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      in Athletics

      British sprinter Adam Gemili warns Olympic bosses that athletes will ignore no-protest rule in Tokyo

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      ADAM GEMILI has warned Olympic chiefs “all hell would break loose” if they ban athletes from protesting in Tokyo.Olympians are not allowed to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement during the Games – though IOC sanctions for offenders are still to be confirmed.
      Gemili would consider taking a knee if he won a medal at the Tokyo Olympics this summerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Team GB sprinter Gemili, who is of Moroccan-Iranian heritage, says he would consider demonstrating on the podium if he wins a medal in Japan.
      Gemili, 27, said: “This is what I don’t understand. The IOC are so quick to use Tommie Smith, the picture of him fist raised. But then they are saying: ‘Actually, no-one is allowed to do that.’
      “It doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think you can ban an athlete for protesting. And if they do all hell would break loose and it could go south and sour very quickly.
      “They will be very naïve to even try to do that.
      “The Olympics isn’t a place to be political, it’s a place for sport and to bring the whole world together but the whole BLM movement is more than political.
      “It’s about being a good human and equal rights for everyone is not something which should be turned away so easily like they’re doing.
      “I find it quite astounding they are still keeping the same stance.
      “It’s ridiculous really. I find it astonishing that they can be okay with the stance they’re taking.
      Americans Tommie Smith (centre) and John Carlos (right) were ostracised from sport after their Black Power salute on the 200m medals podium at the 1968 Olympics in MexicoCredit: AP
      “I’d be happy to take a knee if I was successful at the Olympics and I had that opportunity. I’d definitely protest.
      “Because I think it’s a place where you should be allowed to express your opinion.

      “I’d be very hypocritical if I’ve been talking all this talk and I wouldn’t do that myself.
      “Maybe they should recognise it beforehand? Before the Games even start.
      “The fact the IOC is telling them no, you can’t do it, is only going to make people more angry. For me, if the opportunity came, I wouldn’t shy away from that.”
      The continued ban on protest, including during medal ceremonies and competitions, followed a worldwide online survey of more than 3,500 athletes, who felt it was inappropriate for anyone to make a statement.
      But Gemili, who is on the BOA athletes’ commission, blasted: “It was very clear that it wasn’t an accurate representation of athletes from all around the world with different colours, races and ethnicities.
      I’d be happy to take a knee if I was successful at the Olympics and I had that opportunity. I’d definitely protest.Adam Gemili, British sprinter
      “They tried to say athletes don’t want it but that’s not the picture I’ve got from speaking to athletes. It doesn’t really make much sense.
      “As bad as it sounds, athletes have always been at the bottom of the pecking order. We don’t have any power.
      “We’re actually the ones that are running and competing and entertaining for the world.”
      In his first UK race since August 2019, Gemili will run in Gateshead on Sunday with strong competition from Canadian Andre de Grasse in the men’s 200m.
      Protester posing as journalist gate-crashes media conference shouting – ‘f*** the Tokyo Olympics!’ More

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      in Soccer

      World Snooker Championship 2021 final: Live stream, TV channel, start time and schedule for Crucible showpiece

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      THE most eagerly-anticipated match on baize is coming your way when Mark Selby takes on Shaun Murphy in the World Snooker Championship final.After two weeks of play the two-day final at Sheffield’s iconic Crucible is here.
      Judd Trump won the World Snooker Championship trophy in 2019Credit: PA:Press Association
      Fans are expected back in the Crucible Theatre for the main event on Sunday and MondayCredit: PA
      It’s nine months since the final in the summer of 2020 and a full crowd is guaranteed in Sheffield for what has been a government pilot with fans attending.
      And now they will vie for the World Snooker Championship trophy over two days of action.
      When is the World Snooker Championship final?
      The final will take place over two days – Sunday May 2 and Monday May 3.
      The four sessions will take place as follows:

      Sunday May 2 – 1pm and 7pm
      Monday May 3 – 1pm and 7pm

      What TV channel can I watch the World Snooker Championships final and can I live stream it?
      The final will be on BBC Two from 1pm on Sunday May 2. Coverage will continue until 6pm, there will be an hour’s break before the evening session starts at 7pm.
      The same timings apply on BBC Two on Monday May 3.
      Eurosport are also showing the final from 12.45pm on Sunday May 2, through till 4pm, then from 6.45pm to 10.30pm.
      On Monday May 3, Eurosport 1 will have live coverage from 12.45pm to 4pm and again from 6.45pm to 10.30pm.
      You can live stream the final via BBC iPlayer or Eurosport Player.

