Sports News Roundup: Fauci to throw out first pitch at Nationals opener as MLB kicks off season; NBA, MLS say no new positive COVID-19 tests and more

NBA, MLS say no new positive COVID-19 tests The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Soccer (MLS) said on Monday no new positive COVID-19 cases were uncovered in the latest rounds of testing at their respective bubble-like campuses at Disney World in Florida.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Fauci to throw out first pitch at Nationals opener as MLB kicks off season

Top U.S. infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci will throw out the first pitch at Major League Baseball's Opening Day game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees on Thursday. A diehard Nationals fan, Fauci will kick off an unusual MLB season that has been shortened to 60 games and will start without fans in attendance, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

NBA, MLS say no new positive COVID-19 tests

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Soccer (MLS) said on Monday no new positive COVID-19 cases were uncovered in the latest rounds of testing at their respective bubble-like campuses at Disney World in Florida. When the NBA, which will resume its season on July 30 at Disney World without spectators, released its previous COVID-19 update a week ago, it said two of the 322 players who had arrived at the campus since July 7 had tested positive. But none of the 346 players tested since July 13 were positive.

Olympics: A year to go, rearranged Tokyo Games still shrouded in uncertainty

Tokyo 2020 organizers will host celebrations marking the one-year countdown to the Olympics on Thursday but with the postponed Games still shrouded in uncertainty, they are sure to be more muted than the first attempt 12 months ago. On July 24 last year, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach presided over a glitzy ceremony in the Japanese capital and declared Tokyo the best-prepared host city he had ever seen.

NFL reportedly offers to scrap preseason

The NFL is prepared to cancel all preseason games in exchange for expanding the no-hitting "acclimation" period at training camp from seven days to 18 days, multiple media outlets reported Monday. The NFL Players Association did not immediately accept the proposal, according to multiple reports.

Report: RB Mostert, 49ers back on speaking terms

San Francisco running back Raheem Mostert is ready to run for the 49ers. The two sides had a sitdown to settle a trade request that came from Mostert's agent, who told NFL Network he hopes the discussion with a "high-ranking official" from the 49ers will help to develop a clearer picture of his client's future with the team.

Collins 'dismissed' from World TeamTennis over COVID-19 protocol breach

American Danielle Collins has been dismissed from the World TeamTennis event in West Virginia for breaking COVID-19 protocols, organizers said on Tuesday. One of only a few live sports events allowing fans in North America to attend amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the entire three-week regular season of the WTT is being held at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. Latest NHL results show two positive tests

Two players tested positive for the coronavirus during the first week of training camp, the NHL said Monday. The league administered 2,618 tests to more than 800 players from July 13-17.

Los Alamitos allowed to remain open despite spate of horse deaths

Southern California's Los Alamitos race track will be allowed to remain open despite a recent spike in horse deaths after a state regulatory board accepted its safety plan on Monday. Thirty-one horses have died at the track near Los Angeles either during training or racing or from illnesses since the beginning of the year, more than the double number that perished over the same time period a year ago.

Copa Libertadores to restart on Sept 15

The Copa Libertadores, South America's equivalent of the Champions League, is to restart on Sept. 15 after a six-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Monday. Four group ties will take place on Sept. 15, followed by five a day later and another seven on Sept. 17.

Giants' Kapler becomes first manager to kneel during anthem

The San Francisco Giants' Gabe Kapler became the first major league manager to kneel during the national anthem, joining a number of his players in the action before a Monday night road exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics. According to multiple media reports, other Giants who took a knee were outfielders Austin Slater, Jaylin Davis, and Mike Yastrzemski as well as first base coach Antoan Richardson.