TOPLINE The organizers of the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday announced that it will ban the sale of alcohol at venues and stringent rules that spectators attending the games will have to follow as Tokyo enters its final month of preparation before the games begin on July 23.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Seiko Hashimoto, the head of the Tokyo games’ organizing committee, told reporters that the organizers have decided to ban the sale of alcohol at games venues following “experts’ advice” and added that event sponsor Asahi Breweries agreed with the decision.



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/tokyo-olympics-alcohol-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">According to</a>&nbsp;Japan Times, the games’ organizers had been considering a plan to allow the sale of alcohol with some restrictions but the initial plan provoked public outcry in the country.



Spectators coming to venues will be required to wear masks and face temperature checks—attendees who display high temperature or any other Covid symptoms will not be allowed to enter and received no refunds.



Because of Japan’s summer heat, spectators will be allowed to remove their masks at outdoor venues if they can ensure there is a two-meter gap between them and other spectators, Kyodo News&nbsp;<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/3b3748b7440a-tokyo-marks-1-month-until-pandemic-hit-olympics.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.



Inside the venue, spectators are barred from making direct contact with others, cheering loudly, giving high-fives, towel-waving or asking for autographs from athletes.



All attendees will be asked to retain their ticket stubs or ticketing data for at least two weeks after they attend an event as the organizers plan to post the seat number and date of attendance of any attendee who tests positive after the event.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



“The festive mood will have to be suppressed—that has become a major challenge,” Hashimoto told reporters&nbsp;<a href="https://sports.ndtv.com/olympics-2020/no-booze-no-autographs-tokyo-2020-unveils-fan-rules-with-a-month-to-go-2470267" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to</a>&nbsp;AFP. “People can feel joy in their hearts, but they can&#8217;t be loud, and they have to avoid crowds. Those are the areas where we need to be creative, and we are putting in a lot of effort to come up with a new way of celebrating.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h3>



Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike did not make a public appearance on Wednesday as she has taken a break from official duties and is resting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tokyo-governor-koike-taking-break-this-week-due-fatigue-nhk-2021-06-22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">due to severe fatigue</a>. Citing sources Kyodo News reported she was admitted to hospital in the capital on Tuesday.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



After weeks of speculation, the organizers Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/06/21/domestic-spectators-can-attend-tokyo-olympics-attendance-to-be-capped-at-10000/?sh=2b784d306950">announced</a>&nbsp;that domestic fans will be allowed to attend events at the Tokyo Olympics, but venues will have a spectator limit of 10,000 or up to 50% of capacity to minimize the risk of spreading Covid-19. The decision came as Tokyo and several other Japanese regions exited their Covid state of emergency. However, the Japanese capital is expected to remain under a quasi-emergency state until July 11. The cap on attendance at the Olympic events mirrors the rules laid out by the Japanese government for all other large events like music concerts and local sports—although the serving of alcohol is allowed at these other events. Following the announcement, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide told reporters that if a new state of emergency is declared during the games due to the pandemic, the event may then have to take place behind closed doors. Suga’s sentiment was echoed by Koike, who said the organizers will revisit the decision and consider going forward without any spectators should there be a “major dramatic change in the infection situation.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-2020-tokyo-olympics-olympic-games-coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-b0c7951989b4b0b61ddde7f8ec9c8429" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo shapes up to be No-Fun Olympics with many rules, tests</a>&nbsp;(Associated Press)



<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/06/23/national/tokyo-olympics-alcohol-coronavirus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Games organizers backtrack, banning alcohol at Olympic venues</a>&nbsp;(Japan Times)



<a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/06/e6ab72f27ed6-feature-tokyo-olympic-chief-pins-hopes-on-smooth-opening-in-1-months-time.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tokyo Olympic chief pins hopes on smooth opening in 1 month&#8217;s time</a> (Kyodo News)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Venue Tour

No Alcohol, No Autographs, No Cheers: Tokyo Olympics Organizers Unveil Rules For Spectators

<figure class="wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><ul class="blocks-gallery-grid"><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-2-of-13-1024x683.jpg" alt="" data-id="51362" data-full-url="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-2-of-13-scaled.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=51362" class="wp-image-51362" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-2-of-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-2-of-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-2-of-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-2-of-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, 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srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-9-of-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-9-of-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-9-of-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-9-of-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-9-of-13-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-1024x683.jpg" alt="" data-id="51370" data-full-url="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-scaled.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=51370" class="wp-image-51370" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-10-of-13-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-item__caption"> </figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-1024x683.jpg" alt="" data-id="51371" data-full-url="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-scaled.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=51371" class="wp-image-51371" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-11-of-13-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-item__caption"> </figcaption></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-1024x683.jpg" alt="" data-id="51372" data-full-url="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-scaled.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=51372" class="wp-image-51372" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-12-of-13-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></li><li class="blocks-gallery-item"><figure><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-1024x683.jpg" alt="" data-id="51373" data-full-url="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-scaled.jpg" data-link="https://www.forbesafrica.com/?attachment_id=51373" class="wp-image-51373" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fight-With-Insight-13-of-13-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></li></ul><figcaption class="blocks-gallery-caption">Young boxers participate in activities at a new Fight With Insight boxing gym, launched on Youth Day at Hillbrow in Johannesburg, South Africa, with founder Luke Lamprecht, the gyms assist in training and feeding inner-city youth in Johannesburg; photographs by Yeshiel Panchia</figcaption></figure>



Today marks 45 years of the Soweto Uprising in South Africa, when thousands of unhappy schoolchildren challenging an apartheid regime fearlessly took to the streets protesting being taught in Afrikaans. June 16 1976 ended in fire, fear and tears. Commemorated as Youth Day in South Africa, FORBES AFRICA captures the rousing emotions of today, but in a boxing ring in inner city Johannesburg, where the youth now bond over sport as part of a broader upliftment program.



June 16 is a hallowed day in South African history, observed as Youth Day commemorating the student uprising of 1976 in Soweto which saw students lead demonstrations against an education system that would eventually lead to menial jobs. Some 20,000 students partook in what was to be a peaceful protest, but when the day was over, at least 176 had been killed by the bullets and brutality of apartheid. The children laid down their lives but it marked a new chapter in South Africa’s liberation struggle.



Across South Africa today are events marking the memory of that fateful day, and FORBES AFRICA joined one such occasion of hope and healing in Hillbrow, a residential neighborhood in Johannesburg, for the opening of a third gym for inner-city youth by Fight With Insight, a youth empowerment initiative directed by Luke Lamprecht, a child protection and development specialist.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Children have had dreams put on hold or broken altogether; schooling has been disrupted; families separated; and food and social security systems taken away from them.”</blockquote>



Lamprecht founded the first such gym in Johannesburg in 2006, and chose Youth Day this year to mark the opening of his latest outlet, offering daily training to aspiring boxers as also supplying healthy meals to them. “2020 has been a bad year to be a child,” says Lamprecht to FORBES AFRICA, referring to the Covid-19 pandemic that put the brakes on the social and psychological development of young children, and dried up the support networks and sustenance that many of them depended on to lead normal lives.



“Children have had dreams put on hold or broken altogether; schooling has been disrupted; families separated; and food and social security systems taken away from them.”



His initiative aims to meet some of these deficiencies, offering camaraderie, exercise, food and above all, belief and purpose to children in need. The advocacy aspect is not new to the personnel at Fight With Insight, as they have provided training and food even within Covid-19 lockdown restrictions all of last year. At their height, they served 1.4 tonnes of food a day. However, this June 16 marks an easier time than the last, with children ending training before their meal by breaking a paper chain – symbolizing breaking free of the challenges and restrictions that hold them back.



