Sports News Roundup: Augusta National focusing on changes to community not course; Lakers to start 2020-21 season without fans in stands and more

NBA to cut season to allow players to compete in Tokyo: IOC Team owners and the NBA players' association have agreed on a shortened season to allow players from the world's best league to compete in next year's Tokyo Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Augusta National focusing on changes to community not course

Instead of changes to its famous golf course, Augusta National will this year put its energy and financial muscle into developing underprivileged local communities that have faced added hardship from COVID-19 and race issues. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley announced on Wednesday at his annual pre-Masters news conference that the club and its partners will make a combined $10 million contribution that will help spur the redevelopment of neighborhoods.

Lakers to start 2020-21 season without fans in stands

First the Los Angeles Lakers were forced to skip a championship parade and now they are asking their fans to wait even longer for an up-close-and-personal gathering. The defending NBA champions announced Wednesday that they will start the 2020-21 season without fans at their home arena, Staples Center, and then assess the situation as the season progresses.

Soggy Masters on tap as unique major season wraps up

Players applying late finishing touches to their Masters preparations were forced to cut things short when thunderstorms rolled in on Wednesday afternoon, setting the stage for a soggy start to a tournament 19 long months in the making. A handful of players were still on the course at 3 p.m. local time when the siren wailed to signal dangerous approaching weather, among them Matt Kuchar, who casually strolled up the 18th hole in the company of a couple of friends.

Tennis: German Lisicki faces difficult comeback after knee surgery

Former Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki of Germany faces another lengthy wait outside the courts after undergoing surgery for a knee injury she suffered at the start of the week in a WTA event in Austria. Lisicki, who lost to Marion Bartoli in the 2013 Wimbledon final, returned to the circuit in August after spending a year on the sidelines to recover from glandular fever.

Doping: Athletes demand reforms as WADA meets

Athlete groups renewed calls for further reforms of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as the embattled body began virtual executive committee and Foundation Board meetings on Wednesday. Governance reforms are at the top of the agenda, which includes an update on Russia's appeal against a four-year ban before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, that the executive committee will tackle followed by the Foundation Board.

A Masters without fans leaves businesses in the rough

Fans with Masters tickets may be disappointed that this year's tournament is being played without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but spare a thought for how local businesses are coping. A city that normally buzzes during Masters week as thousands of visitors open their wallets and spend freely in hotels, restaurants and well beyond the hospitality industry, is this year going about its business much as it does in any other week.

NBA to cut season to allow players to compete in Tokyo: IOC

Team owners and the NBA players' association have agreed on a shortened season to allow players from the world's best league to compete in next year's Tokyo Olympic Games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday. "The owners of NBA teams have agreed with the players' association on an early and shortened NBA season starting on Dec. 22," Bach told a news conference.

Athletes arriving for Tokyo Olympics do not have to isolate for 14 days, organisers say

Athletes who arrive in Japan to participate in the Tokyo Olympics will not have to isolate for the required 14 days after arrival, Olympic organisers said on Thursday. The 2020 Games were delayed by a year to 2021 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, a costly postponement that still has many moving parts given the continued spread of the virus.

CAS decision on Russia ban must be unambiguous: IOC's Bach

A verdict by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Russia's appeal of a four-year ban over doping must be unambiguous so it is implemented ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. Russia was sanctioned last year after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) concluded that Moscow had planted fake evidence and deleted files linked to positive doping tests in laboratory data that could have helped identify drug cheats.

VanVleet: 'Time to cash out' in free agency

With NBA free agency set to begin next week, coveted guard Fred VanVleet has his eyes set on breaking the bank. "I'm trying to get paid, man," VanVleet said in an appearance on JJ Redick's "The Old Man and the Three" podcast. "I'm not shy about that."

(With inputs from agencies.)