Category Archives: Australia sport

Coronavirus Australia live: Victoria, NSW and Queensland record no local Covid cases as three new cases linked to Australian Open

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Two tennis players have tested positive, but hard lockdown of those who shared flights remains. Follow latest updates

  • NSW hotspots; Queensland hotspots
  • State-by-state restrictions and lockdown rules explained
  • Follow the global coronavirus liveblog

    • As our West Australian readers start to log-on, I bring to you news of possible secession. I have not clicked through to see what other images/tweets etc come up under #WAXIT but please feel free to do so:

    A group of business leaders in Western Australia want the state to break away from Australia… calling the campaign #WAXIT.

    Should WA be allowed to break away and form an independent nation? #9News pic.twitter.com/mtStO3Ayzh

    A $7bn funding injection into social housing would address surging homelessness caused by the pandemic, advocates say.

    This just in from AAP:

    Social housing advocates fear a surge in homelessness stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, and are urging swift action from the federal government to ensure Australians have a roof over their heads.

    A national campaign to end homelessness, Everybody’s Home, estimates a $7bn injection into social housing would make a serious dent in homelessness, while creating 18,000 jobs a year over the next four years.

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    Australian Open records fourth Covid case as tennis player warned for breaking quarantine rules

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    Authorities say player ‘opened his door’ to have conversation with friends as players in strict isolation say they risk injury if not allowed to train

    An Australian Open tennis player has been warned for breaching strict isolation rules by “opening his door” to talk to his friends, as players complain about “insane” quarantine requirements ahead of the tournament.

    Four people have now tested positive for Covid-19 on charter planes bringing players in for the competition, which has forced 47 players into strict isolation where they cannot train for 14 days.

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    Australian Open players locked down as two test positive for Covid-19 after flight from US

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    Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens and Kei Nishikori confined to hotel rooms after two people on chartered flight test positive

    Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is believed to be among a group of players who will be confined to their hotel rooms for the next 14 days after two people on the charter flight QR7493 from Los Angeles tested positive to Covid-19 on arrival in Melbourne.

    A leaked email from Tennis Australia, which was sent to all players and officials who were aboard the flight and was posted on social media by Mexican world No 155 Santiago González, said players on the flight must isolate in their rooms for two weeks. This means they have no ability to train in the vital days leading up to the competition.

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    US tennis player Tennys Sandgren flying to Australian Open despite positive Covid test

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    The American says he first tested positive in November and tournament organisers argue he is therefore not infectious

    The US tennis player Tennys Sandgren is bound for Melbourne after Tennis Australia reportedly intervened so he could board a charter flight despite testing positive for coronavirus.

    In a series of tweets on Thursday, Australian time, Sandgren initially suggested he would not be able to board the flight for the Australian Open, writing “Covid positive over thanksgiving” and “Covid positive on Monday”.

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    ‘Hold my beer’: Australian surfer Mikey Wright charges into Hawaii surf to rescue struggling swimmer

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    Wright himself was filming the incident, then jumped a fence, dived into the water and pulled the woman to safety

    An Instagram video has caught an Australian pro surfer heroically stepping in to rescue a woman being swept away by strong currents in Hawaii.

    Mikey Wright was looking out over a beach, thought to be on Oahu’s north shore, when he saw a beachgoer struggling in the surf.

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    Australian pro surfer Mikey Wright saves woman struggling in Hawaii surf – video

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    Mikey Wright has been filmed saving a beachgoer who was struggling against a current at a beach on Oahu’s north shore. The Australian surfer, who was in Hawaii for the Pipeline Masters event, posted footage of the rescue on Instagram with the caption: “hold my beer”. Although other beachgoers could be seen trying to help and reach the struggling swimmer, the current was too strong until Wright stepped in.

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    Armpit advertising: Australian cricket umpires to carry deodorant ads under their arms

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    • Underarm ads for deodorant believed to be a world first
    • Umpires to wear the ads during Big Bash League games

    Cricket advertising is set for areas never before reached, with umpires in Australia’s Big Bash League to advertise a new sponsor in their underarms.

    In a groundbreaking “armpit advertising” campaign revealed on Thursday, Cricket Australia announced a commercial partnership with the Australian deodorant and antiperspirant brand Rexona.

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    ‘I was numb inside’: Jack de Belin rape trial hears from alleged victim of NRL star

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    The St George Illawarra NRL player has pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual assault at his Wollongong trial

    NRL star Jack de Belin raped a teenager after ignoring her protests to stop undressing her and later asked why she was being “so emotional”, a jury has been told.

    The St George Illawarra player, 29, and his friend Callan Sinclair, 23, have pleaded not guilty to the aggravated sexual assault of the woman, then 19, after meeting her in a Wollongong bar in December 2018.

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    Cricketer left in need of windscreen repairs after smashing own car with huge six

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    • Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien scores direct hit in T20 game
    • Self-inflicted damage comes from one of eight sixes

    “O, O, Ooooo… O’Brien,” goes the annoyingly catchy advert for Australia’s best-known car windscreen replacement company. But it was a case of “Oh, oh, no” for Kevin O’Brien after the Irish cricket star smashed the back window of his own car with a trademark six.

    Related: Shane Warne's $1m baggy green finds permanent home next to Bradman

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    ‘How did none of us think of this before?’: sports bra scheme breaks down entry barriers | Samantha Lewis

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    By providing access to basic equipment, a not-for-profit is helping normalise women’s involvement in sports at every level

    Five years ago, Sarah Dwyer-Shick – a youth football coach from the United States – spent time visiting friends and colleagues scattered across Africa. Along with mosquito repellent and sunscreen, she carried with her a small bundle of sports bras as gifts for young players in rural Namibia.

    When she arrived, Dwyer-Shick found that her gifts were coveted by older players, too – including those on the Namibian women’s national team. Many of them, she realised, had never owned a sports bra before.

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    Japan to explore ‘simplified’ Olympics, says Tokyo governor

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    • Possible changes for Games next year being discussed
    • Mandatory testing and limited movement among options

    Tokyo’s governor Yuriko Koike has said it may be necessary to a stage a “simplified” Olympics next year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and that organisers were already discussing possible changes.

    Koike’s comments come after the Yomiuri newspaper reported that various options, such as mandatory coronavirus testing and having fewer spectators, were being considered by organisers.

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    Australia’s NRL fan cardboard cut-out scheme turns sour after use of Hitler and mass murderer Harold Shipman

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    • League says screening process is being reviewed
    • Fox Sports issues apology for ‘poor taste’ TV sketch

    What started out as a fun and inclusive initiative has turned sour after the NRL’s scheme to put cardboard cut-outs of fans in stadiums was hijacked.

    Over the weekend a photograph of mass murderer Harold Shipman made an appearance in the stands, then a TV sketch featured an image of Adolf Hitler, prompting furious criticism from Australia’s Jewish community.

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    Lockdown spurs 11-year-old skateboarder to make history with first 1080-degree turn

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    • Gui Khury lands holy grail of skating while in lockdown
    • Brazilian surpasses previous record first set by Tony Hawk

    The closure of schools in Brazil due to the coronavirus pandemic gave 11-year-old prodigy Gui Khury plenty of time to perfect his skateboarding skills as he became the first person to land a 1080-degree turn on a vertical ramp.

    More than two decades after Tony Hawk completed the first 900-degree turn, Khury shattered a long-standing record by flying off the top of a ramp and completing three full spins in the air before landing cleanly and skating off. The manoeuvre has long been one of the holy grails of skateboarding.

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    Dean Laidley arrest: Victoria police to investigate leaked photos of ex-AFL coach

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    Lawyers and civil liberties groups condemn police after images from inside station appear on newspaper front pages

    Victoria police has launched an internal investigation into how photos of former AFL player and coach Dean Laidley inside a police station following his arrest appeared on the front page of two major newspapers on Monday.