Many of the urban youth at the center say they find both their physical and emotional sustenance inside the ring. They are in it to win this perennial fight called life.

Fight With Insight (2 of 13)

Youth Day Photo Essay: Gloves On For The Big Fight Called Life

TOPLINE Champion tennis player Naomi Osaka announced Monday afternoon on Twitter that she will withdraw from the French Open after organizers fined her $15,000 over her decision to boycott press conferences during the event for mental health reasons.



KEY FACTS The decision came one day after Roland Garros, the organizer of the French Open, announced that Osaka would be fined for not attending a mandatory press conference Sunday morning in Paris.



Osaka, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, beat out Romanian player Patricia Maria Țig in straight sets Sunday morning, but skipped out on the traditional post-match presser after saying last week that facing media questions can be harmful for athletes’ mental health.



&#8220;I never wanted to be a distraction,&#8221; the 23-year-old said on Twitter Monday, adding that she&#8217;s &#8220;suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018&#8221; and gets &#8220;huge waves of anxiety before&#8221; speaking in press conferences.



CRUCIAL QUOTE &#8220;This isn&#8217;t a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago,&#8221; Osaka said Monday. &#8220;I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.&#8221;



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><a href="https://t.co/LN2ANnoAYD">pic.twitter.com/LN2ANnoAYD</a>&mdash; NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) <a href="https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1399422304854188037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



Osaka&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/naomiosaka/status/1397665030015959040?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;on Twitter last week that she would not do any press conferences during the open because she felt they perpetuated a disregard for athletes&#8217; mental health, citing examples of athletes breaking down in a press room after a tough loss. “I believe that the whole situation is&nbsp;kicking a person while they’re down,&nbsp;and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it,” she said. After Osaka didn’t show to the Sunday press conference, organizers of the four Grand Slams—the world’s most prestigious tennis tournaments, including the French and U.S. Opens—said in a statement that “a core element of the Grand Slam regulations is the responsibility of the players to engage with the media, whatever the result of their match.” They also warned that&nbsp;if Osaka further violated any media obligations, she could receive additional fines, as well as face suspension from the Paris tournament and even future&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/statement-from-grand-slam-tournaments-regarding-naomi-osaka" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grand Slam tournament suspensions</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h4>



Osaka received an outpouring of support on social media following her tournament withdrawal, with many people—including celebrities, politicians and fellow athletes—wishing her well and applauding her decision to speak up about mental health. “As athletes we are taught to take care of our body, and perhaps the mental &amp; emotional aspect gets short shrift,” Martina Navratilova, often considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Martina/status/1399443582671540231" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tweeted</a>&nbsp;shortly after Osaka’s announcement. “This is about more than doing or not doing a press conference.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h4>



$37 million. That’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/05/22/naomi-osaka-is-the-highest-paid-female-athlete-ever-topping-serena-williams/?sh=64b43cdf1fd3">how much money</a>&nbsp;Osaka made from May 2019 to May 2020, according to&nbsp;Forbes, making her the highest-paid female athlete of all time.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/30/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-and-faces-suspension-over-boycotting-press-conferences/">Naomi Osaka Fined $15,000 And Faces Suspension Over Boycotting Press Conferences</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2021/05/30/naomi-osaka-fined-15000-for-french-open-media-boycott-repeat-violations-could-mean-default-from-the-tournament/">Naomi Osaka Fined $15,000 For French Open Media Boycott, Repeat Violations Could Mean ‘Default From The Tournament’</a> (Forbes)



By Jonathan Ponciano, Forbes Staff

gettyimages-1198783851-594×594

Naomi Osaka Withdraws From French Open After Media Boycott Fine

TOPLINE The president of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach on Wednesday offered to increase the number of medical professionals available in Tokyo to help out during the Olympics, amid growing calls from Japan’s medical community to cancel the games which are scheduled to start in just nine weeks as the country continues to witness a surge in Covid-19 cases.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h3>



Speaking in Tokyo on Wednesday, Bach rejected calls for canceling the Olympics and insisted that the IOC will hold “safe and secure” games, the Associated Press&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-health-coronavirus-pandemic-olympic-games-sports-a8dfa4edeea0efbbd498c9a788581c06" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>.



Bach promised that medical help would come from various national Olympic committees and be available in the Olympic village and sports venues, however, details on this were extremely thin.



The IOC president said he believed more than 80% of the residents of the Olympic Village, which accommodates competing athletes, would be vaccinated or booked for vaccination ahead of the Games.



Bach also said “hundreds of sports events” have been held safely during the pandemic and noted that none of the “test events” held recently in Tokyo turned out to be “virus spreaders.”



Bach’s address comes at a time when doctors organizations in Japan have warned of a collapse of the country’s medical system and that the event has the possibility of increasing the spread of the infection.



Nikkei&nbsp;<a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/05/19/national/medical-workers-vaccine-rate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;that less than 40% of medical workers in Japan have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and the problem is more severe in Tokyo and other major urban centers where the vaccination rate among health workers is less than 30%.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



“For obvious reasons, we cannot give [athletes] every detail yet, but the most important principle is very clear: the Olympic Village is a safe place and the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be organized in a safe way,” Bach said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chief-critic">CHIEF CRITIC</h3>



In a letter sent to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga last week, the Tokyo Medical Practitioners’ Association&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tokyo-health-coronavirus-pandemic-olympic-games-sports-a8dfa4edeea0efbbd498c9a788581c06" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warned</a>: “The medical systems responding to COVID-19 are stretched thin, almost to their limits. The reality is that the entire medical system faces an almost insurmountable hardship in trying our best to respond with coronavirus measures.” The letter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-doctors-call-cancellation-olympic-games-due-covid-19-2021-05-18/#:~:text=SportsTokyo%20doctors%20call%20for,Games%20due%20to%20COVID%2D19&amp;text=A%20top%20medical%20organisation%20has,the%20start%20of%20the%20Games.mes." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">added</a>&nbsp;a “strong request” for authorities to convince the IOC to cancel the games.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h3>



2.2%. That’s the percentage of Japan’s 126 million-strong population who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 according to Bloomberg’s global vaccination tracker. Reuters previously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/unused-covid-shots-piling-up-japan-amid-slow-rollout-2021-05-07/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">noted</a>&nbsp;that this was the slowest rollout among wealthy countries.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



