Australia swim coach quits to head home
SYDNEY • Australia's head swimming coach Jacco Verhaeren quit his post yesterday, opting to return to his native Netherlands for family reasons after the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games to next July.
In a statement released by Swimming Australia, he said "he could not compromise in a high performance environment, nor did I want to compromise my family".
The 51-year-old, who was appointed in 2013, will be replaced by Australian Rohan Taylor, the state coach for Victoria and Tasmania.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ighalo 'buzzing' ahead of EPL restart
LONDON • Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo hopes to lift Manchester United "higher and higher" after extending his loan deal at the Premier League club from Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Shenhua until the end of January next year.
Ighalo, whose initial loan deal ended last Sunday, scored four goals in eight games for United before the English top flight was suspended in March.
In his first full-length interview since Monday's extension, he told the club website he was "buzzing and ready to go" ahead of the league's restart on June 17.
REUTERS
NZ mulls over hosting rugby internationals
AUCKLAND • New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is "optimistic" about hosting northern hemisphere teams in an international schedule later this year as the country edges closer to lifting social distancing restrictions.
New Zealand will decide on Monday whether it is ready to lower its coronavirus alert system a notch to Level 1, which would end curbs on mass gatherings and allow fans at sporting events.
NZR chief executive Mark Robinson told Radio New Zealand yesterday the governing body was looking at a "not insignificant" schedule of international rugby in the last quarter of the year.
REUTERS
Japan starts Women's Enpowerment League
TOKYO • The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced plans yesterday for a new women's club competition known as the WE League, with the acronym standing for Women's Empowerment.
The JFA, who are bidding to host the 2023 Women's World Cup, said the round-robin top flight competition will supersede the existing Nadeshiko League and begin in autumn of next year, with the participating six to 10 teams to be announced at a later date.
REUTERS
