A medical worker in a protective suit collects a swab from a resident at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site, during a mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Chaoyang district of Beijing, China June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
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BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) – Beijing will suspend all offline sports events starting from June 13 citing high transmission risks of a recent COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in the city, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports said in a statement on Monday.
As of June 12, some 166 cases have been linked so far to the outbreak at the Chaoyang Heaven Supermarket Bar, which emerged last week.
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Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
May 22, 2022; Tulsa, OK, USA; Rory McIlroy plays his shot from the seventh tee during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Southern Hills Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
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June 1 (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy on Wednesday dismissed the field for the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series as “nothing to jump up and down about” and said players joining the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit need not face severe punishment.
There has been speculation that golfers who defect to the LIV Golf Series could face lifetime bans from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour but McIlroy feels such action would be too harsh.
“I certainly don’t think they should drop the hammer,” world number eight McIlroy told reporters ahead of the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
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“Look, they are well within their rights to enforce the rules and regulations that have been set. But … it’s going to end up being an argument about what those rules and regulations are.”
The June 9-11 LIV Golf event outside London is headlined by Dustin Johnson, who at world number 13 is the highest-ranked player in a field that currently includes 26 of the top 150 golfers in the world. read more
Among the other notable names competing are 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, 2010 British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen and former U.S. Open champions Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.
“I certainly don’t think the field is anything to jump up and down about,” said McIlroy.
McIlroy, who already expressed his allegiance to the PGA Tour, said he has some friends playing the LIV Golf event and when asked if they had any desire to keep competing on the PGA Tour the 33-year-old Northern Irishman paused before answering.
“Not really, I guess. You know, you have some guys in a position where they are literally not guaranteed a job next year,” said McIlroy.
“It’s hard to stay in the top-125 out here, especially when you’re a guy in your 40s and maybe you don’t hit the ball as far as you’re used to.”
All seven regular season LIV Golf events this year will have a $25 million purse where all players are paid out, including $4 million for the winner. The season-ending event will feature a $30 million purse.
According to McIlroy, that type of money proved too enticing to turn down for those in the latter stages of their careers.
“It’s a young man’s game nowadays,” said McIlroy.
“So someone that isn’t guaranteed their Tour card next year, another entity comes along and says, we’ll guarantee you this amount for three years, plus you’re playing for a ton more prize money, and you’re playing less events, you can spend more time with your family.
“I mean, whenever you sit down and look at some of those things, you know, it’s very appealing to some of those guys that are in that position.”
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Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto
Editing by Toby Davis
Cyclists ride at sunrise in London, Britain, January 4, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
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April 8 (Reuters) – British Cycling suspended its Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy with immediate effect on Friday, denying transgender women the chance to compete in domestic women’s races until the policy was reviewed.
British Cycling said it had taken the decision to suspend the policy due to differences between its own policy and that of the world governing body (UCI).
The move comes after transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was told by British Cycling that she was ineligible to compete in the women’s race at the National Omnium Championships.
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Bridges had been due to compete in her first women’s event in Derby but British Cycling said it had been informed by the UCI that she would not be eligible to participate under their current guidelines. read more
Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that Bridges had been ruled not compliant by the UCI as she was still registered as a male cyclist and could not compete as a woman until her male UCI ID expires. Reuters has contacted the UCI for confirmation.
“It is currently possible for trans-female athletes to gain eligibility to race domestically while their cases remain pending with the UCI (or indeed in situations where they are deemed ineligible),” British Cycling said in a statement.
“(this allows riders to) accrue domestic ranking points which impact selection decisions for National Championship races, which is not only unprecedented … but is also unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing.
“As a result of this, on Wednesday the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favour of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks.”
British Cycling added that it would include women and the transgender and non-binary communities in the review process.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week that transgender women should not be competing in female sporting events. read more
“I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible,” Johnson said.
In November, the International Olympic Committee said no athlete should be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage due to their gender, but stopped short of issuing regulations that define eligibility criteria. read more
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Reporting by Aadi Nair and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru
Editing by Toby Davis
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks in Downing Street in London, Britain, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
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LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) – Transgender women should not be competing in female sporting events, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told broadcasters on Wednesday.
Johnson was speaking as the country looked set to abandon plans to hold a flagship conference designed to promote LGBT+ rights around the world. read more
Charities and organisations are boycotting the event following a dispute over conversion therapy for transgender people.
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“I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible,” Johnson said.
“I also happen to think that women should have spaces — whether it’s in hospitals, prison or changing rooms — which are dedicated to women. That’s as far as my thinking has developed on this issue.
“If that puts me in conflict with some others, then we have got to work it all out. It doesn’t mean I’m not immensely sympathetic to people who want to change gender, to transition and it’s vital we give people the maximum love and support in making those decisions.”
Transgender rights has become a hot talking point as sports seek to balance inclusivity with ensuring there is no unfair advantage.
Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was ruled out of Britain’s National Omnium Championships last weekend after the sport’s governing body, the UCI, ruled she was ineligible. read more
British Cycling had cleared Bridges to take part under their “Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy”.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics Games in Tokyo last year.
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas last month became the first transgender National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle. read more
Thomas competed on Pennsylvania’s men’s team for three years before transitioning and setting multiple programme records with the women’s team, but her eligibility has come under considerable scrutiny.
The latest International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidance, updated in November last year, is that no athlete should be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage due to gender. read more
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Feb 28 (Reuters) – Badminton’s world governing body (BWF) has cancelled all sanctioned tournaments in Russia and Belarus, it said on Monday, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russian and Belarusian national flags must not be displayed and their national anthems not played at any BWF events. No other badminton tournaments will be allocated to Russia or Belarus until further notice.
“BWF will continue to monitor the situation closely and will proactively consult our international sport movement partners to discuss other options to potentially strengthen measures against the governments of Russia and Belarus,” it said in a statement.
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The governing body said it fully supported the International Olympic Committee urging sports federations to move or cancel sports events planned in Russia or Belarus. read more
“BWF stands in full solidarity with the entire international sports movement to call on all parties to stop acts of violence and to restore peace,” it added.
Ukraine’s health ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians, including 14 children, had been killed since Russia’s invasion of the country last week. Belarus has been a key staging area for the invasion.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation”.
Soccer’s governing body FIFA said on Sunday that no international soccer matches will be played in Russia and the Russian flag and anthem will be banned from the team’s matches abroad. read more
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Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond
PARIS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – A draft bill that would ban the wearing of the hijab in sporting competitions will pass on to France’s National Assembly after the Senate on Wednesday declined to vote on the legislation.
The bill includes a clause, previously added as an amendment by the conservative-dominated upper house, which stipulates that the wearing “of conspicuous religious symbols is prohibited” in events and competitions organised by sports federations.
The move is, however, opposed by the government and its allies in the lower house. The National Assembly has the final vote.
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Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; writing by Richard Lough, editing by Tassilo Hummel
