Sports World: 2022 Asian qualifiers delayed once more

2022 Asian qualifiers delayed once more

KUALA LUMPUR • Qualifying matches in Asia for the 2022 Qatar World Cup have been postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, world governing body Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation said in a statement yesterday.

Games in the second round of Asian qualifiers were scheduled to take place during the international windows in October and November but they would not go ahead due to the "Covid-19 situation in many countries".

It marks the second time the qualifiers, which also serve as the road to the 2023 Asian Cup in China, have been pushed back as matches in March and June were also postponed due to the pandemic.

REUTERS


Barca player tests positive for Covid-19

MADRID • A Barcelona player has tested positive for the coronavirus but he has not been in contact with the squad travelling to Lisbon for the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich, the Spanish La Liga giants said yesterday.

They added that the player, who was not named, "has no symptoms, is in good health and has been quarantined at his home".

Barca, who relinquished their Spanish title to Real Madrid, face Bayern tomorrow in the "Final Eight" played behind closed doors in the Portuguese capital.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE


Paris Marathon latest big race scrapped

PARIS • This year's Paris Marathon has been cancelled, the organisers said yesterday, as France battles against a resurgence of Covid-19.

The event was scheduled for April 5 but had been postponed to Nov 15 because of the pandemic.

In June, the New York City Marathon was cancelled while the Boston Marathon was also scrapped for the first time in its 124-year history. Marathon majors in Berlin and Chicago were also axed while the London Marathon, originally set for April, was postponed to Oct 4 and will be run as an elite-only event.

REUTERS


LPGA Shanghai event also victim of virus

SHANGHAI • The LPGA Tour yesterday cancelled its Shanghai tournament after China said it will not hold most international sports events this year because of the coronavirus.

LPGA Shanghai, won last year by American world No. 2 golfer Danielle Kang, had been scheduled for Oct 15-18 but has been scratched "given the current health concerns and significant travel restrictions", the tour said in a statement.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE


Tyson's ring return put off till November

LOS ANGELES • Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson's exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr originally set for next month has been pushed back to November, the organisers said on Tuesday.

In a statement, promotional company Triller said the fight in Los Angeles would now take place on Nov 28 to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 13, 2020, with the headline Sports World: 2022 Asian qualifiers delayed once more. Subscribe