12 Thursday, May 7, 2020 Sports Football set to allow ‘I’m healed’: Dybala gets all-clear after coronavirus AFP players to test positive along with Italy outstretched looking at the sky: “My five substitutions Milan defender Daniele Rugani and France’s face says it all, I’m finally cured from Blaise Matuidi. Covid-19.” AFP Leagues will not be obliged Juventus star Paulo Dybala revealed Rugani was the first Italian top- Italian champions Juventus also Lausanne to implement the change, a on Wednesday that he has been given flight footballer diagnosed with the vi- confirmed that their Argentine star had source said, but they will be the all-clear almost a month-and-a-half rus on March 11. recovered. Football’s lawmakers are free to do so as soon as they after contracting coronavirus. Both he and World Cup winner Ma- “Dybala performed, as per proto- this week set to announce a restart after almost all football “Many people talked in the past tuidi recovered mid-April. Dybala was col, a double check with diagnostic tests “temporary” change to the around the world shut down weeks ... but I can finally confirm that diagnosed on March 22, along with his (swabs) for Coronavirus-Covid 19, which laws of the sport allowing in mid-March because of the I am healed. Thank you once again girlfriend Oriana, who recovered soon- came back with negative results,” Juven- teams to make up to five sub- pandemic. for your support and my thoughts on er from the disease which has killed tus said in a statement. stitutions in games when the The German Bundesliga is all who are still suffering from it. Take nearly 30,000 people in Italy. “The player has, therefore, recov- Argentine forward Paulo Dybala was one of sport resumes after the coro- set to be the first leading Eu- care,” tweeted the 26-year-old. Dybala also posted a picture of ered and will no longer be subjected to three Juventus players to test positive for navirus-induced suspension. ropean league to restart later Dybala was one of three Juventus himself on Instagram with his arms the home isolation regime.” coronavirus. (AFP) The proposal to help teams this month. cope with likely fixture con- The IFAB’s objective is to gestion in a packed calendar “protect players’ health” when was made by world governing matches do resume, with a body FIFA and is expected to fixture schedule that could be be validated by the Interna- even more packed than usual tional Football Association potentially leading to an “in- Board (IFAB) this Friday. creased risk of injuries”. NBA players can start The IFAB said last week While the measure is in- that it was working with FIFA tended to be temporary, it on a “temporary dispensation could be maintained for the of Law 3 (The Players) allow- whole of the 2020-21 season ing competitions to give teams and right through to the next the option to use a maximum European Championship, solo workouts at team of five substitutes on up to which was postponed by a three occasions during the year until June and July 2021 match, plus at half-time.” because of the pandemic. Limiting the number of oc- FIFA have said that imple- casions on which teams can menting the measure will be make changes would remove “at the discretion of the organ- sites on Friday the incentive to do so purely iser of each competition”. for time-wasting purposes. “If the measure is still in AFP said. The Phoenix Suns were A sixth change may also be force, UEFA could then adopt New York “We want to make sure looking at May 16 return, a day permitted in matches that go it for the Euro,” a source said. the facility meets all the league after Arizona stay-at-home reg- to extra time. It remains to be seen if NBA team facilities are set to specifications, the local and ulations are eased. Currently teams can make the measure could be left in reopen for individual player state health officials’ proto- The Milwaukee Bucks, who three substitutions during place permanently, but doing workouts on Friday in areas cols, and then we’re going to be had the NBA’s best record at 53- games, although since 2018 so may play into the hands of where state and local govern- even more stringent with those 12 when the season went on hia- teams have been allowed to the wealthiest clubs with the ments have eased coronavirus standards and create our own.” tus, were unsure as of Tuesday make a fourth substitution in largest squads and greatest lockdown restrictions. Another concern for the about workout timing. extra time. strength in depth. It’s the first small step on league is not to provide some “When you hear reports the road to resuming a 2019-20 clubs a major edge over others about things opening up, you NBA campaign that was shut because their players are al- get pretty excited,” Milwaukee’s down March 12 after Utah’s lowed to work out at facilities Pat Connaughton said. “But Rudy Gobert tested positive while others are denied the op- we don’t have any information Swimmer Schooling seeks for COVID-19, even though the