The organizers of the Tokyo games have said they will need about 10,000 medical personnel during the Olympics and have also asked for 500 extra nurses and 200 sports medicine specialists. Several districts near Tokyo have warned that they will not give priority to treating Olympic athletes and at least 40 Japanese towns have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/13/around-40-japanese-host-towns-drop-plans-to-house-incoming-olympic-athletes-over-covid-concerns/?sh=730af04f1c10">abandoned plans</a>&nbsp;to host visiting athletes amid concerns about inadequate resources. The increasingly unpopular decision to press forward with the event has also faced pushback from Japanese citizens online and a petition to call off the games has now crossed 373,000 signatures.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.change.org/p/%E4%BA%BA%E3%80%85%E3%81%AE%E5%91%BD%E3%81%A8%E6%9A%AE%E3%82%89%E3%81%97%E3%82%92%E5%AE%88%E3%82%8B%E3%81%9F%E3%82%81%E3%81%AB-%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E4%BA%94%E8%BC%AA%E3%81%AE%E9%96%8B%E5%82%AC%E4%B8%AD%E6%AD%A2%E3%82%92%E6%B1%82%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99-stoptokyoolympic?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_28685503_ja-JP%3A0&amp;recruiter=1199662576&amp;utm_source=share_petition&amp;utm_medium=copylink&amp;utm_campaign=share_petition&amp;use_react=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The petition</a>, which was launched earlier this month, argues that it is “highly possible” the Olympic Games will become a “superspreader” event that will “cause danger and fear to healthcare workers, citizens and participants.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/05/18/thousands-of-japanese-doctors-warn-tokyo-cant-handle-olympics-amid-recent-covid-19-outbreak/?sh=60b858b6a304">Thousands Of Japanese Doctors Warn Tokyo Can’t Handle Olympics Amid Recent Covid-19 Outbreak</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/13/around-40-japanese-host-towns-drop-plans-to-house-incoming-olympic-athletes-over-covid-concerns/?sh=23d75b561c10">Around 40 Japanese ‘Host Towns’ Drop Plans To House Incoming Olympic Athletes Over Covid Concerns</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2021/05/07/tens-of-millions-of-unused-covid-vaccine-doses-are-reportedly-piling-up-in-japan-as-it-witnesses-a-surge-in-cases/?sh=7bd74d2541c9">Tens Of Millions Of Unused Covid Vaccine Doses Are Reportedly Piling Up In Japan As It Witnesses A Surge In Cases</a> (Forbes)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

A protester holds up a sign which calls for the Cancellation

Olympics Chief Offers Additional Medical Help For Tokyo As Pressure Mounts To Cancel Games

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has long acknowledged the potential of the African continent, both on and off the pitch, but admits much more needs to be done to move the game forward, starting with good governance, before all else, to create the right environment for success.



By Nick Said



IF AFRICA IS TO EMERGE FROM DECADES OF greed and corruption to become a genuine power in world football, then it requires reform and strong leadership, all built around a united front that puts the game first, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. 



He has long acknowledged the potential of the continent, both on and off the pitch, but admits much more needs to be done to move the game forward, starting with good governance, before all else, to create the right environment for success.



Former Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Ahmad Ahmad was recently banned by FIFA’s ethics committee, which said in its statement: “In its decision, following an extensive hearing, the adjudicatory chamber ruled that, based on information gathered by the investigatory chamber, Mr Ahmad had breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds and abused his position as the CAF President, pursuant to the FIFA Code of Ethics.” 



The CAF president automatically takes up a vice-president role within FIFA, and now with the elevation of South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe to the highest seat at CAF, which was orchestrated by Infantino, there is the promise of better governance and commercialization of the organization’s competitions beyond the continent. 



“Africa has incredible potential, but what we need is to structure and organize the development of football on the entire continent in a way that allows this talent to flourish and obtain results at senior level for men and women,” Infantino tells FORBES AFRICA.



“The question of where and when concrete results will be coming on the global stage is not a matter of ‘if’, but ’when’. But the sooner the organization is done in a coordinated and united way, the quicker this will be.” 



But Infantino admits this optimism can only become a reality if the leadership on the continent, through CAF, are serving the game and not themselves. 



“To compete at the highest level, the organization has to be done in a certain way, reforms need to be implemented, everybody is aware of that, and the unity on the continent needs to be found, backing these projects, which go from good governance, infrastructure development and new competitions, to academies and training for young players. 



“So all of these things are at the heart of the debates we are currently having, and I would wish that the whole continent can unite behind these topics with strong leadership to take Africa to the top of world football.” 



Covid-19 has complicated things for FIFA members the world over, but perhaps especially so in Africa where maintaining health protocols and running competitions at the same time are made more difficult by a lack of infrastructure. But Infantino says he is unwavering in his view that Africa can fulfil that potential if it has the right people at the very top of the game. 



He wants to see Europe’s domination of the sport, both on and off the pitch, rivalled in other parts of the world. 



“The next five to 10 years are crucial. We need to make sure that football becomes truly global. We always say that it is, but if you scratch a little bit under the surface, you will see that top-level football is very much concentrated in just a few clubs and countries, and we need to globalize that much more,” he says. 



“I have been sharing my vision for the coming years, saying our objective and aim is to have at least 50 countries that can aspire to be world champions, and not just five or six. 



“To have 50 clubs, from all over the world, aspiring to be world champion of clubs and not just a few from one continent. 



“We will do that by investing in our youth, boys and girls, with new competitions at regional, continental and global level.” 



Under Infantino, FIFA has increased the number of teams competing at both the men’s and women’s World Cups, providing more opportunity for Africa to sit at the main table. But they must seize this opportunity, he says. 



“Africa will have nine or 10 teams (up from five) at the 2026 World Cup. And they will have four instead of three participants at the Women’s World Cup [in 2023]. 



“So there is a lot of work to be done in preparations for these events, in the period from now to 2025, and that makes this phase crucial for African football. 



“You want to go to these events and play a protagonist’s role, you don’t want to just go back home after three games.”

Giovanni Infantino2

‘More Opportunity For Africa To Sit At The Main Table’

Topline The Super Bowl LV marked a historic moment for women in the National Football League when a record-breaking three women took to the field Sunday, the most women to ever be represented during a Super Bowl game.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h4>



<ul><li>Down judge Sarah Thomas is the first female referee to officiate a Super Bowl game.</li></ul>



<ul><li>It’s not Thomas’ first time breaking glass ceilings: she broke barriers officiating college football before becoming the NFL’s<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/sports/football/sarah-thomas-super-bowl-referee.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> first full-time female</a> referee in 2015, and was the first woman to officiate a playoff game four years later.</li></ul>



<ul><li>While last year’s Super Bowl saw the San Francisco 49ers’ assistant offensive coach <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/26/us/katie-sowers-super-bowl-spt-trnd/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Katie Sowers</a> become the first woman (and openly gay person) to coach a Super Bowl, this year marks another milestone: it’s the first Super Bowl that will feature two female coaches.</li></ul>



<ul><li>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers has two women on its coaching staff: <a href="https://www.buccaneers.com/team/coaches-roster/lori-locust" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lori Locust</a>, a defensive line assistant and assistant strength and conditioning coach <a href="https://www.buccaneers.com/team/coaches-roster/maral-javadifar" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maral Javadifar</a>, who have both been with the team for two seasons.</li></ul>



<ul><li>&#8220;M.J. (Maral Javadifar) and I are here to help Tampa Bay win,&#8221; Locust said during <a href="https://www.buccaneers.com/news/bucs-making-history-with-lori-locust-maral-javadifar-super-bowl-lv-media" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a press conference</a> last week. &#8220;We acknowledge the fact that there hasn&#8217;t been many before us, but it&#8217;s not anything that we keep in the forefront of what we do on a daily basis.&#8221;</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">History made ✔️ Sarah Thomas – the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl. <a href="https://t.co/3PmND59iZ9">pic.twitter.com/3PmND59iZ9</a>&mdash; NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLOfficiating/status/1358555172746756103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2021</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



2020 was a big year for women in traditionally male-dominated sports leagues. In November, Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller became the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/11/28/vanderbilts-sarah-fuller-makes-history-as-first-woman-to-play-in-power-5-conference-football-game/?sh=2401f4175a7e">first woman</a>&nbsp;to play during a Power 5 Conference college football game. The same month, the Miami Marlins announced the franchise would hire Kim Ngr, making her the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/11/13/miami-marlins-hire-kim-ng-mlbs-first-woman-and-asian-american-general-manager/?sh=65e54c06afcf">first female general manager</a>&nbsp;in Major League Baseball history. San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history unexpectedly in December when she became&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30634955/becky-hammon-earned-head-coaching-shot-gregg-popovich-says" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the first woman</a>&nbsp;to serve as head coach during a regular-season NBA game when coach Gregg Popovich was ejected.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/02/07/youth-poet-laureate-amanda-gorman-is-performing-at-the-super-bowl---heres-what-her-poem-will-be-about/?sh=29b7134d563f">Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman Is Performing At The Super Bowl — Here’s What Her Poem Will Be About</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/sports/football/sarah-thomas-super-bowl-referee.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Who is Sarah Thomas? The First Female Referee at the Super Bowl</a> (New York Times)



By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff

Denver Broncos v Carolina Panthers

These Three Women Are Making Super Bowl History As The First Female Referee And Coaches

Sports tours and tournaments remain cancelled, and those which do go ahead play in empty stadiums without fans. For South Africa’s tourism sector last year, it has been a losing game.