      Will there be a full crowd at the World Snooker Championships final?
      Yes! The Crucible will be FULL for the final.
      The Sheffield theatre’s capacity is 980 and lucky fans will have the chance to watch the action in person.
      Social-distancing rules will be scrapped but it is not known if everyone attending has to wear a mask while watching the live snooker and the trophy presentation.
      Tickets cost about £120 and some are available for the first day of the final on Sunday May 2 and the afternoon session on May 3. More

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      in Boxing

      Barry Hearn steps down as Matchroom Sport boss after almost 40 years with son Eddie replacing legendary promoter

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      BARRY HEARN, Britain’s leading sports promoter, has retired with immediate effect and is stepping down as chairman of Matchroom Sport.The 72-year-old has been at the forefront of top-level sport in the UK for the past four decades, transforming Steve Davis, Phil Taylor, Chris Eubank and Anthony Joshua into prime-time sporting royalty.
      Barry Hearn will be replaced by his son Eddie, who has promoted Anthony Joshua for the past decadeCredit: PA
      Hearn has seen the popularity of PDC darts grow significantly this centuryCredit: PA:Press Association
      The announcement he will move away from day-to-day operational duties comes more than a year after he suffered a “mild heart attack” and underwent emergency surgery to insert two stents. It is also just six months since he was struck down with Covid.
      Hearn, a chartered accountant, established Matchroom Sport in April 1982 and the organisation globally promotes darts, snooker, boxing, fishing, pool, tenpin bowling and golf.
      Son Eddie, 41, will take over the running of the company as its new chairman – which includes responsibility for PDC darts and PGA EuroPro golf – but he will retain his influential and powerful role as the head of boxing.
      Hearn’s daughter Katie will remain in charge of the recently-launched Matchroom Media.
      Steve Dawson, CEO of World Snooker Limited, will take over running of snooker after the conclusion of the 2021 Betfred World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.
      Hearn will now become group president in an advisory role and he said: “It has been a huge honour to have worked with some of the greatest sports people on the planet across the last 40 years.
      “I’ve enjoyed so many wonderful experiences across our spectrum of events in that time, from snooker’s glory days of the 1980s to record-breaking boxing shows and the incredible growth of professional darts. We have created opportunities for thousands of sportsmen and women during that time.
      “I’d been determined to stay in charge until this Covid disaster passed. Now there is light at the end of the tunnel, I believe it’s the right time to pass control of Matchroom to my son Eddie and the brilliant teams we’ve assembled across all our activities.

      Hearn, right, managed Steve Davis in the 1980s as he won six world snooker crownsCredit: Getty – Contributor
      “Now is the time to give all Matchroom employees the opportunity to take this great British company to the next level and beyond”.”
      Barry Maurice William Hearn, the son of a bus driver and a cleaner, was born in June 1948 and grew up in a post-war working-class council house in Dagenham, Essex.
      According to the 2020 edition of the Sunday Times, his family wealth is estimated to be £158million.
      It was in the smoky snooker and billiards halls of Romford in the 1970s where he spotted the talents of a fresh-faced, shy Steve Davis.
      A friendship and relationship developed there that would define both their lives and spark the halcyon days of the sport.
      On Easter Monday 1981, a sporting empire began when the 23-year-old Davis beat Doug Mountjoy 18-12 in the World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield. It was the first of six world titles and he dominated the baize throughout the 1990s.
      I’ve enjoyed so many wonderful experiences across our spectrum of events in that time, from snooker’s glory days of the 1980s to record-breaking boxing shows and the incredible growth of professional darts. Barry Hearn, sports promoter
      From there, the irrepressible entrepreneur moved into the world of boxing, locking horns with Don King and Frank Warren and promoting fights involving Eubank, Nigel Benn, Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno and Joe Bugner.
      However it is the riches surrounding the emergence of Joshua as a heavyweight world champion this past decade which have swelled the coffers of a company that avoided bankruptcy during the recession of the early 1990s.
      Hearn supported Leyton Orient since the age of 11 and owned the club for 19 years, overseeing their promotion as chairman to League One in 2006.
      Yet he was often criticised by fans during his tenure for not overspending to improve the team and he later regretted selling the club in 2014 to businessman Francesco Becchetti.
      Awarded the OBE in the 2021 New Year Honours List for services to sport, opinionated and controversial Hearn retained the salesman chatter throughout his career, happily dishing out one-liners for the media and snappy soundbites to boost ticket sales.
      Though he won’t completely disappear from public life – officially he will advise on “group strategy and global expansion” – Hearn plans to spend more time with his four grandchildren.
      Other hobbies include playing golf, fishing at the lake at the bottom of his home and padding up this summer for East Hanningfield over-70s cricket XI in Essex.
      Hearn is working on an autobiography which will be out later this year and according to those involved, it tells the definitive and astonishing account of his life.
      Eddie said: “Anyone that knows me is well aware of what Matchroom means to me and our family.
      “It has a legacy that spans 40 years from a small office under a snooker hall in Romford to a global powerhouse of sports entertainment.
      “My father has dedicated his life to the company and since I joined in 2004 I have done the same.
      “Now a greater responsibility falls on my shoulders and I am very proud to continue his great work and lead the business and the incredible team that we have built at Matchroom.”
      Boxing legend Barry Hearn suffers heart attack and has operation as son Eddie reveals he is ‘in good spirits’ More

