Singapore Grand Prix: 'Not feasible to hold race behind closed doors' claim organisers
reuters
·15 min read
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel celebrates after winning the 2019 race - REUTERS
Singapore Grand Prix promoters have ruled out holding their Formula One race without spectators, casting further uncertainty over the likelihood of the September event going ahead.
Formula One plans to start its stalled season in July with races behind closed doors in Austria and Britain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport has not given up on crowds returning later in the year, however.
Singapore GP promoters told The Straits Times newspaper on Saturday that they were maintaining an open dialogue with Formula One but it was "not feasible to conduct the race behind closed doors".
"The top priority remains the well-being and safety of our fans, volunteers, and all Singaporeans," a spokesman said.
He added "works typically require three months to complete, and this will depend on whether such activities are permitted under the prevailing government regulations".
Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF90 last year - GETTY IMAGES
Last year's race on the Marina Bay street circuit was watched by 268,000 spectators over the three days, with overseas visitors making up 40 per cent of the crowd.
Formula One has yet to publish a revised calendar, with three races cancelled and seven postponed so far, but draft versions have appeared on the internet without featuring Singapore.
The island nation has reported nearly 27,000 cases of coronavirus, the highest per capita infection rate in Asia, largely due to mass outbreaks in cramped accommodation for foreign labourers.
The government has ordered a nationwide lockdown due to run until June 1.
02:30 PM
That's all for our live coverage
Look out for more news and reaction from the return of the Bundesliga during the rest of the afternoon.
02:10 PM
Goals are back!
Dortmund's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring the opening goal - AP
...can now be found right here, with JJ Bull watching proceedings.
Television crews and media are seen outside the Signal Iduna Park Stadium - GETTY IMAGES
12:11 PM
FOOTBALL: All eyes on the Bundesliga
Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick admits the spotlight of the world is on the Bundesliga. The league restarts this weekend after a 61-day break because of the coronavirus pandemic and is the first major league in Europe to resume.
Ligue 1 in France opted to end their campaign while the Premier League is still trying to get the green light.
Leaders Bayern travel to Union Berlin on Sunday and Flick is well aware how the Bundesliga can set an example.
He said: "The whole world is watching Germany to see how we do it. It can act as an example for all leagues. Then sport in general might be able to get going again.
"At the moment, it's important to implement things exactly as required. We have a big role model function.
"We can be happy to be able to play again. Lots of things have been done right in Germany. We've gained the confidence of the government thanks to the DFL concept."
Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski - CAMERASPORT
Games will be played behind closed doors to protect fans from infection and Flick knows teams must adapt.
He said: "Of course, it is different: Fans and emotion are the be-all and end-all of football. Everybody prefers to play in front of spectators. The preconditions are the same for everyone.
"It all depends on who can deal with it best. There are nine games to go, a power-play season, a short tournament. It's all back to square one."
PA
12:10 PM
FOOTBALL: Harrogate 'qualify for promotion'
Harrogate's managing director Garry Plant believes his side should be promoted from the National League after League Two clubs voted to end the season.
The North Yorkshire side were second in the standings, four points adrift of leaders Barrow, when the National League announced the cancellation of all remaining regular league matches on April 22 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
League Two clubs voted on Friday and the final table could be decided on an unweighted points-per-game system, but crucially for Harrogate fourth-tier sides have asked the English Football League (EFL) for there to be no relegation.
That would potentially mean only Barrow coming up, because of Bury's demise last summer, with the National League's statement on April 22 declaring its "sporting outcomes" - including the play-offs - were "under careful consideration". However, Plant believes because Harrogate are currently in second place, a spot in League Two should be secured.
↩️ | Two years ago today we were promoted to @TheVanaramaNL after defeating Brackley 3-0 in the promotion final
— Harrogate Town AFC (@HarrogateTown) May 13, 2020
"We are in second place and we qualify for promotion," he told the PA news agency. "We are in second spot as the table stands and we have to wait and see what the EFL's final decision is and we go from there.
"Harrogate Town wants to be promoted. That has always been the aspiration of this football club. It does seem to be entering the end game." If promotion is refused "the board of directors would have to consider what their position is".
Considerable investment has been made at the club's Wetherby Road ground, and attendances have increased from 200 a few years ago to more than 1,500.
