Digest

BEACH GAMES

Sanya's Beach Games could be rescheduled

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said on Saturday that it is in discussions to reschedule the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, Hainan province.

The Games are currently scheduled to take place on the southern Chinese island from Nov 28 to Dec 6.

"The Olympic Council of Asia and the Chinese Olympic Committee are in discussions to reschedule the dates of the Sanya Asian Beach Games due to the COVID 19 pandemic," the OCA said in a statement.

"The three parties have been in constant contact all year regarding the Asian Beach Games in Sanya and are closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis and working together closely to adjust the dates, if required.

"Once a decision has been made, OCA jointly with the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Sanya Asian Beach Games organizing committee will announce the new dates regarding the 6th Asian Beach Games."

TABLE TENNIS

Team championships moved to early 2021

The World Table Tennis Team Championships have been delayed to early next year amid lingering concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced on Saturday.

The ITTF executive committee met on Friday to discuss the implications of the current virus situation for international table tennis.

After deliberations with key stakeholders, the executive committee decided that the Hana Bank 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan will be staged between Feb 28 and March 7,2021.

The championships were originally scheduled to be held in the South Korean city of Busan from March 22-29, but were first postponed until June 21-28 and then once again until Sept 27-Oct 4 due to the pandemic.

TRACK AND FIELD

Chinese athletics to return with July race

China's top talent will assemble on July 29 to compete in the 2020 Chinese Race Walk Invitation event, the country's first on-site athletics competition since the sport was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The one-day competition in the northeastern Chinese city of Jinzhou, Liaoning province, will feature all 33 athletes from the national training team, including Olympic medalists Chen Ding, Qieyang Shijie and world champions Liang Rui and Yang Jiayu, as well as race walkers from regional teams. They will be competing in the men's 20-kilometer, 35km and the women's 20km events.

According to the Chinese Athletics Association, all the athletes, coaches and team staff are required to have negative COVID-19 test results seven days before taking part in the event.

SOCCER

Ronaldinho loses appeal for release

Ronaldinho has been ordered to remain under house arrest in Paraguay after an appeals court judge refused a request to release the former Brazil and Barcelona star.

The 40-year-old Ronaldinho and his older sibling Roberto Assis spent more than a month in prison for allegedly entering the South American with fake passports.

In April, the pair were relocated to the four-star Palmaroga Hotel in the capital Asuncion after agreeing to pay $1.6 million in bail.

Local media reported that the failed appeal means the brothers will be kept in preventive detention for up to six months, pending a trial.

Ronaldinho and Assis traveled to Paraguay on March 4 to participate in a children's charity event and promote a new book. They were arrested later that day on accusations of using false travel documents.

The pair have denied any wrongdoing and said they were presented with the passports as a "gift" upon arriving in Asuncion.

Xinhua