Reuters Sports News Summary

A host of top athletes, including world 100 metres champion Christian Coleman, have been sanctioned by the Athletics Integrity Unit in recent years as it looks to restore integrity in a sport plagued by doping scandals. League preaches 'flexibility' ahead of unprecedented season The NBA will take a flexible approach into the 2020-21 season that begins on Tuesday, with protocols in place that Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum feels will allow games to be played safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Cuomo: NY considering limited fans for Bills' playoff game

New York state officials are evaluating a proposal by the Buffalo Bills that would allow 6,700 fans at their home playoff game next month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. The Bills, winners of the AFC East title, will host their first home playoff game since 1995. Bills Stadium has been without fans all season. Opening-night rosters feature 107 international players

Opening night rosters for the National Basketball Association's 2020-21 season, which begins later on Tuesday, will feature 107 international players from 41 countries, including a record 17 from Canada, according to the league. Canada remains the most represented country outside of the United States for a seventh consecutive year with 17 players, followed by France (nine), Australia (eight) Serbia and Germany (six players each). Devils sign G Blackwood to three-year, $8.4M contract

The New Jersey Devils re-signed restricted free agent goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to a three-year, $8.4 million contract, the team announced Wednesday. Blackwood, 24, will earn $1.475 million in 2020-21, $2.8 million in 2021-22 and $4.125 million in the final season. Air Force, Navy to play on 20th anniversary of September 11

Air Force and Navy have altered the date of next year's game to Sept. 11, a decision that recognizes the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The teams originally were scheduled to play on Oct. 2. League postpones Thunder-Rockets game due to COVID-19

The National Basketball Association postponed Wednesday's game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets after three Rockets players returned tests that were either positive or inconclusive for COVID-19. Four other players are quarantined due to contact tracing and Rockets All-Star guard James Harden would have been unavailable for the game because of a violation of the Health and Safety Protocols, the league said in a statement. Sun's doping ban referred back to CAS after appeal

Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has had his eight-year ban for doping violations referred back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after an appeal to a Swiss court, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said in a statement late on Wednesday. Sun was banned for eight years by CAS in February after it accepted an appeal from WADA against a decision by swimming body FINA to clear Sun of wrongdoing for his conduct during a 2018 test.

Reputation will not protect athletes from doping ban, says Coe World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said reputation will not protect the sport's high-profile athletes from doping raps and warned that it would be harder than ever to get away with taking banned substances at next year's Tokyo Olympics. A host of top athletes, including world 100 metres champion Christian Coleman, have been sanctioned by the Athletics Integrity Unit in recent years as it looks to restore integrity in a sport plagued by doping scandals.

League preaches 'flexibility' ahead of unprecedented season The NBA will take a flexible approach into the 2020-21 season that begins on Tuesday, with protocols in place that Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum feels will allow games to be played safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. After finishing last season at Disney World in a so-called "bubble" designed to keep inhabitants safe from COVID-19, the NBA's 30 teams will resume traveling between cities for games even as the coronavirus outbreak continues to swell nationwide.

Maradona autopsy shows no drink or illegal drugs Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona did not consume alcohol or illicit narcotics in the days before his death, an autopsy released on Wednesday said. Maradona, who died in November aged 60, had taken seven different medicines to treat depression, anxiety and other ailments but "there was no presence of (illegal) drugs," a judicial official told Reuters.

Formula One in talks with Amazon to stream races - report Formula One is in talks with Amazon over deals to stream its Grand Prix races, Financial Times reported on Wednesday. "They're an incredibly important potential partner and an opportunity for us to expand and grow our business," Chase Carey, F1's chief executive, told the Financial Times.