Few pro athletes suffer heart disease after mild COVID, says study

There are few cases of inflammatory heart disease among professional athletes who suffer mild cases of COVID-19, according to a study authored by medical experts from Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other major North American sports leagues.

Medical personnel from MLB and the NBA, along with the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) pooled data from athletes from May through October 2020, as professional sports in North America slowly returned to action after coronavirus-linked lockdowns.

The retrospective study, the first of its kind among the six leagues and published by JAMA Cardiology on Thursday, showed that five of 789 athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 during that time were found to have inflammatory heart disease after mandatory "return-to-play" cardiac testing.

"It does show that in this population of athletes it is safe to return and that inflammatory heart disease is relatively uncommon," said Dr. Gary Green, medical director for MLB, who confirmed that all were able to return to play.

None of the people in the study were hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection and none would have been classified as "seriously ill," Green told Reuters.

More than half a million people in the United States have died from the novel coronavirus, as government officials scramble to roll out vaccines and stem the spread of the highly contagious virus.

"The study was sort of designed to answer the uncertainty that there was surrounding this issue about whether cardiac inflammation was present in people who had mild or asymptomatic forms of COVID-19 illness," said Dr. David Engel, the consulting cardiologist for the NBA and a co-author of the study.

Numerous professional athletes have opted out of playing since the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold in North America, amid concerns over the long-term impact of the virus.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez missed the 2020 season after contracting the novel coronavirus and subsequently being diagnosed with myocarditis. He since said he plans to play in 2021.

"Being athletic doesn't necessarily protect them anymore than if they were sort of an age-matched non-athlete," said Engel. "The cardiac inflammation that you can see with COVID-19 or really with any virus poses a unique risk to athletes because myocarditis, if it's present, it can cause a lethal or a dangerous arrhythmia when the heart is stimulated."

The report offered little insight into the impact of the novel coronavirus on female athletes, with the WNBA the only North American women's league included in the study. Just 12 WNBA players tested positive for COVID-19 during the study's timeframe. 

-reuters-

Fear of the unknown: Locked-down athletes face mental health challenge

MELBOURNE - When Olympic swimming champion Kyle Chalmers completed what he knew would be his final training session before the coronavirus shutdown, his overwhelming feelings were of sadness and the fear of what was to come.

Fear does not come easily to the strapping 21-year-old Australian, who has endured two heart operations since winning the 100 metres freestyle title in Rio and raises crocodiles and pythons for a hobby.

While it took some "processing" to digest the fact that his dream of defending his Olympic title in Tokyo had been shifted back 12 months, it was the prospect of not setting foot in a swimming pool for half a year that really had him rattled.

"That was my hugest fear, not being able to do what I love which is swimming, and if I couldn't do that for six months, I was getting pretty edgy about it," Chalmers told Reuters by phone from South Australia.

"I love training and I love exercising. I think I love training more than I love racing."

Chalmers is one of thousands of athletes whose dreams have been put on hold following the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, while thousands more around the world are in lockdown with their sporting careers shelved indefinitely.

"Unknowns are quite challenging, especially for athletes whose days are mapped out from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to sleep," Chalmers added.

"And that's everybody's fear, and especially mine, getting out of that structured routine and just trying to work out what to do with that free time now."

SHOCK PHASE

Health experts warn that a prolonged isolation could take a big mental toll on people whose livelihoods and self esteem are intrinsically linked to competition.

"A lot of athletes are still in an initial shock phase, probably confused and also with some relief after all the chaos," Caroline Anderson, a psychologist who works with professional and Olympic athletes in Australia, told Reuters.

"Probably their two main coping strategies in life are having that competitive edge and being able to really push themselves physically for six-seven hours a day. They haven’t got that anymore which is very difficult."

Chalmers has taken to yoga, hiking and an exercise bike to keep in shape mentally and physically while he awaits the arrival of a loaned swimming pool housed in a shipping container for his back yard.

Former Olympic butterfly champion Chad le Clos is trying to make the best of the situation by tethering himself to a bungee cord as he swims in his own small backyard pool in Cape Town.

"It is not ideal, but you have to be creative given the limitations you have," the South African told Reuters.

"That will help to keep me going."

The top athletes possess exceptional drive, talent and the ability to perform under relentless pressure but they are no less vulnerable to mental health problems.

Many have spoken openly of their battles with depression and their recoveries from nervous breakdowns. Others carry their burdens quietly. A slew have committed suicide in recent years.

Self-isolation raises the threat of acute psychological events, and not just for athletes with pre-existing conditions, psychologist Anderson said.

"That sudden stopping of the sport, from a physiological or biological standpoint, there’s a reduction in endorphins but also (a loss of) identity," she said.

"They see themselves as athletes and sport is very tied up in that. Without the sport, the inability to train, these are absolutely risk factors."

'WIGGING OUT'

Many athletes are putting a brave face on the lockdown, converting garages and bedrooms into home gymnasiums and posting cheerful videos of themselves on social media keeping fit by "bench-pressing" their children.