portunity, although no solu- about ours yet.” league has unveiled no timeta- tion to that issue has been an- The workouts mark small national service delay after ble to return and says it could nounced. progress toward a return to change its workout plan based Many health safeguards games, but safety is a top prior- Olympics moved on updated virus news. will be in place for the solo ity and what the relaxed stay- About a month of the regu- workouts, with only four at-home measures produce in AFP try said Schooling and another lar season remains unplayed. players allowed on the court terms of virus spread will be a Singapore Tokyo-bound Singapore swim- Two months of playoff games at once, each shooting at major factor in any return time- mer, Quah Zheng Wen, have were to have started almost different hoops with no table. Olympic swimming cham- applied to further postpone three weeks ago. passing between players “I do want to play right pion Joseph Schooling is seek- their national service to com- “We’re excited... to take that and no coaches allowed in the now, but I feel like everything ing to further delay his national pete in the Olympics. first small step toward return- sessions. that’s going on right now is to service in Singapore so he can The ministry said it would ing to play. We miss the com- According to multiple re- protect everybody as long as we compete in the postponed To- examine “details of their train- petition. We miss the camara- ports, the NBA will detail ex- stay home and sort of stay away kyo Games, officials said on ing plans and milestones” be- derie,” Utah Jazz executive vice tra requirements for clubs and from each other,” said Mem- Wednesday. fore making a decision. president of basketball opera- players, including all balls be- phis Grizzlies rookie guard Ja The city-state requires all Schooling faces a tough tions Dennis Lindsey said in a ing sterilised after each session Morant. male citizens aged 18 to serve fight to repeat his 2016 suc- posting on the club website. and players not being allowed to “I’m doing good, but I defi- two years in the military, the cess -- he was criticised for be- “We’re going to ramp up exercise at any team facility but nitely want to be out there on police or the emergency ser- ing out of shape at last year’s systematically. The biggest goal that of their own club. the court.” vices, an obligation authorities Southeast Asian Games in the is to have the confidence of the In this file photo Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls handles the ball Players reportedly must Oklahoma City forward rarely let people skip. Philippines, where he won only players and the staff that they against the Phoenix Suns at the United Center on February 22, 2020 wear face masks except dur- Danilo Gallinari, whose Italian But Schooling was al- one individual gold medal. can enter our facility safely.” in Chicago, Illinois. (AFP) ing physical activity and have homeland has also struggled lowed to defer national ser- In 2018, the defence min- Not every team can open their temperatures taken with the deadly virus, longs for vice in 2014 to train for the istry refused an application by facilities for workouts and some rules will keep the Los Angeles open on Friday, Lindsey said. before entering the building a post-pandemic world. 2016 Rio Olympics, where Singaporean football player clubs might choose not to open Lakers and Clippers from work- “That could be within a day while staffers who rebound “We’re going to get through he famously beat his idol Ben Davis to defer national given the safety precautions ing out at team facilities. or two, but my best guess is it balls for players must wear it,” he said. “Sooner or later, Michael Phelps to win the service so he could play in the required. California lockdown The Utah Jazz don’t plan to will be after May 8,” Lindsey masks and gloves. we’re going to get through it.” 100-metre butterfly gold. English Premier League, say- He got another deferment ing he did not meet the criteria. to train for the 2020 Tokyo Davis signed a deal with Olympics, but the Games were Premier League side Fulham moved to next year because of anyway, and could now face jail Paris 2024 organisers vow to not change Olympic ‘DNA’ the coronavirus pandemic. for missing his national service Singapore’s defence minis- if he returns to Singapore. AFP led to more than 257,000 “Our objective will be to will first think of their own re- Paris deaths worldwide . find solutions to deal with covery rather than investing in “What is certain is that the unforeseen events, with com- sponsorship. The budget for the 2024 challenge will be enormous. plexities which will generate “It will take a little longer, Olympic Games in Paris cur- “Concretely, that means additional costs. but the target remains the rently remains unchanged de- always trying to be one step “We will also examine same.” spite the coronavirus pandem- ahead, to have room to man- how we optimise other