Sports News Roundup: LeBron James nets season-high 46 at Cleveland; Italy staves off threat of Olympic sanctions with decree and more

League nears Super Bowl finish line amid COVID-19 pandemic It took multiple schedule changes and revisions to health and safety protocols but the finish line is finally in sight with the NFL now one championship game away from closing out a full season played against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Italy staves off threat of Olympic sanctions with decree

Italy on Tuesday approved a decree guaranteeing the autonomy of the country's Olympic committee, a day before the IOC was due to discuss imposing sanctions on the host of the 2026 winter Olympics over perceived government interference in sporting matters. The IOC had threatened to ban the Italian flag and anthem at this year's Tokyo Olympics over a draft Italian sports law that hands power over sports funding to a government-run body instead of to CONI, the national Olympic committee.

Djokovic is our LeBron but we have to call him out sometimes - Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios has likened Novak Djokovic to NBA player LeBron James in his influence both on and off the court but says he had a duty to call out the world number one when he "lost his way" during the COVID-19 pandemic. The maverick Australian called the Serbian's ill-fated Adria Tour in June "boneheaded" and described Djokovic as a "tool" last week when he wrote to Australian Open organisers asking for the easing of quarantine conditions.

Love III named U.S. team captain for 2022 Presidents Cup

Former PGA Championship winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member Davis Love III has been named captain of the U.S. Team for the 2022 Presidents Cup, event organisers and PGA Tour officials announced on Tuesday. Love, who has played in the biennial team match-play competition six times in his career, was an assistant captain in the 2013, 2015 and 2017 editions and holds a 16-8-4 record in 28 matches.

Mo Farah confident Tokyo Games will go ahead

Britain's multiple world and Olympic long distance champion Mo Farah said the more people who get vaccinated against COVID-19, the greater the chance that the Tokyo Olympics will go ahead on schedule. Farah, who won gold at the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, added he expected the July-August Games, postponed from last year, to take place.

IOC board to mull Tokyo matters - but not cancellation

The Tokyo Olympics will top the agenda when the International Olympic Committee's executive board meets on Wednesday - but with the board firmly backing the event, any talk of scrapping it altogether due to the COVID-19 pandemic is highly unlikely. With less than six months to go until the troubled Games are due to start, the board will instead tackle questions over the vaccination of athletes, international visitors and the attendance of spectators, and safety regulations among other matters.

NBA roundup: LeBron James nets season-high 46 at Cleveland

LeBron James scored a season-high 46 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter, to lift the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 115-108 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. James scored 13 points in the final 4:41 to help the Lakers pull away and improve to 10-0 on the road this season. Anthony Davis had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, and Montrezl Harrell scored 15 off the bench.

Swiatek goes back to basics to deal with great expectations

Iga Swiatek says she found peace on court after a couple of chaotic months following her French Open win and the 19-year-old is sharpening the mental side of her game to deal with the expectation that comes with a Grand Slam trophy. The Pole went from being a largely unknown teenager ranked 54th in the world to acquiring celebrity status when she won the title at Roland Garros in October.

CAS to hear Yastremska appeal before Australian Open

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday it has begun hearing an urgent appeal by the provisionally suspended Dayana Yastremska so a decision can be taken about her participation at next month's Australian Open. Ukraine's Yastremska was suspended earlier this month after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found a banned substance in an out-of-competition urine sample she submitted.

League nears Super Bowl finish line amid COVID-19 pandemic

It took multiple schedule changes and revisions to health and safety protocols but the finish line is finally in sight with the NFL now one championship game away from closing out a full season played against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Feb. 7 Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, is all that stands in the path of the NFL becoming the first major North American professional sports league to play a complete and uninterrupted season since the novel coronavirus outbreak.

NFL: Washington hire King as league's first Black woman assistant coach

The Washington Football Team promoted Jennifer King to assistant running backs coach on Tuesday, making her the NFL's first full time Black female coach. King, who was an intern under Washington running backs coach Randy Jordan during the 2020 season, is the second female assistant coach in the NFL after Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust.

(With inputs from agencies.)