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      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson was desperate to fight Michael Jordan at a dinner party, revealed boxing star’s former manager

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      MIKE TYSON once threatened to beat up Michael Jordan over their romantic history with the same woman, the boxer’s former manager has claimed.The former Baddest Man on the Planet, 54,  made his comeback against Roy Jones Jr last November.
      Mike Tyson (right) was arguably at his peak when sidling up to Michael Jordan (left)
      But before that comeback, Rory Holloway has revealed what happened when Tyson and he attended a birthday dinner for Chicago Bears star Richard Dent in 1988.
      Plenty of famous faces were at the December bash, including Jordan, boxing promoter Don King and Bears coach Mike Ditka.
      Tyson was in his pomp with an undefeated record and unified title to his name –  it was a point in his life when he was also known for decadent and lavish partying.
      But it was Jordan’s history with Robin Givens, Tyson’s ex-wife who the NBA legend had previously dated, that brought about the tension.
      Holloway wrote in his book chronicling the boxer’s career, via BoxingScene: “Mike Tyson’s sitting there with his drink of choice, a Long Island Tea, and when he drinks his real feelings come out.
      “I’m telling the server to water his drinks down because I see where this is going.
      Jordan, it’s obvious he just wants to get up and run. He wants no part of this.
      “Mike stares across the table at Michael Jordan. He says, ‘Hey man, you think I’m stupid? I know you f***** with my b****’.
      “Jordan looks like he just seen a ghost. ‘I know you messed with her,’ Mike says, ‘You can tell me’.
      “Jordan, it’s obvious he just wants to get up and run. He wants no part of this. Mike turns to Ditka. ‘Man, you think somebody scared of you, all that racist s*** you been talking?’.
      “He says to Dent, ‘Y’all scared of this damn white man, Richard? He ain’t nobody. You gonna let him talk that way?’.

      “It was a circus, for real, that night. Don King trying to change the subject. Me and John trying to hold Mike down.
      “Mike telling everyone he’s going to bust Jordan’s ass. Jordan’s dressed sharp as always and he can’t get out of there fast enough.”
      Differing reports of the night have been bandied around over the years and Jordan, recently subject to the hit ESPN series focusing on his departure from Chicago, is said to have declined to ever comment on his run-in with the boxing champ.
      ESPN’s documentary ‘The Last Dance’ charts the untold story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls More

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      in Athletics

      British team that travelled to Poland for European Indoor Athletics Championship in isolation after positive Covid test

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      BRITISH athletes that competed at last weekend’s Euro Indoors must self-isolate for ten days following a positive Covid-19 test in the camp.
      The majority of the squad that travelled to Torun in Poland for the European Indoors Athletics Championship – 46 athletes plus 20-odd support staff – will be required to stay at home in line with UK government guidelines.

