Sports News Roundup: Motor racing-Same champions, new winners in strangest F1 season; NFL says no local bubbles for playoffs and more

The show goes on, let's get it." Olympic flame will still visit every corner of Japan - organisers The Olympic flame will still visit all of Japan's 47 prefectures during the torch relay starting on March 25, organisers said on Tuesday, sticking to the original plan before the Games were postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motor racing-Same champions, new winners in strangest F1 season

Formula One's pandemic-hit season was packed with novelty and surprises, even if Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes retained their titles in record style and by massive margins once racing returned. The strangest of campaigns crammed 17 races, instead of the record 22 originally envisaged, into little more than five months from July with four triple-headers.

Cycling-Pogacar leads young guns' charge in pandemic-hit season

Cycling managed to deliver an exhilarating, action-packed season that saw the younger generation, led by Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, take power despite the season being shortened by the new coronavirus pandemic. There was a 4-1/2 month hiatus due to restrictions aimed at containing COVID-19 but four of the five 'Monument' classics and 18 of 33 World Tour races plus all three grands tours were held.

NFL says no local bubbles for playoffs

The NFL issued a memo Tuesday night informing teams they will not be allowed to force players and personnel to stay in a localized bubble during the upcoming postseason. The decision keeps in place the league's current COVID-19 protocols, which were recently reinforced to much improved numbers. Testing for the period from Dec. 6-12 found 14 players tested positive, along with 31 from other team personnel. Last week, there were 18 positive tests among players and 27 among other personnel -- a drop from about 75 each of the previous two weeks.

MLB owners, players at odds about season start

A disagreement between Major League Baseball owners and players over COVID-19 protocols is brewing and could put the start of spring training in question, USA Today reported Tuesday. On one side are team officials, who want players and team staff to be vaccinated against the virus before reporting to Arizona and Florida training sites -- even if that means a delay to the start of the season and fewer games.

'You're scared to fight me', rants YouTuber Paul in bizarre McGregor call-out

YouTuber-turned-amateur boxer Jake Paul pulled no punches on Tuesday as he called out Ireland's former UFC champion and king of trash talk Conor McGregor in a foul-mouthed tirade that sent social media into a frenzy. Paul, fresh off a brutal knockout of former NBA point guard Nate Robinson, offered McGregor $50 million to step into the ring.

Raiders lose Ruggs III to COVID-19 reserve list

At 7-6, the Las Vegas Raiders are very much on the AFC playoff bubble, and they're currently on the outside of the postseason structure looking in with three games remaining. Their run at a wild card got more difficult Tuesday as the Raiders placed rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Federer not sure he'll be ready for Australian Open

Roger Federer said his right knee is still not 100 percent, casting doubt on his availability for the Australian Open. The 20-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since knee surgery in February. The 39-year-old had a second procedure in June.

'This is my home': Antetokounmpo signs extension with Bucks

Reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has signed a five-year contract extension to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks, the 26-year-old said on Tuesday. "This is my home, this is my city," Antetokounmpo wrote on Twitter. "I'm blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let's make these years count. The show goes on, let's get it." Olympic flame will still visit every corner of Japan - organisers

The Olympic flame will still visit all of Japan's 47 prefectures during the torch relay starting on March 25, organisers said on Tuesday, sticking to the original plan before the Games were postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Days before the torch relay was due to begin in March this year, the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government took the unprecedented decision to postpone the Games.

Astros take villain role, Dodgers snap title drought

The Houston Astros being exposed as cheats, a Miami Marlins COVID-19 outbreak that raised speculation about the season being cancelled and a stacked Los Angeles Dodgers team snapping a 32-year title drought dominated MLB headlines in 2020. Houston took on the villain role in January when an MLB investigation found the Astros stole pitch signs from opposing team's catchers during their World Series-winning 2017 campaign, news which rocked the baseball offseason.