{"id":79408,"date":"2022-07-02T20:05:39","date_gmt":"2022-07-02T20:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=79408"},"modified":"2022-07-02T20:05:39","modified_gmt":"2022-07-02T20:05:39","slug":"wimbledon-tour-cricket-and-rugby-find-covid-still-in-the-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=79408","title":{"rendered":"Wimbledon, Tour, cricket and rugby find Covid still in the air"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sports Desk:<\/strong> As fans again fill stadiums this summer, a string of Covid-19 cases in major events suggest it is too early to cheer pandemic-free sport.<\/p>\n

After being cancelled in 2020 and requiring spectators to test last year, this year's Wimbledon seemed to signal a return to sunnier days as the United Kingdom relaxed its pandemic rules.<\/p>\n

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Then 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini, 2017 finalist Marin Cilic and Spanish 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut withdrew.<\/p>\n

They had all tested themselves and owned up to their positive results.<\/p>\n

“We paid the price, we ate our black bread with a year of bubbles and tests. We all got vaccinated,” said tennis player Alize Cornet before adding: “Covid is part of our lives now.”<\/p>\n

British player Liam Broady suggested less well-off competitors might think twice about disqualifying themselves.<\/p>\n

“At the end of the day, if you have got a bit of a cold, you play the main draw of Wimbledon for \u00a350,000 and a chance at more. I'm not sure some of the lower-ranked guys are going to, scout's honour, take themselves away and do a Covid test,” Broady said.<\/p>\n

The Women's Euros which kick off on July 6 in England are also relying on honesty.<\/p>\n

France coach Corinne Diacre said her team would do what European governing body UEFA asked “which is not much”.<\/p>\n

“The only constraint…imposed on us by UEFA, will be to wear a FFP2 mask when we arrive at the stadium and in the changing rooms,” she said. Adding that the squad would take the masks off “once we are among ourselves.”<\/p>\n

“We will have to take them off anyway to play,” she said.<\/p>\n

Also in the UK, the rearranged England-India\u00a0cricket\u00a0Test, cancelled last year because of fears of an outbreak in the Indian camp, started Friday without visiting captain Rohit Sharma and home wicket-keeper Ben Foakes, both recovering from Covid.<\/p>\n

Foakes was forced out after feeling ill and testing positive halfway through England's last Test with New Zealand.<\/p>\n

The same thing happened in Sri Lanka on Friday as all-rounder Angelo Mathews went into isolation before the third day of a Test with Australia.<\/p>\n

The world swimming championships in Budapest is relying on self-testing by individuals or teams.<\/p>\n

– ‘Covid is everywhere' –<\/p>\n

A few days before the Tour de France started on Friday, the International Cycling Union (UCI) decided to reintroduced tests.<\/p>\n

They acted after some 30 riders were forced out of the Tour of Switzerland which ended on June 21 and several cases were detected just before the Tour.<\/p>\n

Yet even if a rider tests positive, team doctors, the Tour and the UCI medical director, will discuss the case before deciding whether to remove him from the peloton.<\/p>\n

In an event where fans crowd the roadside, Tour boss Christian Prudhomme has asked riders to “refuse selfies and autographs”.<\/p>\n

Teams for two of the weekend's opening summer rugby union internationals have been reshaped by Covid.<\/p>\n

The French rugby team faced tougher protocols in Japan. The squad had to undergo three days of quarantine and tests after arriving.<\/p>\n

“Unfortunately, we're used to this,” fly-half Antoine Hastoy told a press conference.<\/p>\n

“We've been living with it for over two years. We're doing our best not to let the virus spread through our ranks.”<\/p>\n

Second row Thomas Lavault said the squad was trying to balance team spirit with caution.<\/p>\n

“We're still spending time together, we said it was important for us to do so and Covid is everywhere, we all know that.”<\/p>\n

Despite Japan's caution, their own team has been hit. Fly-half Takuya Yamasawa on Friday became the fourth player ruled out of Saturday's first Test after a positive result.<\/p>\n

In New Zealand, the All Blacks have been hit hard ahead of their opener with Ireland with seven members of their coaching and playing staff testing positive by Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sports Desk: As fans again fill stadiums this summer, a string of Covid-19 cases in major events suggest it is too early to cheer pandemic-free sport. After being cancelled in 2020 and requiring spectators to test last year, this year’s Wimbledon seemed to signal a return to sunnier days as the United Kingdom relaxed its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":79409,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n