Reuters Sports News Summary

Belarus stripped of ice hockey world championship after crackdown on protesters Belarus has been stripped of the right to co-host this year's ice hockey world championship due to safety concerns over political unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic there, the sport's governing body said on Monday, in a blow to President Alexander Lukashenko.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Report: Kyrie Irving to miss seventh straight game on Monday

Kyrie Irving won't play Monday night when the Brooklyn Nets host the Milwaukee Bucks, ESPN reported. Irving had been listed as questionable. He hasn't played since Jan. 5 and is working on his conditioning. Ohio State QB Justin Fields declares for NFL draft

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields declared for the 2021 NFL Draft on Monday, a move that was expected. Fields is projected to be one of the first two quarterbacks taken on Day 1 of the draft, scheduled for April 29 in Cleveland. Tennis: Davis Cup Finals to take place over 11 days, three cities

The 2021 Davis Cup Finals will be held over 11 days rather than seven and will almost certainly be staged across three cities, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed on Monday. The changes proposed by the ITF's event partner Kosmos Tennis, the Spanish-based investment firm who are pumping in $3 billion over 25 years, were agreed by the ITF Board. Greek President praises Olympic medallist for breaking abuse silence

Greece's president praised Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou for dissolving "a conspiracy of silence" by reporting a historic allegation of sexual assault by a sports official. Bekatorou, who won a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics, told the Greek edition of Marie Claire last month that she had suffered the abuse in 1998 when she was 21. Tom Brady's Bucs biggest Super Bowl underdogs remaining

Tom Brady has three times as many Super Bowl titles as the three other quarterbacks combined entering conference championship weekend, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain the longest shot to win Super Bowl LV. The Bucs are being offered at +425 by PointsBet to be crowned champions. The Green Bay Packers, who will host Tampa Bay on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, are being offered at +210. Problems mount for Australian Open as four more participants infected

More players were forced into hard quarantine ahead of the Australian Open with officials confirming on Monday that four additional participants, including an athlete, tested positive for COVID-19 among those arriving in Melbourne. Health authorities in Victoria state have now reported nine infections among passengers who arrived on charter flights for the Feb. 8-21 Australian Open and officials said more cases may come to light as testing continues. Chiefs QB Mahomes remains in concussion protocol

Patrick Mahomes' status for Sunday's AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills remains up in the air as the Super Bowl MVP is still in concussion protocol, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said on Monday. Mahomes was evaluated for a concussion on Sunday after getting yanked to the ground during the third quarter of Kansas City's divisional round playoff win over the Cleveland Browns and did not return to the game. NBA postpones Wizards' game vs. Hornets

The NBA postponed Washington's game at Charlotte on Wednesday, making it the fifth Wizards' game in a row called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak within the team. "Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Wizards, the team will not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with the scheduled game against the Hornets," the NBA said in a statement. Meet Kyuta: the 10-year-old, 85-kilo sumo in training

Among the young sumo wrestlers lifting weights in the ring, 10-year-old Kyuta Kumagai stands out. At 85 kilograms (187 lb), Kyuta is twice the size of the other children his age and is so dominant that he wrestles, and beats, boys five or six years older. Belarus stripped of ice hockey world championship after crackdown on protesters

Belarus has been stripped of the right to co-host this year's ice hockey world championship due to safety concerns over political unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic there, the sport's governing body said on Monday, in a blow to President Alexander Lukashenko. The move deprives Lukashenko, an avid hockey fan, of a stage to host the biggest international event planned in the country since he claimed victory last August in a vote the opposition said was rigged and marred with violations.

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