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Premier League has a record with 103 positive corona tests
4.50 pm: Last week, 103 players and staff members in the English football league tested positive for the corona virus. That is a record, the Premier League leadership reported on Monday. A total of 15,186 corona tests were carried out in the Premier League from Monday 20 to Sunday 26 December.
The many corona cases ensured that some selections had to do with a shortage of players. As a result, three games were canceled on Sunday and many games were canceled a week earlier.
Newcastle United and Manchester United play against each other on Monday. The next round starts on Tuesday.
Brand beats Van Empel in Superprestigecross in Heusden-Zolder
2:49 PM: Lucinda Brand has achieved another victory in the Superprestige. The world champion defeated her young compatriot Fem van Empel after a race over and along the race track of Heusden-Zolder. For Brand it already meant her fifth victory in six games in the Superprestige series.
The 32-year-old Dutch had already booked her fifth World Cup victory of this season in Dendermonde a day earlier. Also in that classification, Brand has a firm grip on the lead.
In Heusden-Zolder, Brand started up after the second of six rounds. Only 19-year-old Van Empel could join. The veteran in the rainbow jersey crashed during the fourth lap in a descent, but soon rejoined the talented cyclo-cross rider at the front. On the last part to the finish, the experienced Brand turned out to be the strongest. Annemarie Worst crossed the finish line about 20 seconds later.
American skier Shiffrin infected with coronavirus
12.17 pm: American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has contracted the corona virus. The 26-year-old Shiffrin, two-time Olympic champion, will therefore miss this week’s World Cup competitions in Linz. The American took gold and silver in the giant slalom at the World Cup in Courchevel last week.
“I’m doing well, but unfortunately I took a positive Covid test,” Shiffrin wrote on Twitter. “I follow protocol and am therefore in isolation. I miss Linz, but I’m going to cheer for my teammates. See you in the new year.”
In the coming days, a giant slalom and slalom for women are scheduled on the Austrian slopes. Two years ago, Shiffrin won both parts in Linz. She leads the overall World Cup standings and also leads the giant slalom standings.
NHL lets ice hockey clubs form ‘taxi selection’ because of corona
09:42 o’clock: The clubs from the American ice hockey league NHL are allowed to put together a temporary shadow selection with players who can fill in in the event of many corona infections. The NHL hopes in this way to prevent the competition program from being further disrupted. Almost seventy games had to be postponed these weeks due to the wave of corona infections within the NHL teams.
The NHL and the players’ union NHLPA have therefore decided that the clubs may form an extra team in addition to their permanent selection of 23 players, the so-called ‘taxi selection’. That team consists of a maximum of six ice hockey players who are currently training and traveling with the A-selection. They can immediately replace a player who tests positive for the coronavirus. These limited-time shadow rosters will last until the early February All Star competition.
In this way, the NHL hopes to prevent matches from having to be postponed or from clubs with thinned selections on the ice. The organization of the largest ice hockey league in the world already decided last week not to release NHL players for the February Olympic Games in Beijing. “Unfortunately that is not possible. The competition schedule is already too seriously disrupted for that.”
Rublev also positive for coronavirus after Abu Dhabi tennis tournament
07.27 am: Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev has tested positive for the corona virus. The world’s number 5 recently participated in the demonstration tournament in Abu Dhabi. Four other tennis players who played there have also contracted the corona virus: Rafael Nadal, Belinda Bencic, Ons Jabeur and Denis Shapovalov. Nadal coach Carlos Moya also tested positive on his return to Spain. US Open champion Emma Raducanu proved positive upon arrival in Abu Dhabi and had to skip the tournament.
“I am now in Barcelona and unfortunately I have tested positive for Covid-19,” reports Rublev, who won the demonstration tournament. The 24-year-old Russian defeated Andy Murray in the final. The Scot had beaten Nadal in the semi-finals, who made his unofficial return to Abu Dhabi after a months-long absence due to a foot injury.
“I’m in isolation and following protocols,” said Rublev. “As everyone knows, I have been fully vaccinated. I was preparing for the ATP Cup and the Australian Open. I must now recover first and only go to Melbourne when it is safe for everyone. I am angry and concerned about what is happening right now.”