Christian Eriksen is to be fitted with an implant to help to regulate his heart rhythm after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 match with Finland.
The midfielder was given CPR on the pitch during the first half of the match in Copenhagen last week before being taken to hospital, where he is stable.
Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said on Monday that Eriksen was "smiling and laughing", while the Inter player himself thanked fans for their messages of support as he underwent tests.
On Thursday, the Danish Football Association confirmed specialists had recommended he be fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a device that uses electrical pulses to regulate potentially dangerous heart rhythms.
A tweet from the FA's official account said: "National team doctor Morten Boesen has been in contact with the cardiac specialist at Rigshospitalet and Christian Eriksen and this is the latest status.
"After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD (heart starter). This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.
"Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment.
"We encourage everybody to give Christian and his family peace and privacy."
Professor Sanjar Sharma, an expert in sports cardiology, explained to Stats Perform the nature of the implant and the discussions Eriksen is likely to have over whether he will be able to continue his career.
"The question is, the aim is, this must never happen again," he said. "To do this, they will probably be considering putting in something called an implantable defibrillator, which is a small device that lives under the collar bone with a lead in the vicinity of the heart. That lead monitors the cardiac rhythm day and night and should the heart go into a very dangerous rhythm called ventricular tachycardia, this lead detects it at the shock box and delivers a shock to restore a normal rhythm. That would be their main goal.
"Of course, their main goal would be to ensure he has another fifty or sixty years, which is what he should have at his age. Clearly, there will be discussions about where he goes from now as far as his career goes. And that will be determined from what they find.
"If they find something that is incurable such as a scar, if you have a lot of scarring, you can't get rid of that, that's there permanently. Or let's say that they don't find anything and his cardiac arrest remains an enigma, something clearly happened, we just haven't been able to identify [it], it may be [it] happened in the spur of the moment, we haven't found what caused it. In that particular situation, it's very unreliable so you would have to tell him, this happened already once and it could happen again. The outcome may not be the same.
"You'll probably find the medical fraternity would now be advising him, I would say probably not to compete. But in the United Kingdom certainly, we really do respect the autonomy of the athlete. The athlete has a massive say in their career. It's not just that the doctor says 'you will not train again or compete again', the athlete gets involved.
"There will be a meeting certainly with the athlete, next of kin, and a club representative, talking about the possible scenarios, and then it may depend also on what Christian feels about his ongoing career, how his wife feels, how he feels about clearly bringing up the two children with this unpredictable risk. Lots of factors will come into this."
Christian Arroyo's seventh-inning grand slam lifted the Boston Red Sox past the Atlanta Braves for a 10-8 victory Wednesday.
The Red Sox (42-27) continued to gain ground on the first-place Tampa Bay Rays while digging an even deeper hole for the Braves (30-35), who are now tied with the Washington Nationals for third place in the National League (NL) East.
Boston took an early lead and built a 6-3 edge by the fifth inning before home runs by Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman put Atlanta on top 7-6.
But Atlanta's veteran reliever Shane Greene loaded the bases in the seventh before giving way to A.J. Minter with two outs, then watched as Minter surrendered Arroyo's 467-foot blast to left-center field.
Altuve keeps going deep for Houston
Jose Altuve's home run swing carried over from Tuesday to Wednesday, as he opened the bottom of the first inning with a home run and added another in the eighth to lead an 8-4 Houston Astros win over the Texas Rangers. According to Stats Perform, Altuve is the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in one game and a leadoff home run in his team's next game.
Charlie Blackmon's ninth-inning single scored Trevor Story to give the Colorado Rockies an 8-7 win and a three-game sweep over the slumping San Diego Padres.
The St Louis Cardinals also walked off for a sweep as Yadier Molina's single down the left-field line in the ninth inning scored Paul Goldschmidt for a 1-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
More injury worries for deGrom
The New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 but will anxiously await word on the status of star pitcher Jacob deGrom, who left the game with right shoulder soreness after striking out eight of the nine batters he faced in an abbreviated three-inning start.
Another road game, another road loss for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who allowed five home runs in a 13-7 defeat against the San Francisco Giants. Arizona's 22nd consecutive loss away from home tied the 1963 Mets and 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for the most in modern MLB history.
The Baltimore Orioles are right on Arizona's tail, as their 8-7 loss to the Cleveland Indians gave them 18 straight defeats away from Camden Yards.