lines Estanguet also dismissed ic, according to the head of the ouevre to anticipate anything to save money. But today, the the idea of rehashing the organising committee. unforseen.” budget for Paris-2024 is still Olympic model to reduce Tony Estanguet, in a con- But Estanguet added: because a few billion euros will the same.” events and the number of ath- ference call Wednesday, added “There are things we don’t be reinvested, jobs generated, He admitted that sponsors letes attending. that his committee would not want to touch, it’s in the DNA how will we do so that the mar- will likely be affected because “The strength of the Games bow to external criticism to of Paris 2024: a spectacle, a kets will benefit businesses...” of the “unprecedented crisis” must be preserved, and this change the DNA of the Sum- very strong collective emotion, Estanguet insisted that COVID-19 has thrown up. strength also lies in its univer- mer Games in four years’ time. the most beautiful unifying there were currently “no addi- “What is urgent today is sality, this diversity of sports “This crisis is not over and event that our country is capa- tional costs identified, either on relaunching the French econo- and athletes from around the we must keep a lot of humil- ble of organising. infrastructure investments (€3 my,” he said. world, 200 countries who ity,” Estanguet, a three-time “Then there is the question billion, including 1.6 from the “Needless to say, it disrupts come together to demonstrate Olympic champion for France of legacy. How this project is state and local authorities) or our calendar because in the this very fraternal message Singapore’s Joseph Schooling won the 100m butterfly gold at the in slalom canoe, said of the useful, how it makes it possible for the organisational budget coming months, you have to around performance,” the Rio Olympics. (AFP) COVID-19 outbreak that has to revive the French economy of Paris-2024 (€3.8 billion)”. think that French companies 42-year-old said. beIN SPORTS launches beINSPIRED podcast unveils incredible journeys of elite female athletes Tribune News Network tional sporting results against adversity. weeks I’ll be sharing the amazing stories Doha With most live sport currently on of six inspiring and world-beating ath- pause, beIN SPORTS said it was delighted letes who have turned adversity into op- beIN SPORTS has announced the launch to launch this global podcast series exclu- portunity. The podcast series reveals the of a standout new beINSPIRED podcast sively showcasing female athletes, which key figures and moments that have helped which celebrates trailblazing female ath- is accessible anywhere in the world on propel our beINSPIRED guests from as- letes, all of whom have paved the way for all major podcast platforms (Apple Pod- piring athletes into the world’s elite. By present and future female athletes to keep casts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, sharing their journeys, we hope to shed breaking barriers. Castbox, Overcast, Pocket Casts, and Ra- light on narratives that have too often Hosted by beIN SPORTS Senior Cor- dioPublic). The six-part podcast series been ignored, and to continue our com- respondent and Football Writers’ Associa- will include inspiring interviews with mitment to provide a platform to incred- tion Chair Carrie Brown, the beINSPIRED Magdalena Eriksson, Pernille Harder, Li- ible role models across all sports.” podcast delves into the inspiring stories of anne Sanderson, Danielle Carter, Nadia Andrea Ekblad, Partnerships and Lead female athletes from across the world, such Nadim, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Follow on beINSPIRED at beIN MEDIA GROUP, as Paris Saint-Germain’s Nadia Nadim; the conversation on social media with the who also produces the show, said, “Follow- Chelsea FC captain and Olympic silver- #beINSPIRED20 hashtag. ing the success of beINSPIRED across all medallist Magdalena Eriksson; and Olym- In the first episode, Nadim shares her Nadia Nadim - beINSPIRED podcast our platforms last summer, we’re deter- pic tennis gold medallist Bethanie Mattek- journey from Afghanistan to Denmark, mined to continue our key mission of giv- Sands, who address the various cha,llenges where she witnessed for the first time country. It was from this refugee camp Commenting on the launch of the ing visibility to female athletes’ formidable they have encountered throughout their young girls playing football just metres that Nadia was inspired to make a career beINSPIRED podcast, Brown said, “I am stories. The talented heroes selected for successful careers, while giving tips to lis- away from the refugee camp where Na- out of a sport that she was forbidden from proud and delighted to launch the beIN- Season One of our podcast series provide teners on how they have achieved excep- dia’s family settled after arriving in the playing in Afghanistan. SPIRED podcast, and over the next six unique voices to inspire all generation.”