Australian Open delayed by 3 weeks due to COVID
LONDON, Dec 17: The Australian Open is set to begin Feb. 8, three weeks later than planned, as part of a pandemic-altered 2021 tennis calendar released by the men’s professional tour. The ATP said that men’s qualifying for the season’s first Grand Slam tournament is being moved to Doha, Qatar, from Jan. 10-13. That will be followed by a period of about 2 1/2 weeks set aside for travel to Melbourne and a 14-day quarantine period for players and their coaches or other support staff. A 12-team ATP Cup, the relocated Adelaide International and an additional men’s tournament will be held in Melbourne to give players a chance to prepare for the hard-court Australian Open. The ATP said the season will start with a tournament beginning in the first week of January in Delray Beach, Florida. That event was contested in February this year, shortly before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. There also will be an early January tournament in Antalya, Turkey. More 2021 calendar plans for later weeks will be announced separately, the ATP said. Other tournaments that will not take place next year include the New York Open and an event in Auckland, New Zealand. The ATP is looking for new dates for the Rio Open, which was supposed to begin Feb. 17 but now conflicts with the two-week Australian Open main draw. As with other sports, tennis was disrupted this year because of the COVID-19 outbreak, including several months with no competition, the postponement of the French Open’s start from May to September, and the cancellation of Wimbledon for the first time since World War II. (AP)
Doha to host 2030 Asian Games
DOHA, Dec 16: The Qatari capital of Doha will host the 21st Asian Games in 2030, the Olympic Council Of Asia said on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the council held a secret ballot to choose the country that would host the 2030 Asian Games. “Doha, capital city of Qatar, will host the Olympic Council of Asia’s 21st Asian Games in 2030,” the statement, published on the council’s website, read. The council added that 27 members voted for Qatar, 10 supported Saudi Arabia and eight members abstained. This information was confirmed by the communication office of the Qatari government that informed Sputnik on Qatar’s victory in the ballot. Qatari Prime Minister Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani said that the right to host the Asian Games was “a new historical achievement” of Qatar after it gained an opportunity to hold the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar already hosted the Asian Games in 2006 with 424 events in 39 sports. 9,520 athletes from 45 countries participated in the competitions. The country spent $2.8 billion to construct facilities for the event. (SPUTNIK)
Brazil Grand Prix to be held at Interlagos until 2025
PARIS, Dec 17: The Brazilian Grand Prix will remain at its traditional Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo after promoters signed a five-year deal, Formula One said. F1 said in a statement on Wednesday that the race will take place on Nov. 14 next year. The announcement scuppers any plans to move to a new circuit in Rio de Janeiro. Seven time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton previously voiced environmental concerns that an area of forest would have to be cut down to build that venue. “It is a great joy to be able to announce that Interlagos will continue to host one of the most important events in world motorsports. We made a tremendous effort to keep the race in our city,” Sao Paulo mayor Bruno Covas said. “We believe that hosting the Grand Prix, in addition to promoting our city to the world, will continue to bring important contributions such as job creation and income generation.” Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi won the first F1 race held at Interlagos in 1973 but the race was among several canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. New race promoter Brasil Motorsport is a company owned by investment entities controlled by Mubadala, a global investment company from Abu Dhabi. F1 is planning a record 23 races in 2021, including one in Saudi Arabia set for Nov. 28 in the Red Sea city of Jiddah. The 2020 calendar originally had 22 races before being slashed to 17 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and with the iconic Monaco GP called off for the first time in in 66 years. (AP)