Reuters Sports News Summary

Forbes said the average value of the world's 50 most valuable teams on the list was up 11% from last year's ranking. Gymnastics: Canada to skip Olympic qualifier due to COVID-19 Gymnastics Canada said on Friday they have decided not to enter teams in the Pan American Championships being held in Brazil due to health and safety concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Japanese anti-Olympics campaign gains traction as pandemic simmers

More than 230,000 people have signed a Japanese petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled in the two days since it was launched online, as public concerns mount over holding the showpiece event during a pandemic. With 11 weeks to go before the start of the Games, already postponed from 2020 due to the coronavirus, questions remain over how Tokyo can host the global gathering while keeping volunteers, athletes, officials and the Japanese public safe from COVID-19.

Motor racing: Formula One assessing Turkish travel situation

Formula One is keeping a close eye on the situation in Turkey after the British government on Friday placed the country on a red list for travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport announced last month that Turkey's Istanbul Park circuit was replacing Canada on the calendar with a grand prix on June 13.

NBA roundup: Clippers complete season sweep of Lakers

Paul George scored 24 points as the host Los Angeles Clippers completed a three-game season-series sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 118-94 win Thursday. Kawhi Leonard totaled 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Clippers, and Ivica Zubac added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Clippers moved past the Denver Nuggets by a half-game into the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference.

MLB roundup: Jose Altuve, Astros silence Yankee Stadium boobirds

Jose Altuve celebrated his 31st birthday by hitting a go-ahead three-run homer with one out in the eighth inning, lifting the Houston Astros to a 7-4 victory over the New York Yankees Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. The Astros salvaged the finale of the emotionally charged series thanks to Altuve, whose second hit of the day gave Houston a 5-3 lead.

Phil Mickelson loses focus in rough round at Wells Fargo

Phil Mickelson thought he played well in Round 1 on Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship; in Round 2 he said he wasn't doing enough high-level thinking en route to a 4-over 75. "I just wasn't sharp," he said, later providing an example from his water-bound tee shot on No. 14. "I stepped in there, I was going to hit a draw, standing over it, I'm going to hit a fade and I just made an awful swing, lunged forward on it."

Kenin's father out of a job as world number four hunts for new coach

World number four Sofia Kenin has parted ways with her coach - her father, Alex Kenin - after a string of disappointing performances this year, the 22-year-old American announced on Instagram on Friday. "This was not an easy decision for me as we shared many great moments together and had a lot of success," wrote Kenin, who won her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2020.

Tennis-Nadal defeated by Zverev in Madrid Open quarters

Rafa Nadal was knocked out of the Madrid Open quarter-finals stage 6-4 6-4 by German Alex Zverev on Friday. Nadal, a five-time winner in the Spanish capital, was the favourite and top seed having lifted the Barcelona Open trophy last month but played below par on a sweltering spring day.

Motor racing: F1 working with teams to find future American drivers

Formula One is working with teams to identify U.S. drivers who might make it to grand prix racing but none are likely to come through in the near term, chief executive Stefano Domenicali said on Friday. The most recent was Alexander Rossi who started five races with a highest placing of 12th for the now-defunct Marussia team in 2015 before leaving to go on and win the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 2016.

Sport-NFL's Cowboys extend reign as most valuable sports team-Forbes

The average value of the world's 50 leading sports teams rose to $3.43 billion in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an annual list published by Forbes https://www.forbes.com/?sh=5c3b9a692254 on Friday that was topped by the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. Forbes said the average value of the world's 50 most valuable teams on the list was up 11% from last year's ranking.

Gymnastics: Canada to skip Olympic qualifier due to COVID-19

Gymnastics Canada said on Friday they have decided not to enter teams in the Pan American Championships being held in Brazil due to health and safety concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The June 4-13 event in Rio de Janeiro was Canada's last chance qualifier event for the Tokyo Olympics in men's artistic, women's artistic, and rhythmic gymnastics.

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