The House Commission X overseeing education, sports, tourism and the creative economy asked the government to postpone the Games because of the coronavirus. The chairman of the commission, Syaiful Huda, said the Games could be delayed until 2021.“There are many sporting events at the regional and international levels that have been postponed due to COVID-19, like the Tokyo Olympics and the Euro Cup. So there’s nothing wrong with postponing the PON to 2021,” Syaiful said as quoted by tempo.co.Syaiful, a National Awakening Party (PAN) politician, also said that the current circumstances were not conducive to the construction of several unfinished sporting venues in the host province.“Based on the latest information, there are still several venues that aren’t ready yet, so their development needs to be sped up,” Syaiful said. “If the airports and ports are closed, this means construction materials can’t be transported to Papua, which disrupts the building process.”The Papua administration began closing airports and ports across its 29 cities and regencies in March 26 to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Some local leaders have asked for the Health Ministry’s permission to impose large-scale social restrictions in their respective regions.Papua Governor Lukas Enembe sent a letter to President Jokowi earlier this week asking to reconsider the timeline of the Games, saying the disease had affected preparations for the quadrennial event, kompas.com reported.In his letter dated April 7, Lukas reported that while 85 to 90 percent of the venues were ready, he was worried the remaining tasks would be disrupted in the coming months due to a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region.As of midday on Thursday, the official government tally of confirmed infections in Papua was 38 with two deaths.Minister Zainudin said the decision of whether to postpone the Games could go either way.“Right now, the regional administration is focusing its efforts on containing the spread of COVID-19,” he said, explaining that a deadline on making a decision would be determined after consulting the President.The ministry had yet to tally up the costs it would bear should Jokowi decide to postpone the Games to 2021, Zainudin said, and it was already dealing with a very busy schedule next year, with at least six international events to prepare for.The ministry allocated Rp 500 billion (US$30.7 million) of its Rp 1.7 trillion budget for PON preparations. It is currently reallocating funds to assist with the government’s COVID-19 response.Topics : “We are currently looking into the input from various sides, including the House of Representatives Commission X,” Zainudin said in a teleconference on Tuesday.“The main thing that we are considering is how long the pandemic might last.”COVID-19, classified by the World Health Organization as a pandemic, has entered more than 200 countries worldwide, infecting more than 1.4 million people and causing over 80,000 deaths. It has had a particularly devastating effect on the sporting world, causing big events such as the 2020 Olympics Games and the Wimbledon Grand Slam to be postponed.In Indonesia, most sporting events have been canceled or pushed back, including soccer and basketball leagues. The fate of the first-ever National Games (PON) to be held in Indonesia’s easternmost province this year hangs in the balance, as it appears likely that the PON will become the latest major sporting event to be adversely affected by COVID-19.Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said his office was scrutinizing every aspect of the Games ahead of a planned consultation meeting with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, emphasizing that only the leader could determine whether or not it will run as planned.The Games, to be held in Papua for the first time ever, are scheduled to run from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2, with athletes from across the country to compete in 37 sports in Jayapura city and Jayapura, Mimika and Merauke regencies.
It’s the one we’ve all been waiting for; FC Barcelona have entered esports. The iconic Catalan football club has joined the new, and forthcoming, competition organised by eFootball.Pro and Konami. This means that Barca will field a team, and will ‘compete against international first-rate rivals’. The President and Founder of eFootball.Pro is none other than Gerard Piqué, making the Barcelona entrance a little less surprising; the Spanish centre back has 265 caps and counting for the club. Piqué had this to say about the news: “As a player, I’m glad that my club has decided to enter eSports and joined this innovative project that we are preparing together with KONAMI. Barça will be able to contribute its values to the competition and I’m sure that it will be a great rival for the rest of the teams. On our part, from eFootball.Pro we will join the club in its new adventure in this digital world and we will guide it so it gets to excite its fans as it does with the rest of sports.”Manel Arroyo, FC Barcelona Vice President of Marketing and Media, said of the announcement: “Barça is attentive to what is happening in this global and technological world, and given the major penetration and growth of eSports, is on the path to also becoming a leader in this field. FC Barcelona, in keeping with its innovative spirit, has decided to participate in a pioneering competition in the world of eSports, alongside the finest partners, KONAMI and eFootball.Pro.“We are sure that this competition will continue to make Barça members and fans that follow eSports around the world very proud’. The professionals that form the blaugrana eSports team will challenge their opponents using the KONAMI football video game series.”Jonas Lygaard, Senior Director – Brand & Business Development for Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. commented:”We are extremely excited to have one of the biggest clubs in the world, FC Barcelona, joining the league and for the first time entering the eSports market on the Pro Evolution Soccer platform. This partnership elevates things to a new and professional level and gives fans a chance to compete and officially represent FC Barcelona on the biggest stages in the world.”According to the announcement from eFootball.Pro ‘more details and new competition members will be unveiled soon’. The company recently confirmed a partnership with Sportradar which will see the latter become the ‘Official International Media Rights Distribution Partner’ of the league in a multi-year deal. Esports Insider says: At long last we have one of the world’s very largest football clubs dipping their toes into esports. The reasoning for this manner of entrance; that is the connection via Mr. Gerard Piqué, is clear, and we hope that their experience with eFootball.Pro and Konami ensures a deeper involvement into the esports space in the future.
