Sports News Roundup: Australian Open pushed back three weeks into February; LB Correa leaves Jaguars for personal reasons and more

As the draw was made for the 2023 World Cup in France with several teams, including champions South Africa, not having played a game since the last tournament 13 months ago due to COVID-19, French president Emmanuel Macron acclaimed the event and the sport for its ability to heal his country's wounds.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Australian Open pushed back three weeks into February

The 2021 Australian Open will be pushed back three weeks due to COVID-19 precautions, with the first Grand Slam event of the calendar year now set to be contested in February. An updated ATP Tour calendar has the Melbourne event now starting Feb. 8 as a part of a revision to the first seven weeks of the schedule.

LB Correa leaves Jaguars for personal reasons

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Kamalei Correa's crazy season took another turn on Thursday when the team placed him on the exempt/left squad list. The departure was due to personal reasons.

Olympics-Breakdancing included in Paris 2024 to reach out to youth - Games Chief

The inclusion of breakdancing at the 2024 Olympics may been surprising but organisers were drawn to the sport's potential to attract a younger fanbase and grow the Olympic audience in the internet age, Paris Games chief Tony Estanguet said. Breakdancing was one of four new sports to win a spot at the Games in Paris - alongside surfing, skateboarding and sports climbing - after the International Olympic Committee ratified their inclusion earlier this month.

NHL-Lightning crowned champions, Lundqvist era ends, Kraken released

The Tampa Bay Lightning secured a long-awaited Stanley Cup in 2020, Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist's stellar career with the New York Rangers ended and the NHL officially welcomed the Seattle Kraken amid a season unlike any before due to COVID-19. After years of hype and expectations followed by two months in isolation, the juggernaut Lightning finally avenged past playoff disappointments when they capped a surreal season with a Stanley Cup triumph in September.

American investors hope to buy Burnley before transfer window

American investors ALK Capital are aiming to complete their purchase of Premier League club Burnley in time to strengthen the Lancashire club's squad during the January transfer window, a source close to the bid told Reuters on Thursday. Burnley moved out of the bottom three with a goalless draw at Aston Villa on Thursday, following up their 1-0 away win at Arsenal on Sunday with another clean sheet and extending their unbeaten run to three games.

Sailing-Better day for Ainslie's INEOS at America's Cup World Series

Ben Ainslie's Team INEOS UK produced a much better display in the America's Cup World Series on Friday, shaking off two poor performances and a war of words with defenders Team New Zealand (TNZ) a day earlier. 'Britannia' was woefully off the pace on Thursday's opening day of competitive racing for the AC75 foiling monohulls in Auckland and were forced to abandon their second race when one of their foil cant arms locked in place.

Rugby-Concussion case casts dark cloud over the sport

The rugby year ended with the sport excitedly looking ahead to the next World Cup while bracing for a potentially seismic challenge to the very fabric of the game through a legal case citing negligence over concussion. As the draw was made for the 2023 World Cup in France with several teams, including champions South Africa, not having played a game since the last tournament 13 months ago due to COVID-19, French president Emmanuel Macron acclaimed the event and the sport for its ability to heal his country's wounds.

Zahabi out of Fight Night after positive COVID-19 test

UFC's final event of 2020 has been altered again by a positive test for COVID-19. Bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi is off the UFC Fight Night 183 card due to a positive test that he announced on social media on Thursday. Zahabi was scheduled to fight Drako Rodriguez, but tested positive for the virus in a pre-flight test before leaving for Las Vegas and is symptomatic.

Russia's Olympic doping ban halved, but flag barred from next two Games

Russian athletes will be barred from competing at major international events, including the Olympics, under the country's flag until 2022 after a Swiss court on Thursday upheld doping sanctions but halved the original four-year ban. The ruling will leave Russian athletes without their flag and national anthem at next year's Tokyo Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and at the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar, a severe blow to Russian sport which has been tarnished in recent years by a string of doping scandals.

Panthers RB McCaffrey doubtful to play vs. Packers

Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey is listed as doubtful for this weekend's game against the Green Bay Packers, the team announced Thursday. The quad injury will prevent McCaffrey from playing for the second consecutive week for the Panthers (4-9), who visit the Packers (10-3) at Lambeau Field. Kickoff is 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.