WORLD OF SPORT

NFL protocol questioned after Savage hit

The NFL’s concussion protocol was brought into question on Sunday when Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage appeared to suffer a temporary lack of consciousness against the San Francisco 49ers but was allowed to play on. Savage took a devastating hit from 49ers defensive end Elvis Dumervil during the second quarter and could be seen trembling with his arms stiffened and outstretched. The QB made his way back into the game for his team’s next series before ultimately being replaced by backup TJ Yates. Following the game, Texans coach Bill O’Brien was questioned on why Savage was allowed by return to the game after sustaining the hit. “We evaluated him at that time and made the determination that he was OK,” O’Brien told reporters. “Not me, obviously, the evaluators made the determination to put him back in the game. He went back in the game and came out and they evaluated him a little bit more just because of what they saw. And that’s where it’s at.”

ITU launches mixed relay series ahead of Olympics

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) launched a mixed relay series yesterday to give athletes more ways to earn qualification points for the mixed relay at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and broaden the sport’s appeal. The series will officially debut in Nottingham on June 7 before the British leg of ITU World Triathlon Series in Leeds. The format then moves to Hamburg for the Mixed Relay World Championship before the last leg in Edmonton in July. There are 55 spots available for men and 55 for women in the triathlon mixed relay at Tokyo 2020, and athletes can also earn qualification ranking points at the five mixed relay Continental Championships. ITU president Marisol Casado said in a statement the mixed relay “gives the sport something very important: a sense of team building.”

Indian golfer made right call to go to Joburg Open

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma completed his first European Tour triumph yesterday in Johannesburg by winning the Joburg Open – a tournament he almost did not compete in. He carded a three-underpar last-round 69 to finish three strokes clear of South African Eric van Rooyen in an event that stretched to five days because of bad weather. Visa delays and tiredness after a long Asian Tour campaign during the season had left the 21-yearold Indian contemplating missing the event. “I was considering whether I wanted to visit South Africa,” he said. “I am really happy that I did.”