MORE: 10 best Packers-Cowboys games of all timeThis season, Green Bay (3-1) and Dallas (3-1) meet Sunday in a key NFC showdown between teams trying to get an early leg up on the playoff race. Both suffered their first loss of the season in Week 4.Will Rodgers deal the Cowboys another losing hand? Here is a look at the stats, the moments and the significance of Rodgers’ success against Dallas.Aaron Rodgers vs. Cowboys stats— Rodgers is 6-2 as a starter against the Cowboys. His first start doubled as Dallas’ first victory at Lambeau Field on Sept. 21, 2008. Rodgers has won six of seven starts since.— Rodgers has led two game-winning drives in the playoffs in his career, and both came at the expense of Dallas in the divisional playoffs. The first came in a 26-21 victory against the Cowboys in the 2015-16 postseason. The second came two years later in a 34-31 victory in the 2016-17 playoffs.— In nine career games against Dallas (including postseason), Rodgers has 2,371 yards with 16 TDs and just 2 interceptions. He has added 2 rushing TDs, as well. Rodgers has a 101.7 passer rating against the Cowboys in the regular season and a 109.5 rating against them in the playoffs.— In three games at Dallas, Rodgers is 65-of-95 passing for 876 passing yard, 6 TDs and 1 interception. Sunday will mark his third start at AT&T Stadium.PACKERS vs. COWBOYS PICKS:Pick against the spread | Straight-up predictionAaron Rodgers vs. Cowboys momentsNov. 29, 2007: Rodgers replaces FavreA “Thursday Night Football” matchup between 10-1 teams took a turn when Favre was injured, but Rodgers impressed with 201 yards and a TD in a 37-27 loss that influenced the franchise’s quarterback decision the next season.Green Bay knew Rodgers could play.Jan. 11, 2015: Rodgers wins on one legThe 2014-15 NFC divisional playoff matchup is remembered for the Dez Bryant catch ruling. It overshadowed Rodgers, who despite a leg injury led two TD drives in the second half of the Packers’ 26-21 victory.Jan. 15, 2017: Rodgers delivers on third-and-20 Rodgers led Green Bay to a quick 21-3 lead in the NFC divisional playoffs, but the Cowboys tied the game at 28. The teams traded field goals, and Dallas tied it again with a 52-yarder by Dan Bailey with 35 seconds left.That was too much time for Rodgers, who hit Jared Cook for 35 yards on third-and-20 to set up a game-winning, 51-yard field goal by Mason Crosby.Rodgers passed for 355 yards, 2 TDs and an interception in the 34-31 victory.Oct. 28, 2017: Rodgers leads a comebackGreen Bay trailed 21-12 at one point, but Rodgers heated up in the second half with 20 fourth-quarter points in a 35-31 regular-season victory at AT&T Stadium.Rodgers threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds left and finished with 221 yards and 3 TDs.Why Aaron Rodgers’ success vs. Cowboys mattersRodgers’ success against the Cowboys has flipped the script on the rivalry after the days of Favre, who was 2-9 as a starter against the Cowboys. That includes an 0-8 record in Dallas and 0-3 against the Cowboys in the postseason. While Favre was struggling, Troy Aikman led Dallas to three Super Bowl appearances during the 1990s. Will Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers be the star of the rivalry with the Cowboys again Sunday?Perhaps “star” is a poor word choice given how Rodgers has tormented Dallas since 2007. Of the 10 greatest games between the Cowboys and Packers, Rodgers has been the headliner in three. That includes the 2007 matchup when he nearly led Green Bay to a victory after replacing an injured Brett Favre. With Rodgers, Green Bay’s two playoff victories over Dallas knocked out Cowboys teams that finished with 12-4 and 13-3 records, respectively. It can be argued that Rodgers has been the biggest hurdle for the Cowboys to clear in this decade.Rodgers’ success has tilted the all-time series back in the favor of Green Bay, too. The Packers now lead the all-time series 19-17, and the 38th meeting should add another interesting chapter.Rodgers will play a huge role in that outcome. The only question is whether he will be the “star” again.
OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson LATEST STORIES Margot Robbie talks about filming ‘Bombshell’s’ disturbing sexual harassment scene Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. MOST READ CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/PBA IMAGESSTA. ROSA — Paul Lee slogged his way out of Santa Rosa Multipurpose Complex Tuesday night. His head was slightly down, his gloomy face barely seen as he wore a black cap tilted downward.Star is one game away from getting swept by Meralco, which looked every bit of a top-seeded team, and the Hotshots could likely be without their prized guard as they fight for survival starting Thursday.ADVERTISEMENT Lopetegui wants focus on soccer after Pique jeered by fans Nueva Ecija warehouse making fake cigarettes raided, 29 Chinese workers nabbed View comments How to help the Taal evacuees The playoff schedule also didn’t help the 28-year-old’s health issues with teams playing every other day.READ: Top seed Meralco comes back to beat Star in semis opener“Our games have been in succession so our PT told me that this is expected to happen. There’s a slight meniscus tear,” said Lee, who scored 11 points in Game 1.Lee said his status is “day-to-day” and he offered no assurance on whether he’s going to be available in Game 3 on Thursday.“I didn’t practice yesterday (Monday). I just tried to play today,” he said. “It’s painful. I made a quick move in the first quarter and I felt something.”ADVERTISEMENT Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard PLAY LIST 02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite03:23Negosyo sa Tagaytay City, bagsak sa pag-aalboroto ng Bulkang Taal01:13Christian Standhardinger wins PBA Best Player award It’s too early to present Duterte’s ‘legacy’ – Lacson Mos Burger to open in Manila; teases with a pop-up Jake says relationship with Shaina ‘goes beyond physical attraction’ In ‘Jojo Rabbit,’ Comedy and Drama Collide DAY6 is for everybody Lee logged only three minutes and 44 seconds in Game 2 in what could be his season-finale after his nagging knee injury recurred at the worst possible time for the Hotshots.READ: Meralco zaps lackluster Star, nears PBA semis sweepFEATURED STORIESSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’SPORTSFederer blasts lack of communication on Australian Open smog“It’s the old injury,” Lee told reporters. “I aggravated it last game. I actually just forced myself to play last game. I tested it but I couldn’t.”He has been bothered by the same knee injury since last year. It was also the reason why he was pulled out of Gilas Pilipinas last March and in May of 2016.
Huge crowds are expected to attend the funerals of life-long pals Seamus Hegarty and Kevin Woods who died in tragic circumstances on Friday last.Devoted family man Seamus Hegarty who was tragically killed when a tractor tyre blew out.The two farmers, both aged 52, died when a tractor wheel exploded while they were changing it beside a field at Crossroads, Killygordon.The men, who had attended school before working together, regularly helped eachother out. Local priest Fr Edward Kilpatrick said the local community was finding it difficult to come to terms with such a tragic loss of life.Massive crowds have been attending the men’s wakes – a testament to the high regard in which they were held in their community.Both men have been described by all who knew them as ‘decent, hard-working, modest human beings.”Mr Hegarty, a married father-of-four, will be buried after 11am funeral mass at St Patrick’s Church in Murlog, Lifford today. And his close friend Kevin Woods, a single man, will be buried tomorrow at the Old Cemetery, Convoy, following 11am funeral mass in St Patrick’s Church in Murlog, Lifford.The scene of the double tragedy which claimed the lives of the two farmers. Pic by Northwest News Pics.HUGE CROWDS EXPECTED AT FUNERALS OF TRAGIC FARMERS was last modified: November 24th, 2014 by StephenShare this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)