Baez makes it look easy
Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez showed his Gold Glove form with a beautiful, sliding scoop-and-throw on a bouncer up the middle to get Mets catcher Tomas Nito at first.
Wednesday's results
New York Mets 6-3 Chicago Cubs
Washington Nationals 3-1 Pittsburgh Pirates
New York Yankees 3-2 Toronto Blue Jays
Cleveland Indians 8-7 Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox 10-8 Atlanta Braves
Cincinnati Reds 2-1 Milwaukee Brewers
Detroit Tigers 6-5 Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox 8-7 Tampa Bay Rays
Houston Astros 8-4 Texas Rangers
St Louis Cardinals 1-0 Miami Marlins
Colorado Rockies 8-7 San Diego Padres
Oakland Athletics 8-4 Los Angeles Angels
San Francisco Giants 13-7 Arizona Diamondbacks
Minnesota Twins 7-2 Seattle Mariners
Philadelphia Phillies 2-0 Los Angeles Dodgers
Reds at Padres
Two teams headed in opposite directions square off in San Diego as the Padres (38-32), losers of nine of their last 11 games, host the Cincinnati Reds (35-31), who have won six in a row and 11 of 13.
The Los Angeles Clippers absorbed the best shot the Utah Jazz could give them and prevailed in what Paul George called their biggest game of the season, winning 119-111 Wednesday to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Hours after learning star forward Kawhi Leonard was out indefinitely with a knee injury, the Clippers turned to George to lead the way on the road against top-seeded Utah.
George did everything he could, posting 37 points, 16 rebounds and five assists to put Los Angeles one win away from advancing to the conference finals.
"He's incredible. He's special. Paul's special," said Clippers guard Reggie Jackson.
"The way that he just handled himself, he seemed calm. Tough news to receive [about Leonard] but he seemed calm. He was ready to put the team on his back and carry extra weight."
George did not try and diminish the significance of the win afterward.
"I thought this was our toughest matchup this postseason, this was the biggest game of our season, especially being down our best player," he told TNT afterward.
"We wish Kawhi the best and a speedy recovery, but we knew coming into this we had to play together, we had to step up, but we didn't have to [overdo] it.
"I thought everybody played their roles, we did a great job, we played collectively. We limited our turnovers, and I thought that's what was the key tonight."
Los Angeles gave the ball away only 10 times, but just as positive for them was watching the Jazz come up one short of an NBA playoff record with 17 made three-pointers in the first half but only lead by five going into the break.
"I thought a lot of their threes were tough ones," said George. "We didn't overreact. They came out hot. The good thing about it was we were able to weather the storm.
"We came down and we attacked them on offence as well. We just took their blows, we took their punches -- we just thought they couldn't sustain that over a full 48 minutes."
They could not, whether through the Clippers' defensive efforts or a lack of focus on both ends of the court.
"I didn't feel like the sense of urgency was there defensively at the beginning of the game," said Jazz big man Rudy Gobert, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Whatever the reason, the Clippers now control their own destiny in the series, even without having Leonard available for the immediate future.
"We've been talking about it all year," said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. "We're not going to point the finger. We're not going to blame anyone.
"When things get tough, we come together. That's the kind of culture I wanted to establish here."
After trailing nearly the entire game, the Atlanta Hawks completed a staggering comeback to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-106 and take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
Hawks star Trae Young led all scorers with 39 points and added seven assists, making 17 of 19 from the free-throw line to offset a 10-of-23 showing from the field.
Though Atlanta trailed by 22 with one minute remaining in the third quarter, the Hawks shot their way back into the game as just about every 76ers player but Seth Curry went cold in the final quarter.
Philadelphia still led by 10 after Ben Simmons made a pair of free throws with 4:23 to play, but the 76ers made only one shot the rest of the game -- a meaningless jumper from Curry just before the buzzer.
In between, they came up empty on all six attempts from the field and Simmons and Joel Embiid missed two free throws each.
Embiid finished with 37 points and 13 rebounds, while Curry scored 36 as they were the only two 76ers to score from the field in the second half.
According to Stats Perform, this is the first time in the last 15 postseasons two players have made all of their team's baskets in one half.
A second-half rally was also on the cards in Salt Lake City as the Los Angeles Clippers withstood an early onslaught of three-pointers from the Utah Jazz and returned home with a 119-111 victory and a 3-2 series lead.
