Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Weightlifting: Federation plagued by decades of corruption, says investigation

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) was plagued by decades of corruption orchestrated by autocratic former president Tamas Ajan, said Richard McLaren after he led an independent investigation into the governing body. McLaren, the Canadian law professor whose findings in July 2016 led to Russia being banned from all international athletic competitions, including the Rio Olympics, told reporters on Thursday that the IWF was rife with corruption. Nadal says he would not travel to U.S. Open in present circumstances

Ordinarily Rafa Nadal would likely be closing in on a 13th French Open title this week. Instead, he is home in Mallorca trying to make sense of a world that feels anything but normal. Tennis is on hold until at least the start of August because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while there have been positive noises about the prospects of the U.S. Open taking place, followed by the French Open, Nadal served a dose of reality. Olympics: Tokyo exec says make Games decision in spring - Kyodo

A Tokyo 2020 executive board member said on Friday organisers will need to monitor the novel coronavirus situation until next spring before deciding whether to go ahead with the Summer Olympics, Kyodo News reported. The comment by lawmaker Toshiaki Endo, one of six vice presidents on the board and a former Olympics minister, marks the first time an organising committee executive has remarked on the timing for a decision on the Games, the news agency said. NHL: Penguins say player has recovered from COVID-19

The Pittsburgh Penguins, who would be part of the approved NHL playoff format should the season resume, said on Thursday one of their players tested positive for COVID-19 but has recovered. The Penguins did not identify the player but said he was not in Pittsburgh and had been in isolation at his home since first experiencing symptoms. NBA approves plan to resume season in July at Disney World

The NBA's Board of Governors have approved a plan to restart the suspended season with a tentative July 31 start at Disney World in Florida amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league said on Thursday. The plan would see 22 of the NBA's 30 teams play eight seeding games to determine a 16-team playoff field that would follow the traditional post-season format with four best-of-seven series that would crown a champion no later than Oct. 12. Drew Brees apologises for kneeling comments

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees issued a lengthy apology on Thursday for comments he made about kneeling protests being disrespectful to the American flag that drew criticism on social media. Brees was asked during an appearance on Yahoo Finance's On the Move on Wednesday about the possibility of players protesting against racial injustice by kneeling during the anthem when the NFL's 2020 season kicks off in September. NHL: League clears way for players to resume training next week

The National Hockey League (NHL) on Thursday took another step towards resuming the season during the COVID-19 pandemic by announcing teams will be allowed to reopen training facilities from next week. Starting on Monday, players from all 31 teams can participate in individualized training activities, the NHL said in outlining Phase 2 of its 'Return to Play Plan'. Olympics: Tokyo exec says must watch virus situation for Games decision - Kyodo

A Tokyo 2020 executive board member said on Friday that organisers will need to monitor the coronavirus situation until next spring to decide whether to hold the Summer Olympics next year, Kyodo News reported. The comment by lawmaker Toshiaki Endo, one of six vice presidents on the board and a former Olympics minister, marks the first time an executive from the organising committee has commented on the timing for a decision on going through with the Games, the news agency said. MLB players union reaffirms stance against further pay cuts

The union representing Major League Baseball players said on Thursday its membership is against further salary reductions being sought by the league, which could hamper plans to get the season up and running during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MLB Players Association and MLB have been trying to find common ground for weeks on a return-to-play plan for the 2020 season but have been unable to reach agreement in key areas like player compensation and the length of the season. Montgomerie welcomes European Tour return despite smaller prize pots

Colin Montgomerie has welcomed the return of golf's European Tour in July amid the COVID-19 pandemic but says he feels sorry for younger players due to the less lucrative schedule. Golf's calendar has been decimated by the novel coronavirus outbreak, with three of the sport's four majors rescheduled and the British Open cancelled.