Monthly Archives: January 2021

Spain’s Paula Badosa has not been provided with training equipment to help her prepare for the Australian Open due to security concerns, but discussions are underway to find a way to get them. health officials said Tuesday.

Badosa was the first player to reveal that she had tested positive for Covid-19 in quarantine in Melbourne ahead of the Grand Slam tennis tournament and was moved to a ‘health hotel’ last Thursday to start an additional two weeks of locking.

The 23-year-old on Monday described her long period of quarantine as the “worst experience” of her career, adding that she suffered from anxiety and claustrophobia.

The world number 67 complained that she was not given any workout equipment and limited herself to doing sit-ups and using water bottles to weight up in a windowless room she shares with his trainer Javier Marti.

“Our priority is to support the health and well-being of those in our care and reduce the risk of transmission to protect staff and the safety of the community,” said a spokesperson for Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV).

“We support the delivery of exercise equipment wherever possible and safely, from both a health center and an IPC. [infection prevention and control] perspective.

“CQV is in discussions with Tennis Australia regarding the appropriate equipment that can be delivered to positive and symptomatic residents, as the equipment cannot be reused and should be safely destroyed.”

The Grand Slam, which has been delayed for three weeks due to disruption caused by the pandemic, will be played from February 8 to 21.

Badosa arrived in Melbourne after playing in Abu Dhabi earlier this month and was in her seventh day of quarantine when her test came back positive.

The Spain player said if it was confirmed that she had the most transmissible variant of the coronavirus first detected in the UK, she would not be released until February 5, when it would be ‘impossible’ to prepare to play.

As many as 72 players were confined to hotel rooms for two weeks after passengers on three charter flights taking them to Australia tested positive.

Organizers said they were in regular contact with Badosa, but because of his positive test, restrictions were tighter on what was allowed in his hotel room than on other hard-locked players.

“We have exercise equipment ready and waiting for it, and we will continue to work with the health authorities to find a solution to have this delivered to his room,” a spokesperson for Tennis Australia said in a statement. .

Meanwhile, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday it had started hearing an urgent appeal from the provisionally suspended Dayana Yastremska so that a decision could be made regarding her participation in the month’s Australian Open. next.

Ukraine’s Yastremska was suspended earlier this month after the World Anti-Doping Agency discovered a banned substance in an out-of-competition urine sample she submitted.

The International Tennis Federation had rejected Yastremska’s request to lift the suspension even as the world number 29 prepared to compete in the first Grand Slam of the year, which begins on February 8 in Melbourne.

“CAS arbitration has begun and the parties have agreed to a fast-track procedure to allow a single arbitrator to make a final decision by February 3,” CAS said in a statement.

Yastremska, who traveled to Melbourne and is currently in quarantine, had denied using performance-enhancing drugs and said the positive test was the result of a “contamination event”.

Controversial tennis grand champion Margaret Court has revealed she was not invited to this year’s Australian Open and said her Order of Australia award is long overdue.

The debate has raged since it was disclosed late last week that the court would be receiving the Companion of the Order of Australia – the country’s highest honor. She had already been made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007.

The 78-year-old’s tennis court exploits are unmistakable, with her 24 Grand Slam singles titles still the world benchmark. But his take on the LGBTQ community and his staunch opposition to same-sex marriage has drawn strong criticism.

His latest Order of Australia award has further fueled the fire, but the Court does not regret having accepted the honor.

“No, because I loved representing my nation,” Court told 3AW on Tuesday. “When I got the AO, it was for my community reach area. We produce 75 tonnes of food per week. And that was for my tennis, and I think that was a long time to come.

“I was not one of those looking for him. I didn’t know I was getting it. I was very honored when I was told that I was. There hasn’t been a lot of noise about it, but there have been a lot of other people who have been making a lot of noise about it.

Controversy raged when Court accepted Tennis Australia’s invitation to the 2020 Australian Open to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his 1970 grand slam.