AS THE SUN BEAT DOWN ON THEIR REDDENING skin, the thousands of England fans packed into Newlands Cricket Ground broke into song.



“We get R18 to the Pound, R18 to the Pound!” they bellowed, taunting the home faithful as the beer flowed and the lips loosened.



The Newlands New Year test is one of the great experiences in South African sport, and is comfortably the most well-supported five- day fixture in the country.



World-class cricketers and a stunning backdrop are not all that attract fans – particularly from overseas – but also a chance to experience all of the varied delights of the Mother City, Cape Town, at a much more palatable cost than many of the world’s other leading destinations.



The slip in the Rand is bad news for locals, who have seen their cost of living spike, but for visitors to the country, particularly sports fans, it is an added sweetener when you can enjoy outstanding food, many drinks and a heady night on the town for what you may pay for a mediocre pub meal and a taxi fare in London.



According to South African Tourism’s official report for 2019, the sector added R125 billion ($8 billion) in spend to South Africa’s coffers, with R81.2 billion ($5.2 billion) of that from international visitors. They stayed on average 11.4 days in the country for a total of 112 million bed nights.



There were 10.2 million international arrivals into the country in 2019, most from the rest of Africa, but around R2.6 million of those from outside of the continent.



It has been steady year-on-year growth, but it is now obvious that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit tourism hard the lack of spectators at sports events.



“A game of soccer lasts 90 minutes, but it is what happens around that game that is important to us,” SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona tells FORBES AFRICA in a sobering assessment of the state of play.



“We have seen the PSL [local Premier Soccer League] is back up and running here in South Africa, but because crowds are not yet allowed in stadiums, we are not seeing the movement of fans to different cities.



“For example, for big matches, there would be a large number of fans who would travel from Johannesburg to Durban. That alone provides a sizeable boost to the local tourism sector.”



For a cup final outside of Gauteng involving Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, you may find 30,000- 40,000 people will travel to Durban, Polokwane, Nelspruit or even as far as Port Elizabeth within South African provinces.



It is these types of events that, as well as international cricket and rugby tours, that drive the sports tourism market, along with recreational golf, and schools and university events, all of which are on hold.



“There is not the budget any longer for the so-called big- ticket events like the Soccer World Cup and the Olympics, so our challenge is how to fill the calendar with smaller events, but lots of them,” Ntshona admits.



But there are green shoots amid the gloom. What South across all sectors, especially the sports environment with tours and tournaments canceled, and those which do go ahead played in empty stadiums without fans.



Teams might bemoan the lost gate revenue and match-day income from merchandise and catering sales, but the economic impact runs much deeper than that.



Empty hotels and restaurants around the venues that would usually be brimming with guests, other tourist attractions that enjoy a place on a sports travelers’ itinerary, shops, and even taxi drivers all suffer from 



Africa in particular does have is a world in one country, such a vast and varied variety of options that make it appealing.



Because with sports tourism, according to Ntshona, where the events are held is of vital significance.



“The destination is very important. If someone is invited to a golf tour, they will check where it is first. They want to know the destination is part of the experience, because the playing of the sport, or the match you are watching, is only part of it.



“For example, if someone is coming to Cape Town to run a marathon, we want them to bring the whole family, because that is when we see the true benefit from a tourism perspective.



“So it is about creating that ‘destination’ which will make people want to do that, and in South Africa, we have a lot to offer.



“You could start on the Highveld, go to Durban, on to Bloemfontein and Kimberley, and finally Cape Town, and all of those experiences will be different and have something unique to offer.”



SA Tourism has 12 offices around the world that actively market the country, including from a sports perspective.



The Cape Town marathon is a prime example of what they are trying to achieve across many similar events, where they lobby organizers for precious entrance forms to be able to draw runners from all over the world.



The theory is those taking part will largely not come on their own, and just for the race, but rather bring their family to make a holiday out of it.



So 1,000 entrance forms to the Cape Town marathon could turn into at least 4,000 visitors.



With domestic travel, car hire, accommodation and attending attractions and events, or just shopping and eating out, that could easily result in an average spend of R4,000 ($257) per day.



And if those visitors stayed on average the 12 days that is the statistical norm, that turns into a tourism spend of almost R50 million ($3.2 million) from the single event.



But the reality is this is a market that has been decimated by Covid-19, with a global recession on the horizon and fears around travel, which is now both expensive and comes with potentially greater risk of infection.



The next big test for South Africa is the British &amp; Irish Lions series in July-August 2021, where some 30,000 fans, at a minimum, are expected to travel from the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.



The tour itself is five weeks, and while most fans will come for part of it, likely the last two weeks that feature the test matches against the world champion Springboks, it is a potentially huge money-spinner for South African Rugby and Brand South Africa.



But with a second wave of Covid-19 having hit Europe and the potential for one in South Africa during the build-up to the winter months, whether fans will be able to travel, or will come en masse, remains to be seen.



“The Lions tour will go ahead, it is just in what form it takes, from full stadiums to the prospect of restrictions on the number of people in the stadiums. That is something that we cannot say. The situation is very fluid,” Ntshona says.



“We have learned a lot already through the Cocid-19 pandemic. And we continue to learn by monitoring the situation in Europe. They have shown us what to do, and maybe what not to do &#8230;”



President Cyril Ramaphosa has told the South African tourism sector that he would like to see 21 million annual international arrivals in the country by 2030, a tall order that would mean a doubling of the current number.



Sports tours, either to watch a favorite team or to take part as a competitor, will have to play a big role in reaching that number, and will be a major focus for SA Tourism once the global picture around Covid-19 clears.



But just hosting sports events in the country and beaming them around the world can build confidence among an overseas audience.



For now, that will have to be the major focus.



 &#8211;BY NICK SAID

George Mason University Sanitizes Arena To Protect From Covid-19

Sports Tourism: The State Of Play

Early signs are that in the years to come, South African Brad Binder could be a real-world championship title contender in motorcycle sport.



South African phenomenon Brad Binder has been excelling in his first season in MotoGP, stunning the sport with victory in the Czech Republic in just his third-ever race in the class as talk of a new global superstar reverberates around the sport. 



MotoGP is the motorbike equivalent of Formula 1 and Binder is the first South African to compete in the class since Jon Ekerold in 1983, and the first-ever to claim victory in a race to firmly announce his arrival as a new hero on the bike.



Binder, 25, is racing for the Austrian Red Bull KTM team and early signs are that in the years to come, he could be a real-world championship title contender, with skill, speed, and zero fear on the track. His victory in the Czech Republic came after a steep learning curve in a truncated 2020 season that only started in July and will see 15 race weekends, with a number of others canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.