Plant said: "Six years ago it was like Sunday league at Harrogate, now we have a new family stand being built and the capacity is up to 5,000 with 1,000 seated. It's fantastic to see for the people of Harrogate. The town is excited about the club."
PA
11:42 AM
OLYMPICS: 'Not easy' to make Tokyo 2021 safe
The head of the World Health Organization said Saturday it will not be easy to make next year's Tokyo Olympics a safe global gathering after the pandemic.
Speaking at a joint news conference with the IOC, the WHO's director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for "national unity and global solidarity" to fight the coronavirus outbreak ahead of the Olympics. The Games, postponed this year, should bring athletes from more than 200 countries to Japan.
The Summer Games opening ceremony is now due on July 23, 2021, after the International Olympic Committee and organizers in Japan used WHO advice in March before agreeing a one-year delay.
"We hope Tokyo will be a place where humanity will gather with triumph against COVID," Tedros said at WHO headquarters.
"It is in our hands, but it is not easy. If we do our best, especially with national unity and global solidarity, I think it's possible," he said.
Around 11,000 athletes from more than 200 teams are due to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. Most would be joined by team officials staying in an athletes village complex of 5,600 apartments at Tokyo Bay.
A giant Olympic rings monument is illuminated at dusk at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo - SHUTTERSTOCK
Health experts, including in Japan, have questioned how the 33-sport Olympics can be run before an effective global vaccine program is in place.
"Nobody can at this moment in time really give you a reliable answer on how the world will look like in July 2021," IOC president Thomas Bach acknowledged.
"It is too early to start speculation on different scenarios and what it may need at the time to guarantee this safe environment for all participants."
Tedros and Bach signed a renewed working agreement between the two organizations, which aims to help promote sport to governments as part of an active and healthy lifestyle.
"The Olympics or athletics or football is not just for the athletes only," Tedros said. "It has to be a culture for everybody and it has to be everybody's responsibility."
AP
11:19 AM
RUGBY: Players could come out of lockdown in 'terrible condition'
Players not committed to maintaining their fitness and improving their skills during the Covid-19 lockdown will return in "terrible" condition when the sport is set to resume, England coach Eddie Jones has warned.
Rugby, like many other sports, has come to a standstill due to the pandemic and competitions have been suspended since March. The Six Nations tournament was put on hold with England at the top the standings.
With World Rugby postponing all test matches scheduled for July due to travel curbs and health protocols, a quick return for the contact sport is not on the cards.
"You are going to find out about your players, you are going to find out which of your players really want to get better and which players only want to get better to keep the coach happy," Jones said in an online coaching class with other coaches.
"Some players will come out of this better, some players will come out of this terrible... How your team comes out of it, you don't know. But the big thing for the team is not what you do now, it's what you do when you get back together."
England head coach Eddie Jones - PA
Jones said last month that the financial impact of the coronavirus crisis is likely to result in tighter rugby squads, which will put a premium on players who can operate at different positions and he reiterated that point.
"I would encourage each player to develop a new skill," the 60-year-old Australian added. "Can they develop an offload skill out of the back?
"Again, look at their favourite player, see what skill they've got, and see if they can develop it."
Reuters
11:01 AM
Son Heung-min returns to London
The Tottenham forward has recently completed national service in South Korea.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min salutes during a basic military training completion ceremony - South Korea Marine Corps' Facebook
10:59 AM
All eyes on Dortmund
With 17 different goalscorers to boast about, Dortmund have been busy bees in front of goal this season ⚽️💥 pic.twitter.com/aPx5rPKngx
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 16, 2020
10:31 AM
How to pick which Bundesliga team to support
Daniel Zeqiri's club-by-club guide can help you in your bid to adopt a new club ahead of the Bundesliga's return.
Premier League fans will be familiar with the elegant destruction dished out by their attack, after Bayern put 10 past Tottenham and Chelsea on two Champions League visits to London.
Players of FC Bayern Muenchen warm up on the pitch during a training session - FC BAYERN
09:28 AM
FOOTBALL: Lyon women crowned French champions
Lyon's women's team were crowned French league champions late on Friday night, winning their 14th consecutive domestic title, writes Molly McElwee.
While the women's Bundesliga prepares to restart on May 29, the French league became the second major women's competition in Europe to end their season prematurely due to coronavirus, after Spain's top division was also abandoned last week.