Bojan Bogdanovic made six three-pointers in the opening quarter and Utah had 17 threes in the first half, one shy of the NBA record for the most in any half of a playoff game, to give the Jazz a 65-60 advantage at the break.
But the Clippers, playing without the injured Kawhi Leonard, out-scored the Jazz 32-18 in the third quarter and held on for the win as Paul George scored 37 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
Marcus Morris added 25 points and Reggie Jackson 22 for the Clippers, who can close out the series at home on Friday.
Bogdanovic finished with 32 points and Donovan Mitchell 21 for Utah, though Mitchell made only six of 19 shots from the field.
Utah made just three of 24 three-pointers in the second half.
Nets at Bucks
The Brooklyn Nets will look to close out their Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Milwaukee Bucks as they take a 3-2 lead into Game 6.
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been voted NBA Rookie of the Year.
The 19-year-old seemed to have locked up the honour early with a stellar first three months in his maiden campaign, but a mid-season injury added some suspense.
As Ball missed five weeks in March and April with a fractured list, top draft pick Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves began to heat up.
But Ball's overall body of work prevailed, as he received 84 first-place votes and 465 overall points from the selection panel.
Edwards was second with 15 first-place votes and 309 points, while Tyrese Haliburton of the Sacramento Kings came third with 114 points.
Ball averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 28.8 minutes across 51 games.
His signature performance may have come on January 9, when he had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists against the Atlanta Hawks to become the youngest NBA player to record a triple-double.
Edwards finished with averages of 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 72 games.
Two more NBA teams are looking for a head coach after the New Orleans Pelicans parted ways with Stan Van Gundy and the Washington Wizards said they would not renew Scott Brooks' contract.
That brings the total to six openings around the league, as the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers also are in the midst of the search process.
Brooks' best team during five years in Washington was his first, the 2016-17 side that went 49-33 in the regular season before falling to Boston in a seven-game Eastern Conference semi-finals series.
Washington were not able to build on their young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal, as Wall missed significant time with injury the next few years before moving on to the Houston Rockets.
Brooks went 183-207 (.469) in his five years with the Wizards, who missed the playoffs the last two seasons before bowing out in the first round against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers this year.
"We have been committed to taking the proper steps over the last two seasons to develop our young players, bring in pieces to complement Bradley Beal and build a winning environment that will ultimately lead to sustained on-court success," said Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard.
"Our organization will always be grateful to Scott for his dedication and work both on the court and in the community over the past five years and I personally admire and respect how he helped keep our team together during the unprecedented events of the last 15 months."
The long-time NBA fixture Van Gundy got only one season with Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and the Pelicans, going 31-41 and missing the playoffs.
The former Magic, Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons boss could not find a winning formula with a mostly young group in New Orleans, though injuries that kept Ball and Williamson out for extended periods did not help.
Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin thanked Van Gundy for his "integrity and professionalism" in a statement announcing the move.
"This was a difficult decision as I have tremendous respect for Stan both personally and professionally, but we agreed it is in the best interest of our team to move forward in a different direction," Griffin said.
Brazil head into Thursday's Copa America clash with Peru with history firmly on their side.
Having taken on hosting duties at the last minute, Brazil started their Copa campaign with a win over Venezuela last time out.
Their second Group B game sees Tite's side take on Peru, who they beat 3-1 in Rio de Janeiro to clinch the trophy back in 2019.
While the Estadio de Maracana hosted the showdown on that occasion, Rio's less illustrious venue – Estadio Nilton Santos – is the location of this meeting, with Brazil boasting a record of seven wins, two draws and just one defeat from their last 10 matches against Peru.
Brazil are on a seven-match unbeaten run in the Copa America, with all of those games having been played on home soil across the last two editions of the competition.
Indeed, their last defeat in the tournament came against Peru back in 2016, though Brazil should be confident of maintaining their winning start.
Peru have only won one of their last nine games in total, though that did come in their prior match against Ecuador – the last team they had previously beaten were Brazil in a friendly in September 2019.
In his pre-match news conference, Brazil coach Tite confirmed there will be at least one change, with Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson coming in for Alisson.
"There are three goalkeepers of very high levels. Two are among the best in the world," said Tite.