“The first race I made a mistake and went off track, and managed to fight myself back up to 13th position, which was really disappointing because I had the same pace as the guys in the top three,” Binder tells FORBES AFRICA.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="681" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48983" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AP-237AQQHH11W11_news-1-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“They put an absolutely insane motorbike underneath me.”</blockquote>
</div></div>



 “It could have been a good day for me, but unfortunately with the mistake, it was tough. The second race weekend in Jerez [Spain], I thought we made some positive steps forward. The qualifying pace was better and I was feeling better in general. “Unfortunately in turn one I had a good run off the line, but when I turned I didn’t see the Ducati on my inside and ended up taking out [teammate] Miguel Oliveira, so that was not good. 



“And then after that I ran off on the gravel as I was trying to fight my way back. I got past four guys, but I lost it in the front.”



Binder has taken those lessons on board though and that shows his race intelligence, culminating in his maiden race win at the Brno Circuit.



“It is a day I have dreamed of since I was a little boy and now it has come true,” Binder said of his maiden win. I can’t thank my team enough, they put an absolutely insane motorbike underneath me. I had no idea we had a chance of winning, but I thought it would be good. I hope this is the start of many more.”



Binder started racing globally in the 125cc category as a 15-year-old in 2011, and had spent the last three seasons in Moto2, winning five of the 19 races last year before earning his spot in MotoGP.&nbsp;



He finished second in the riders’ championship in Moto2 last year, having won the Moto3 championship in 2016.&nbsp;



“It is an honor to be the first South African in a while to be in the MotoGP class,” he said. “It has always been a dream to get here and now that I am, I want to get as close to the front as possible and I want to be winning races.&nbsp;



“The goal was always to get to MotoGP, but the end goal now is always to win. That is my plan, and that is what I am striving for and working for every single day.



“I am looking forward to this whole situation I am in right now, where I have to chip my way through the order and it’s going to be a great challenge.”



Binder has received rave reviews from opponents, who have picked up his fearlessness for the fight and ability to push his bike to the limit.&nbsp;



Frenchman Fabio Quartararo and legendary former Spanish rider Jorge Lorenzo are two that have spoken highly of Binder.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“Lorenzo has always been someone I have really enjoyed watching ride and to hear him say good things about me is really great, so let’s hope we can have some positive results and keep things on a roll.”</blockquote>



What is clear is that the South African has a bright future in this class, and is with a team that values his ability. He is also on a bike that has the potential to win him many more MotoGPs.



“It has gone much better than I could have expected, the bike is feeling fantastic, I am feeling super comfortable on the bike and the team is working well,” he said.&nbsp;



“Our bike has made an incredible step forward, it is fantastic to see how this whole package has come together just in time.&nbsp;



“I feel that since I joined KTM, this new bike they have brought has been a whole lot more competitive and we have seen it [in results].



“It is all really positive and just to be able to fight among these top guys is an incredible feeling, especially as a rookie. I need to keep the same work ethic and hopefully, in time we can turn it into solid results.”



-By Nick Said

Brad Binder

Motorsport: The New Fearless Hero On The Bike

Rafael Nadal, one of the all-time best tennis players with 20 Grand Slam titles under his belt, marked another watershed moment in his career Wednesday when he won his 1,000th tour match.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h3>



With his victory over fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez at the Rolex Paris Masters, Nadal officially won his 1,000th tour-level match.



It took Nadal about 18 years to hit 1,000, having won&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-lopez-paris-2020-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">his first</a>&nbsp;in Mallorca, Spain in 2002.



Nadal is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-lopez-paris-2020-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">only the fourth</a>&nbsp;tennis pro in history to hit four-figure wins, following i greats like Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Nadal rival Roger Federer, according to the ATP Tour.



Just last month, Nadal won the French Open, giving him his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/10/11/rafael-nadal-destroys-novak-djokovic-for-13th-french-open-title-record-tying-20th-grand-slam/?sh=31c96fa56044">20th Grand Slam title</a>&nbsp;and tying him with Federer for the male player with the most Grand Slam titles in history.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h3>



“[Winning 1,000 matches] means that I am old. That means that I played well for such a very long time,” Nadal said, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-lopez-paris-2020-wednesday" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the tour</a>. “I have been playing well for a lot of years and [that] is something that makes me feel happy.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h3>



Besides his wins on the court, Nadal is one of the most commercially successful athletes.&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;ranked him in May at #27 of the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/athletes/#56c1475a55ae">top-paid athletes</a>, with an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/athletes/#4f7fab7255ae">$40 million</a>&nbsp;in earnings up to that point in 2020. Since going professional in 2001, he has collected&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/rafael-nadal/?sh=330d25ba1bb0">$121 million</a>&nbsp;in prize money and can fetch&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/rafael-nadal/?sh=330d25ba1bb0">seven-figure fees</a>&nbsp;for appearances, according to&nbsp;Forbes.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h3>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2020/10/11/rafael-nadal-destroys-novak-djokovic-for-13th-french-open-title-record-tying-20th-grand-slam/#:~:text=The%20No.,the%20all%2Dtime%20men's%20list.">Rafael Nadal Destroys Novak Djokovic For 13th French Open Title, Record-Tying 20th Grand Slam</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/10/11/tennis-goat-rafael-nadal-vs-roger-federer-by-the-numbers/?sh=9b4ace840b3c">Tennis’ GOAT? Rafael Nadal Vs. Roger Federer, By The Numbers</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



-By Carlie Porterfield, Forbes Staff

Rolex Paris Masters – Day Three

Rafael Nadal Marks 1,000th Career Win

An amateur ice hockey game in Florida might have fueled a small Covid-19 outbreak in June, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6941a4.htm?s_cid=mm6941a4_w" target="_blank">study released Thursday</a> that represents one of the first formally documented cases of the coronavirus spreading through sports, raising new questions as U.S. sports leagues press forward with their seasons.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



A Tampa man reported coronavirus symptoms the day after he participated in the hockey game, meaning he likely caught the virus before the game, the CDC study found.



Five days later, at least 14 other people at the indoor rink had either tested positive for the virus or showed symptoms: eight of the man’s 11 teammates, five people on the opposing team, and one rink staff member — all 15 people later recovered from the virus.



The 22 players did not wear face masks while on the ice or in locker rooms.



The study is one of the first to research Covid-19 at sporting events, though&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/parent-mailbag/posts/2020/7/21/is-there-evidence-of-covid-19-outbreaks-due-to-youth-sports" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scattered reports</a>&nbsp;have emerged nationwide: dozens of people tested positive after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kentucky.com/news/coronavirus/article244347427.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">July football game</a>&nbsp;in Kentucky, and 52 cases were reported after an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.startribune.com/covid-19-risk-lurks-as-mshsl-considers-restart-of-prep-football-volleyball/572465751/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Iowa baseball tournament</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



After states loosened their social distancing rules over the summer, many&nbsp;<a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30108928/nfl-chief-medical-officer-dr-allen-sills-shifting-bubble-environment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">professional</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/26/us/college-football-conferences-covid-19-schedule-spt-trnd/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amateur</a>&nbsp;sports leagues eagerly resumed play. Despite the extra precautions most leagues have added,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-sports-restart-has-a-plan-for-everythingexcept-a-coronavirus-outbreak-11593604800" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/playing-sports.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CDC officials</a>&nbsp;warned that athletes can still transmit the virus, especially in sports like football and hockey where close contact with teammates and competitors is almost impossible to avoid. But Thursday’s CDC study is&nbsp;<a href="https://news.yahoo.com/how-a-florida-hockey-game-became-a-covid-19-superspreader-event-170046699.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">among the only</a>&nbsp;formal looks into whether sports games can become superspreader events.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



Several NFL teams have reported coronavirus cases in recent weeks, forcing the league to postpone some games. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tennessean.com/in-depth/sports/nfl/titans/2020/10/12/titans-covid-19-timeline-first-positive-test-second-postponement/5924320002/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tennessee Titans</a>&nbsp;are the hardest-hit team, with around two dozen infected players and staff. There is little evidence of any players catching the virus from an opposing team, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/nfl-s-covid-outbreak-postpones-patriots-chiefs-it-could-be-ncna1242149" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">some observers worry</a>&nbsp;that wider outbreaks within individual teams will become hard to avoid as players and coaches continue to traverse the country.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">SECTION TITLE</h4>



<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-sports-restart-has-a-plan-for-everythingexcept-a-coronavirus-outbreak-11593604800" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Sports Restart Has a Plan for Everything—Except a Coronavirus Outbreak (Wall Street Journal)</a>



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.startribune.com/covid-19-risk-lurks-as-mshsl-considers-restart-of-prep-football-volleyball/572465751/" target="_blank">Sports cause outbreaks. Restart sports anyway? (Minneapolis Star Tribune)</a>



-By Joe Walsh, Forbes Staff

Lausanne HC v HC Davos – Ice Hockey National League

Sporting Events Can Spark Covid Outbreaks, CDC Finds

ICM Partners continued its European expansion with the purchase of London-based sports agency Stellar Group, the biggest acquisition in the 45-year history of the Hollywood talent agency.



Stellar, which ranked fourth last year in&nbsp;Forbes’ annual look at the world’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2019/10/21/most-valuable-sports-agencies-caa/">most powerful sports agencies</a>, represents more than 800 athletes—mostly in soccer but also in track and field, cricket, rugby and the NFL—and manages current contracts totaling almost $3 billion, according to ICM.



“The world is becoming so interconnected and horizontal. The walls are all down with everything. It’s about evaluating talent and what kind of impact you can have with that talent,” says ICM CEO Chris Silbermann, who declined to disclose the price of the Stellar deal. “We feel we can apply a lot of the expertise we employ with celebrities and talent to athletes now as well. There is a natural fit.”



ICM is the smallest of the big four entertainment agencies, which also include WME, UTA and CAA. The Stellar deal heightens the competition with CAA, which launched its industry-leading sports practice 15 years ago. ICM represents stars Ellen DeGeneres, Beyoncé, Samuel L. Jackson, J Cole and Khalid, as well as content creators Spike Lee, Shonda Rhimes and Vince Gilligan. With Stellar, it adds global soccer icon Gareth Bale and rising stars Saúl Ñíguez and Mason Mount to the mix.



Silbermann says they will be the foundation of a “multi-faceted” sports business that will be branded ICM Stellar Sports and will eventually include basketball, golf and tennis in the U.S., sports that are currently dominated by CAA, Wasserman, Excel and Octagon. ICM handles off-field work for several athletes like New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins, but its purchase of Stellar is its first major move into athlete representation, tying it to Jonathan Barnett, Stellar’s cofounder, whom&nbsp;Forbes&nbsp;rated as the industry’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2019/10/21/most-powerful-sports-agents/">most powerful agent</a>.



“We love sports; we love athletes. We want to grow the agency,” Silbermann says. “Synergy is a completely overused word, but it is an appropriate word because there is a lot of natural synergy with what we are doing. Jonathan and David [Manasseh] have built something amazing, and we’re going to take it to the next level.”



The purchase completes a hat trick of sorts in Europe, following a partnership with U.K. music agency Primary Talent International signed in March and a significant investment in Swedish entertainment company Albatros last month.



CAA Sports acquired London-based Base Soccer Agency last year while Wasserman added a pair of agencies this year to its soccer roster in Spain-based Top Value and Key Sports Management in the U.K. Soccer representation is good business since commissions can reach 10% on playing contracts; they are capped in U.S. sports leagues, ranging from 3% in the NFL to 5% in MLB. The NBA and NHL rates are both 4%.



This year, the coronavirus caused massive layoffs at talent agencies as commissions dried up with live events and filming shuttered. ICM laid off roughly 40 support staff members in April and <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://variety.com/2020/film/news/icm-partners-layoffs-furloughs-1234760300/" target="_blank">enacted another smaller round</a> of layoffs last month. But the job cuts have been deeper at ICM’s larger rivals. WME-IMG parent Endeavor had its <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2020/04/13/endeavor-gets-credit-rating-lowered/">credit rating lowered</a> in April from B to CCC+, indicating “substantial risk.” The company scuttled a planned initial public offering in October 2019.



ICM kept its debt load in check in recent years and leaned on a&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/icm-partners-crestview-partners-sell-stake-1203439607/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$150 million investment</a>&nbsp;from private equity firm Crestview Partners in December for one-third of ICM to shore up its business and go on an acquisition spree. “As things return to normal, we are committed to being stronger on the other side. There are opportunities,” says Silbermann, who doesn’t expect the live concert business to return in full until next summer at the earliest.



Silbermann started talking to Barnett and Manasseh roughly a year ago about a partnership that would give ICM a foothold in sports and give Stellar clients access to a full-service entertainment agency. Both will serve as executive chairmen of ICM Stellar Sports and run day-to-day operations. ICM founding partner Ted Chervin will oversee the sports business. The 130 Stellar employees are all expected to join ICM.



“It’s a people business. We’re not buying a bunch of patents on microchips,” says Silbermann. “You have to trust those people. You have to work with those people and share a vision. If we didn’t know they were going to continue with the business, then that would have been a different calculus on how we approached this.”



By Kurt Badenhausen, Forbes Staff

Tottenham Hotspur Training Session

ICM Acquires Soccer Agency Stellar Group As First Step To Build A Sports Practice

FC Barcelona v Gimnastic de Tarragona – Pre-Season Friendly

The World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players 2020: Messi Wins, Mbappe Rises

Olympic gold medalist runner Caster Semenya must lower her testosterone levels if she wants to defend her 800 meter title in Tokyo next year, a Swiss court <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank">ruled</a> Tuesday, bringing an end to Semenya’s long legal battle against her sport’s governing body that brought controversy and heated debate to the role hormones play in athletic performance.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h4>



Semenya, who hails from South Africa, identifies as female and was judged to be female at birth, but has naturally higher levels of testosterone and XY chromosomes due to being born with a sex development disorder.



Tuesday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ruling</a>&nbsp;by Switzerland’s supreme court dismissed Semenya’s appeal of a 2019&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/sports/caster-semenya-loses.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decision</a>&nbsp;that ordered her—and athletes with similar hormonal conditions—to suppress testosterone levels in order to compete.



Testosterone levels can be lowered either through medication or surgery, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Associated Press</a>.



The International Association for Athletics Federation, the governing body for running,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/sports/caster-semenya-loses.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">maintains</a>&nbsp;that athletes with “differences of sexual development,” and more specifically female athletes with higher levels of testosterone, have an advantage in some events due to additional muscle mass, more strength and the ability to take in more oxygen. &nbsp;



“I am very disappointed by this ruling, but refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am,” Semenya said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-za/news/8ee6fb77/caster-semenya-remains-determined-to-fight-for-human-rights" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a>, adding, “I will continue to fight for the human rights of female athletes, both on the track and off the track, until we can all run free the way we were born.”



In its ruling, Switzerland’s supreme court said the country’s Court of Arbitration for Sport was allowed to “uphold the conditions of participation issued for female athletes” with differences in sexual development “in order to guarantee fair competition for certain running disciplines in female athletics.”



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“This decision is a call to action–as a society, we cannot allow a sports federation to override the most fundamental of human rights,” <cite>said lawyer Dorothee Schramm, who led Semenya’s appeal, in a <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-za/news/8ee6fb77/caster-semenya-remains-determined-to-fight-for-human-rights" target="_blank">statement</a>.</cite></blockquote>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">CHIEF CRITIC</h4>



Athletics South Africa, the country’s governing body for running that backs Semenya. The group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/caster-semenya-can-t-compete-her-best-olympics-events-without-n1000531" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">previously called</a>&nbsp;the IAAF’s testosterone policy “discriminatory, unnecessary, unreliable and disproportionate.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h4>



Semenya’s biology has been the subject of controversy since she burst onto the international running scene in 2009. Her victories at the time raised questions about her sex, leading the IAAF to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/aug/23/caster-semenya-athletics-gender" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">perform</a>&nbsp;a sex verification test on her. She was also forced to take medication to reduce her testosterone in order to continue competing. In 2011, the IAAF announced new rules that would tighten the upper limits of testosterone levels in female athletes. The rule was dropped in 2015 when Indian sprinter Dutee Chand&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/28/sports/international/dutee-chand-female-sprinter-with-high-male-hormone-level-wins-right-to-compete.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">convinced</a>&nbsp;Switzerland’s Court of Arbitration for Sport that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove that elevated testosterone levels increased athletic performance. Then, in 2018, the IAAF&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/25/iaaf-testosterone-rules-caster-semenya" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;the policy upheld in Tuesday’s court decision, which applies to runners in three events, and narrow enough for critics to say it was designed to target Semenya.&nbsp;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h4>



Transgender athletes have been keeping tabs on Semenya’s case.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-glorious-victories-of-trans-athletes-are-shaking-up-sports/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Similar arguments</a>&nbsp;are made about transgender athletes having an advantage over biological women. Different governing organizations have different policies, as well. The NCAA, for example, allows transgender women to compete on women’s teams after completing a year of hormone suppression treatment. But for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, which oversees&nbsp;<a href="https://resources.wftda.org/womens-flat-track-derby-association-statement-about-gender/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">roller derby</a>, “an individual who identifies as a trans woman, intersex woman, and/or gender expansive” can compete on women’s teams.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h4>



<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/sports/caster-semenya-loses.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caster Semenya Loses Case to Compete as a Woman in All Races</a>&nbsp;(New York Times)



<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://apnews.com/bd69bc7ea983d9a1959813402d3d3472" target="_blank">Semenya loses at Swiss supreme court over testosterone rules</a> (Associated Press)



-Lisette Voytko, Forbes Staff

Athletics – Commonwealth Games Day 9

Caster Semenya Can’t Defend Olympic Title Unless She Lowers Testosterone, Court Rules

When Dave Oancea isn’t earning millions flipping rare cards (or spending it on Birkin bags), he’s selling suckers pricey betting picks. Too bad it’s a losing proposition.



During the early morning hours of August 23, Dave Oancea made sports memorabilia history when he sold a one-of-a-kind signed Mike Trout rookie card for<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://goldinauctions.com/2009_Bowman_Chrome_Draft_Prospects__BDPP89_Mike_Tr-LOT63942.aspx" target="_blank"> $3.9 million</a> during an online auction. In addition to the records the Los Angeles Angels center fielder holds on the diamond, he’s now the most expensive trading card ever sold, topping a 1909 T206<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://goldinauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=25398" target="_blank"> Honus Wagner</a>, which went for $3.1 million in 2016.



“When I bought this card, everyone said I was crazy for spending almost half a million on a piece of cardboard,” says the 43-year-old Oancea, who claims he bought the 2009 Trout, a “superfractor” made by Topps’ Bowman collection, from a Taiwanese collector he met on eBay in 2018 for $400,000. “I relate it to art—like the Mona Lisa, or a Picasso. There’s only one in the world.”



Oancea is not your typical memorabilia collector. Vegas Dave, as he’s known to his millions of followers on social media, is a notorious gambling influencer, known for selling picks on which team will win a given game. Vegas Dave says he’s the best “sports information consultant” in the world, but if you dig into his past and his picks you’ll find a shady hustler who sells a service that has little, if any, value for his customers.



He became well-known in the sports gambling circuit in 2015 after collecting $2.5 million on a futures bet that the Kansas City Royals would win the World Series that year. In February 2016, he also won a $2.3 million payout when the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.



Despite holding the winning ticket for the Super Bowl, he couldn’t collect the full amount because the federal government was investigating him at the time. The following year, Oancea was indicted on 19 felonies related to his longstanding habit of using other people’s Social Security numbers to place wagers. In 2019, Oancea, who was represented by the well-known Vegas criminal defense attorney David Chesnoff, accepted a plea bargain. Instead of being convicted of nearly twenty felonies, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, forfeited half a million dollars, and was banned from Las Vegas sportsbooks for three years.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Oancea refuses to give details about his win-loss percentage. “I’ve bet over 1,000 times,” he says. “I don’t have a record.”</blockquote>



Those legal troubles led Vegas Dave to press his luck in the lucrative world of memorabilia. “When they banned me,” Oancea says, “my vision was clear: sports cards.”



The $3.9 million Trout card was not Oancea’s first newsworthy sale. In May, he sold a less-rare Trout card (only five in the world) for $922,000. He owns seven other rare Trouts. But one of Oancea’s sports cards sales that has gotten little attention came in 2017. Oancea sold a collector what appeared to be a mint condition 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card for $18,000. When the buyer brought the MJ card to the 2017 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago, the grading firm PSA determined it to be counterfeit. Oancea told the buyer he didn’t know it was a fake and refused to give a refund. When asked about the sale via email, Oancea did not respond.



The five-foot-four Oancea prides himself on his foresight, a talent he claims to have used to win millions betting on sports. Other times, he’s lost it all: In 2002 he filed for bankruptcy protection; in 2010 his home was foreclosed upon; and his parents have covered hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of his losses. During his federal case, Oancea admitted he was addicted to gambling and lost all he made over a five- to eight-year period. As for his reputation across the professional gambling circuit, Oancea is viewed as a “parasite” and “black eye” on the industry, say former customers, fellow sports gamblers and a Las Vegas sportsbook employee.&nbsp;



Those who follow his social media posts and buy his picks will find a world of braggadocio and shoddy math. Every day, via Instagram live streams, Oancea entices gamblers to buy his advice with directions on how to place straight bets and multi-bet parlays—ranging from a $199 “daily card” to a big $995 “game of the week.” Return customers receive a daily barrage of emails tempting them to upgrade to more expensive packages.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



All of his picks are a sure thing, Vegas Dave says with relentless hucksterism, claiming some of his packages have an 85% chance of winning and can help bettors make an “extra” $100,000 to $600,000.



For anyone who understands betting on sports, however, a winning percentage of 85% is laughable. As a point of reference, Billy Walters, perhaps the most successful sports gambler in America before retiring (after being convicted on insider trading in 2017), won about 57% of the time.



Oancea refuses to give details about his win-loss percentage. “I’ve bet over 1,000 times; I don’t have a record,” he says via video chat while wearing a black diamond necklace, an iced-out Richard Mille watch, and mesh shorts. Last year, Oancea was featured in Showtime’s sports gambling documentary&nbsp;Action&nbsp;in which he lost a series of three bets for his customers, including a wager on the Los Angeles Rams against the New England Patriots during Super Bowl LIII.&nbsp;



When pressed on his performance, Oancea quickly changes the topic to his sports tout business, which he expected to net him over $2 million in August. “Will I lose?” he asks. “I lose once a week. I’m human.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Oancea, who has 2 million followers on Instagram, is often the first stop for first-time sports gamblers who get sucked in by his promise of easy money.&nbsp;“I was an amateur sports bettor, so I believed everything he fed us,” says Ajay, a gambler who lives in California, and used to buy picks from Oancea.&nbsp;“It was extremely disappointing losing day after day.” Other former customers, including an Arizona man who goes by “Dubb,” describe Oancea more succinctly: “He’s a fraud.” In 2017, Dubb bought a $1,100 NFL package but his bankroll ran out eight weeks into the 17-week season.



If you watch enough of Vegas Dave’s videos, it’s clear that he preys on newbie sports gamblers, often with condescending and sexist pitches. “If you want to jump on the money train, I can help you,” Oancea said during one live stream in July. “I don’t care if you don’t speak English, I don’t care if you’re a female, I don’t care if you don’t watch sports.” His style is part carnival barker and a foul-mouthed version of CNBC’s Jim Cramer. In another video, he pledged that his picks will help you “flip hundreds into thousands.”



But Vegas Dave’s math doesn’t work out if you pay for his picks. In order to break even in the long run, you must win 52.38% of the time against the standard -110 line to account for the vigorish (or percentage) the sportsbook takes. But if you’re paying at least $200 for that advice, you have already eaten into your profits before considering the vig on each bet.



On Sunday, August 30, I bought Oancea’s MLB daily card. In a video that morning, Oancea gave buyers a guarantee—if less than five parlays hit, the next day’s picks would be free.The first pick was a money line bet on the Minnesota Twins, who were favored to beat the Detroit Tigers. Oancea suggested a wager to win 35 units. (A unit in Oancea’s calculation is .25% of your bankroll, or $25, assuming you start with a $10,000 bankroll.) The price at the Southpoint sportsbook was -210, which means I’d have to lay out $1,838 for the chance to win $875. The Twins lost.



The next wager was a money line bet for the Cincinnati Reds to beat the Chicago Cubs for 20 units. The Reds lost—another $800 down the drain. The last straight bet was for the St. Louis Cardinals to beat the Cleveland Indians or lose by one run to win $250 by risking $388. The Cardinals beat the Indians 7 to 2. Out of 31 parlays, 29 bets lost and two paid out—$10.79 combined. As losses topped $2,660, Oancea sent his “game of the month” for free, a 110 unit bet on the Braves to beat the Phillies. Atlanta won, but the day’s wagers finished $650 in the hole.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Vegas Dave, who has a high school education, says he doesn’t mess with math and claims he was born with the talent to predict games.</blockquote>



Vegas Dave is not the first handicapper to sell picks, nor will he be the last. There is a long,<a href="https://vault.si.com/vault/1991/11/18/1-900-ripoffs-the-ads-for-call-in-services-that-offer-sure-thing-betting-advice-on-the-big-games-couldnt-be-more-tempting-our-own-hot-tip-dont-touch-that-phone" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">&nbsp;colorful history</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://deadspin.com/how-america-s-favorite-sports-betting-expert-turned-a-s-1782438574" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">touts</a>. What’s different about Oancea is that he blends the heart attack-inducing intensity of old school touts with the FOMO and hustle porn culture of Instagram influencers. If you spend enough time scrolling through Vegas Dave’s social media posts, you might start to feel like the only thing standing in your way from sitting courtside at the Lakers game with your girlfriend and three Birkin bags—<a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/dave-oancea-aka-vegas-dave-and-his-fianc%C3%A9e-holly-sonders-news-photo/1190113301" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">as Vegas Dave did in 2019</a>—is his advice on who will win tomorrow night.



Most, if not all, professional bettors are number-crunching stat addicts. Rufus Peabody, a professional gambler who studied economics at Yale and specializes in golf bets, created his own computer models to find inefficiencies in the market. But Vegas Dave, who has a high school education, says he doesn’t mess with math and claims he was born with the talent to predict games.



“I just have a good vision and gut. It’s not teachable,” says Oancea. “I could never teach you what I do.”



Vegas Dave claims to be worth $20 million, but he offers no proof to back up his bravado. To signal his wealth, he points to his Rolls-Royce Cullinan and his Ferrari 488 Spider—“I don’t like it,” he says. “I just keep it in the garage.” Oancea also owns a seven-bedroom villa in Cabo, which he’s named “Villa Vegas Dave,” and he owns a 7,000-square-foot home and a two-bedroom condo in Vegas through a trust. He also likes to point out that he has a $1.3 million collection of Hermès Birkin bags.



In April 2019, Oancea bought a very rare <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://twitter.com/itsvegasdave/status/1121839364227473408?s=20" target="_blank">Himalaya Diamond Birkin</a> for $500,000, making it the most expensive Birkin ever sold. But the bag isn’t worth that much, according to Jeff Berk, the CEO of Privé Porter, which sold it to Oancea. “It’s worth probably $350,000,” says Berk. “He knew he was overpaying for it. He wanted to break the record.”



Vegas Dave was born in Saline, Michigan and grew up in Ann Arbor. Oancea, who still has his slight nasal Michigan accent, started collecting and selling baseball cards as a teen. “I did the baseball card hustle from a very young age,” he says.



In 1997, he moved to Hawaii, where he placed his first sports wager. “I bet $300 on a Titans and Raiders game and lost. But I fell in love with sports betting.” That instinct drew him to Sin City in 2001. He told his parents that he would be attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Instead, he took a $10,000 student loan and put it all on red at roulette. He won, doubling his money, and that was the start of his bankroll, he says.



That winning streak wouldn’t last long. Within a year, Oancea filed a voluntary petition for personal bankruptcy. According to court documents, he had just $820 in assets at the time, including $20 in cash.



Oancea started to place bets at sportsbooks like the Westgate under phony Social Security numbers as early as 2007, according to court documents. By 2010, his home was foreclosed upon and sold. Months later, he was arrested for driving under the influence. In 2013, a cop caught him with a “baggie of white powdery substance” at Vegas’ Cosmopolitan hotel, a police report says. The state eventually dismissed the case. In 2016, the same night he lost $1 million on a UFC fight, he got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend which led to a domestic battery charge. The charge was reduced to disorderly conduct after he completed counseling. When asked about the incident today, he says, “It’s all false.”



Oancea is surely not the best handicapper in the world as he claims, nor he is a savant sports card investor. He didn’t purchase Trout’s rookie card before the future Hall of Famer was named Rookie of the Year in 2012. Instead, he bought the card in 2018, when Trout had already won two of his three MVP awards. One thing he did do wisely, however, was notice that the sports card market was getting hot and the Trout cards were likely to increase in value.&nbsp;



The sports memorabilia market, estimated to be a $5 billion industry (annual sales), has historically been more of a hobby until recently. As card prices began to rise over the last few years, investors realized they could put money to work. Now sports cards have become a legitimate alternative asset class with niche investment funds.



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2018/11/14/at-24-two-entrepreneurs-took-on-cancer-at-32-theyre-worth-hundreds-of-millions/">Nat Turner</a>, co-founder and CEO of healthcare technology company Flatiron Health and a 2015 Forbes Under 30 lister, is one of today’s largest sports card collectors. He admits Oancea was smart to buy the rare Trout cards a few years ago. But, Oancea, who is known to pump his card’s prices on social media, is met with “a lot of eyerolls from the collector community,” says Turner.



For Oancea, the sports card market is only a pit stop until he finds his next hustle. “On to the next big thing,” he says.



-Will Yakowicz, Forbes Staff

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