Defending US Open champion Dominic Thiem will miss this year’s tournament and the rest of the 2021 season with a wrist injury.

The Austrian, 27, withdrew from Wimbledon and has not played since the Mallorca Open in June, where he sustained the injury.

He said it was a “tough decision” and is “disappointed” to not be able to defend his title in New York.

The US Open begins on Monday, 30 August.

The world number six broke the news on Twitter

and said: “I’ve been following the medical advice – my recovery was going really well but last week I hit a ball in training and started to feel some pain again.

“After some tests, they said that my wrist needs more time, so we’ve all agreed on being conservative to give my wrist some time to recover.

“I have a long career ahead of me and it’s important to not take risks and rush back.”

The 2020 US Open was Thiem’s first Grand Slam title, where he came from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev

He also reached the final of the 2020 Australian Open but lost to world number one Novak Djokovic.

Roger Federer will not compete at Flushing Meadows either for the final Grand Slam of the year after having knee surgery.

The 2022 London Marathon will take place on Sunday, 2 October as the event is moved from its traditional April date for a third successive year.

Event director Hugh Brasher confirmed the race has been moved to allow for the “best chances” of a full-capacity event, including crowds.

Shura Kitata won the men’s elite race in 2020, while Brigid Kosgei defended her women’s title, but there were no crowds or fun runners because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The London Marathon is an extraordinary and unique celebration of the family of humankind coming together,” said Brasher. “We believe that by moving the 2022 event to October we give ourselves the best chances of welcoming the world to the streets of London.”

The 2021 event will take place on 3 October and is set to be the largest marathon staged in the world, with up to 50,000 runners on the traditional course and up to 50,000 participants completing the 26.2 miles on a course of their choice.

The 2023 London Marathon has been confirmed in its traditional slot in the calendar and will take place on Sunday, 23 April.

The who’s who in Nigeria’s Weightlifting are packing their bags for Uyo, where the first of its kind Champion of Champions Weightlifting Championship is billed to hold from August 26 through 28.

An invitation letter from the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation confirms the event through a memo addressed to all State Weightlifting Associations signed by Mrs. Mariam Motunrayo Akande, Secretary General.

The tournament is to host the best four  lifters in the National Sports Festival (NSF) held in Benin City, Edo State.

Coach Lawrence Iquaibom, member of the Caretaker Committee of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation has thrown more light on the novel and unique tournament.

“We are expecting about 78 lifters, made up of 40 men and 38 women spread over ten weight categories for men and women.

…It will help us have an up to date ranking for our lifters.

“We thank Akwa Ibom State Government for graciously accepting to host the event in what is traditionally referred to as the home of weightlifting” Coach Iquaibom, said.

The internationally acclaimed and experience weightlifting referee just back from officiating at the Tokyo Olympics also said that 24 States have so far confirmed for the Championships.

Nigerian born Arnaut Danjuma has left Bournemouth to join Villarreal, where Super Eagles forward, Samuel Chukwueze also plays. Danjuma signed for the Spanish club for an undisclosed fee.

The 24-year-old winger joined Bournemouth in 2019  and made 52 appearances for the Cherries, scoring 17 times.

The Dutchman had signed a “long-term” contract with the club but leaves after only two years on the south coast.

Villarreal finished seventh in La Liga last season, and beat Manchester United on penalties to win the Europa League.

Danjuma was born in Nigeria to a Dutch father and Nigerian mother, and was eligible for either national team.

He earned his first full international call up when the current Barcelona coach, Ronald Koeman named him in the Holland’s squad in October 2018.

Danjuma played his first international match against Germany on 13 October when he came on as a 68th-minute substitute. He scored his first international goal on 16 October 2018 against Belgium.

Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer, Alloy Agu has said Nigeria won’t underrate any of her opponents at the forthcoming 2021 African Cup of Nations billed for Cameroon next January.