"Weverton has been doing a very high level of work in the Libertadores. We are working, doing the analysis together and in this game we decided for Ederson."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brazil – Neymar
If Brazil are going to defend their crown, they want their poster boy to be on top form. Neymar started well, scoring a penalty and setting up Gabigol's effort in the 3-0 win over Venezuela. He has also completed the most dribbles (six) of any player so far in the competition.
Peru – Gianluca Lapadula
Lapadula seems likely to lead Peru's line in Rio and comes into the game on the back of an impressive performance against Ecuador, in which he created both of the goals for Ricardo Gareca's team.
KEY OPTA FACTS
- Peru are the last team that beat Brazil as a visitor in the Copa America – the Incas beat them 3-1 in the 1975 semi-final.
- Since then, Brazil have gone 21 games without a loss at home (13 wins, eight draws).
- Casemiro was the player who recovered the most balls on the first day of the Copa America (15, three more than Juan Cuadrado, his nearest challenger).
- Gareca will lead Peru for a fourth time in the Copa America – he is the coach with the most matches in charge of the national team in the competition (16).
- Brazil had 61.7 per cent possession against Venezuela, registering a pass accuracy of 89.1 per cent (from 550 passes in total). They had 18 attempts compared to three, with seven hitting the target.
Roberto Mancini took over Italy's national team with the Azzurri at their lowest ebb. Absent from the 2018 World Cup after failing to qualify for the first time since 1958, Italy required a rebuild, with Mancini trusted to be the architect.
To use perhaps the most exhausted of cliches, Rome wasn't built in a day. But, at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, Mancini saw his efforts in reconstructing this perennial power of international football bear fruit as Italy became the first team to book their place in the last 16 of Euro 2020.
Following a dazzling performance in the tournament's opening fixture that saw them sweep aside Turkey 3-0 last Friday, Italy were similarly superb here, making light work of Switzerland as Manuel Locatelli's double sealed a triumph by the same scoreline.
The contrast between the team that progressed to the knockouts in front of a delighted if relatively small and socially distanced home crowd and the one that was held to a 0-0 draw by Sweden in the second leg of the World Cup qualification play-off in 2017 is stark.
Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Jorginho and Ciro Immobile were all in the starting XI on that chastening night at San Siro and were picked by Mancini to help Italy past Vladimir Petkovic's side, though Chiellini had to withdraw through injury in the first half shortly after seeing what looked to be the opening goal chalked off by VAR for handball.
Yet there are key differences in both personnel and system. Whereas Gian Piero Ventura played a 3-5-2 with wingbacks Alessandro Florenzi and Matteo Darmian asked to provide both defensive protection and attacking creativity from wide areas with Immobile paired with the often immobile Manolo Gabbiadini, Mancini continues to get results from a much more expansive 4-3-3.
In that set-up on Wednesday, Immobile thrived playing in a front three alongside the energetic presences of Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Berardi, taking a game-high four shots and becoming the first player to score in Italy's first two games at a major tournament since Christian Vieri at the 2002 World Cup as he rounded off an excellent display.
Behind that trio, Jorginho -- who had patrolled the middle of the park along with two players in their 30s in Marco Parolo and Antonio Candreva against Sweden -- had the 24-year-old Nicolo Barella and 23-year-old Locatelli for company in midfield.
And it was Sassuolo team-mates Berardi and Locatelli who shone brightest on this latest showcase of Italy's credentials as contenders for the title.
That duo have been pivotal to one of the most entertaining sides in Serie A, Berardi creating 58 chances for Sassuolo while Locatelli teed up 38.
Their understanding was there for all to see when Italy did open the scoring after Switzerland's earlier reprieve. Locatelli volleyed the ball out to the right to Berardi, who surged down the flank before pulling back for his club-mate, whose desire to charge into the box from inside his own half was rewarded with a tap-in.
Berardi has now been involved in five goals in his last six appearances for Italy, but it was Barella who teed Locatelli up for one of the fiercest strikes of the competition so far as he powered into the bottom-left corner to become Italy's third-youngest scorer of a brace at a major tournament behind Giacomo Bulgarelli (v Switzerland in 1962) and Mario Balotelli (v Germany in 2012).
Immobile added the finishing touches, with help from poor goalkeeping from Yann Sommer, as Italy made it 31 goals without reply in all competitions, a 10th successive clean sheet never threatened by an uninspiring Switzerland team.
Those two statistics illustrate just how drastic the turnaround has been under Mancini. Italy could not muster a goal over two legs against Sweden in 2017, now they attack with verve and incisiveness that suggests they could score each time they go forward.
With the old guard still as dependable as ever at the back, Italy have a solid spine and a crop of talented playmakers that have helped revitalise a team that looked to be a fading force in international football. Turkey and Switzerland have offered little in way of a challenge to Mancini's men, but that combination could be one that makes this delayed European Championship worth the wait for the Azzurri.
A pre-Olympic camp in Japan for Jamaican athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics this summer that was being planned by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), has been cancelled because of the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the JOA said today in a statement.
According to the JOA, the Tottori Prefectural Government stated that due to the spread of Covid-19, the Japanese Government is imposing strict measures on all local governments hosting pre-Games camps, which are unprecedented and treated as "abnormal circumstances."
The communication from Japan also stated that although the current COVID-19 situation in Tottori Prefecture is not as serious as in other regions, the increasing cases of highly infectious mutant variants and the ongoing state of emergency in Tokyo and in eight other prefectures are raising public sentiments nationwide, which has also increased concerns locally among citizens, healthcare providers and health authorities with regards to hosting the pre-Games camp.
Under the circumstances, the Prefectural Government has been compelled to conclude that it would be extremely difficult to hold a safe and secure camp for Jamaica's athletes as initially planned.
In light of the new measures and policy approach of the Japanese Government, the Prefectural Government was constrained to make new proposals that would make it practically impossible for the camp to take place as the revised timetable would have the delegation arriving practically at the same time as the scheduled opening of the Athletes' Village, which effectively defeat the objectives of holding the camp.
Roberto Mancini's Italy side scored three goals once again as they stormed into the last 16 of Euro 2020 with a 3-0 rout of Switzerland.
Italy leapfrogged Wales to the top of Group A, with Robert Page's team having beat Turkey earlier on Wednesday to give themselves a great chance of making the knockout stages.
Gareth Bale was heavily involved, teeing up both of Wales' goals either side of missing a penalty.
Elsewhere, Russia beat Finland 1-0 in Saint Petersburg to inject life into their hopes in Group B.
Italy 3-0 Switzerland: Mancini's Azzurri in rampant form
It is now 10 wins on the bounce for Italy, with 10 clean sheets to boot, and Mancini is just one game away from matching the all-time Azzurri record of 30 games unbeaten, set by Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s.
Remarkably, Italy had never scored three goals in a Euros match before their win over Turkey on Friday. Their successive 3-0 victories make them only the second side in European Championship history to open their tournament with consecutive wins by a three-goal margin, after the Netherlands in 2008 (3-0 v Italy, 4-1 v France).
Manuel Locatelli's double – his first for club or country – put the hosts in control at Stadio Olimpico. Only Giacomo Bulgarelli (v Switzerland in 1962) and Mario Balotelli (v Germany in 2012) have scored a brace for Italy at a major tournament at a younger age than the Sassuolo midfielder (23 years, 159 days).
Ciro Immobile rounded the win off late on with his second goal of the tournament.
The Lazio star is the first player to score in Italy's opening two games of a major tournament since Christian Vieri at the 2002 World Cup.
Turkey 0-2 Wales: Bale spares his own blushes
Excluding penalty shootouts, Bale became the first player to miss the goal frame entirely with a penalty at the Euros since Raul did so for Spain against France at the 2000 tournament when the Wales captain blazed over from 12 yards midway through the second half in Baku.
Bale had previously set up Aaron Ramsey for Wales' opener in a frantic Group A clash, playing a fantastic pass over Turkey's defence – one of four chances the duo created for each other.
The 31-year-old, who created five chances in total, the record in a Euros game since at least 1980, atoned for his miss in style, charging in from a stoppage-time corner to tee up Connor Roberts to settle the contest and put Wales well in with a shout of a last-16 place.
Only world champions France (six) have won more games across Euro 2016 and Euro 2020 than Wales, who have now triumphed in five of their eight matches in the competition, boasting the highest winning percentage of all sides to have played at any European Championships (63).
Wales remain unbeaten in their six matches across all competitions in Baku (W4 D2), keeping clean sheets in each victory, while no side has suffered more defeats in the group stages of the competition than Turkey (nine, level with Russia).
Finland 0-1 Russia: Miranchuk ends goal drought
Aleksey Miranchuk scored his first goal for Russia since November 2019 – a run of nine appearances – to secure the three points against Finland in Wednesday's early game.
The win keeps Russia's chances of qualifying for the knockout stages alive, and a Denmark victory over Belgium on Thursday would throw Group B wide open.
It was Russia's first win at the Euros since they beat the Czech Republic in 2012 (4-1) – ending a six-match winless run in the competition.
Miranchuk's goal, timed at 46:21, came after the longest wait for a shot on target in a game at Euro 2020 so far.
Since 1980, only Sweden at Euro 2016 (0) have managed fewer shots on target in their opening two games of a single European Championships tournament than Finland (two).
Condolence messages continue to pour in locally and from across the region in reaction to the sudden passing of the immediate past president of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) Godfrey Lothian on Tuesday.
The 65-year-old sports administrator reportedly suffered from a heart attack at his home Tuesday morning and was declared dead at the hospital sending the table tennis, cricket and football fraternities into shock. Lothian served three terms as JTTA President from 2013 to 2019. He was also a member of the board of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA).
He also served the sport of football for decades.
As such, the Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) said it extended its deepest condolences to the President of Greenwich Town FC and the family of Godfrey Lothian.
“For over 30 years he had a passion for youth and grassroots programmes within the Greenwich Town Football community.
President of KSAFA Wayne Shaw highlighted that "Lothian was a community man who wanted to see the best for the youth. His contribution to football will be remembered".
Minister of Gender, Culture, Entertainment and Sports Olivia Grange also expressed her surprise at the sudden passing of the respected administrator.
“I am deeply shocked to learn that Mr Godfrey Lothian died unexpectedly at his home. Mr Lothian was a devoted servant of the sport of table tennis in Jamaica and his contribution will not be forgotten. My heartfelt sympathy to his family, JTTA and the table tennis fraternity,” the minister said.
The Jamaica Cricket Association also reacted to the news.
“Director Lothian served as the president of the Kingston and St Andrew Cricket Association. He also served as a director on the JCA’s board. On behalf of the JCA and the wider cricket, we once again extend condolences and offer continuous prayer,” the JCA said in a statement.
However, the local and regional table tennis was the hardest hit fraternity.
News of Lothian’s death sparked messages of sympathy from table tennis associations from across the Caribbean including the International Table Tennis Federation, Barbados, Cuba, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Martinique, Bonaire, Suriname, St Vincent and the Cayman Islands.
Closer home, Lothian helped bring the sport back from obscurity by focusing on youth development and engaged scores of children and their parents.
Andrew Lue, the current JTTA president said he was both shocked and saddened by the news of Lothian’s death. “I learnt a lot from him,” Lue said. “This is shocking. We had our differences but I would not wish this on anyone.”
Natalie Johnson a former manager of the Juniors National team, under Lothian’s presidency, said she was in disbelief.
“His passing is a real shock and my heart goes out to his family,” she said.
“I got involved with the table-tennis community because of my son Azizi. I can categorically say that under Mr Lothian leadership the juniors excelled to the level where they competed internationally. He ensured that the juniors were exposed every chance he got. May his soul rest in peace."
National player Kane Watson said Lothian had a strong following and people who didn’t see things his way but he was committed to the cause and worked hard. “He wanted better for table tennis,” Watson said.
Klan Bell-Lewis, the mother of Gianna and Tsenaye Lewis, who represent Jamaica at the junior level, said Lothian made significant contributions to the sport.
"As a parent of girls, I am appreciative of Mr Lothian and his administration for creating a space where girls were welcomed and encouraged within the sport. His contribution to youth development through table tennis is significant," she said.
Lewis's daughter, Tsenaye, a member of the national squad from 2016-2019, described the late president as a man of vision.
“Rest in peace, Mr Lothian. He was a visionary organizer and he had a lot of hopes for the junior players. May his legacy live on."
Italy became the first team to reach the Euro 2020 knockout stage after Manuel Locatelli scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Switzerland in Group A.
Locatelli scored in-form Italy's 29th goal without reply to put them ahead at Stadio Olimpico, where Switzerland failed to land a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
The Sassuolo midfielder struck again early in the second half and Ciro Immobile added a third to ensure the scoreline reflected their dominance on a night when Roberto Mancini's men showed their 3-0 opening-game win over Turkey was no flash in the pan.
