Sport News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 9th April 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start with the Olympics: The Olympic rings will be displayed on the Eiffel Tower during the Games in Paris. Work is starting at the end of the month to fix the emblem on the side of the world-famous tower facing the River Seine in the French capital. The organisers say the Olympic flame will burn in the Tuilleries Gardens near the Louvre Museum. This year’s opening ceremony will not be held in a stadium, but on the Seine where the partticipating athletes will be paraded on a flotilla of boats.

# Tennis: The big guns start their Monte Carlo Masters campaigns from today after receiving byes in the first round. World number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the clay-court tournament twice, but couldn’t proceed past the quarterfinals since 2015. Second-seeded Jannik Sinner of Italy is the in-form player at the moment, having won three tournaments so far this year. Third-seeded Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is a bit unsure if his ankle injury has healed sufficiently. Russian Daniil Medvedev is seeded fourth and German Alexander Zverev fifth.

# Soccer: England’s Premier League deducted another two points from Everton for a breach of the profitability and sustainability rules. The decision leaves the club just two points above the relegation zone after receiving a six-point penalty earlier. The league says the latest penalty was imposed after Everton admitted it breached its allowed spending of a 3.4-billion-rand loss over three seasons by 390-million-rand. The club ascribes this to factors such as the loss of a sponsorship due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

And we stay with soccer: Uefa says a final decision on the proposal to increase squad sizes for the upcoming European Championships will be made in the coming weeks. Squads are currently limited to 23 players. The increase in squad size could help reduce the threat of injuries and the intense physical demands placed upon players. Uefa says some coaches who prefer to cap the squad size at 23, have pointed to issues including group management and the increased financial burdens placed upon national associations.

# And to end with, Golf: Masters champion Jon Rahm believes his lucrative switch to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League could prove a tipping point. The former world number one has had four top-eight finishes in his five starts on the LIV Golf circuit this season. Speaking to BBC Sport, the Spaniard says LIV has the capability of securing the services of pretty much any leading player: