2022 Asian Games mascot unveiled
Hangzhou (China): Three sporty robots, collectively known as the “smart triplets”, representing the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hangzhou in eastern China, were unveiled as the official mascots of the 2022 Asian Games here on Friday. The Mascots — Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen —, which reflect the internet prowess of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province, were unveiled at a digital ceremony in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the whole world to a stand still. The Olympic Council of Asia’s 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou from September 10 to 25, 2022. It will be the third Asian Games to be hosted by China following Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010, with the participation of 45 NOCs of Asia in 42 sports. The robot ‘Congcong’ represents the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. ‘Lianlian’ represents the West Lake and the name signifies a lake full of lush lotus leaves. ‘Chenchen’ represents the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. (PTI)
Edgbaston to become testing station
LONDON: The Warwickshire County Cricket Club (WCCC) on Friday announced that it is handing over the Edgbaston stadium to the government to create a drive-through COVID-19 testing station for the National Health Services (NHS) staff battling the pandemic. The stadium’s main on-site car park will be used to regularly test the medical staff, who are working in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands region, the club’s website said. The NHS staff will drive in through the Edgbaston road entrance, be tested while remaining in their vehicle and exit the grounds onto Pershore Road, it added. (PTI)
BVB stadium now medical centre
Berlin: Borussia Dortmund is to make its home stadium, the Signal Iduna Park, Germany’s largest football stadium, available to help the fight against the coronavirus with immediate effect, the Bundesliga club announced on Friday. According to Dortmund, starting from Saturday, it is medical care — for coronavirus patients and suspected cases, as well as for patients experiencing related complaints — rather than football that will take centre-stage in the North Stand area at Signal Iduna Park, reports Xinhua News Agency. “Our stadium is the flagship of our city; it is a focal point for almost everyone in Dortmund and the surrounding area, and thanks to its technical, infrastructural and spatial qualities it is the ideal location to actively help people who have been infected with the coronavirus or who are experiencing related complaints such as respiratory problems and fever,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, the CEO of the club. (IANS)
Indian badminton goes online
NEW DELHI: With courts out of bound due to the lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian badminton has gone online with chief national coach Pullela Gopichand handing out tips through videos to the country’s top shuttlers. India is currently under a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of the dreaded coronavirus, which has infected more than 2000 people in the country and over a million globally. Staying away from the game can affect fitness of the players and so Gopichand has started putting in place a program for the shuttlers, albeit, through WhatsApp. “We can only do fitness (training) because nobody has access to courts so we are doing what we can. I am sending the players videos of what to do in our whatsapp group,” Gopichand told PTI. “It is a generic program but it is tuned in such a way that it caters to the people (Olympic bound) who are important,” explained the 46-year-old, who is waiting for his three-week isolation to be over on Saturday. (PTI)
