Olympic leaders back IOC’s stance after criticism

Regional Olympic officials on Wednesday rallied around the IOC and backed its stance on opening the Tokyo Games as scheduled, as direct criticism from gold medalist athletes built amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Leaders of continental Olympic groups praised the IOC after a conference call to update them on coronavirus issues four months before the opening ceremony in Tokyo on July 24.

“We are living through an unpredictable crisis and as such, it is important that we have one policy, expressed by the IOC, and we follow that policy in unison,” the Italy-based European Olympic Committees said.

However, when the International Olympic Committee published an interview with its president, Thomas Bach, after a separate call with athlete representatives, it prompted a fourtime Olympic champion to urge postponing the games.

British rowing great Matthew Pinsent, 49, winner of four gold medals, wrote on Twitter that the comments from Bach, his former IOC colleague, were “tone deaf.”

“The instinct to keep safe (not to mention obey govt instructions to lock down) is not compatible with athlete training, travel and focus that a looming Olympics demands of athletes, spectators organisers,” Pinsent wrote. “Keep them safe. Call it off.”

On Tuesday, one of the IOC’s 100 members had broken ranks in a rare public criticism of the body’s unwavering strategy.

“I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity,” said Hayley Wickenheiser, a four-time Olympic hockey gold medalist from Canada.

Wickenheiser, who is training to be a doctor and was voted to the IOC by fellow athletes at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, wrote on her Twitter account she was elected “to represent and protect athletes.”

Baseball

MLB COULD SKIP DRAFT >> Major League Baseball is considering skipping its amateur draft this year and putting off the next international signing period as a way to preserve cash while games are affected by the new coronavirus, people familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.

Talks between management and the players’ association are ongoing and include the contentious issue of major league service time, which determines eligibility for free agency and salary arbitration. CONNOR JOE MAKES CANCER ANNOUNCEMENT >> Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer Connor Joe, the Giants’ starting left fielder on Opening Day last season, announced on his Instagram account that he has been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Joe, 27, said he underwent surgery on Tuesday.

REDS’ EMPLOYEE IN ARIZONA

TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS >> An employee who worked at the Cincinnati Reds spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona has tested positive for the new coronavirus, the team announced.

The employee worked at the complex from Feb. 29 through March 14.

NHL

OTTAWA PLAYER IS 1ST IN

NHL TO TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 >> The NHL has its first known case of the new coronavirus after an Ottawa Senators player tested positive.

The team announced that an unidentified player had tested positive for COVID-19. The Senators said the player has mild symptoms and is in isolation, and that other players are being tested under the supervision of medical authorities.

Ottawa players, coaches and others have been advised to remain isolated, monitor their health and seek advice from team medical staff. The NHL is not mandating testing.

College basketball

KANSAS FINISHES NO. 1 IN FINAL AP POLL >> Kansas finished No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball rankings of the season, followed by Gonzaga. The Jayhawks (28-3) garnered 63 of 65 first-place votes. Gonzaga (31-2) and No. 3 Dayton (29-2) split the remaining two votes.

Florida State (26-5) and Baylor (26-4) rounded out the top five.

The final rankings were based on games played through March 11, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the season to end and the NCAA to cancel its annual tournament. The Associated Press does not declare a national champion in basketball.

Women’s college basketball

STANFORD ASSISTANT

NAMED HEAD COACH AT UNLV >> UNLV has hired former Stanford assistant and player Lindy La Rocque as its next women’s basketball coach. The school announced that La Rocque will replace Kathy Oliver, who resigned on March 6.

La Rocque is a Las Vegas native who played at Durango High before going on to make four straight Final Four appearances with Stanford, including a trip to the national title game in 2010.

Motorsports

INDYCAR RACE IN LONG BEACH CANCELED >> Officials with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach said Wednesday they pursued the possibility of rescheduling the popular race to a later date, but “trying to reassemble all the elements that have made the Long Beach event such a success does not appear feasible for 2020.”

The race had been scheduled for April 19.

Tennis

TOURS STOP UNTIL JUNE, RANKINGS FROZEN >> The ATP and WTA professional tennis tours suspended all competition through at least June 7 because of the new coronavirus pandemic and froze their rankings “until further notice.”

In a rare joint statement by the men’s and women’s tours, they announced that the entire clay-court circuit “will not be held as scheduled” — a day after the start of the French Open, also played on that surface, was postponed from May to September.

Winter sports

NORWEGIAN MUSHER WINS

ALASKA’S IDITAROD SLED DOG RACE >> Norwegian musher Thomas Waerner easily won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across Alaska, one of the few U.S. sporting events not canceled by concerns over the new coronavirus.

Waerner crossed the finish line in Nome, Alaska, early Wednesday morning. The closest musher to Waerner was Mitch Seavey, who was five hours behind.