Sports News Roundup: Chadwick to go off-road with Veloce in Extreme E; Australian Open delay 'most likely', says state minister and more

Australian Open delay 'most likely', says state minister The Australian Open is likely to be delayed by a week or two as negotiations between organisers, the tennis tours and the Victoria government over health measures continue, the state's sports minister said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Best-case scenario for Games is venues full of spectators: Tokyo governor

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said on Tuesday that the best case scenario for the 2020 Olympics postponed until next year is to have venues full of spectators, as organisers wrestle with how to plan for the Games amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. With COVID-19 infections on the rise in many countries around the world, Olympics organizers have yet to decide whether to allow spectators into venues next year and if so, how many.

Italy ready for World Championships, with or without spectators-organizer

Italy is prepared to hold the 2021 World Ski Championships in Cortina D'Ampezzo even with few or no fans on the ground due to COVID-19, the head of the organising body said on Wednesday, dismissing fears the event may be cancelled due to the pandemic. Italian businessman and Cortina 2021 Foundation President Alessandro Benetton said organizers were working with maximum flexibility to host the championships under whichever format would be compatible with the health situation in Italy.

Baseball-Hawks secure fourth consecutive NPB crown

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks clinched their fourth consecutive Nippon Professional Baseball title with a 4-1 victory over the Yomiuri Giants, completing a four-game sweep in the Japan Series. Two-run home runs from Yuki Yanagita in the first inning and Takuya Kai in the second backed a strong performance by veteran left-hand pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada, ensuring a Hawks sweep in the championship series for the second consecutive year.

Tennis-Murray joins calls for domestic abuse policy in tennis

Former world number one Andy Murray has joined Novak Djokovic in urging men's tennis governing body ATP to come up with a policy on domestic abuse following allegations made against German Alexander Zverev by his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova. In an interview, former tennis player Sharypova said Zverev was emotionally and physically abusive to her. The U.S. Open runner-up has repeatedly denied the allegations.

Players must be able to train ahead of Australian Open: Medvedev

ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev says players health will be at risk if quarantine restrictions prevent them from playing or practising in the run-up to the Australian Open. Organisers are in talks with the Victoria state government over the protocols to be put in place for those arriving in Australia for the first Grand Slam of the year.

Obituary: Argentine soccer genius Maradona saw heaven and hell

World soccer great Diego Armando Maradona, who died on Wednesday less than a month after his 60th birthday, was worshipped like a god for his genius with the ball, but his demons almost destroyed him. Maradona had died after suffering a heart attack at his home in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, those close to him confirmed.

Argentina soccer legend Maradona dies of heart attack

Argentina soccer legend Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the game's greatest ever players, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, his lawyer said. Maradona, 60, had recently battled health issues and underwent emergency surgery for a subdural haematoma several weeks ago.

Olympics-IOC sanctions Romanian 2012 Games medallists over steroid use

The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday stripped two Romanian weightlifting athletes of their medals from the 2012 Olympic Games and disqualified a third over the use of anabolic steroids. Roxana Cocos, who won silver in the women's 69kg category, and team mate Razvan Martin, a bronze medallist in the men's category of the same weight tested positive for stanozolol among other substances in re-tests of samples ordered by the IOC.

Australian Open delay 'most likely', says state minister

The Australian Open is likely to be delayed by a week or two as negotiations between organizers, the tennis tours, and the Victoria government over health measures continue, the state's sports minister said on Wednesday. Tennis Australia (TA) on Saturday dismissed as "speculation" a report that the Grand Slam would be moved back from its scheduled Jan. 18-31 spot in the calendar.

Chadwick to go off-road with Veloce in Extreme E

Jamie Chadwick, the first champion in the all-female W Series, has been bitten by the rally bug after testing the electric SUV she will race for the Veloce team in Extreme E next year. The new electric off-road series, which aims to raise awareness about climate change, starts up in the Saudi Arabian desert in March, with further rounds in Senegal, Greenland, Brazil, and Argentina.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)