Tennis great Roger Federer cheered fans with a video of himself practising trick-shots against an outdoor wall as it snowed at his Switzerland home.

American middle distance runner Emma Coburn, who took bronze in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at Rio, told Reuters: "I'm not feeling stress or anxiety about it. I enjoy in general being at home."

But the weeks and months of the lockdown will be a time when mental health experts on the payroll of teams and federations earn their keep as they try to plot a path for athletes in what is effectively uncharted territory.

Frustration at the confinement has already spilled over on occasion, with high profile soccer players getting into hot water for breaching government orders on social distancing by hosting parties and drinking sessions.

Such incidents usually occur as celebrations after competition, said Gearoid Towey, the founder of Crossing the Line, a charity focusing on the wellbeing of athletes.

"I think this is slightly different. There isn’t anything, per se, to celebrate. People are locked up in their houses," he said.

"You're probably going to get some incidents but with all the mental health resources in place, sports will generally know which athletes might be prone to 'wigging out'.

"You'd like to think they’d have extra support for them."

(Reporting by Ian Ransom, Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, Amy Tennery in New York and Nick Said in Cape Town. Writing by Ian Ransom and Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)

-Reuters-

Ronaldo stays atop Forbes list of richest athletes

NEW YORK -- Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo remained atop Forbes magazine's list of 100 highest-paid athletes, with Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James moving up to second on a list heavy on NBA players.

The 32-year-old Portugal forward is estimated to have earned a total of $93 million between his football salary of $58 million and $35 million in endorsement income.

It's the second straight year Ronaldo has topped the list, released Wednesday just days after he spearheaded a 4-1 victory over Juventus that made Real Madrid the first team to retain the UEFA Champions League title.

   
James, with estimated earnings of $86.2 million, was one of 32 NBA players who made the top 100 -- up from 18 last year.

He took over second place from the Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, now third with $80 million.

Swiss tennis great Roger Federer ($64 million) and Golden State Warriors guard Kevin Durant ($60.6 million) rounded out the top five -- just as they did last year.

The Forbes figures include salaries, prize money and bonuses earned between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017. Endorsement incomes are an estimate of sponsorships, appearance fees and licensing incomes for the same 12-month period based on conversations with industry insiders.

Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, was the lone woman on the list with an estimated income of $27 million -- $19 million of which came from endorsements -- to place her 51st overall.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LOOK: Top athletes go nude on ESPN's 'Body Issue'

ESPN has released this year's edition of ESPN The Magazine's annual "Body Issue" wherein famous athletes bare all.

Some of the hottest sports stars featured in the 2015 issue include 12-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coghlin, the Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love, and artistic gymnast Aly Raisman.

Last year's issue had legendary Olympian Michael Phelps, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka, and tennis star Venus Williams.

Here are some of the athletes on ESPN's 2015 "Body Issue":

Mobile users can view the desktop version of the slideshow here

 source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

China's Li Na announces her retirement from tennis

BEIJING - China's Li Na, Asia's only grand slam singles champion, announced her retirement from tennis on Friday, citing the effect of long-term injuries, especially her knees.

"It has been a difficult year, and I have had to face a lot of things, such as making the decision to end my professional tennis career," Li said in a statement.

The 32-year-old won the 2011 French Open and this year's Australian Open. Known affectionately as "Big Sister Na" and "Golden Flower" in China, she said it was the right time to leave the court.

"As a professional tennis player, leaving the field of competition at this moment is for me the correct decision," she added.

The pain in her right knee had become hard to deal with, Li said.

"Competition is fierce in the sport of tennis, and requires athletes to be at their best. As for me, I can no longer get back to being 100 percent," she added.

The Chinese Tennis Association, in a statement released by the official Xinhua news agency, said it respected her decision and wished her the best.

"We also thank Li Na for the passionate and proud, shining moments she gave to Chinese tennis in her competitive career," it said.

For many young people in China, Li is a role model, with her steely determination, broad smile and English language skills emblematic of a confident and rising country.

Sport and politics remain tightly woven in China, where elite athletes are handpicked from a young age to be nurtured by the state. Only a handful are allowed to manage their own careers.

Li, who was identified as a potential badminton talent as a child, was steered into tennis before her teenage years, but had to be coaxed back into the game in 2004 after walking away to study media at university.

Despite growing adulation from her success, including becoming China's first WTA title-winner in 2004 and first grand slam quarter-finalist at Wimbledon two years later, Li has proved a reluctant standard-bearer for Chinese tennis.

After numerous clashes with local media and Chinese tennis authorities over training routines and pay, in 2009 the strong-willed Li was permitted with four other top women to manage her own career and keep a greater share of her winnings.

China has a history of placing enormous expectations on athletes who have reached international acclaim and each live broadcast is usually viewed as a barometer of global standing or national pride.

In 2008, when defending champion Liu Xiang was forced to drop out of the 110 metres hurdles at the Beijing Olympics due to an injury, his withdrawal was met with tears, anger and accusations that the athlete had let the nation down.