Court said she did not receive an invitation to this year’s tournament and would not have accepted it anyway due to various factors.

“I am not coming to the Australian Open. No, I wasn’t invited, ”Court said. “With the coronavirus, we have been so busy with our community work. I didn’t even think about it.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Spain’s Paula Badosa has not been provided with training equipment to help her prepare for the Australian Open due to security concerns, but talks are underway to find a way to get it, health officials said on Tuesday.

Badosa was the first player to reveal that she had tested positive for Covid-19 in quarantine in Melbourne ahead of the Grand Slam tennis tournament and was transferred to a “health hotel” last Thursday to start an additional two weeks of locking.

The 23-year-old on Monday described her long period of quarantine as the “worst experience” of her career, adding that she suffered from anxiety and claustrophobia.

The world number 67 complained that she was not given any workout equipment and limited herself to doing sit-ups and using water bottles to weight up in a windowless room she shares with his trainer Javier Marti.

“Our priority is to support the health and well-being of those in our care and reduce the risk of transmission to protect staff and the safety of the community,” said a spokesperson for Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV).

“We support the delivery of exercise equipment where possible and safe from a health and IPAC (infection prevention and control) perspective.

“CQV is in talks with Tennis Australia about suitable equipment that can be delivered to positive and symptomatic residents, as the equipment cannot be reused and should be safely destroyed.”

The Grand Slam, which has been delayed for three weeks due to disruption caused by the pandemic, will run from February 8 to 21.

Badosa arrived in Melbourne after playing in Abu Dhabi earlier this month and was in her seventh day of quarantine when her test came back positive.

The Spanish player said if it was confirmed that she had the most transmissible variant of the coronavirus first detected in the UK, she would not be released until February 5, when it would be “impossible” to prepare to play.

“I feel abandoned because I don’t have the training material that I requested five days ago, I haven’t been told what type of virus I have, I haven’t had any information of the tournament, ”she told Spanish newspaper Marca. On Monday.

Badosa, who said she suffers from anxiety and claustrophobia, limited herself to doing sit-ups in her hotel room and using water bottles as weights to try to stay in shape.

The 23-year-old added that the room, which she shares with coach Javier Marti, was not suitable for an elite athlete.

Seventy-two players were confined to hotel rooms for two weeks after passengers on three charter flights taking them to Australia tested positive.

The CQV said earlier that there were no further positive tests among the 970 members of the Australian Open contingent to report on Tuesday, leaving only the nine cases already confirmed.

Kazakhstan’s world number 28 Yulia Putintseva last week complained that she had trouble sleeping in her hotel room due to rodents scurrying around.

By Salifu Usman, Abuja

The Nigeria Cricket Federation’s (NCF) quest for inclusive development of the game of cricket in every nook and cranny of Nigeria and to unearth talent received a huge boost as the Bankstown community in Australia donated training kits for beginners to the federation.

The donation comes as part of the Accelerated Growth Program (AGP) developed by the Federation to introduce 200,000 new children into sport each year in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The equipment that was received yesterday by NCF President Yahaya Adam Ukwenya includes plastic bats, wickets, cones, shirts and several more.
The boss of NCF, while acknowledging the positive effect the donation will have on the launch of the Federation’s Accelerated Growth program, expressed his joy at the gesture of the Australian community of Bankstown.

“This equipment will strengthen and support the entry level program which will deal with the registration and participation of schoolchildren in cricket.” So we are very grateful to the Bankstown community, Cricket Australia and ICC for making this donation, ”said Ukwenya.

He added that the AGP will start when schools reopen and involve both primary and secondary students. “We have completed a school map across the country and have already employed staff who will lead the accelerated growth program. In addition to this equipment, we have 2000 pieces of starter equipment which are currently being shipped to Nigeria. “

National team coach Asanka Gurusinha, who was also on the pitch inspecting and reviewing equipment, described grassroots development as the foundation for the growth and development of the sport, stressing the importance of equipment timing.