with- main without effect on the im- adapt them, to keep them rele- with team numbers reduced to March to November, are target- wave of the coronavirus pan- and two races over consecutive out spectators too, while there perative necessity which is to vant to the changing world. They around 80 people. ing 18 races in the season despite demic could change that. weekends,” managing director is speculation it could host a reinvent ourselves. will not be able to take place at “The global crisis is bigger than only starting in July. Austrian sports minister Stuart Pringle told the Guardian race on a Wednesday as well as “The Olympic and Paralympic any cost, disconnected from our sport, but if you put a marker That raises the obvious pros- Werner Kogler has said the gov- last week. a Sunday to quicken the pace Games are no exception to this reality, on the ‘margins’ of the in the sand and say, July 5 is the pect of some tracks like Spiel- ernment would “at least not “I have complete confidence of the season or even host three new context. They too must re- world.” starting point, if things change berg hosting double header stand in the way” of racing be- in our ability to put on these grands prix. invent themselves.” In that context, Drut suggest- and get worse, they can always be races to avoid immediate travel hind closed doors, which pre- events. We have a lot of experi- Pringle expects F1 bosses to The International Olympic ed hosting certain events on a changed,” Horner added. to another destination where sumably would extend to two ence, a lot of knowledge, we can announce a new calendar in Committee, jointly with local single site “whatever the organ- “It is all set up and ready to lockdown measures may be dif- races. turn that on definitely.” early May. organisers, has been forced into ising country”, citing as an exam- go. It is just a case of flicking the ferent and which potentially A double header in Austria With seven of 10 teams based Only Monaco is definitely delaying the 2020 Tokyo Olym- ple Tahiti or Hawaii for surfing. switch. It is a bespoke facility all further exposes F1 personnel to would open the door for other in England, two races at Silver- cancelled, raising the prospect pics by one year to 2021 because He also proposed limiting the geared up for F1.” the virus. tracks to follow suit. stone would make sense. But the of venues whose races have al- of the Covid-19 outbreak. number of additional sports. The Red Bull Ring even has an Helmut Marko, the motor- The British Grand Prix is slated pandemic has taken real hold ready been postponed reappear- But Drut, an IOC member “It is very expensive to build airport very close if authorities sport adviser of the Red Bull for July 19 but Silverstone is also in Britain and the government ing on the schedule. It is a huge since 1996, argued that post- new equipment for an event that wanted to further reduce poten- team, told Austria’s Oe3 radio looking at holding two races. there is cautious about lifting a undertaking but F1 always likes ponement of dates was just the lasts only three, four days,” Drut tial contact. last week that F1 is planning “We have discussed all sorts lockdown too early. to think big. tip of the iceberg. argued. FOOTBALL Everton ‘appalled’ by Kean lockdown breach Reuters policy in relation to the corona- the country. A return is not im- had let down his family, friends, London, United Kingdom virus crisis,” the Premier League minent with the best-case sce- club, supporters and the public. club said in a statement. nario being a re-start in mid June. Tottenham’s Serge Aurier and “The club has strongly ex- Soccer has been in the spot- Moussa Sissoko apologised after verton say they are “ap- pressed its disappointment to the light with clubs and players com- a photo emerged of them training palled” after images player and made it clear that such ing under scrutiny about their together while Tottenham man- emerged in the media actions are completely unaccept- response. Tottenham Hotspur ager Jose Mourinho “accepted Eshowing Italian striker able. and Liverpool both came under his actions were not in line with Moise Kean flouting govern- “Everton has regularly stressed fire for furloughing non-playing protocol” after holding a one- ment lockdown rules by hosting the importance of following all staff — decisions they later re- on-one training session in a pub- a house party. the Government guidelines — versed. lic park with midfielder Tanguy The 20-year-old, who joined including rules and advice for Kean is not the only player to Ndombele. from Juventus last summer, was inside and outside of the home — flout rules during the lockdown. Players and clubs have offered reported by British media to have through a series of official com- Manchester City’s Kyle Walker support throughout the crisis filmed himself at his apartment munications to all staff members, could be disciplined after British though. Premier League players partying with guests. including players.” media reported he broke lock- joined forces to start the #Play- “Everton Football Club was British soccer has been sus- down rules by hosting a party in- ersTogether initiative to raise appalled to learn of an incident in pended since mid-March due to volving two sex workers. money for the Britain’s National which a first team player ignored the Covid-19 pandemic that has Walker apologised for his ac- Health Service. Government guidance and club killed at least 20,000 people in tions in a statement, saying he Gulf Times 2 Monday, April 27, 2020 SPORT FOOTBALL Blast from the past PHOTO OF THE DAY With sporting events around the world grinding to a halt, Gulf Times Sport dived down the vault for some fantastic, Bayern expects sometimes offbeat stories that can be told through pictures.

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