WORLD OF SPORT

WORLD ATHLETICS have fined the Russian athletics federation £8million for breaching antidoping rules but have lifted a suspension on their athletes competing as neutrals at the 2020 Olympics. The governing body have put a limit of 10 Russians taking part in track and field events in Tokyo. Russia have been banned from athletics since 2015 because of state-sponsored doping. World Athletics president Seb Coe said they felt ‘let down’ by the previous Russian administration.

THE first one-day international between India and South Africa in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala was called off without a ball being bowled due to incessant rain. While several international sporting events have been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, the two cricket boards decided to go ahead with three one-day internationals despite concerns. The Indian government said yesterday it wanted the national cricket team’s upcoming matches to be played in empty stadiums – an unheard-of occurrence in the country.

A SECOND player for the NBA’s Utah Jazz yesterday tested positive for COVID-19, a day after the league said it was suspending the season until further notice amid the coronavirus outbreak. The team did not disclose the player’s identity but Utah’s AllStar guard Donovan Mitchell thanked everyone who had reached out to him since hearing about his positive test. The news came after Rudy Gobert reportedly became the first player in the league to test positive for the virus.