the headlines: the prime minister has confirmed the whole of the high speed rail plan, hsz, will go ahead despite concerns over its environmental impact and spiralling costs. this is a fantastic project for the country. it will deliver massive increased capacity for rail and north and south and south and north and allows us to go forward and develop northern powerhouse rail. health experts have renamed the coronaviru. it's now covid—19, and they say there's a realistic chance of containing it, but a vaccine could take 18 months to develop. the british businessman linked to 11 coronavirus cases says he's now fully recovered but still in quarantine as ministers say all precautions are being taken. last minute protests failed to stop a plane taking off.

in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. at eight, now it's got the go—ahead, we'll examine what hs2 can actually deliver to the north of england. at eight forty, we take a look at this evening's contemporary act auction, where this painting from british artist, david hockney, is estimated to fetch between twenty and thirty million pounds. and at ten forty and half past eleven, we'll take a first look at tomorrow's front pages — with olivia utley from the sun, and the editor of labour list, sienna rodgers. now on bbc news it's time for sportsday. hello. thanks for your company on sportsday. i'm ben croucher. making the news this tuesday: 26 years since all—seater stadiums became compulsory, could standing be about to return to the premier league? coxsey climbs onto the plane for tokyo 2020 as team gb names its first competitor

in the olympics' newest sport. jimmy anderson's staying at home though as england are travelling to sri lanka without their leading wicket taker. also coming up in the programme: we meet the man who helped danny ings rebuild his body and his career. hello and welcome to sportsday. thanks forjoining us. the decision by manchester united to apply to install rail seating in old trafford has been welcomed by fans both at the club and nationally. for more than 25 years, premier league club have had to be all—seater, but the government now wants to work with supporters and clubs to introduce safe standing and united, along with wolves and spurs could be the first to try it out.

joe lynskey reports. for more than a century at old trafford they have looked at ways for keeping up with demand. they we re for keeping up with demand. they were one of the first clubs to build a roof on a stand without pillars. now this club wants in on the latest idea. this is rail seating, a new way to watch football standing up. already it is in use across europe. dortmund get extra noise by design. but in the uk standing has a more painful history. it was one of the factors behind the hillsborough disaster and lead to football grounds in the top division is going all—seater, but such is football culture that some fans continued to stand and four years ago celtic were the first british team to try out rail seats. west brom tried to be

the first premier league safety standards, that idea was vetoed by ministers, but under tight regulation some clubs have made it work and other government has changed its approach. now they say football grounds that incorporate barriers can have a positive impact on support safety. everybody understands that standing behind a seat that has a high rail is a lot safer than what fans do right now, standing behind seats that come halfway up their shins. united want to increase the safety of fans already standing in some areas of the stadium. nearly 75,000 come to old trafford for home games, 1500 of those could soon watch from rail seats. united say it makes things safer in a part of the ground where they consistently stand, so was one of the world's biggest clubs look to the future football now waits to see if more will follow. peterjoins us

110w. if more will follow. peterjoins us now. why do we need safe standing? ever since the taylor report in the wa ke ever since the taylor report in the wake of hillsborough, there has been a section of football supporters who have not agreed that standing was to blame for the problems at hillsborough and that banning supporters from standing was irrational. indeed, there has been standing in this country at football games throughout that whole time. we can do safe standing in this country and we have done for many decades now, it is an artificial construct that you cannot do it in the championship or premier league, but as time has gone on fans will get used to sitting down and the opposite is true, the demand for standing is as high or even higher than ever has been. the demand might be there but is actually safer than

sitting? people may still have reservations given what has happened the past. as an organisation and is a campaign, one of the things we have always asked for is for action to be taken, because people bandy around words like safe and safer and ask questions like this without really understanding the numbers behind it. so for example, there is no evidence whatsoever that at the games in england and wales that you can stand that currently the standing areas are any less safe than seated areas or indeed there is a higher propensity of injury events in standing areas than there are in seated areas. it is self—evidently true that in an area that is safer standing and where there are barriers that his steward did, no fences stopping fans getting on the

pictures, actually standing in many ways is safer because access is quicker and it is much easierfor emergency services to get in and out. it feels like it is something that fans want and something that the government wants, and now we are all on the same page we can start making real progress. so hopefully we will start to see some early trials in controlled environments, as early as next season, and hopefully a season or two after that it can be rolled out to everybody else. it's the newest sport in the olympics, and sport climbing is one where team gb have a realistic medal chance too. shauna coxsey has today been confirmed as team gb's first olympic athlete in the sport, heading out to tokyo later in the year to fulfil a dream she never knew could become a reality — until now. stuart pollitt has more. she spent years taking her sport to

