Sports World: Beijing Marathon latest to be called off

BEIJING • The Beijing Marathon has been postponed indefinitely after this Sunday's race was called off amid rising Covid-19 cases in China, the BBC quoted organisers as saying yesterday.

Organisers said the decision was made "in order to prevent the risk of the epidemic spreading (and) effectively protect the health and safety of the majority of runners, staff and residents".

The marathon was set to return this year after it was cancelled last year due to Covid-19. The Wuhan Marathon, which was due to be held last Sunday, was also called off with a new date yet to be determined.

REUTERS

---

Legendary Rangers boss Smith dies at 73

LONDON • Walter Smith, the former Scotland, Rangers and Everton manager, died yesterday at the age of 73 after a battle with illness.

Smith won 10 league titles with Rangers as well as five Scottish Cups and six League Cups, making him the club's second most successful manager after Bill Struth. In a statement, Rangers chairman Douglas Park said "it is almost impossible to encapsulate what Walter meant to every one of us at Rangers" and "he embodied everything that a Ranger should be".

REUTERS

---

No police action on Palace fans' banner

LONDON • British police said on Monday they will not take action against fans of Premier League side Crystal Palace after they displayed a banner at Selhurst Park last weekend that spoke out against Newcastle's recent takeover by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium.

Palace fan group Holmesdale Fanatics had said they were responsible for the banner, which accused the top flight of hypocrisy, given the Gulf kingdom's spotty human rights record.

The banner featured illustrations of a man dressed in traditional Arabic clothing alongside Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, while there was a picture of a clipboard that read: "Terrorism, beheading, civil rights abuses, murder, censorship and persecution."

REUTERS