Champions League holders Lyon were three points clear of Paris Saint-Germain when play was halted in March but, with six matches left to play, the French Football Federation (FFF) made the decision to wrap the season up.
It follows France's men's premier division, Ligue 1, which was also abandoned on April 28 after the country's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that major sports fixtures - including those behind closed doors - will not be permitted in the country before September.
Lyon celebrate after winning the 2019 Womens Champions League Final - ACTION PLUS
The women's team's title is the first for England players Nikita Parris and Alex Greenwood, who joined Lyon this season, while it is Lucy Bronze's third with the club.
Unlike Spain's top women's division, which cancelled relegation, the FFF went ahead with demoting the two bottom sides, Marseille and Metz, as they did in the men's league.
The news comes just as rumours swirl around the future of the Women's Super League in England, which is expected to be cancelled next week due to the major costs involved in coronavirus testing.
Watford manager Nigel Pearson has raised concerns about a coronavirus-related death in the Premier League and urged caution before a decision is made about whether to resume the season.
Clubs could be back in some form of training next week following a Premier League meeting on Monday, when medical protocols will be discussed and voted on, while the campaign could be up and running again by mid-June.
Pearson has some reservations about 'Project Restart' and called for a more pragmatic approach with the country still very much in the grip of a pandemic.
"God forbid we have a fatality," he said in The Times. "People are closing their eyes to the threat.
"Yes, we would like to restart it but it's got to be safe. We should be cautious. To ignore possibilities is foolhardy. It's about safeguarding people's health.
"We have to try to believe (Government) advice that we're being given that we've reached the peak but there's still an incredible number of people losing their lives through this.
"The death toll in the UK is anything between 33,000 and 38,000. That's filling our stadium and then filling it half again. It's a sobering thought."
— 🇩🇪 Ja! Watch the Bundesliga live on BT Sport🇩🇪 (@btsportfootball) May 16, 2020
08:41 AM
NFL: Teams could return to training on Tuesday
NFL teams can begin reopening their facilities on Tuesday if state and local governments will allow it.
In a memo sent to the 32 teams Friday by Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained by The Associated Press, he stressed that the clubs must be "in compliance with any additional public health requirements in their jurisdiction, and have implemented the protocols that were developed by (league medical officer) Dr. (Allen) Sills and distributed to all clubs on May 6."
Facilities have been closed since late March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each team was required to submit a plan to the league for reopening its training/practice facility this week.
"Clubs unable to meet these criteria on May 19 may reopen their facilities on the earliest date thereafter on which they are able to meet the criteria," Goodell added.
AP
08:29 AM
FOOTBALL: Ending League Two season 'for the greater good'
Port Vale chair and co-owner Carol Shanahan believes she was acting in "the greater good" after voting to end the Sky Bet League Two season, despite her side being a point and a place adrift of the play-offs.
The English Football League confirmed on Friday that fourth-tier outfits had "unanimously indicated a preferred direction of travel to curtail the campaign" as well as agreeing to a framework which would decide the standings, while League One clubs failed to reach an agreement.
The final League Two table could therefore be decided on an unweighted points-per-game system and Port Vale would finish eighth, outside the play-offs.
Shanahan, though, thinks voting through the proposal was a necessary measure after considering the return-to-play protocols and attached costs of resuming the campaign amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"It wasn't an easy thing to do. It's the hardest thing I've ever done," Shanahan told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Then I had to do the awful thing of ringing the manager to tell him.
"Port Vale fans could look at it and ask: 'Why on earth did Carol vote for this that meant we missed out?'. Well, it was for the greater good. I think it was the right thing to do.
"I felt I really wanted to finish the season. We're eighth in the table and have every chance of getting into the play-offs. We had everything to play for.
"(But) being part of League Two I felt that the unity of League Two and the unity of the club we belong to, the needs of that was more important than the hurt Port Vale would feel."
PA
08:23 AM
Good morning
Live sport returns this afternoon with action from the Bundesliga behind closed doors.
Our writers have examined which players to look out for and the current state of the title race, while Telegraph Sport will have live coverage of Borussia Dortmund's meeting with Schalke, as well as Eintracht Frankfurt's fixture at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
We'll have updates building up to this afternoon's fixtures as well as all the latest news regarding sport and the coronavirus pandemic in this live blog throughout the day.
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