Sports News Roundup: Players building counter to MLB's pay-cut proposal; F1 team to be limited to 80 people each and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Players building counter to MLB's pay-cut proposal

Upset with MLB's economic offer to players, the Major League Baseball Players Association soon will present a counteroffer to owners that includes a schedule of more than 100 games and an accompanying prorated cut in pay, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Thursday. Major League Baseball presented the players union with a revised economic plan for the yet-to-start 2020 season on Tuesday, proposing a sliding-scale of pay cuts, with the top-paid stars due to take the biggest hits. The proposal was MLB's attempt to revise the year's finances based on shifting realities amid the coronavirus pandemic, which caused spring training to shut down in mid-March and has led to Opening Day being postponed indefinitely.

F1 teams to be limited to 80 people each at closed races

Formula One's 10 teams will be limited to a maximum 80 people each at races held without spectators when the delayed season gets going in July. Revised 2020 sporting regulations published by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) detailed the conditions for such 'closed events'.

On this day: Born May 29, 1939: Al Unser Sr., American racing driver

When Al Unser took a show car off the floor of a hotel lobby and drove it to victory at the 1987 Indianapolis 500 he not only joined the Brickyard's most exclusive club of four-time winners but cemented his place as one of motor racing's all-time greats. "He's one of the top five racers who has ever lived," raved Mario Andretti, in an ESPN interview.

"Nobody had race savvy like Al Unser in his prime," IOC says record high female representation on commissions

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says women now account for almost half of the membership of its various commissions, an all-time high in the organisation's drive for gender equality. Across the 30 IOC commissions, 47.7% of the positions are held by women, up from 45.4% in 2019.

Cavendish's Tour chances hit by season suspension, says Ellingworth

Mark Cavendish's chances of being selected to race at this year's Tour de France have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as he has not had time to prove his form and fitness, Bahrain-McLaren general manager Rod Ellingworth said. Cavendish, who has won 30 Tour de France stages, has struggled with injuries the last couple of years and missed the 2019 Tour after being left out of the Dimension Data squad.

ON THIS DAY -- MAY 29 May 29

1991 Dressed for French Open, Kvitova wins all-Czech crown on return to action

World number 12 Petra Kvitova returned to court dressed for the French Open but was happy to triumph in the women's draw at an all-Czech tournament on Thursday as the sports world starts to slowly return from the novel coronavirus shutdown. The Prague tournament - played among the top Czech men's and women's players but without fans and with ball boys and girls wearing gloves and face masks - was one of the first after professional tennis was suspended in early March as the world went into lockdown to contain the spread of the virus.

Hall delays Bryant's enshrinement ceremony due to COVID-19

The Basketball Hall of Fame's enshrinement ceremony for the Class of 2020, a group that includes the late Kobe Bryant, has been delayed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to ESPN. The enshrinement ceremony for the nine-member group, which also includes Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, was scheduled for Aug. 29 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Women's sport faces generational loss from COVID-19 cuts: New Zealand agency

Women's sport might need a generation to get back recent gains if it is left "by the wayside" during the COVID-19 pandemic as organizations focus on getting men's competitions back on track, the head of a New Zealand women's advocacy agency told Reuters. Rachel Froggatt, chief executive of Women in Sport Aotearoa, said that while the New Zealand government had pledged support for women's sport the coronavirus shutdown threatened to stifle the momentum of the last few years.

Golf: European Tour to resume on July 22 with British Masters

Golf's European Tour, suspended since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume with the British Masters on July 22 as part of a six-tournament run in the United Kingdom, the tour's governing body said on Thursday. Events will take place without fans in attendance and strict health protocols in place.