Sports News Roundup: UCI president believes in Tour 'miracle'; NBA star LeBron James emerges as potent political force and more

It was the first doubleheader in the history of Milwaukee's Miller Park after both clubs mutually agreed to boycott Wednesday's contest in the wake of the unrest and violence following Sunday's police shooting of black 29-year-old Jacob Blake in nearby Kenosha, Wis. NHL postpones games, joins waves of protests against racial injustice The National Hockey League said it has postponed playoff games that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday, joining similar moves by other leagues in protest over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin on Sunday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

UCI president believes in Tour 'miracle'

International Cycling Union (UCI) president David Lappartient is confident that the Tour de France can be completed despite concerns over a possible second wave of the coronavirus in the country. The number of new daily cases has been rising steadily since the beginning of the month, prompting the UCI to enforce strict rules to help protect riders during the three-week race.

NBA star LeBron James emerges as potent political force ahead of November U.S. election

Two years after a conservative commentator told LeBron James to "shut up and dribble," the NBA star has become an increasingly influential political force as issues of racial justice and voter suppression move to the forefront in the November presidential election. James, an outspoken activist and frequent critic of President Donald Trump, helped form a group that will spend millions of dollars to battle voter disenfranchisement in predominantly Black communities ahead of the Nov. 3 election between the Republican Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.

MLB roundup: Reds post DH sweep of Brewers

Wade Miley allowed one hit over four strong innings, while Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker provided offensive help as the visiting Cincinnati Reds completed a doubleheader sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers with a 6-0 win in Thursday's nightcap. Castellanos and Winker each had an RBI double, while Reds righty Lucas Sims (2-0) pitched two hitless innings of relief to get the win to complete a 4-6 road trip. It was the first doubleheader in the history of Milwaukee's Miller Park after both clubs mutually agreed to boycott Wednesday's contest in the wake of the unrest and violence following Sunday's police shooting of black 29-year-old Jacob Blake in nearby Kenosha, Wis.

NHL postpones games, joins waves of protests against racial injustice

The National Hockey League said it has postponed playoff games that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday, joining similar moves by other leagues in protest over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin on Sunday. The decision impacts all the eight remaining playoff teams, starting with Thursday games between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, and the Vancouver Canucks and Vegas Golden Knights.

NBA ready to resume games after players' racial injustice boycott

The National Basketball Association (NBA) said on Thursday it hopes to resume play in a day or two after a boycott by players protesting racial injustice and police brutality, while President Donald Trump denounced the league. NBA Executive Vice President Mike Bass said the league is "hopeful" it will resume games Friday or Saturday after the protest, which was sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and led to game cancellations in other sports as well.

Golf: European Tour set for Cyprus double-header in rejigged schedule

The European Tour on Friday announced three more tournaments as part of their revamped 2020 schedule, including its first trip to Cyprus for two consecutive events. Tour officials also confirmed the cancellation of this year's Turkish Airlines Open and the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa.

Henin sure Clijsters can cause trouble in New York

Only one year separates the best two tennis players ever to come out of Belgium but one of them will be competing at her first Grand Slam since 2012 next week, aged 37, while the other offers her expertise as a TV pundit. Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Kim Clijsters stunned the tennis world when she announced her second comeback to the Tour this year and no-one was more surprised than seven-time major champion Justine Henin.

IOC, IPC thank "Super-Mario" Abe for Tokyo vision

Olympic officials thanked outgoing Japanese premier Shinzo Abe on Friday for his commitment to bringing the Games to Tokyo and said they would work closely with his successor as Japan bids to overcome the coronavirus pandemic to hold the event next year. Abe, 65, announced his resignation due to poor health on Friday three weeks after what should have been his crowning glory - the closing ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Racial injustice hits home for U.S. athletes

When former NBA star Robert Horry's son showed him the video of a police officer shooting Jacob Blake in the back in Wisconsin on Sunday, he said he felt compelled to remind the teenager of the dangers he could face when encountering the police. "It's hard to tell your 14-year-old son that I worry about him when he walks out that door. I have a 22-year-old son and I worry about him because Black men are an endangered species," he said fighting back tears.

World Cup winner Rapinoe opts out of NWSL fall series

Two-times World Cup winner and OL Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe is opting out of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) fall series starting next month, the Washington-based franchise said in a statement https://www.olreign.com/news/2020/8/27/ol-reign-fall-series-roster-update on Friday. U.S. international Rapinoe is among 10 Reign players who are not available for the tournament, which is scheduled to start on Sept. 5.