6 March 3, 2020 President Condoles Death of Claims Gold at Karate Iranian Paralympic Champion 1-Premier League Salzburg SALZBURG, Austria (Dis- gold medal after beating her Ital- patches) - Team Iran have fin- ian rival to book a ticket for To- ished the Karate-one Premier kyo 2020 Olympics. League in Austria after grabbing She defeated Clio Ferracuti of two gold medals. Italy 2-1 at the Female Kumite In the men’s Kumite minus +68kg. 75kg category, Bahman Asgari Over 600 competitors from 88 snatched gold medal, after de- countries competed at the 2020 feating his Ukrainian Opponent Karate 1-Premier League Sal- 3-nil in the final. zburg. This tally represents a Iranian Paralympic powerlifter Siamand Rahman passed away on Sunday due to a heart attack Asgari also managed to seal a considerable increase with the TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Ira- people of Iran, the sports commu- spot in next summer Olympic previous event since 513 com- nian President Hassan Rouhani of- nity, and especially the National Games. Meanwhile, in the Wom- petitors from 79 countries took fered his condolences to the people Paralympic Team, and sports community over the the honorable people of the West en plus 68kg category, Hamideh part in the Karate 1-Premier passing of two-time Paralympic Azarbaijan province and his dear Abbas-Abadi also pocketed a League Dubai. champion powerlifter Siamand family. Rahman. Rahman passed away on Sun- “The sudden and unfortunate day due to a heart attack. demise of our country’s glori- He was rushed to the Nabi- Global Sport Heavily Disrupted by Coronavirus ous powerlifter, the late Siamand Akram Hospital in Oshnavieh, PARIS (AFP) - The coronavi- the weekend. Rahman, caused great sadness,” West Azarbaijan province, where rus is disrupting sport around the Six games were postponed, in- Rouhani said in a message re- he was pronounced dead. world with the Moto Grand Prix in cluding the clash between defend- leased late on Sunday. Rahman claimed two gold med- Qatar and Thailand postponed, a ing champions Juventus and title This national hero and “compe- als in London 2012 and Rio 2016 host of football matches put off to rivals Inter Milan in Turin, origi- tent and good-tempered athlete”, . a later date and increasing concerns nally scheduled to be the show- who holds the world record of He also won three gold medals surrounding the Tokyo Olympics piece match on Sunday evening. powerlifting and several Para- at the . later this year. The Italian government has lympic and Para Asian champion- Rahman broke the 300kg barrier The virus has already cast a long signed a decree that stops sporting ships, will always be remembered in the men’s over 107kg at the shadow over the start of the Moto activity in the northern regions and his “iron will and sincere Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, lift- GP season with this Sunday’s cur- that have been worst hit by the vi- faith” will inspire next genera- ing an unprecedented 310kg. tainraising Qatar MotoGP called rus until March 8, unless it is held tions of Iran, the president said. He was going to win his third off, followed by the March 22 behind closed doors. Rouhni further extended his gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 race in Thailand. That decision means another condolences to the honorable Paralympic Games. “I don’t say it’s cancelled, I just five matches next week can only say it is postponed until time al- go ahead if played in empty sta- lows us to do (the event),” Anu- diums. tin Charnvirakul, chairman of Tuesday and Wednesday in Laus- ance -- an emergency meeting of The Italian league has called an ‘Clásico’ Puts Madrid at Ease Again the Thailand MotoGP organizing anne to discuss the impact of the the organizers has been called in emergency meeting for Wednes- committee, told AFP. virus on preparations for the sum- Paris on Monday. day in which discussions will be One of the early races in the mer Games in Tokyo, and to ad- The virus has killed more than held on how to manage the fixture Formula One season, the Shang- dress the unthinkable -- scrapping 3,000 people worldwide, mainly chaos. hai Grand Prix on April 19, has world sports’ global showpiece for in , and its effects are being Football in Asia has been mas- already been postponed although the first time in peace time. felt across the global economy. sively disrupted, with the start of organisers say the season-opening Other events are under immedi- In Italy, the European country Japan’s J-League postponed till race in Australia on March 15 will ate threat. The remaining matches with the highest number of deaths mid-March and a hugely rear- go ahead as planned. in the 2020 Six Nations rugby at 34, the outbreak wreaked havoc ranged fixture list for the conti- Olympic chiefs are meeting on union tournament hang in the bal- with Serie A football matches at nental competitions. James Powers Lakers Past Pelicans 122-114 Hornets keep it close and Charlotte from a loss to the Memphis Griz- trailed by just two entering the fi- zlies by beating rising star Zion Mariano’s goal sparked wild celebrations at the Bernabeu nal quarter. Charlotte is in 10th Williamson and the Pelicans in MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid having won four league games in a place in the Eastern Conference New Orleans. beat Barcelona in a captivating El row at the Bernabeu but they will two spots back of a playoff posi- James carried the team on his Clasico to move above their rivals at rue missed opportunities in the first tion. back as