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A32 sports
Diasabra 17 OctOber 2020

Swiss organizers plan for World Cup ski season without fans

cal organizers to have compe- tend in restricted zones sepa-
titions without the public as rated from athletes, coaches
coronavirus cases peak in the and officials.
Alpine nation ahead of the
winter sports season. The federation said its offi-
cials and race organizers will
Crowds of about 30,000 typi- stay in contact with public
cally attend Switzerland’s sig- authorities and could modify
nature races on back-to-back plans as the pandemic devel-
Saturdays in January — the ops in Switzerland.
men’s giant slalom in Adel- The World Cup ski season
boden and the men’s down- starts this weekend without
hill in Wengen. fans for men’s and women’s
The 2020-21 season also in- giant slalom races in Sölden,
cludes women’s race week- Austria.
ends in St. Moritz and
Crans-Montana, the World No races will be held in the
Cup finals week for men and United States and Canada to
women in Lenzerheide, and limit travel and quarantine
a ski jumping event in Engel- restrictions for teams. The
berg. only scheduled races outside
Europe are women's speed
Swiss-Ski said no grand- events in China in February
stands will be built at those to test a 2022 Beijing Olym-
BERN, Switzerland (AP) tional villages are planned venues, nor fan villages at the pic course in Yanqing.
— No fans, no race cer- at World Cup ski events in The Swiss ski federation said races and in resort centers.
emonies and no promo- Switzerland this season. Friday it is working with lo- Some invited guests could at-

World champion Springboks withdraw from Rugby Championship

(AP) — World Cup cham- a bottom line that we could The Springboks’ withdrawal tempting to arrange warm-up — would still be in managed
pion South Africa has not in fairness commit to be- will cut the Rugby Champi- matches against local teams. isolation on Christmas Day.
withdrawn from the Rug- ing able to compete.” onship from 12 to six match-
by Championship in Aus- es, which still will go ahead The All Blacks and Walla- In a rancorous dispute, New
tralia, leaving Argentina, The South Africa-based over a six-week period with bies will meet in the opening Zealand claimed to have an
Australia and New Zea- Springboks players had been each team having at least two matches of the tournament in agreement to play the tour-
land to contest a tourna- scheduled to leave for Austra- byes. The re-branded Tri- Sydney on Oct. 31 and Nov. nament over five weeks with
ment much diminished by lia on Sunday and play their Nations tournament will also 7, following on from their the final match on Dec. 5.
its absence. first test against Argentina in likely hit broadcasting rev- two-match Bledisloe Cup se- SANZAAR and Rugby Aus-
Sydney on Nov. 7, more than enue, which will be shared ries in New Zealand. tralia denied any such agree-
The South Africans cited a year since their previous test among the three competing ment had been reached and
player welfare concerns be- match. South Africa is due to teams. New Zealand was also con- cited minutes of a meeting
cause of the delayed start to host the British and Irish Li- sidering withdrawing from which suggested New Zea-
their domestic competition ons next year and might have The Argentina squad is al- the tournament, or at least land had always been aware
and uncertainty over gov- gone without test rugby for ready in Australia prepar- forfeiting its final match of the Dec. 12 match.
ernment travel restrictions 20 months by the time that ing for the tournament, its against Australia, because of a
during the COVID-19 pan- series starts, unless new tests preparation at home set back scheduling dispute. The last The matter was resolved
demic affecting players based can be scheduled. by a COVID-19 outbreak match initially was sched- when the match was moved
in South Africa, Europe and which affected at least 10 uled to be played in Sydney forward to follow on more
Japan. The Springboks would now players and the head coach. on Dec. 12, meaning the All naturally from the Bledisloe
have to “find ways” to be The Pumas will also be short Blacks players — required Cup matches in New Zea-
“With time essentially hav- ready for that series, Roux of match play when they face to quarantine for 14 days on land.
ing run out, it left us with said. their opening test and are at- their return to New Zealand
no option,” SA Rugby chief
executive Jurie Roux said in South Africa’s provincial
a statement Friday. “This is Currie Cup competition
a hugely disappointing out- only began on Oct. 9 because
come for our supporters and of the delays brought on be-
commercial partners but the cause of the coronavirus,
on-going impacts of the pan- leaving Springboks players
demic ... means we are un- with little match play before
able to deliver a Springbok the Championship.
team without seriously com-
promising player welfare.” At most, South Africa's home-
based players would have had
Roux said SANZAAR, the three domestic games before
tournament organizers, and the team’s scheduled depar-
host Australia "have bent over ture for Australia and two of
backwards to make the tour- those would have been infor-
nament happen and it would mal or exhibition matches.
have been unfair on them,
their partners and state gov- The decision to withdraw
ernment to delay a decision was supported by the body
any longer.” that represents the interests
of South Africa's players, SA
“The impact on our planning Rugby said.
was profound and took us to