Weekly Digest (June 15-21): From Dimitrov's diagnosis and Rashford's big win to Liverpool's opening dampener

From Bayern's Bundesliga win and Premier League's return to updates about the National Sports Awards, here are the biggest sporting developments this past week.

Published : Jun 22, 2020 01:33 IST , CHENNAI

Here are the biggest developments from the world of sport from the week gone by.
Here are the biggest developments from the world of sport from the week gone by.
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Here are the biggest developments from the world of sport from the week gone by.

Germany became the first European league to declare a winner after the coronavirus shutdown. Premier League is back, with a slew of injuries and the Champions League fight more alive than ever. While the Indian Premier League continues to grapple with the coronavirus, border conflict between India and China pose a new of questions to the tournament. Catch up with all this and more in this weekly sports wrap.

CRICKET

Rajinder Goel,  one of the finest left-arm spinners never to play for the country, passed away on Sunday. ( REPORT ) ( OBITUARY )

The Indian Premier League Governing Council has convened a meeting next week to discuss the tournament’s various sponsorship deals. It comes at a time when the calls for boycotting Chinese goods are getting louder, following the stand-off in the Galwan Valley a couple of days ago.  ( REPORT )

Fast bowler S. Sreesanth’s seven-year life ban will end in September 2020. If he proves his fitness, he may once again get to represent Kerala.  ( REPORT )

Bangladesh cricket icon and former captain Mashrafe Mortaza has tested positive for COVID-19.  ( REPORT )

The BCCI has extended the contract of its ombudsman and ethics officer, Justice (retired) D. K. Jain, by a year. Jain, who was appointed as the first-ever ombudsman of the Board -- and was later given the additional role of the ethics officer - completed his term in February this year. The BCCI formally extended his contract last week.  ( REPORT )

 

Cricket Australia confirmed that chief executive Kevin Roberts has resigned following months of criticism over his leadership during the coronavirus shutdown. CA Chairman Earl Eddings told reporters in a video call that Roberts, whose resignation is effective immediately, would be replaced by interim CEO Nick Hockley, the chief executive of the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. ( REPORT )

Sri Lanka Cricket is looking at hosting a T20 tournament, Lankan Premier League, in August, despite uncertainty looming over the home series against India and Bangladesh due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   ( REPORT )

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FOOTBALL

The Champions League will finish with a 12-day mini-tournament in Lisbon, restarting in August after a five-month suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic.  ( REPORT )

The UEFA Women’s Champions League will end with an eight-team straight knock-out tournament in Spain between August 21 and 30. ( REPORT )

Bayern Munich claimed its eighth consecutive Bundesliga title by beating Werder Bremen 1-0 away thanks to Robert Lewandowski's first-half strike. ( REPORT )

Wolfsburg won the German women’s Bundesliga title on Wednesday for the fourth year in a row after beating Freiburg 2-0 to open up an insurmountable lead.  ( REPORT )

Real Madrid took control of the Spanish title race by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 away on Sunday to move top of La Liga above Barcelona after a second-half high on controversy. (REPORT)

Third-placed Inter Milan restarted its Serie A campaign with a 2-1 home win over struggling Sampdoria on Sunday to close the gap on the leading pair. (REPORT)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an abrupt u-turn on Tuesday and agreed to keep funding meals for needy pupils over the summer holidays, after a campaign headed by football star  Marcus Rashford. ( REPORT )

A National Women’s Soccer League player from an unidentified team has tested positive for  COVID-19  just nine days before the start of the league’s Challenge Cup Tournament in Utah. ( REPORT )

Liverpool plays out an average 0-0 draw against Everton in the Merseyside Derby, delaying its Premier League crowning moment a little further. (REPORT)

Arsenal’s woes continued with three injuries and two defeats -- Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion --  on its return to action. ( REPORT )

Barcelona slipped up first in the sprint to the La Liga title with a draw at Sevilla. Real Madrid now has an opportunity to go top of the table with a win against Real Sociedad. REPORT )

Manchester City's Germany winger Leroy Sane has turned down the offer of a contract extension and will leave the club, with Bayern Munich being his likely destination. ( REPORT )

A group of black Major League Soccer players have formed a coalition to address systemic racism in their communities and bring about change within the league. ( REPORT )

Germany striker Timo Werner shunned the opportunity to play forRB Leipzig in its first ever appearance in the Champions League quarterfinals after agreeing to join Chelsea next month for about USD 68 million.  ( REPORT )

Dynamo Moscow said on Sunday that three of its players had tested positive for the coronavirus as its game on the Russian soccer league’s restart weekend was postponed.