Li is among a handful of top women players whose success in an individual game inevitably conflicted with their country's Soviet-style sports system.

Shortly after returning to training from two years out of the game, she won her country's first WTA tour title on home soil in Guangzhou and two years later was in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

During her career, she won nine WTA events, including the two grand slam titles, and reached number two in the world rankings.

She earned more than $16 million in prizemoney and much more in endorsements and sponsorship, becoming one of the world's highest-earning female athletes.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Rio Games unveil 'affordable' ticketing

RIO DE JANEIRO - Rio 2016 Games organizers Tuesday unveiled ticket pricing aimed at making attendance "as affordable as possible," with entry to the blue riband 100m final costing just half of what it did at London 2012.

Athletics fans wanting to see Usain Bolt target a third straight 100 and 200m golden double will pay a maximum 12000 reais ($545) compared to the $1160 London best seats equivalent.

In all, some 7.5 million tickets will go on sale for the August 5-21 event and organizers said sports fans can buy roughly half -- 3.8 million -- for 70 Brazilian reais ($30) or under across 717 events in 28 sports.

There will be a maximum five price categories: A for the most expensive to E for the cheapest, including for the opening ceremony at the Maracana, where the best seats will fetch a cool 4,600 reais ($1980) but the cheapest only 200 reais ($80).

A top category opening ceremony ticket cost £2012 ($3275) for the 2012 Games in London, though the cheapest ones were ten times less.

Top category tickets for the football final in Rio will be 900 reais -- but fans will only have to stump up 70 reais for category A access to women's preliminary games and 100 for the men's. Some of those matches will be played in other cities -- Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Salvador and Sao Paulo.

Watching the beach volleyball on Rio's iconic Copacabana Beach will start at 100 reais, rising to 1200 for the final while tickets to the men's and women's tennis trophy matches will fetch 700 reais.

A category entrance to the basketball final will cost 1200 (350 in category C).

For fans looking simply for a taste of the atmosphere at the first Games ever to be held in South America there are bargains to be had.

Deep pockets will not be required for mountain biking, for example, with entry costing just 40 reais.

Tickets to the field hockey will cost just 60 reias for preliminaries rising to 160 for the final.

Weightlifting will cost initially 60 reais, rising to 100 for the final while wrestling will start at 70 (2010 for the finals).

Another -- initial -- bargain is water polo, with preliminary rounds access 50 reais, though the final will set you back 580 or 140 for a category C, the lowest available for the discipline.

Organizers posted the full price ranges to their website -- (www.rio2016.com) ahead of the unveiling of the full Games program to be published in November along with ways for the public to register and buy tickets.

They said fans could post details to organizers on the events they most want to watch and receive back personalized news and information on sports and athletes they are interested in following.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Triumph turns to terror as blasts hit Boston Marathon

BOSTON - Joe Anderson had just crossed the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon when he heard the blasts that killed two people, wounded dozens and terrified thousands of spectators and athletes.

The first blast, which blew out the window of a store near the end of the race course at around 2:50 p.m.(1850 GMT), stunned the throng of people who had gathered in Copley Square for the race's finale. A few seconds later, a second blast sent waves of fear and horror through the crowd.

"I saw multiple injuries. I saw people who looked like they had their legs blown off. There was a lot of blood over their legs," said Anderson, a 33-year-old fisherman from Pembroke, Massachusetts, who had carried an American flag for the 26.2-mile (42.16 km) length of the race.

The flag was still draped over his shoulder later on Monday afternoon, as he slowly walked away from Massachusetts General Hospital, where many of the wounded were being treated.

"Fly that flag high," a bystander shouted. For Americans, the blasts called to mind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which destroyed the World Trade Center in New York and damaged the Pentagon in Washington.

The blasts came about 2-1/2 hours after the winners crossed the finish line, but more than 5,700 amateur runners remained out on the course at the time.

"They stopped us half a mile away from the finish line," said Christine Haverly, 20, a Boston College student from Erie, Pennsylvania. "They just said two bombs went off, but they didn't go into details about anything. We were standing there for like half an hour."

Runners crossing the line could be seen hitting the stop buttons on their watches just as the first explosion blew out the windows of a sporting-goods store along the course, spraying glass into the crowd.

"All the runners just stopped," said Kathleen Earley, a 26-year-old teacher from Boston, who was about a mile from the finish line when the blast occurred.

"I was just hoping my friends and family were OK," she said. Her mother, Rita, had come to the finish to cheer her daughter and emerged from a subway station just minutes before the first blast.

"Right away it seemed like something was really wrong, just looking at people's faces," the 61-year-old biologist said. "It was sort of reminiscent of 9/11 because everyone's on their cell phones, everybody wants information."

The marathon is run on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday when some offices close, while students at the state's schools had just begun a week's vacation, helping to swell the crowds along the race route.

"We just ran for our lives," said Laura Peterson, 18, who had gone to the finish to cheer her mother, Bridget, who she later reunited with. "I was just waiting for another bomb to come down and hit me."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com