    Lawyers and civil liberties groups have slammed the state’s police force after photos of the 53-year-old former premiership-winning player wearing a blonde wig and dress were leaked over the weekend.

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    Australian cricketers face sanctions after ridiculing non-English speakers

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    • Under-19 team members use ‘inappropriate language’
    • Cricket Australia investigate players’ social media posts

    Some members of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup squad face sanctions for comments on social media that have been branded as casual racism. Cricket Australia’s head of integrity and security Sean Carroll has spoken with those players who recently posted broken-English responses to an Instagram post.

    “We are extremely disappointed that some of the Australian Under-19 squad members have used inappropriate language in posts on social media, which we reported to the ICC as soon as it came to our attention,” Carroll said in a statement. “Some of that language could be interpreted as ridiculing non-native English language speakers.”

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    Australian Open 2020: day two – live!

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    Second set: Pliskova* 6-1 3-3 Mladenovic (*denotes server): Pliskova holds to love in the time it took me post a tweet and confirm who Sinner faces in the second round.

    Shame to see Max Purcell bow out so early, but Jannik Sinner is a kid going places. The Next Gen Finals champ has Márton Fucsovics next.

    Italian @janniksin wins his first ever #AusOpen match!

    He def. Aussie qualifier Max Purcell 7-6(2) 6-2 6-4 #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/KOZj4JHAJq

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    Roger Federer responds to climate change criticism from Greta Thunberg

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    • Credit Suisse closely linked with fossil fuel industry
    • #RogerWakeUpNow has been trending on Twitter

    Roger Federer has issued a cautiously worded response to mounting criticism, including from climate activist Greta Thunberg, over his sponsorship deal with Credit Suisse.

    A dozen Swiss activists appeared in court on Tuesday after refusing to pay a fine for playing tennis inside branches of Credit Suisse bank in November 2018, in a stunt intended to underscore Federer’s relationship with the Swiss financial giant, which is closely linked with the fossil fuel industry.

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    Sonny Bill Williams follows Mesut Özil in support of Uighur ethnic group

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    • Williams risks backlash from China with his political tweet
    • ‘Sad time when we choose economic benefits over humanity’

    Sonny Bill Williams has tweeted his support of the minority Uighur ethnic group, mirroring the stance of football star Mesut Özil which drew an angry response from China. Cross-code star Williams may further provoke Chinese officialdom with his social media post, which denounces the treatment of Uighurs.

    In his tweet on Monday, Williams echoed the belief of Arsenal playmaker Özil, who is also a practising Muslim, that more countries should speak out against China’s reported actions of detaining Uighur people in “re-education camps”.

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    Israel Folau and Rugby Australia settle unfair dismissal claim over social media post

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    Former Wallabies star had sought $14m in compensation saying he was wrongfully dismissed over anti-gay Instagram post

    The long-running legal dispute between Rugby Australia and Israel Folau has ended with a settlement reached over the former Wallaby’s sacking in the wake of an anti-gay social media post in April.

    RA apologised to Folau in a joint statement issued on Wednesday that draws a line under the bitter affair, although the exact terms of the settlement will remain confidential.

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    Barrett brothers to make history with all three to start for All Blacks

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    • Beauden to start at fullback in second Pool B outing
    • Jordie and Scott also selected to play Canada

    Beauden, Jordie and Scott Barrett will become the first trio of brothers to appear for the All Blacks in a World Cup match after they were named to start for the three-times world champions against Canada in their Pool B clash in Oita on Wednesday.

    They will also be the first trio of brothers to start in the same World Cup match since Elisi, Manu and Fe’ao Vunipola represented Tonga against Scotland in 1995. The three Pisi brothers – Ken, Tusi and George – all played for Samoa against South Africa in 2015 but only Ken started that game.

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