RUGBY TOURNAMENT TO START A WEEK EARLIER

SYDNEY • Hosts Rugby Australia and the organisers Sanzaar have revealed a revised schedule for the 2020 Rugby Championship, after bowing to pressure from New Zealand Rugby (NZR), with the competition now to kick off a week earlier.

Australia's scheduled Dec 12 clash with New Zealand will be played on Oct 31, after NZR objected to the original date as it meant their players would have to spend Christmas in quarantine due to the country's strict Covid-19 travel restrictions.

The initial fixture list saw the competition start on Nov 7.

REUTERS

DAILY LIMIT OF 1,000 FANS AT PARIS MASTERS

PARIS • The Paris Masters will take place as scheduled from Oct 31 to Nov 8 at the Bercy Arena, the French Tennis Federation confirmed.

The tournament will welcome 1,000 spectators per day in line with the Covid-19 health protocols in Paris. It will follow the St Petersburg Open, back-to-back events in Cologne, a clay-court event in Sardinia, the European Open in Antwerp, the Erste Bank Open in Vienna and an indoor event in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

REUTERS

INJURED GIRO CYCLIST LEAVES HOSPITAL

MILAN • Italian rider Luca Wackermann has been discharged from hospital following a crash at the Giro d'Italia, his team said.

The crash, which brought down Wackermann and Dutchman Etienne van Empel of the Vini Zabu-KTM team, happened at the end of Tuesday's fourth stage when a barrier was blown over by the draught from a low-flying helicopter and struck the two riders. The 28-year-old suffered a concussion as well as a fracture of the nasal bones. He also had multiple bruises to his arms and legs and a suspected back fracture and was forced to withdraw from the race.

REUTERS