The Fiji Times

ACS anticipates tough 2021 Fiji Finals

DEFENDING Coca-Cola Games girls champion Adi Cakobau School will be fighting hard to be in the standard they were in when they last won the title. According to coach Tony Raboiliku, the long break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the girls’ fitness. However, Raboiliku is adamant the girls would...

Timely boost for BMS reps

MEMBERS of the Ballantine Memorial School athletics team were presented with their sporting gear this week as they prepare for the 2021 Coca-Cola Games next week. School principal Tokasa Wilson was delighted to receive the assistance from students who attended the school in the 1980s.The name of their group is BMS Walusaiva. “We are delighted...

Lydia Ko into lead at Lotte Championship with stunning second round

Lydia Ko has got off to a flying start in her second round to move into the lead at the Lotte Championship at the Kapolei Golf Club in Honolulu. After shooting 67 on the opening day of the LPGA tournament, the Kiwi opened up on the second day with four birdies over her first seven...

Tokyo 2020 will be difficult to stage, head of Japan medical group warns

TOKYO, 16 APRIL 2021 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – Tokyo Medical Association chair Haruo Ozaki has warned staging this year’s rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be “really difficult” amid growing concerns over a resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic in Japan. Ozaki has also called on organisers to present “concrete measures” on how it...

Zimbabwe Cricket backs eight-year ban for ‘greedy, selfish’ Streak

(Reuters) – Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani says the eight-year ban handed to former national team all-rounder and coach Heath Streak for corruption is the sport’s darkest day in the country. The 47-year-old Streak admitted five breaches of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption code and agreed to the sanction that was revealed on...

Exclusive: Olympics-COVID cuts hit anti-doping program at Tokyo Games

(Reuters) – Anti-Doping accreditations for the Tokyo Olympics have been cut due to COVID-19 but the core management team in charge of delivering a drug-free Games will remain intact, the head of the International Testing Agency (ITA) told Reuters. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will also be impacted by a 20% reduction in its International...

Christ the Redeemer lit up to mark 100 days till the Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The world’s most famous statue of Jesus Christ was lit up with the Olympics logo and images of sporting arenas on Wednesday to mark 100 days to the Tokyo Olympic Games opening ceremony. Hundreds of LED projectors were used to beam images onto the 98-foot (30-m) Christ the Redeemer in...

Skipper Cup: Suva to take cautious approach against Rewa

Suva team manager Nemani Tuifagalele said they would take a cautious approach against a fevered Rewa side this week who will be out to make a statement against the defending Skipper Provincial Cup champions. “We are going to do our best to stop that Rewa challenge,” Tuifagalele said. “Rewa played exceptionally well against Nadi, and...

Babar smashes record-breaking 122 in Pakistan victory

PRETORIA (Reuters) – Captain Babar Azam hit a record-breaking 122 to lead Pakistan to an impressive nine-wicket victory over hosts South Africa at Centurion on Wednesday and a 2-1 lead in the four-match Twenty20 series. Mohammad Rizwan scored an unbeaten 73 as he and Babar, whose century came off 49 balls, shared a record 197-run...

Olympians still suffering sleepless nights

New Zealand’s top athletes sought psychological support in record numbers last year as Covid-19 disrupted the sporting calendar. One year on, a leading psychologist said athletes and coaches were suffering sleepless nights and had trouble making decisions and controlling their emotions as the stress associated with the pandemic lingered. When the Tokyo Olympic Games were...

MLB roundup: Tyler Glasnow fans 14 as Rays edge Rangers

Tyler Glasnow recorded a career-high 14 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings and Willy Adames homered as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Texas Rangers 1-0 Monday night in St. Petersburg, Fla. Glasnow (1-0) was electric in the 102-pitch showing. He allowed just two hits and one walk and struck out the side in the first,...

Third-period surge carries Red Wings past Hurricanes

Adam Erne and Filip Zadina scored goals early in the third period and the Detroit Red Wings held on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Monday night in Raleigh, N.C. Red Wings goalie Jonathan Bernier, who made 37 saves, was nearly six minutes away from his first shutout of the season before the Hurricanes...

Red Sox beat Twins to stretch winning streak to seven

Rafael Devers and Hunter Renfroe each homered and Bobby Dalbec had a pair of RBI doubles as the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox extended their win streak to seven games with a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday afternoon in Minneapolis. Christian Arroyo also had two hits and scored two runs for...

Stefanos Tsitsipas advances to third round in Monte Carlo

Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece recorded a 6-3, 6-4 win over Aslan Karatsev of Russia on Tuesday in their second-round match at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco. Tsitsipas smashed four aces en route to dispatching Karatsev in one hour, 24 minutes. He advanced to the third round of the tournament for the second...

NBA roundup: Stephen Curry (53) makes Warriors history in win

Stephen Curry became the all-time leading scorer in Golden State Warriors history with the ninth 50-point game of his career, exploding for 53 in a 116-107 victory over the visiting Denver Nuggets on Monday night. The Nuggets might have lost more than just a second straight game, as standout guard Jamal Murray went down with...

Golfers battle intensifies in Suva

COMPETITION at the Fiji Golf Club gained momentum each week as golfers battled for the Khans Holdings Ltd-sponsored stroke event over the weekend. In the A-grade competition Eddie Yuen finished with 71 points, Umesh Shandil in second recorded 72, while in third spot VK Pillai managed 73. Shun Hee Lim took the ladies overall results...

Together for a cause

THE Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) through its Athletes and Communities Engagement (ACE) program joined the Fiji Table Tennis Association (FTTA) to celebrate World Table Tennis Day on Saturday April 10 at the Sukuna Park in Suva. The ACE program was invited by the Fiji Table Tennis to be part of...

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes Joseph Parker can fight his way back into world title frame

Joseph Parker’s British promoter Eddie Hearn believes the Kiwi heavyweight will bring himself into the world title frame if he beats Dereck Chisora. Parker and Chisora fight in Britain on May 2 (NZT). The heavyweight belts look set to be undefined this year with WBC champion Tyson Fury and WBA, IBF and WBO champion Anthony...

Ben Murdoch-Masila ready to step up for Warriors as David Fusitu’a, Eliesa Katoa out for Dragons clash

Ben Murdoch-Masila is more than willing to make a positional switch if coach Nathan Brown sees the need to shore up the Warriors’ middle forwards in the absence of star prop Addin Fonua-Blake. Murdoch-Masila has again been named on the bench for Sunday’s clash against the in-form Dragons, where the 118kg Tongan international has been...

Ben Stokes to miss rest of the Indian Premier League after breaking finger

England allrounder Ben Stokes will miss the rest of the Indian Premier League after breaking a finger playing for Rajasthan Royals in their opening match against Punjab Kings. “He will stay with the Royals and support the rest of the group in the upcoming matches,” the team said Tuesday. Stokes was seen shaking his left...

Chess champ Kumar stamps mark as man to beat

Fiji chess champion candid master Manoj Kumar stamped his mark as the man to beat in the sport after winning the University of Fiji and Fiji Chess Federation Rapid Chess Championship last week. UniFiji has been holding regular competitions for some time, including Fiji’s ongoing first lawn chess series. Last week, 36 players competed in...

Black Cap Trent Boult stars as Mumbai Indians pull off unlikely win in IPL

Reigning champion Mumbai Indians pulled off a 10-run win against Kolkata Knight Riders for their first points in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. Kolkata was well-placed at 122-4 at the end of 15th over to overhaul 153-run target before Mumbai roared back through its spinners and pace to restrict Kolkata at 142-7. Left-arm spinner...

Masters champion Matsuyama open to lighting Tokyo Olympic cauldron

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Reuters) – Hideki Matsuyama cut a solitary figure as he walked alone to the clubhouse to sign his card after winning the Masters on Sunday, even if all of Japan was with him in spirit. After exchanging hugs beside the 18th green with his small entourage, a stoic Matsuyama was left to himself...

Markram leads South Africa to easy T20 win over Pakistan

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa opener Aiden Markram struck a brisk half-century as the hosts levelled the four-game Twenty20 International series against Pakistan with a six wicket win in the second match at The Wanderers on Monday. Pakistan elected to bat, but some poor stroke-play saw them restricted to 140 for nine in their 20...

Grand National sets record for UK online sports betting

(Reuters) -The Grand National was Britain’s biggest ever online sports betting event as shop closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant punters had to go online or use mobile apps to bet on one of the annual highlights of the horseracing calendar. Over 100 million pounds ($137.4 million) was bet on the race across the...

Japan Olympic adviser urges COVID-19 vaccine option for athletes

TOKYO (Reuters) – A health adviser to Japan’s Olympic committee said on Tuesday athletes should have the option of getting COVID-19 vaccines, days after public outcry led the government to deny it was making them a priority. Japan on Thursday had dismissed a media report that it was considering vaccinating all its Olympians by the...

Japan hails ‘bright news’ of Matsuyama’s Masters win

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan sucked in its breath as Hideki Matsuyama almost blew his chance to win the Masters but the golfer’s one-shot victory at Augusta National sparked a joyous reaction back home as the country celebrated another sporting triumph in testing times. Matsuyama, 29, became the first man from Japan to win one of...

Tokyo Olympic organisers to secure 300 hotel rooms for athletes with COVID-19-Kyodo

TOKYO (Reuters) – Tokyo Olympic organisers plan to prepare 300 hotel rooms for athletes who test positive for the coronavirus at this summer’s Games but show no or minor symptoms of COVID-19, Kyodo news agency said on Sunday. Japan’s government is placing Tokyo under a month-long state of “quasi-emergency” from Monday to combat surging infections,...

No Green Jacket but Rahm still has reason to smile

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Reuters) – Jon Rahm had double reason to smile on Sunday carding a final round six-under 66 to claim a top five Masters finish and a picture of his new born son. It may not have been the Green Jacket waiting for Rahm as he walked off the 18th green but a 66...

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Tokyo Olympics must be ‘reconsidered’ due to Japan’s failure to contain pandemic – report