      British athletes returning from Poland following the European Indoors must self-isolate for ten daysCredit: AFP

      A member of the support staff returned a positive lateral flow test on Tuesday evening – this is despite returning a negative result before flying into the UK.
      It is understood most of the squad, led by new head coach Christian Malcolm, travelled home in the early hours of Monday morning having left their hotel on Sunday evening.
      Athletes had to isolate for five days but this latest development might inconvenience their training schedules.
      A British Athletics spokesperson said: “British Athletics has confirmed that a member of the GB & NI team travelling party returning from Torun provided a positive lateral flow test on the evening of March 9.

      “This has been followed up this morning with a PCR test.
      “As a result, all members of the travelling party will now need to self-isolate for a period of ten days from Monday March 8 (ends Thursday March 18) in line with government guidance.”
      The three-day event was overshadowed by hosts Poland withdrawing their entire 4x400m men’s relay squad after positive coronavirus tests.
      Belgian hurdler Eline Berings was shocked to discover she had tested positive for coronavirus last Saturday despite showing no symptoms.

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      I hope this never happens to anyone again and there can be a solution for such situations in the future.Also, if anyone has an idea what might cause a false positive… I’d be happy to hear. Bad luck is not really an answer that suits professional sports…. @vanranstmarc pic.twitter.com/RU42uCeKUH
      — Eline Berings (@ElineBerings) March 9, 2021

      Though she was immediately excluded from competition, the 34-year-old claims she tested NEGATIVE on the Sunday following another a PCR test.
      Berings tweeted: “I hope this never happens to anyone again and there can be a solution for such situations in the future.
      “Also, if anyone has an idea what might cause a false positive…I’d be happy to hear. Bad luck is not really an answer that suits professional sports.”
      False positives could indeed be a major headaches for competitors heading to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics later this summer – as it would almost certainly rule them out of action in the Japanese capital.
      At the Europeans, Britain won 12 medals – two golds, four silvers, six bronzes – to finish third in the standings behind Holland and Portugal.
      This matches their record haul from Glasgow in 2019 and represents their best squad display on foreign soil in the competition’s 55-year history.
      Keely Hodgkinson, the 19-year-old Leigh runner, won 800m gold at her first major champs while US-based Amy-Eloise Markovc was triumphant in the 3,000m on the opening night.

      Sisters Cindy Sember and Tiffany Porter, in the mask, won silver and bronze in the 60m hurdlesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Keely Hodgkinson became European 800m champion, one of two gold medals won by Britain in Torun, PolandCredit: EPA

      Team GB star and pharmacist Tiffany Porter runs hurdles in fastest time this year wearing a mask More

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      in Boxing

      Barry Hearn plans to celebrate OBE with cricket special next summer

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      SPORTS KINGPIN Barry Hearn plans to pin the OBE to his cricket bat when he plays for Essex over-70s cricket side.
      The 72-year-old was left surprisingly gobsmacked when an email dropped saying he would be recognised in the New Year Honours List for services to sport throughout an illustrious career.

      Barry Hearn is being recognised for more than 40 years involved in sports promotionCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      It is long overdue when you consider his 45-year sporting record, perhaps unrivalled by any other sports promoter in the UK or abroad.
      This is a man who has nurtured and managed the careers of world champions Steve Davis, Chris Eubank, Phil Taylor, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Anthony Joshua.
      And though he has never forgotten his working-class roots, he jokes his cricket team-mates will be reminded of his gong when the season returns next summer.
      Hearn said: “Not too much throws me out in life but that email did. We all like a little pat on the back sometimes, and this is a massive one.

      “It’s a statement for all the wonderful people who work for me. It’s recognition which is quite humbling.
      “My head might drop off as my smile is so big now. I’m chuffed as hell.

      The big break for Hearn came when he managed Steve Davis, the six-time world snooker champion, in the 1980sCredit: Getty – Contributor
      “I’m a very proud Englishman and the thought of going to Buckingham Palace to get my OBE is a life-changing moment. I wish my mum and dad were here to see it.
      “I might wear my medal when I go out to bat. I’ve been invited to play for the Essex over-70s next year. My cricket will get more attention like my golf.

      “Doing things which people didn’t think was possible has been my greatest compliment.
      “Especially when I look at darts, turning a pub game into a global sport; rescuing snooker 11 years ago when it was dying on its feet; and my early days of boxing and with Steve Davis.
      “Sport is special. It is what builds the character of a nation and unites us all, irrespective of colour, race or creed. Covid-19 has shown us that.
      “One of the wonderful things about getting old and doing well in life is that you have the ability to tell the truth at all times.
      “It’s also good to tell the truth because as you get older you cannot remember the lies.”