Operators of Premier League's goalline technology system apologised after Sheffield United was denied when Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland carried the ball back over his own line. ( REPORT )

Napoli stunned Juventus 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw to claim the Coppa Italia and bring its fiery coach Gennaro Gattuso the first major trophy of his managerial career. ( REPORT )

The AIFF has recommended former skipper I.M. Vijayan for Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award. ( REPORT )

ISL club Odisha FC  has named former England U-19 and South African national team coach Stuart Baxter as its head coach on a two-year deal.

Costa Rican Johnny Acosta’s association with East Bengal ended on a sour note as he left for his home last week,, disappointed by the club’s “apathetic” attitude after his contract was terminated by former investor Quess Corp. ( REPORT )

Colombia's soccer chief and the head of South American football confederation  CONMEBOL  have written to FIFA complaining of “erroneous and discriminatory conclusions” in the assessment of the country's bid to host the 2023 Women's World Cup. ( REPORT )

TENNIS

Grigor Dimitrov  said on Sunday said he has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the highest-profile tennis player to reveal he has the disease. ( REPORT )

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the US Open will be held as scheduled, in late August, with spectators. ( REPORT )

The French Open, unlike its U.S. counterpart, will be held with fans when it takes place from Sept. 27-Oct. 11.  ( REPORT )

The ATP and WTA have issued revised calendar for tour resumption. (Reports HERE and HERE )

 

BADMINTON

Indian shuttler H.S. Prannoy has been recommended for the Arjuna award by chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand after the Badminton Association of India ignored him for a second successive year.  ( REPORT )

World champion and Olympic silver medallist shuttler P. V. Sindhu will join 21 top athletes around the world in a live workout to mark the Olympic Day on June 23. ( REPORT )

The Badminton Association of India on Friday recommended Kidambi Srikanth for the Khel Ratna award after the top Indian shuttler apologised for pulling out of a tournament midway. ( REPORT )

India’s chief national badminton coach P. Gopi Chand is keeping his fingers crossed on the subject of re-opening his two Academies in Hyderabad amid the wait for approval from the government.  ( REPORT )

HOCKEY

More than 100 days since they reported at the national camp, the Indian men’s and women’s hockey players are finally headed home for a month-long break, starting Friday. ( REPORT )

CHESS

In what turned out to be a tale of two debutants, P. Harikrishna slumped to the bottom of the table while Russia’s Vladimir Artemiev rose to the top on the opening day of the Chessable Masters on Saturday. ( REPORT )

Koneru Humpy will soon be playing at FIDE's Online Women’s Speed Chess championship, featuring the game’s elite.  ( REPORT )

MOTORSPORT

NASCAR’s return to racing shifts to Talladega Superspeedway, with new rules in place after Ryan Newman’s frightful crash in the season-opening Daytona 500. ( REPORT )

Six-times  Formula One  world champion  Lewis Hamilton  is launching a commission to help motorsport engage more young people from black backgrounds and drive diversity. ( REPORT )

BOXING

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes dominated Alexander Volkov, earning his fourth consecutive victory in a suffocating unanimous decision. ( REPORT )

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ATHLETICS

India’s top sprinter Hima Das, who had a stellar 2018, has been nominated for the prestigious ‘Khel Ratna’ by the state government of Assam. ( REPORT )

Christian Coleman, the reigning world champion in the 100-meter dash, has been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing drug tests. ( REPORT )

The World Anti-Doping Agency has begun an investigation into doping violations after an inquiry uncovered 40 positive adverse findings hidden in the International Weightlifting Federation records. ( REPORT )

BASKETBALL

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for new ways to understand racism as an organisation, and Karida Brown has joined them to help as the Lakers’ first director of racial equity and action. ( REPORT )

The NBA has confirmed October 16 as the date for this year’s draft and clubs can begin talking to free agents two days later. ( REPORT )

The  WNBA  on Monday announced plans to play a reduced season, with a 22-game schedule that would begin in late July without fans in attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic. ( REPORT )

Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery will be skipping the 2020 WNBA season to focus on working for social causes such as Black Lives Matter movement, the two-time champion with Minnesota Lynx announced on Twitter. ( REPORT )

NBA lays out its vision for Disney restart to teams and players. ( REPORT )

NBA teams will be tested for the coronavirus regularly from June 23 as the league prepares to resume the season. ( REPORT )

Brooklyn Nets forward  Kevin Durant  has joined the ownership group of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union. Durant, a 10-time  NBA  All-Star, has a 5 per cent ownership stake, with an option for 5 per cent more in the near future. ( REPORT )

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