Snooker’s World Championship given July start after virus delay
London:The World Snooker Championship has been rescheduled to start in July after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, governing body World Snooker Tour (WST) said on Wednesday. The sport’s premier tournament was originally scheduled to open in Sheffield last week, but it is now set to run between July 31 and August 16, subject to British government guidelines on the health crisis. “The world is going through a very challenging period but live sport can be a massive inspiration for the public and can boost morale. This gives fans of top class sport something on their calendar to look ahead to and enjoy for 17 days,” WST chairman Barry Hearn said. The Crucible Theatre which hosts the tournament has a capacity of just under 1,000, but it could be played with a reduced crowd, behind closed doors or even postponed again depending on government advice. The World Championship was won last year by top-ranked Judd Trump, who thrashed Scotland’s John Higgins 18-9 in the final.(AFP)
World Games has new title & logo
Washington:The World Games in Birmingham, Alabama has unveiled an updated logo and title after being delayed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.The Olympic-style competition for sports and events that are not on the Summer Games program will now be known as The World Games 2022. The event was initially scheduled for July 2021, but it will now be held in July 2022 to accommodate the one-year postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics. While those games will continue to be known as “Tokyo 2020,” the World Games decided to go with a more accurate moniker. The organizing committee also unveiled a new website. (AP)
Bale donates to Cardiff hospital
London:Wales attacker Gareth Bale has said that he had donated $615,000 to the hospital where he was born to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Real Madrid’s Bale, 30, who has won four Champions League titles since joining the Spanish giants in 2013, made the announcement in a Twitter post by the Cardiff and Vale Health Board. “I just wanted to make this video to thank everybody in the NHS for their hard work and sacrifice during this COVID-19 crisis,” he said. (AFP)