new heights. today shauna coxsey meets the pinnacle. it is such an incredible privilege to be this first gb climber to go to the olympics, it's so strange to say that out loud and amazing! growing up that out loud and amazing! growing up the olympics were always out of reach for shawna. i started climbing when i was full so i would watch the olympic games. it was so inspiring but i also felt disconnected because my sport was not part of that, so to be here talking about the games in my sport which will be represented andi my sport which will be represented and i will be there too, it is so crazy! for the sport of climbing, one of five new ones in tokyo, the games represent a big opportunity. we have to wait how it is received after the games and i am always excited to see what will happen because it is so cool to watch and do. shauna coxsey claims a bronze medal. in terms of the impact she

has had the gb climbing, it has been phenomenal. she has been a pioneer for the sport, leading the way for women's climbing. herjourney to japan started as a three year watching climbing at home with her dad on tv. she now lives and trains in sheffield, not for the weather, but for the sieve facilities which is using to practice for the three climbing discipline she will com plete climbing discipline she will complete in tokyo. what are your family feeling? i have a huge family and they are all incredibly supportive. how many have bought tickets? i don't know how many are coming out yet. i think there are a lot of them coming out. and her family are not the only ones who will not want to miss making history this summer. —— miss her. england's tour of south africa isn't over yet — we'll bring you news of their first t20 in sportsday tomorrow — but they're off to sri lanka next

month, and the test squad has been announced. the notable omissions are james anderson, jonny bairstow and moeen ali. conditions in the subcontinent aren't friendly for fast bowlers so anderson will focus on recovering from a cracked rib and getting fit for the summer. jonny bairstow‘s poor red ball form sees him left out whilst moeen ali remains unavailable for selection. back into the fold comes keatonjennings. england seem to have a couple of reliable openers now in dom sibley, zak crawley and injured rory burns, butjennings is a good player of spin — crucial in sri lanka. and after much clamour, ben foakes is recalled. he was england's leading run scorer in sri lanka last year and could well replacejos buttler a wicket keeper. here's the squad in full. joe denly keeps his place. there are three spinners — dom bess, jack leach and matt parkinson. mark wood is england's quickest bowler withjofra archer injured but, in tough conditions,

he knows it could be a challenge. we have a great backroom staff and management team who do little tricks with iced towels and come off the field, helping with 12 men, freshening them up. even if i do not play, they will have a key role in making sure the lads are fully prepared on the field and raring to go because it is a hot place. he talked about the rotation of fast bowlers, he would like to have three. and almost rotate test match by test match, how do you feel about that? i'm fine with that if that is what the main man once. i love playing for spoons, it makes it fun for me, he isjust as mad as i am. but if that's the way it is going be, it has been well documented

about my injuries. if it was may be one test where you give it your all and then rest and come back, that works for me. it is about england winning games and if that is the best way for us to win i am all for it. if that -- is that really the best way for you? history will probably say that is the best, but i was pleased to back it up here on this tour, two good games where i managed to produce the goods over two matches, so that's something i have not been able to do before. that was especially pleasing. but sri lanka, that might have to be the case where it can be gruelling for fast bowlers, keep each other freshen going, keep that competitive edgein freshen going, keep that competitive edge in training. so if we can keep that friendly competitiveness going, it will only benefit the team.

now, he's one of the most prolific strikers in the premier league and has been tipped for an international recall, but did you know danny ings resurgence was helped by a midfielder from worthing? bear with us. let's just show you how good ings has been this season. after a couple of serious injuries, he's been banging them in for southampton — 1a league goals. compare him with other english strikers and only jamie vardy has a better minutes per goal ratio than ings. jamie vardy is not available to be picked for england by gareth southgate. he's leading the line for southampton — not since james beattie in the 2002/03 season has a saints striker been so prolific in the premier league. well, let's introduce you to alex parsons, then — footballer turned professional trainer who's been working with ings to recover from two serious knee injuries. lewis coombes has been to meet him.

while most premier league stars were resting, this summer southampton striker danny ings was being put through his paces. the man cracking the whip was alex parsons, the pair played together for bournemouth‘s academy from the age of 1a while danny ings has gone on to play at the highest level, alex was released aged 20 afterjust one year as a professional. that was really hard mentally because you see people around you who are ahead of you who have decided what they want to do, you have just dropped have decided what they want to do, you havejust dropped out have decided what they want to do, you have just dropped out of football, you are stuck knowing what to do and what to go into after that. what came next as a career helping others fulfil their physical potential, clients include liverpool and england star alex oxlade—chamberlain and danny ings who after four seasons blighted oxlade—chamberlain and danny ings who afterfour seasons blighted by injury is now in the form of his life and heavily tipped for an

england call—up. life and heavily tipped for an england call-up. he has worked harder than anyone i know in staying fit and wanting to improve himself. i see it in the lows he has been through and others through injury, then working hard to try and get back. it is phenomenal to watch and to be involved in and to see the other side of how hard they work, to get to where they want to get to. alongside the personal training, alex has refound his love for the game, currently helping to keep worthing top of the premier division. he remains passionate about not only helping professional athletes but sharing his expertise with anyone willing to work hard. everyone are not athletes but it ta kes everyone are not athletes but it takes hard work to get there so it is always myjob to try and keep the general population motivated to get to where they want to