Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Report: PGA Tour to restart in Texas on June 11
Golf is coming back with the rescheduled Charles Schwab Challenge on June 11 in Texas, Golf Digest reported. The tournament was scheduled for Memorial Day weekend (May 21-24) at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Staging the Tour in 2020 vital for the sport, says race director
Staging the Tour de France this year despite the novel coronavirus pandemic was vital for road cycling, the race's director Christian Prudhomme said on Wednesday. The sport's governing International Cycling Union (UCI) announced that the Tour, initially due to be held from June 27-July 19, would be staged from Aug. 29-Sept. 20 amid measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak.
Austria to allow tennis, golf and other social-distancing-friendly sports
Austria, which has started loosening its coronavirus lockdown, said on Wednesday it would allow some sports compatible with social distancing like tennis and golf to resume from May 1. The Alpine republic acted early in its outbreak to close restaurants, bars, theatres, schools, non-essential shops and other gathering places roughly four weeks ago. The public have been told to stay at home and work from there if possible.
Former London Marathon winner Wanjiru denies wrongdoing after provisional ban
Kenyan Daniel Wanjiru, the 2017 London Marathon winner, has denied any wrongdoing after he was provisionally suspended for an Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) violation by the sport's independent Athletics Integrity Unit on Tuesday. The AIU said in a statement that a charge was issued against Wanjiru for "use of a prohibited substance/method", but the Kenyan said he was clean and had never used doping.
Sport could resume in empty stadiums says top U.S. disease expert
The NFL campaign and an abbreviated baseball season may be possible if games are played without fans and players are kept in lockdown, U.S. President Donald Trump’s leading infectious disease adviser said on Wednesday. It has been a little over a month since the NBA season was abruptly halted amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, with most professional sports following suit, leaving arenas and stadiums empty amid speculation over when live sport can return.
Formula E launches esports 'Race at Home' challenge
Formula E launched an esports 'Race at Home Challenge' series on Wednesday involving regular race drivers and gamers in the absence of any real track action due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The all-electric series follows other championships, such as Formula One and MotoGP, in using virtual racing to fill the void left by the coronavirus.
Liberty trade ex-MVP Charles to Mystics
The New York Liberty traded seven-time All-Star Tina Charles to the Washington Mystics as part of a three-team deal on Wednesday. In exchange, the Liberty acquired a haul of draft picks -- the 12th overall selection in the 2020 WNBA Draft and selections in the 2021 first, second and third rounds -- plus guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough from the Mystics.
Riding 36-hour indoor NHS fundraiser could be tougher than Tour: Thomas
Team Ineos rider Geraint Thomas expects his 36-hour shift on an indoor bike to be tougher than the Tour de France but worth the effort to raise money for Britain's National Health Service (NHS) workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 33-year-old Welshman, the 2018 Tour winner, began the first of his three 12-hour stints on the online virtual cycling and running platform Zwift from the confines of his garage in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Austrian government not opposed to Grand Prix without fans
The Austrian government is not opposed to this year's Formula One Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring taking place without spectators, Sports Minister and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said on Wednesday. The first nine rounds of the Formula One season -- up to and including the Canadian Grand Prix on June 14 -- have been called off due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Ex-Flames coach Peters takes KHL job
Former Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters signed a two-year contract to coach in Russia's KHL. He is taking the helm of Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist, nearly five months after resigning as Flames' coach after former players accused him of using racial slurs while coaching in the American Hockey League a decade ago.