the Lakers overcame the the top of La Liga. half. Antetokounmpo seized control absence of forward Anthony Da- Vinicius Junior drove in via a Antoine Griezmann fired over in the waning minutes, putting the vis, who missed out on facing his deflection in a second half packed from a Jordi Alba cut-back, Arthur Bucks up 88-83 with a turnaround former team because of a sore with chances after Isco saw a shot was denied by Thibaut Courtois af- jump shot. knee. saved and an effort cleared off the ter breaking through on goal and the He then pulled down an offensive James, who had 40 points in a goalline. Madrid keeper parried a Messi ef- rebound, drew a foul and made two 118-109 home victory against the Karim Benzema volleyed over for fort when the Barca talisman broke free throws drove for another layup Pelicans on Tuesday, is the clear Real and substitute Martin Braith- the offside trap. and added another free throw as he MVP winner in some people’s waite went close for Barca mo- Going into the break, Courtois had scored the Bucks’ last seven points eyes. ments before Vinicius sparked cel- saved 30 of the last 36 shots he had LOS ANGELES (AFP) - LeBron leading record to 52-8 with their to seal the game. “He is just amazing,” said Peli- ebrations at the Bernabeu. faced in La Liga and his interven- James and Giannis Antetokounmpo sixth straight win since the all-star Antetokounmpo, who handed cans coach Alvin Gentry. “I am not Substitute Mariano struck in add- tions were built upon as Zidane’s stepped up their MVP campaigns break. out six assists, became the first sure what defines an MVP, but he ed time as Real moved a point clear side carried more threat in the sec- with dominant performances over a Antetokounmpo said that was all Bucks player with a 40-20-5 stat makes everybody on his team bet- of Barca. ond period. couple of teams battling for playoff that mattered as the team’s streak line since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in ter.” Mariano had not played a single Isco curled an effort at the top cor- spots. of 100-point regular-season games 1974. Williamson scored a career-high minute in La Liga for Zinedine Zi- ner to force a fine save from Marc- James had a triple-double of 34 ended at 83. Remarkably, Antetokounmpo 35 points, marking his 11th con- dane’s side this season until being Andre ter Stegen before heading points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds In this “old-school” victory, the amassed the numbers in just 35 secutive game with 20-plus points brought off the bench in injury time low past the keeper, only for Pique as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Bucks never trailed in the second minutes on the court. for the Pelicans, who are in nine to seal a memorable win. to intervene. the New Orleans Pelicans 122-114. half, although their 15 turnovers in Elsewhere, the Western Confer- place in the Western Conference Los Blancos finished third last Karim Benzema could not end a season - 19 points behind champi- five-game goal drought when he The Bucks pushed their league- the first three quarters helped the ence leading Lakers bounced back one spot out of a playoff spot. ons Barca - but the tight nature of volleyed over when unmarked be- the title race this time around placed fore former Middlesbrough forward added significance on the fixture in Martin Braithwaite had a chance to Germany, Netherlands Dominate Track Cycling Worlds the Spanish capital. win it, only for his shot to be saved. BERLIN (AP) -- Emma Hinze of in the women’s sprinting events career world championships gold Hinze had already won gold in Zidane had said his side were in Vinicius then pounced, firing in Germany and Harrie Lavreysen of at the Berlin Velodrome. And medal. And in the men’s Madi- the sprint and teamed with Lea a “delicate moment” as a result of from a narrow angle, the 19-year- picking up one point from their last old Brazilian becoming the young- the Netherlands put a fitting bow Lavreysen won his third gold in son, which returns to the Olym- Friedrich - also the gold medal- two league matches and having suf- est scorer in a league game between on the final day of the track cycling the sprint to give the Dutch team pic program this year, Danish ist in the 500 meters - and Pau- fered a home defeat to Manchester the sides this century as he sur- world championships, the last ma- a table-leading six gold medals riders Lasse Norman Hansen and line Grabosch to win the team City in the Champions League in passed Lionel Messi’s record set in jor event for their sport ahead of and nine total over the course of Michael Morkov gained an early sprint. So she took the starting midweek. 2007. the Tokyo Olympics. the five-day event. lap and cruised to the victory. line for the keirin already pleased And Real’s task looked ominous His side never looked back and Hinze won her third gold medal In the other two events Sunday, The story of the world champi- with her week, and in some ways given they had not beaten Barca Mariano put the finishing touches by holding off the field from the Elinor Barker of Britain gained a onships, though, where the Ger- hardly expecting to find her way in the league in their last seven at- on a win which gives them real front in the keirin, making it a lap on the field in the women’s man women sprinters and the to the front of the mass-sprinting tempts. hope of landing a first league title clean sweep for the host nation points race to easily win her fifth strength of the Dutch team. event. Quique Setien’s side also arrived since 2016-17.