Switzerland must beat Turkey in their final group game to retain hope of finishing in the top two in Group A, while Italy can rest players when they face Wales.
Giorgio Chiellini had the ball in the net after 18 minutes but his close-range strike was ruled out for handball in the build-up following a VAR review, before the veteran defender left the field with a hamstring injury.
Italy deservedly took the lead after 25 minutes when Jorginho set Domenico Berardi free down the right and he crossed for Locatelli to score with a low finish from six yards.
The second half was just six minutes old when Locatelli struck again, collecting Nicola Barella's pass on the edge of the Switzerland penalty area before unleashing a left-footed drive into the net.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made a strong low save to prevent Steven Zuber from scoring with an angled close-range drive in what proved to be the nearest Switzerland would come to finding the net.
With one minute left on the clock, Immobile scored from just outside the box with a powerful right-footed shot, becoming the first player to score in Italy's opening two games at a major tournament since Christian Vieri at the 2002 World Cup.
What does it mean? Italy impenetrable, even without Chiellini
Italy have gone 965 minutes without conceding a goal, and they are building a formidable finals campaign on the firmest of foundations at Euro 2020.
Francesco Acerbi represented a seamless replacement for Chiellini, who can now be given a breather ahead of the knockout stage as he recovers from injury.
Locatelli at the double
Italy proved they are a team with goals throughout as Locatelli became their third player to score a brace at the Euros after Mario Balotelli against Germany in 2012 and Pierluigi Casiraghi against Russia in 1996.
Locatelli is the first player to score from outside the box for Italy at the Euros since Andrea Pirlo did so against Croatia in 2012.
Seferovic's struggle continues
Haris Seferovic has now made six appearances in European Championships but has yet to score, and failed to add to his 13 tournament shots before he was replaced by Mario Gavranovic at the start of the second half.
What's next?
Italy are back in the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday as they face Wales, while Switzerland travel to Baku to take on Turkey in their final Group A match.
Esteban Ocon has signed a new contract to keep him tied to Alpine until 2024, with the deal agreed just days before he races on home soil at the French Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old is in the second year with the team, who have acted fast to hand him a three-year extension.
Ocon has made the points in four of his six races so far this season and sits just one point behind two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, his more experienced team-mate at the outfit formerly known as Renault.
A superb second-place finish at the Sakhir Grand Prix in the penultimate race of last season was the highlight of a 2020 campaign for Ocon where he finished 12th in the drivers' standings.
The Frenchman said: "I'm delighted to continue with the team beyond this year and it is a fantastic feeling to secure my future with Alpine.
"We have been progressing well together since I joined the team and I aim to continue that journey going forward.
"There are great challenges ahead of us, especially with the new regulations in 2022. I'm sure we can hit our targets by working hard together and continuing the story.
"I often think back to the Sakhir Grand Prix last year with the podium, and it motivates me to create more special memories like that.
"I'm really looking forward to the next chapter but, for now, we are very much focused on this season and taking each race as it comes."
The 2020 campaign was Ocon's first back in F1 after missing a year in 2019, when he served as a Mercedes test driver after missing out on a race seat.
This is his sixth F1 season, having previously raced for Lotus, Manor and Force India.
Alpine said Ocon was "a perfect ambassador" for the team and stated their "belief in the Frenchman as a star of the sport" as they look to return to world championship contention in the years ahead.
Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos is set to announce his departure from the club on Thursday.
The LaLiga giants confirmed there would be a farewell tribute to the 35-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the month.
It will bring to an end the defender's 16-year association with Los Blancos.
Ramos was reportedly ready to sign an extension to his contract, but negotiations appear to have fallen through.
The veteran centre-back was thought to be holding out for a two-year deal at the Bernabeu, with Madrid preferring a shorter option.
Ramos made just 15 LaLiga appearances in 2020-21, giving him little opportunity to tempt potential suitors for his signature.
He was left out of the Spain squad for Euro 2020 due to a lack of form and fitness, with hamstring, calf and knee injuries having hampered his season.
Arriving at the Bernabeu from Sevilla in 2005, Ramos was just 19 when he inherited the number four shirt from Fernando Hierro.
He went on to win five LaLiga titles and two Copa del Rey titles during a glittering decade and a half at the club, lifting the Champions League trophy four times – including la Decima, the club's historic 10th title.
He also won the Spanish Super Cup four times, three European Super Cups and four FIFA World Club Cup titles.
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