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04/09 17:36 CDT The Latest: Dougie Hamilton ready to play if season resumes
The Latest: Dougie Hamilton ready to play if season resumes
By The Associated Press
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the
world:
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Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell said All-Star
defenseman Dougie Hamilton would be ready to play if the season resumes after
breaking his left leg in January.
Hamilton needed surgery and had been listed as out indefinitely before the
season was suspended amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a video conference with
reporters Thursday, Waddell said Hamilton's rehab has gone well and that he
would soon start work on the ice.
Waddell said there was no need for Hamilton to rush back on the ice in his
recovery with the season suspended.
"If we were playing today, we would've sped up that on-the-ice performance over
the last couple of weeks, so he's ready to go," Waddell said. "And just a
matter of time before we put him on the ice and move forward from there. But
yes, he'll be ready to play when we drop the puck."
Additionally, Waddell said goaltender James Reimer is healthy again after being
sidelined in February with a lower-body injury, noting he was close to
returning when the season was suspended.
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Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has completed his quarantine period that
followed a positive test for the coronavirus and has returned to his base in
New York.
Castellano tested positive for COVID-19 last month as part of a physical
mandated by Gulfstream Park to determine if he could be cleared to ride in the
Florida Derby on March 28. He quarantined in Florida and returned to New York
earlier this week.
Castellano said he was largely asymptomatic throughout his time with the virus,
thanked Gulfstream for setting up "procedures to follow because of the
situation and enforced it.
"Whoever came in from out of town had to have a test. That's the only way to
ride," he said.
Castellano is scheduled to ride at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas on May 1 and May 2.
He has not ridden since having two mounts at Gulfstream on March 15.
Castellano has won more than 5,000 races in his career with purse winnings
exceeding $344 million.
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New Mississippi football coach Lane Kiffin and other athletic officials are
combining to donate $50,000 for students struggling because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The university said Thursday Kiffin is giving $20,000 to the Rebel Aid
campaign. Athletic director Keith Carter, basketball coaches Kermit Davis and
Yolett McPhee-McCuin and baseball coach Mike Bianco are also contributing.
Most of the gift will be directed to the Fins Up Fund, which provides financial
assistance to Ole Miss student-athletes during this crisis. The remaining
$10,000 is dedicated to the Rebel Relief Fund, which serves the campus' most
urgent student needs.
The Fins Up Fund is an available resource to student-athletes through the
NCAA's miscellaneous benefits permission.
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Falcons running back Todd Gurley is donating meals to feed Atlanta residents in
need and healthcare workers at two hospitals.
The former standout at the University of Georgia is donating meals to
low-income Atlantans through Hungry@Home. The donations also will benefit the
Ronald McDonald House Atlanta and two Atlanta hospitals, Northside and Piedmont.
"Atlanta has welcomed me back with open arms, so it was only right that I gave
back to this city," Gurley said Thursday. "My partners at Hungry have allowed
me to reach out and spread love to those who need it most by donating good food
to people in need."
He said he hopes to inspire others to provide similar help, "especially for
those risking their lives on the front lines and, most importantly, make a
difference every day."
Gurley, who played five seasons for the Rams before he was released last month,
has agreed to a one-year contract with the Falcons for $6 million.
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The Kentucky Derby Museum is looking to unload all merchandise for the 146th
Derby dated May 2.
The race has been postponed from that date to Sept. 5 because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, over 300 Derby 146 items with the old date will be available for
online sale from April 15 to May 3. The museum will donate 20% of sales
proceeds to two funds that help those affected by COVID-19.
The merchandise includes Derby glasses, T-shirts, bags, socks, posters and
magnets. It also includes items associated with the Kentucky Oaks, the race for
fillies held on Derby eve.
Derby glasses have long been popular with collectors and limited production
runs or mistakes can make them highly sought after.
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The Chicago Bears say they are donating $2 million to COVID-19 relief efforts
in Illinois.
The Bears gave $250,000 to the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund on
March 20, and they said they plan to donate $250,000 each to three other causes
--- the Advocate Charitable Foundation's Relief Fund for Critical Care,
Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund and the University of Chicago's Community
Support Programs.
"We will be forever grateful to the healthcare providers, first responders,
grocers, sanitation workers, janitors and everyone keeping our communities
healthy and safe during this time," Bears president Ted Phillips said. "Please
continue to do your part and stay home so we can slow down the virus and save
lives."
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The World Curling Federation has canceled its championships this year.
The men's, women's, mixed doubles and senior championships will not be held in
2020. The events had already been indefinitely postponed because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
The WCF has adjusted its qualifying for the 2021 world championships and the
2022 Winter Olympics to compensate for the missing tournaments.
Also Thursday, Curling Canada canceled all of its remaining championships for
the 2019-20 season, which ends in the spring.
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The International Tennis Federation is putting about half of its staff on
furlough and cutting other employees' salaries because of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The move includes a 30% pay drop in 2020 for ITF President David Haggerty and
reductions of 10% or 20% for others.
Haggerty wrote in an email to the AP on Thursday that the ITF's finance
committee and board "looked at all areas where we felt we could make savings in
the short term to be prepared for the return to tennis."
Haggerty also said that the group's reserve funds are available to help
individual countries' tennis federations be prepared for tournaments and
grassroots efforts once it's deemed safe to return to competition.
The ITF oversees the Fed Cup and Davis Cup, along with hundreds of lower-tier
tournaments around the world.
The Fed Cup finals this month have been postponed; the Davis Cup finals are
scheduled for late November. All tournaments are on hold until at least
mid-July.
Haggerty wrote to the AP: "In these unprecedented times, it is hard to predict
when we will return to tennis."
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The Indiana-Kentucky boys and girls high school all-star games have been
canceled for the first time since World War II.
Officials from the two states cited measures taken by both state governments to
battle the COVID-19 pandemic, including the closure of schools through the rest
of academic year.
The boys series began in 1940 but was not played in 1943 or 1944. The girls
games were added in 1976 and have never previously been called off.
The series pits the top seniors from each state and were scheduled to play June
5 in Georgetown, Kentucky, and June 6 in Indianapolis. The top juniors were
scheduled to square off June 1 at Floyd Central High School near the Ohio River.
Indiana also has canceled the junior-senior all-star games on June 3 and the
All-Star Shootout on June 6.
"I am sad for the players and coaches who comprise this year's All-Star teams,"
Indiana game director Mike Broughton said in a statement. "This is a once in a
lifetime experience for the seniors who made the team, but they do have the
satisfaction that they are an Indiana All-Star for life."
The Indiana boys hold a 99-44 advantage in the seniors' series while the
Indiana girls lead 50-38.
The move comes less than a month after the Indiana High School Athletic
Association canceled the boys state tournament for the first time since its
inception in 1911.
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The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic track and field trials for next year's
Tokyo Games will remain in Montreal.
Athletics Canada announced Thursday that the trials will take place in 2021 at
Montreal's Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard. The event is expected to be held
June 24-27.
Montreal was scheduled to hold the trials this summer from June 25-28, but the
event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The trials will serve as the final event to determine the athletes nominated to
the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams competing in Tokyo.
Montreal hosted the Canadian Track and Field Championships in 2019. The last
Olympic trials held in Montreal were in 1996.
The Tokyo Games will take place July 23 to Aug. 8, 2021, after being postponed
for a year due to the novel coronavirus. The Paralympic Games will run from
Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.
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The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony has been postponed
indefinitely because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Toronto Blue Jays first baseman and two-time World Series champion John
Olerud, 2006 American League MVP Justin Morneau, former Blue Jays pitcher Duane
Ward, and Montreal sportscaster Jacques Doucet were scheduled to be enshrined
in a ceremony in St. Marys, Ontario, on June 20.
The hall of fame said in a release Thursday that the ceremony and related
events are postponed until further notice.
The museum and ballfields are closed to the public, as mandated under Ontario's
declaration of emergency.
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The NBA, the National Basketball Players Association and ESPN will stream a
HORSE tournament on ESPN's app.
The NBA HORSE Challenge will have eight participants. The quarterfinals are to
be shown Sunday and the semifinals and final on April 16.
The quarterfinal matchups are Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks against former
NBA player and ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups; WNBA great and 2020 Basketball
Hall of Fame inductee Tamika Catchings against Mike Conley Jr. of the Utah
Jazz; Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls against NBA retiree and ESPN analyst
Paul Pierce; and Chris Paul of the Oklahoma City Thunder against Allie Quigley
of the WNBA's Chicago Sky.
Players must call their shots before the attempt and dunking is not allowed.
The players will be isolated and competing on separate home courts.
State Farm is the presenting sponsor and will offer a prize pool exceeding
$200,000 to charities working on the coronavirus response. The event will be
pre-taped.
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The International Cycling Union says it can get through its greatest crisis
since World War II with limited damage "as long as the situation does not last
longer than current predictions."
The UCI has received more than 650 requests for postponements or cancellations
from organizers because of the coronavirus pandemic. That represents 30% of its
international calendar.
The UCI says it is reimbursing all registration fees of canceled events to help
organizers.
The UCI will take a considerable financial hit from paying those fees and it
also expects its Olympic revenue payment from the delayed Tokyo Games to be
postponed and likely reduced.
The UCI says its leadership has agreed to reduce salaries or allowances and
furloughed all 130 employees of the UCI and the world cycling center.
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Australia's rugby league championship plans to restart on May 28.
The NRL has been suspended since March 23.
The governing ARL Commission also says it intends to play a full three-game
State of Origin series.
Commissioner Wayne Pearce says they wanted to set a date and then work on
finalizing a competition. It will depend on border restrictions in New South
Wales and Victoria states and New Zealand opening up.
Pearce says "a date is to give certainty to players and their schedules, clubs
and thousands of people who are out of work through clubs and millions of fans."
He says "the situation is changing dramatically and we need to get moving. It
is in the best interests of our clubs, our players, our stakeholders and
importantly our fans that the competition resumes as quickly and as safely as
possible."
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Australia's two-test cricket tour of Bangladesh in June has been postponed
because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The first test was to start on June 11 in Chattogram. The second from June 19
in Dhaka.
Both were part of the world test championship. The final of that tournament is
scheduled for next June. Trying to find a new slot for the tests will be a
challenge.
Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts says "the global cricket calendar is very
busy but we will do everything we can to honor our commitment to Bangladesh and
will continue to work with the BCB on an agreed date."
The Bangladesh-Australia series is the second in the world championship to be
postponed. England returned home from Sri Lanka last month at the start of the
outbreak.
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Southampton has become the first Premier League club to announce its players
will defer some of their salaries amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Premier League had wanted all squads to take a 30% pay cut but the move led
to a standoff with the players' union.
The league has been indefinitely suspended.
Southampton says players will defer part of their salaries in April, May and
June "to help protect the future of the club, the staff that work within it and
the community we serve."
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhttl, his coaching staff and directors will
also defer some pay over three months.
Southampton says it has "put measures in place to ensure that all staff not
deferring part of their salaries will continue to receive 100% of their pay,
paid in the normal way until 30th June."
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