Tag: World Health Organization

Gallinari delivers coronavirus message on behalf of WHO and NBAPA

Gallinari joined Rui Hachimora and Ricky Rubio to emphasize staying safe and practicing good habits amid the health crisis.

Danilo Gallinari joined fellow international stars Rui Hachimora and Ricky Rubio to deliver a message about the coronavirus on behalf of the World Health Organization and the NBA Player’s Association.

The video, posted on the NBA’s Twitter account, starts with Gallinari saying that he knows “we are facing a very tough moment with the spread of the coronavirus”.

Hachimura then adds that “it’s tough but we all have to help each other”, followed by Rubio giving a shout out to “doctors, nurses, medical staff and all others who are working hard to keep us safe at this time”.

The video also emphasizes the need to pay attention to the advice of health experts when it comes to the necessary precautions to keep people safe, such as washing your hands or engaging in social distancing, and ensuring that the information being passed along regarding the coronavirus is accurate and credible.

The NBA has been on indefinite hiatus since March 12, when Adam Silver announced an immediate suspension of games and team practices after Utah Jazz center, Rudy Gobert, became the first player in the league to test positive for the coronavirus.

Since then, 13 other players from six different teams have also received positive test results, including former Thunder star, and currently Brooklyn Net Kevin Durant, and the Celtics’ Marcus Smart.

On Friday, the NBA made the additional move to close all team practice facilities to both players and staff.

Olympic qualifier for American boxers canceled due to coronavirus

The Olympics qualifiers for the Americas, the final leg for boxers hoping to make the 2020 Tokyo games, has been cancelled…

The Olympic boxing qualifier for the Americas, scheduled to take place March 26 to April 3 in Buenos Aires, has been canceled because of the coronavirus.

The government of Argentina decided to “restrict all types of international events in the country with immediate effect as a precautionary measure to COVID-19,” according to a statement by the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force, the organization that took over for AIBA to oversee all boxing events for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“We are searching for the appropriate solution for this unexpected situation and will immediately inform the National Olympic Committees, National Federations and other impacted parties as soon as further information is available.”

The tournament, which is open to all boxers from North, South and Central America, is the last qualifier for boxers hoping to make the summer Tokyo Olympics. It is uncertain whether the IOC will move ahead with the Olympics. The games are scheduled to start July 24.

The BTF organizes qualifiers in five regions around the world but is unlikely to complete them all. The European qualifier is still scheduled to take place in London March 13-23, but a delay or cancellation is still a possibility. The final qualifier is scheduled for May 13 in Paris.

The BTF’s announcement was made Wednesday shortly before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. Later that same day, the NBA decided to suspend its season “until further notice” after one of its players, center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Among many drastic steps taken by sports organizations worldwide, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played without fans.

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon