Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Former Canadiens All-Star Markov retires

Former NHL All-Star Andrei Markov announced his retirement from hockey on Thursday. Markov's agent, Sergey Isakov, told Montreal-based La Presse of Markov's decision. Olympics: Ambition deferred, Chalmers eyes greatness at 'biggest' Games

Kyle Chalmers stunned the swimming world when he stormed to gold in the 100 metres freestyle at the Rio Olympics and the Australian believes greatness awaits if he can retain his title in Tokyo next year. The 21-year-old said he took a while to digest the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics because of the COVID-19 pandemic but is convinced that the delay will only further raise the profile of the global gathering. Motor racing: Andretti Autosport to race in inaugural Extreme E season

U.S.-based Andretti Autosport has signed up as the sixth team to race in Extreme E next year, the electric off-road SUV racing series announced on Friday. The Michael Andretti-led outfit has won the Indianapolis 500 five times and taken four IndyCar series titles. It also runs the BMW i Andretti team in the all-electric Formula E championship. USADA adapts in COVID-19 era with self-administered doping tests

The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) says a new self-administered doping test could help protect clean athletes, as the agency tries to ensure no one gets a "free pass" from reduced testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes were able to administer the blood and urine tests themselves while being monitored live by a doping control officer via FaceTime or Zoom in the voluntary pilot program, USADA said. Vettel takes step towards world of virtual racing

Sebastian Vettel has never been one for social media or had much time for esports but even the four-times world champion has shifted his stance, however slightly, under Formula One's coronavirus lockdown. Although the 32-year-old Ferrari driver is still not remotely tempted by Twitter or Instagram, he has acquired a gaming rig. Just how much the German uses it remains to be seen. Olympics: Straight shooter Adams expects records to fall in Tokyo

Australian skeet shooter Paul Adams learned he had made the team for the Tokyo Olympics on Friday and while he will have to wait until 2021 to compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic he says the postponement will only make athletes hungrier for success. The International Olympic Committee and Japanese government finally succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world last month when they agreed to put back the Games by a year. Tennis: Kokkinakis battling back to fitness after glandular fever bout

Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis says he is just trying to stay in shape after coming through a bout of glandular fever that saw him shed 10kg and left him unable to breathe while sleeping. The South Australian, who underlined his potential when he defeated Roger Federer in Miami in 2018, was forced to miss the year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne due to the illness. Highly unlikely U.S. Open would be held without fans: USTA head

The organizers of the U.S. Open said on Thursday a decision on whether to hold the Grand Slam this year amid the coronavirus outbreak will be made in June, and playing it without fans is on the table but highly unlikely. The U.S. Open, which is scheduled to run from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13, is both the largest and loudest of the four Grand Slam events on the tennis calendar and United States Tennis Association (USTA) chief executive Mike Dowse does not anticipate that changing. Jordan talks 'Last Dance,' Bulls final season

Days before the premiere of ESPN's "The Last Dance" documentary series, Michael Jordan opened up Thursday about the final season of his Chicago Bulls tenure in 1997-98, the central focus of the 10-part series. Jordan told "Good Morning America" that the name of the series, which debuts Sunday on ESPN, comes directly from a message that head coach Phil Jackson gave the team before the campaign. E-sports pull in more viewers as coronavirus halts live sports matches

Sports fans and players across the world frustrated by canceled matches because of the coronavirus epidemic are turning to e-sports, with professional real-world athletes joining virtual game tournaments of football, auto racing and basketball. "We've seen a dramatic increase in viewership" for e-sports broadcasts, said Todd Sitrin, senior vice president of Electronic Arts Inc's Competitive Gaming Division, adding that the maker of battle-royale sensation "Apex Legends" saw an increase of two to three times its normal viewership in the first quarter of 2020.