Sports News Roundup: Decision on staging London Marathon 2020 delayed; Ohtani fails to record out as A's roll and more

Tokyo opens empty Games venues up for public use Tokyo Olympics venues that would have been packed with the world's top athletes and supporters but for the coronavirus pandemic are now being opened up for use by sporting federations and the public.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Decision on staging London Marathon 2020 delayed until next month

A decision on whether this year's London Marathon can be held has been pushed back until Aug. 7, the organizers said on Monday. The event, originally scheduled for April 26, was postponed to Oct. 4 after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the international sporting calendar in March.

MLB roundup: Ohtani fails to record out as A's roll

The Oakland Athletics took advantage of the wild pitching from Shohei Ohtani to score five times in the first inning and held on for a 6-4 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon. After the teams had split the first two contests of a four-game series, the A's immediately grabbed the upper hand in the third matchup. They got plenty of help from Ohtani (0-1), who was pitching in a regular-season game for the first time since a painful outing in September of 2018 that was followed with Tommy John elbow surgery.

Sailing: First America's Cup challengers up and running in Auckland

American Magic, the first challengers for America's Cup to have arrived in New Zealand, marked their inaugural day of testing in Auckland on Monday. In contrast, three other challenging syndicates, INEOS Team UK, Italy's Luna Rossa, and Stars and Stripes USA, have yet to arrive.

Tokyo opens empty Games venues up for public use

Tokyo Olympics venues that would have been packed with the world's top athletes and supporters but for the coronavirus pandemic are now being opened up for use by sporting federations and the public. The newly built Canoe Slalom Centre opened on Monday for athletes to practice, while the recently renovated Tatsumi Swimming Centre, which is set to host water polo, will be available for use from mid-August.

Brees doubles COVID-19 donation to $10 million

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees upped his contribution to communities in Louisiana impacted by the coronavirus pandemic from $5 million to $10 million. Brees and his wife, Brittany, announced Monday that their commitment is in direct response to the pressing need from healthcare centers and communities hit hard by COVID-19.

Nets' Irving launches fund to assist WNBA players

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has committed $1.5 million to support WNBA players who decided to skip the 2020 season for health, personal, professional, or safety-related reasons. The fund is being administered by the KAI Empowerment Initiative, which Irving launched Monday. The NBA veteran contributed all of the money.

Kenya's Cheruiyot ready to hunt for glory on the track again

Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot, the 1,500 metres world champion, is hoping to return to competitive running next month after a hiatus caused by the coronavirus crisis. Cheruiyot, a three-time Diamond League winner, has targeted the Aug. 14 Monaco race of the same series as his return date. He plans to run in at least three more races before the end of the year.

MLB postpones games in Miami, Philadelphia due to COVID-19

Major League Baseball's coronavirus-delayed season hit a serious snag less than a week after it began as it postponed games scheduled for Monday in Miami and Philadelphia due to COVID-19 related concerns. The Miami Marlins, who opened their season Friday in Philadelphia, were scheduled to return home on Sunday ahead of their scheduled Monday home opener but put off traveling after a number of their players tested positive for the virus.

Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls signing-day jersey to go up for auction

The NBA basketball jersey given to Michael Jordan on the day in 1984 when he first signed with the Chicago Bulls will go up for auction in December, Julien's Auctions announced on Monday. The red and white jersey emblazoned with Jordan's name and the number 23 is expected to fetch between $200,000 and $400,000, the auction house said.

Qatar interested in hosting Olympics, possibly in 2032

Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, announced on Monday it would also like to stage the Olympics, possibly in 2032. The Gulf Arab state's Olympic committee said it submitted a request to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join the phase of "continuous dialogue" about hosting a future Games.

(With inputs from agencies.)