Day: July 23, 2021

The US National Football League (NFL) announced new protocols Thursday that make unvaccinated players heavily responsible if games get a COVID cancellation.

The league put out a lengthy memorandum to all 32 teams making it clear that it will not be as forgiving of COVID outbreaks as it was in 2020.

The most eye-catching part of the memo read: “If a game cannot be rescheduled within the current 18-week schedule and is cancelled due to an outbreak among non-vaccinated players on one of the teams, the club with the outbreak will forfeit the contest.”

An NFL team can earn upwards of $7 million in revenue from a single game.

In addition, the NFL said that if a team’s unvaccinated COVID outbreak causes a game to be rescheduled, that team has to pay the travel expenses for the other team, and if rescheduling is not possible, both teams’ players lose out on their weekly salary. The team that caused the cancellation also faces additional fines and penalties from the league.

The NFL is not mandating vaccines among its players, but the new memorandum makes it clear that unvaccinated players risk losing their jobs within their individual teams.

Last year, the league got creative to juggle multiple COVID outbreaks on teams, including rescheduling some games to the middle of the week, whereas the vast majority are played on Sundays. Players were also subject to time away from games in quarantine when they tested positive.

The new protocols allow a vaccinated player, if he tests positive for COVID, to return in two days’ time, assuming he gets two negative COVID tests in a row. An unvaccinated player who gets COVID must sit out 10 days.

The league said in the memo that vaccines are safe and effective and that nearly 75% of all players are in the process of getting vaccinated.

But there have been a few holdouts, including a star wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, Cole Beasley. Last month, Beasley tweeted his disdain for the NFL’s COVID protocols and suggested he would rather retire than take the vaccine. By late Thursday, he had not responded to the NFL’s new outbreak policy, but another receiver on his team, Stefon Diggs, did.

Apparently applauding the new rules, Diggs wrote simply, “accountability…availability.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

The head of the Eswatini Olympics and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA), Adam Mthethwa, announced an eight-member Tokyo Olympics team.

“We’re happy to inform the nation that a number of athletes have qualified to participate and compete at the Games and as such the EOCGA will be sending a team to represent the country in Japan,” he said. “We are confident that the athletes will do the country proud. It is worth noting that this is the biggest team we are sending to the Olympics in a long time.”

Mthethwa said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the government of Japan introduced stringent coronavirus countermeasure protocols to protect citizens and participating teams.

Part of the protocols addresses the need to minimize crowds and people at any given point during the Games and a staggered arrival and departure schedule.

“Team Eswatini would travel on different dates to and from Tokyo. We’re therefore confident that the team’s itinerary will give them sufficient time to acclimatize and prepare adequately for competing in Japan,” said Mthethwa.

EOCGA Acting Chief Executive Officer, Maxwell Jele, said team Eswatini has benefitted from more than ZAR700,000 ($48,500) from the International Olympics Committee to cover expenses for the Games.

“All expenses for the trip will be catered for by the funds from the organizing committee. These include traveling expenses, preparation before games, training camp, uniform, meals and allowances while accommodation will be catered for by the host city Tokyo,” he said.

Sprinter Sibusiso Matsenjwa promised to do his best against the world’s best.

“I don’t want to make promises, the competition will be tough but I will compete effectively. I hope to acclimatize quickly. I am working hard with my coach,” said Matsenjwa.

Eswatini has never won a medal at the Olympics and Matsenjwa attributed that fact to a lack of professionalization in sports in the kingdom.

“It is a combination of factors but the sport should be fully professional and have a lot of incentives. As an athlete, I shouldn’t consider my government job more important and secure than my sports career. Otherwise, it will be difficult to compete in such prestigious global competitions,” he said.

Matsenjwa said youth development is important for the kingdom to spot and groom talent at a young age.

“I gained international exposure when I was 18 years but my contemporaries in developed countries might have been exposed to professional athletics as early as the age of 7 to 8 years,” he said.

“That’s a huge difference as a Swazi coming from a rural background. That’s why when I retire from the international competitions; my objective is to groom young talent. Of cause, make good use of international connections I have built over the years. I’ll expose the youngsters to professional competitions and training,” he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

At least 19 more cases of COVID-19 were reported among Tokyo Olympics participants on Friday, according to local media.

Three of the fresh cases are living at the Tokyo Olympics Village, Kyodo News reported.

The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said it is the highest number of cases since early July.

Of the fresh cases, three are international athletes – two from Czech Republic and one from Netherlands – currently undergoing two weeks period of isolation, while among 16 others with Olympic credentials are three contractors and three media personnel.

Around 106 total cases of the coronavirus were recorded among the Tokyo Olympics participants since July 1. However, it does not include athletes and team officials who tested positive at pre-games training camps, the report said.

The delayed Tokyo Olympics will officially begin today in Tokyo when Japanese Emperor Naruhito throws open the world’s biggest games that were rescheduled from 2020 summer to July 23 this year due to the raging pandemic.

Naruhito said a day earlier that virus prevention at Tokyo Olympics was “far from easy task.”

However, the Tokyo Olympics will be overshadowed by state of emergency in the Japanese capital and adjacent provinces which have seen persistent number of virus cases coming up every day.

Japan has reported 852,517 coronavirus cases, including 15,097 deaths, since the outbreak of the virus in December 2019.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema contracted the coronavirus, the La Liga club announced on Friday.

“Real Madrid C. F. confirm that our player Karim Benzema has tested positive for COVID-19,” the Spanish team said on their website.

The 33-year-old player was part of France squad during EURO 2020 as his nation lost to Switzerland on penalties in the round of 16.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The British Premier League giants Manchester United completed the signing of English winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund on Friday.

Sancho inked a five-year contract with an option for one more year.

He scored 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 appearances for Borussia Dortmund after joining from Manchester City in 2017.

The 21-year player said that his dream came true by joining Manchester United as he cannot wait to play in the Premier League.

“I’ll always be grateful to Dortmund for giving me the opportunity to play first-team football, although I always knew that I would return to England one day. This is a young and exciting squad and I know, together, we can develop into something special to bring the success that the fans deserve,” he added.

He was also part of the England squad during EURO 2020 while his nation lost to Italy in the final on penalties.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Olympic Games started with the opening ceremony in a near-empty National Stadium in the Japanese capital Tokyo in the shadow of COVID-19 on Friday.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Athletes from 205 participating countries and the refugee team marched into the stadium with their flags in front of the empty stands due to the coronavirus.

Turkey’s flag was carried by swimmers Merve Tuncel and Berke Saka.

The ceremony began with a firework display, while a moment of silence was held for people who lost their lives due to the disease.

Featured in the field, were the Olympic Rings, made of wood grown from trees that were planted by athletes of the participated countries who competed in the 1964 Tokyo Games.

Turkey’s journey in Tokyo will start on Saturday with the participation of 16 athletes.

The Olympics were officially opened by Japanese Emperor Naruhito: “I declare open the Games of Tokyo,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency