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Diasabra 10 OctOber 2020

NBA returning to Chinese state television after 1-year ban

(AP) — The NBA is re- NBA games have been avail- Games between the Lakers
turning to Chinese state able to Chinese fans on the and Brooklyn Nets; the pre-
television after a one- streaming service Tencent, season games were played,
year absence. CCTV an- another of the league's broad- though no news conferences
nounced Friday that it cast partners. But the rela- were held and most events
would air Game 5 of the tionship between the league surrounding the games in the
NBA Finals between and China could be best cat- basketball-mad nation were
the Los Angeles Lakers egorized as frosty since the canceled as well.
and Miami Heat — the tweet, with only some slight
first time that the league hints of reconciliation. At All-Star weekend this year,
would appear on the net- NBA legend and Chinese NBA Commissioner Adam
work since the rift that Basketball Association Presi- Silver said it was possible the
started when Houston dent, Yao Ming did come to league could lose as much as
Rockets general manager the U.S. to attend the memo- $400 million in revenue this
Daryl Morey tweeted sup- rial service for commissioner year because of the strained
port for anti-government emeritus David Stern in Jan- relationship with the Chi-
protesters in Hong Kong. uary, a move viewed by some nese.
operator of CCTV, said in a Given the timing, it appears as one that showed there And that estimate preceded
State television made an on- statement. "We have also no- the suspension of NBA cov- was hope for the league and the costly shutdown because
air announcement that the ticed the goodwill continu- erage by that network was de- China to mend fences. More of the coronavirus pandem-
game would be broadcast; the ously expressed by the NBA signed to last one year; CCTV hope came in February, when ic, another massive financial
network's web site had a pre- for some time. Especially announced on Oct. 8, 2019, the NBA sent more than $1 blow that forced the league
view of the game, including a since the beginning of this that it was beginning an im- million in medical supplies to cancel about 15% of its
photo of the Lakers' LeBron year, the NBA has made ac- mediate investigation into its to China to assist coronavi- remaining regular-season
James and Miami's Jimmy tive efforts in supporting the relationship with the NBA, rus relief efforts there. The games. The league wound up
Butler. Chinese people in fighting stemming from the network Chinese publicly thanked the salvaging the season by mov-
"In the Chinese National against the novel coronavirus being "strongly dissatisfied" NBA for that gesture. ing into a bubble at Walt Dis-
Day and Mid-Autumn Festi- epidemic." over the league's decision to But the fallout after the tweet ney World, yet another big
val that just passed, the NBA CCTV quickly halted its rela- not sanction Morey. last year was quick and mas- expense for games that took
expressed holiday blessings tionship with the NBA after The NBA did not have an sive. Sponsors — following place without fans present —
to Chinese fans," the China Morey's tweet, even though immediate comment to CCTV's lead — pulled their meaning no ticket, conces-
Media Group, essentially the the post was quickly deleted. CCTV's decision. backing of the NBA China sion or souvenir revenue.

Ibrahimović recovers from Part of FIFA-funded stadium collapses in

virus, available for Milan South Sudan

derby (AP) – Part of a FIFA- said, adding it involved the fantino pledged to fund the

funded stadium in South "setting of concrete." renovation during a visit to
Sudan has collapsed dur- The Juba National Stadium the conflict-torn country in
ing renovation work. The is South Sudan's only inter- 2016 and he was expected to
world body said on Friday national-standard stadium attend its inauguration. The
it was in contact with the and is being renovated using stadium is being converted
South Sudan Football As- money from the FIFA For- into a 7,000-seat facility ca-
sociation and seeking fur- ward Program. FIFA gave $5 pable of hosting international
ther information on a "mi- million for the renovation. matches. South Sudan has
nor incident" this week at Work has been halted, al- been playing its home games
Juba National Stadium in though it might restart in in neighboring Sudan.
the country's capital. weeks, youth and sports South Sudan is the world's
minister Dr. Albino Bol said. newest country having gained
"Currently, we understand The renovation began last independence from Sudan in
that there are no casualties year and it is already behind 2011, but it has been blighted
or injuries that occurred as a schedule. by civil war for the last seven
result of the incident," FIFA FIFA president Gianni In- years. It joined FIFA in 2012.

(AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimović has recovered from the
coronavirus and was available for the derby against In-
ter Milan, AC Milan said on Friday.

Ibrahimović tested positive for COVID-19 last month.
"AC Milan announces that Zlatan Ibrahimović has tested
negative to two consecutive swabs," the Rossoneri said in a
statement. "The City of Milan Health Authorities have ter-
minated his quarantine."
Milan plays Inter in the Derby della Madonnina on Oct. 17,
in their first match after the international break.
The 38-year-old Ibrahimović scored three goals in Milan's
first two matches this season, in the Europa League and Serie
A.