Novak Djokovic does not travel to the ATP Cup in Sydney. Dutch track cycling world champion in an artificial coma. The most important sports news at a glance.
Basketball: Losing Atlanta on Capela’s return
Clint Capela (right) is back in action in the NBA.
(sda) The Atlanta Hawks suffer defeat on the return of Clint Capela. The Hawks lose 87-101 against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden at Christmas.
Due to a corona illness, Capela had missed two games. The return of the Geneva Center was resinous, Capela’s first five attempts to throw all missed their target. He finished the game with six points and nine rebounds.
For Atlanta it was the 17th loss in the 32nd game. After a third of the season, the team from Georgia is three places behind a play-off place in the Eastern Conference.
Nordic skiing: two-time Olympic champion Flugstad Östberg refrains from participating in the Olympic Games
Ingvild Flugstad Östberg in Davos two weeks ago.
(sda / afp) The Norwegian Ingvild Flugstad Östberg will not start at the Olympic Games in Beijing (February 4th to 20th) for health reasons. The 31-year-old two-time Olympic champion has to take a longer break again, according to a message from the Norwegian Association.
Flugstad Östberg missed the last season because of a broken foot and celebrated her comeback in November. At the World Cup two weeks ago in Davos, she finished 8th over 10 kilometers.
Bike: Frankiny’s team is definitely leaving the World Tour
(sda / dpa) The only African team on the World Tour will no longer belong to the first division of cycling in 2022 for financial reasons. The Swiss professional Kilian Frankiny is also affected.
As the team Qhubeka NextHash, based in Johannesburg, South Africa announced, it was not possible to secure the long-term future of the team. It was therefore decided to cease operations on the World Tour on December 31st.
Due to the tense economic situation, the Qhubeka managers had given their drivers the approval for 2022 in autumn. However, the 27-year-old Frankiny from Valais has not yet been able to find a new employer for next year.
Qhubeka plans to continue racing as a Continental team based in Italy in 2022.
Tennis: Djokovic skips the ATP Cup in Sydney
Novak Djokovic.
(sda) The world number one Novak Djokovic will probably not take part in the ATP Cup in Sydney, which starts next week. The Serbian newspaper Blic reported on Saturday, citing a source close to the star. Regarding his participation in the Australian Open from mid-January in Melbourne, a decision should be made by the end of the year, the paper continues.
Djokovic has so far always refused to give a statement about his vaccination status. Entry to Australia would only be possible for him if he had been vaccinated without a medically justified exemption.
Bike: Dutch track world champion in artificial coma
The Dutch Amy Pieters (right) and Kirsten Wild celebrate their gold medals on the podium after winning the women’s Madison final in France in October 2021.
(dpa) Dutch cycling fears for track world champion Amy Pieters after a serious training accident. As the country’s association announced on Friday, the 30-year-old was put into an artificial coma after an operation. Pieters was injured in the head in the accident in Alicante, Spain on Thursday afternoon. Only after the waking up process could further information about her state of health be given, it said. According to the association, the incident occurred during a road training session for the national railway team.
In the past few years, Pieters and Kirsten Wild have won the world championship title in two-man team driving three times, most recently two months ago in Roubaix, France. At the Olympics in Tokyo, they both missed a medal in fourth place.