Miffed by assertions that playing the duo of Guinea Bissau and Sudan would be a stroll in the park for both Nigeria and Egypt, Agu fumed against what he described as a “smaller team” tag given the growth of the game in Africa.

Nigeria is in Group D alongside seven-time champions, Egypt; Sudan, and Guinea Bissau in the draws held in Yaounde on Tuesday, with Nigeria tipped to advance from Group D alongside Egypt.

In an exclusive interview with Sports Writers on Wednesday, Agu assured that no team will be treated lightly adding that the era when teams are regarded as minnows was over.

“Nobody should see any team as a smaller side because the game has developed tremendously in Africa, and every team is seen as a potential champion provided their preparation is good

“We won’t be looking down on any of these teams, rather, we will study them and prepare well against them.

“Don’t forget, those teams that people regard as smaller teams tend to play better when they come against a bigger side like Nigeria. There won’t be room for complacency on our side,” he added.

Many pundits have tipped Egypt to emerge as Group D winners, followed by Nigeria.

Already, the Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has hinted at his preparations plan as he targets a better outing in Cameroon compared to the third-place finish in Egypt two years ago.

Rohr said: “We will have at least one or two friendlies before the competition, we will start our campaign on the 11th (January). It’s the third day of the tournament so we have a bit more time but we have to be in Cameroon on the 6th – five days before the competition.”

After facing the Pharaohs on January 11, the Super Eagles will face Sudan four days later before rounding off their campaign in the group stage with their third game against Guinea Bissau on Wednesday, January 19.\

The European Club Association (ECA) has agreed that nine of the 12 European Super League (ESL) breakaway clubs can remain as members.

AC Milan, Arsenal, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur had originally resigned from the ECA on April 21 when the short-lived ESL was announced.

While the nine will retain their ECA memberships for the current 2019-2023 membership cycle, the three remaining ESL clubs – Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus – have become increasingly isolated as they pursue a legal judgement they hope will legitimise their breakaway.

In a statement, the ECA said that there had been “an exhaustive process of re-engagement by the clubs and re-assessment by the ECA over recent months.”

The ECA Executive Board said it had taken into consideration the clubs’ recognition that the ESL “was not in the interests of the wider football community and their publicly communicated decisions to abandon said ESL Project completely.”

“This decision of the ECA Board marks the end of a regrettable and turbulent episode for European football and aligns with ECA’s relentless focus to strengthen unity in European football,” the statement continued.

“Through this period of unprecedented challenge, the ECA has firmly established itself as the only organisation through which the leading clubs in Europe can promote and protect their interests in football, whilst also developing the competition landscape and reinforcing the centrality of clubs in the governance of European football.

“The ECA can now proceed with renewed unity and solidarity to continue the important work needed to stabilise and develop European club football – at a time when this is needed the most.”

The re-admittance of the clubs reduces the likelihood of a significant ESL breakaway in the future, though does not rule out the possibility of a Super League.

As long as the nine clubs remain in the ECA, any potential Super League would have to take place within European football’s existing governance structures.

Rwanda’s basketball fans will be allowed into the Kigali Arena to see the Africa championship that kicks off on Tuesday but must be vaccinated first.

This 30th edition of the 16 national male teams championship known as AfroBasket, was moved back a week due to the Covid pandemic.

Rwanda Basketball Federation says it is mandatory for Rwandans to have taken at least the first dose of a Covid vaccine to be allowed into the arena.

“For those who are not vaccinated yet, a vaccination desk will be established” at the arena, the federation says in a statement.

Spectators will also be required to present a negative test result, and buy an entrance ticket of at least $7.

The advent of covid-19 has seen Scientists and medical experts more devided than ever on the veracity of the virus with many protests all over the world against forceful vaccination.

Legal experts hold that it is illegal to make vaccination mandatory especially when there are reports that many have died as a result of the jab they recieved against the virus.

Many athletes in other sports have been forced to take the Jab for fear of being oostracised.