Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Reports: Pistons' Wood tests positive for coronavirus
Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood tested positive for coronavirus, multiple outlets reported Saturday night. Wood becomes the third known NBA player to test positive for the virus. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, who played the Pistons last week, are the others.
NBA: Affected player Gobert pledges $500,000 to virus relief effort
Frenchman Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player known to have tested positive for the coronavirus, is donating more than $500,000 to support both the employee relief fund at the Utah Jazz's home arena and COVID-19-related social services relief in Utah, Oklahoma City and the French health care system, the NBA team said on Saturday. "These donations are a small token that reflect my appreciation and support for all those impacted and are the first of many steps I will take to try and make a positive difference, while continuing to learn more about COVID-19 and educate others," Gobert said in a statement released by the Jazz.
Golf's Masters postponed, English soccer suspended as coronavirus wreaks havoc
Golf's jewel in the crown The Masters and English soccer's Premier League joined the lengthening list of elite sporting events to fall foul of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. Few dates on the global sporting calendar are as keenly-anticipated as the Augusta National showpiece, but organizers moved swiftly to postpone golf's opening major, which was due to be played between April 9-12, throwing the elite championship golf schedule into a state of flux.
Factbox: Global sports events hit by coronavirus pandemic
Major sports events around the world which have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak: OLYMPICS
Tokyo governor vows full measures to combat coronavirus during Torch relay
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Saturday vowed to take thorough measures against the coronavirus outbreak for the Olympic Torch relay through Japan and reaffirmed that preparations for a "safe and secure" 2020 Games were progressing, TV Asahi reported. Koike's comments came after Greece's Olympic Committee on Friday canceled the remainder of the Olympic Torch relay through the country to avoid attracting crowds that could raise the risk of virus contagion.
Mixed martial arts: Oliveira wins in eerie silence as UFC Brasilia defies coronavirus fears
The sporting calendar took a serious beating this week with few events surviving the world's battle to contain the coronavirus, and even though Saturday's UFC mixed martial arts event in Brazil still went ahead, it was against a backdrop of eerie silence in an empty arena. In the main event, underdog Charles Oliveira from Sao Paolo scored a shock submission win over Kevin Lee with a guillotine choke that would have taken the roof of the Ginasio Nilson Nelson Arena, if there had been anybody there to see it.
Boxing: Russo's bid for fifth Olympics fades in his hotel room
Italian super-heavyweight Clemente Russo, a double Olympic silver medallist, blamed digestive problems for a no-show in his Tokyo 2020 qualifying bout with Britain's Frazer Clarke on Saturday. The 37-year-old two-times world champion, seeking to fight at a fifth Games, told his 130,000 followers on Instagram that 'bad digestion' had kept him stuck in his room for the past 24 hours.
NBA stars, owners pledge donations for workers furloughed by coronavirus shutdown
As the bright lights of professional sports go dark across the United States this week, some top names from the NBA were pitching in to ease the burden for arena and stadium staff facing the grim possibility of weeks without pay in the coronavirus shutdown. The basketball league announced Wednesday that it was indefinitely suspending its season in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, upending daily life for thousands of concession employees, ushers and custodians who rely on games for a paycheck.
USA Gymnastics birthday tweet brings heated Biles response
Four-times Olympic champion Simone Biles fired back at USA Gymnastics on Saturday after the sport's governing body used its Twitter account to wish her happy birthday. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most decorated gymnast of all time," the organization tweeted to its 226,000 followers as Biles turned 23.
As world grapples with pandemic, Tokyo 2020's Twitter account puts on a happy face
The official Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games Twitter account offers no inkling that the novel coronavirus pandemic has threatened the Games - and the account's cheery tone is prompting sarcastic online replies. Japanese officials insist the Olympics will go on as planned, and the Tokyo 2020 tweets reflect this.