      Hearn has entrusted the boxing control to his son Eddie and heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua is the biggest client of their companyCredit: PA:Press Association
      Hearn, a chartered accountant, established Matchroom Sport in 1982 in a Romford billiards hall and it has grown enormously over four decades, promoting darts, snooker, boxing, fishing, tenpin bowling and golf.
      The company has offices in Brentwood, New York, Beijing, Shanghai and Munich, employs thousands of staff and puts on more than 650 event-days annually.
      The Dagenham-born star previously owned Leyton Orient for 19 years, overseeing promotion as chairman to League One in 2006.
      His son Eddie is the biggest boxing promoter in the world while daughter Katie is in charge of the company’s TV production arm.
      Hearn said: “I’m on a mission to spread the gospel of sport and the pursuit of excellence. I will never change that even if it means I’m unpopular with people.
      “My time is coming. Fortunately I’ve built a team of people that are capable of taking the sports we promote to another level. It’s a natural evolution that will happen over the next months and years.”

      Hearn, 72, told SunSport that he was overwhelmed when he was informed by email he was getting an OBECredit: Vicki Couchman – The Sunday Times More

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      in Motorsport

      From cardboard fans and skateboarding cholitas to mourning Kobe and Maradona.. the most memorable sport pictures of 2020

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      A PICTURE is worth a thousand words… but no one image could even come close to telling the full story of 2020.
      As the world was plunged into the biggest health and economic crisis of a generation, sport took it upon itself to reintroduce some form of normality.

      With spectators penned into their homes, iconic venues became vast, empty caverns where each star’s rallies and cries were heard like never before.
      Champions were still crowned but not all were of the traditional sort, with eSports heroes carrying the mantle like never before to satisfy the most basic fans’ urge – of having something to watch.
      But while kings and queens found their own way to mark their inevitable rise, legends were lost in the most heart-wrenching of ways.
      Here, SunSport takes you through our photos of the year.

      From the time before the world stopped… A packed Rod Laver Arena takes in January’s Australian Open semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Roger FedererCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Orange wildfire smoke hangs heavy over San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park home following California blazes in September – with no fans present to see itCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and coach Andy Reid react to the NFL side’s first Super Bowl win for 50 years in FebruaryCredit: AP:Associated Press

      A scene from Ecuador’s annual Llama racing event in Los LlanganatesCredit: AP:Associated Press

      LA Lakers center Dwight Howard hangs off the basket after scoring for the eventual NBA championsCredit: AP:Associated Press

      NASCAR team owner Richard Petty puts an arm around Bubba Wallace, the sport’s only black driver, the day after he found a noose left in his garage at Talladega SuperspeedwayCredit: AP:Associated Press

      A Bolivian youngster dons a facemask while skating in indigenous clothing as part of the ‘Skate Imillas’ groupCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Just one of several memorials dedicated to the tragic passing of basketball legend Kobe Bryant in FebruaryCredit: AP:Associated Press

      LA Dodgers fans watch their team march to World Series supremacy from a drive-inCredit: AP:Associated Press

      A spectator peers over his balcony to watch Rayo Vallecano’s match with Albacete in Spain’s Segunda DivisionCredit: AP:Associated Press

      IndyCar racer Tony Kanaan practices on his sim setup with motorsport wiped out in the early months of the pandemic Credit: AP:Associated Press

      Lucas Hernandez takes the facemask guideline to a new level after Bayern Munich’s Champions League crowningCredit: AP:Associated Press

      A facemasked Rafa Nadal celebrates his French Open win in NovemberCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Athletic Club’s famous home San Mames – which translates as The Cathedral – watches on empty for a match with Real MadridCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Cardboard cutout fans are lined up for a New York Mets baseball gameCredit: AP:Associated Press

      The year that took so many from us took one more legend in its final weeks – as a fan in Buenos Aires mourns the passing of Diego MaradonaCredit: AP:Associated Press

      From Caroline Flack and Barbara Windsor to Sean Connery and Maradona – we bid a final farewell to those we lost in 2020 More