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A32 sports
Diasabra 21 November 2020

Raptors denied permission to play in Canada, head to Tampa

Orlando. The Raptors began with a training camp
at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers,
then went to Disney a couple weeks later — do-
ing so because the virus and travel rules would
have kept them from getting their team together
in Canada.

And now, they're on their way back to the Sun-
shine State. The league will release the first half of
the schedule around Dec. 1; the second half of the
schedule is likely to come in January or February,
and there is a possibility that the team — for now,
anyway — could return to Toronto at that point.
“So we’ll be away from our home and our fans
for now," Ujiri wrote in his statement. “They say
absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m not sure
that’s possible for us — we love Toronto and Cana-
da, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA.
For now, I’ll ask you to cheer for us from afar, and
we’ll look forward to the day we are all together
again.”

The Raptors will remain in the NBA's Atlantic Di-
vision. Assuming the Raptors play all 36 of their
home games this season in Tampa, seven teams —
Atlanta, Miami, Washington, Orlando, Charlotte,
Brooklyn and Philadelphia will be scheduled to
visit there twice. The league's other 15 teams will
(AP) — The Toronto Raptors will start the all go there once.
NBA season next month in Tampa, Florida, The official, speaking on condition of anonymity
because of travel restrictions the Canadian and not authorized to talk publicly about the mat- The plan for the Raptors to come to Sunrise, about
government has put in place stemming from ter, said there's a chance that the decision could be 30 miles north of Miami, was fairly far along as
the pandemic. reviewed next year. well. The team had worked out several arrange-
The Raptors, the NBA’s lone Canadian team, and ments with the NHL's Panthers, including even
The Raptors had been looking at other sites for sev- the league needed an exemption to a requirement sharing the club's practice facility. Other U.S. cities
eral weeks, including Sunrise, Florida, the home of that anyone entering Canada for nonessential rea- known to have had interest in serving as the Rap-
the NHL's Florida Panthers. But with NBA train- sons must isolate for 14 days. The U.S.-Canada tors’ temporary home were: Nashville, Tennessee;
ing camp less than two weeks away and a season border remains closed to nonessential travel. Newark, New Jersey; and Kansas City, Missouri.
starting on Dec. 22, the Raptors were pressed to
make a final decision. Instead, they will play home Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious dis- The Canadian government denied the Blue Jays’
games at Amalie Arena, home of the Stanley Cup eases at the University of Toronto and the medical request to play in Toronto this year because health
champion Tampa Bay Lightning. director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program officials didn’t think it was safe for players to travel
at Sinai-University Health Network, said the Ca- back and forth from the U.S., one of the coun-
“Ultimately, the current public health situation nadian government made the right decision. tries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. The
facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need number of cases in both countries, but particularly
to determine where we will play means that we “With the current situation it is almost impossible in the U.S. has surged since.
will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida,” for the government to reasonably sanction travel
Raptors President Masai Ujiri said in a statement back and forth travel outside a bubble,” Morris The Blue Jays failed to persuade the federal gov-
Friday. said. ernment to grant exemptions and played home
games in Buffalo, New York, this year. The Cana-
An official familiar with the Canadian govern- So, for the Raptors, it's now time for Florida to be dian government required a comprehensive public
ment's decision told The Associated Press there home away from home again. health plan and written support from local health
is too much COVID-19 circulating in the United Toronto was the first NBA team to arrive in Florida officials. The plan was reviewed by the Public
States to allow for cross-border travel that is not last summer to begin preparations for the restarted Health Agency of Canada.
essential. season inside a bubble at Walt Disney World near

Madrid’s Jovic has virus, joins list of unavailable players

(AP) — Real Madrid strik- a positive test. lencia before last week’s in- Real Sociedad. Villareal is in the lead.
er Luka Jovic has tested ternational break. second place, two points off
positive for the coronavi- Zinedine Zidane’s team will
rus, leaving his team with- also be without striker Karim Jovic played for Serbia during
out its top two strikers for Benzema, defender Sergio the break.
the Spanish league match Ramos, and midfielder Fed- “The good news is that we’re
at Villarreal on Saturday. erico Valverde who are all all back and thinking about
injured. Zidane also said de- tomorrow’s game, but the
The club said on Friday that fender Raphael Varane was bad news is that some players
Jovic was infected with the not fully fit despite making have picked up slight inju-
virus that causes COVID-19. his squad. ries," Zidane said. “But as al-
He joins teammates Casemi- ways, we want to think about
ro and Éder Militão in con- With Benzema and backup tomorrow and play a great
finement after testing posi- Jovic unavailable, Madrid’s game. We’re only thinking
tive. only pure striker is Mariano about that.”
Eden Hazard has been cleared Díaz, who made his first ap-
to play at Villarreal after also pearance of the season as a Madrid is in fourth place at
missing the last round due to substitute in a 4-1 loss at Va- four points behind leader