Gavaskar donates Rs59 lakh; Pujara, Kashyap also join in

New Delhi
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar donated Rs59 lakh, while Test regular Cheteshwar Pujara also made an unspecified contribution to the PM-CARES fund, joining the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic which has claimed over 100 lives in India. Ace shuttler and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap also contributed Rs3 lakh to Telangana Chief Minister’s relief fund.

Lausanne
ITTF announces new dates for World Championships

The World Championships of table tennis, originally scheduled for March 2020, will now be held from September 27 to October 4, the world governing body of the sport ITTF announced today. The most significant annual table tennis event, the 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships were among the many International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) events to be postponed this year in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

New Delhi
No international hockey events for India till June

Two FIH Pro League ties involving the senior men’s team, junior men’s Asia Cup and senior women’s Asian Champions Trophy are among a host of international hockey events, where India was scheduled to take part, have been postponed.

Tokyo
Japan ends Olympics flame display due to virus

The Olympics flame will be removed from display in Japan, officials said today, as the country braces for a state of emergency due to the coronavirus that also forced the historic postponement of Tokyo 2020. It had been on public display in the northeastern Fukushima region since last week.

Madrid
La Liga eyeing May return, says league boss Tebas

La Liga could return to action as early as next month, its president Javier Tebas said today, as the league awaits a chance to restart following the coronavirus shutdown. Tebas also warned Spanish clubs could lose as much as ^1billion if the season is not completed.

Russia denies bribing FIFA officials to host 2018 World Cup

Moscow: The Kremlin today “categorically” denied allegations that Russia had bribed FIFA officials for the right to host the 2018 World Cup. According to US Justice Department documents released on Monday, FIFA officials received bribes to vote in favour of awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the tournament in 2022 to Qatar. AFP

— Agencies