Sports News Roundup: Olympics-Tokyo Olympics organizers bow to pressure for 'stay home' Games; Soccer-Mystic meerkats predict England will win Euro 2020 final and more

Earlier in the day, Olympic organisers said the Games would take place without spectators in host city Tokyo as a resurgent coronavirus forced Japan to declare a state of emergency in the capital that will continue throughout the event which starts on July 23. NBA-Suns overcome Antetokounmpo's 42 points to beat Bucks, take 2-0 Finals lead The Phoenix Suns took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals by beating Milwaukee 118-108 on Thursday, overcoming a 42-point effort from the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics-Tokyo Olympics organizers bow to pressure for 'stay home' Games

After weeks of insisting that the Tokyo 2020 Games could go ahead with spectators, organizers finally bowed to political pressure and rising COVID-19 infections, banning almost all fans from the global sports event just two weeks before it opens. The decision, made after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced on Thursday the fourth state of emergency for the capital, all but robs the Games https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2020-coronavirus-factbox-idCAKCN2EE1IO of their last hope for pomp and public spectacle.

Soccer-Mystic meerkats predict England will win Euro 2020 final

A group of so-called "mystic meerkats" at London Zoo has picked England to beat Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday. A zookeeper planted England and Italy flags in the ground and the meerkats' task was to knock one down. It took them about five minutes to choose England.

MLB roundup: Phils' Brad Miller hits 3 homers vs. Cubs

Brad Miller hit three homers and drove in five runs to power the Philadelphia Phillies to an 8-0 win over the host Chicago Cubs on Thursday night. Miller belted a solo shot and a pair of two-run blasts for the first three-homer game of his career. Didi Gregorius added a two-run homer for the Phillies, who won three of four games in the series.

Tennis-Kyrgios says he will not play at fan-free Tokyo Games

Nick Kyrgios will not represent Australia at this year's Olympics in Tokyo because he does not want to compete if there are no fans in the stands, he said on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Olympic organizers said the Games would take place without spectators in host city Tokyo as a resurgent coronavirus forced Japan to declare a state of emergency in the capital that will continue throughout the event which starts on July 23.

NBA-Suns overcome Antetokounmpo's 42 points to beat Bucks, take 2-0 Finals lead

The Phoenix Suns took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals by beating Milwaukee 118-108 on Thursday, overcoming a 42-point effort from the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo. Devin Booker led the way for Phoenix with 31 points, Mikal Bridges tallied 27 and Chris Paul contributed 23, while Deandre Ayton grabbed 11 rebounds, to leave the Suns two wins away from their first championship.

MLB roundup: Dodgers avoid a sweep in Miami

Julio Urias earned his major-league-leading 11th win of the season as the Los Angeles Dodgers posted a slump-breaking, 6-1 victory over the host Miami Marlins on Thursday. The Marlins, who are in the last place in the National League East, had surprised the reigning World Series champion Dodgers by beating them in the first three games of the series.

Olympics-Tokyo 2020 chief: To decide on Paralympic spectators soon after Olympics

Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said on Friday she aimed to reach an agreement on Paralympic spectators with relevant parties "at the earliest possible" timing after the close of the Tokyo Olympics. Organizers said on Thursday the Olympics would take place without spectators in the host city Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures, but that a decision on Paralympic spectators would be made after the Olympics, without mentioning specific timing.

MMA-McGregor predicts Poirier will leave Octagon on a stretcher

Conor McGregor said he has "hammers for hands" and will use them to avenge his defeat by Dustin Poirier earlier this year when the pair meet in their trilogy fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. McGregor had kind words and compliments for the Louisiana native in the run-up to their previous fight in January in Abu Dhabi but he was back to his brash self on Thursday, saying he would walk the "silly little hillbilly like a dog".

Olympics-Athletes disappointed by Tokyo fan ban but say the show must go on

Sports bodies and athletes reacted with disappointment to the news there will be no spectators at the Tokyo Olympics but downplayed the potential impact on performances and said it was important that the global sporting showpiece went ahead. Organizers announced the decision to ban fans from Tokyo venues on Thursday as a resurgent novel coronavirus forced Japan to declare a state of emergency in the capital that will run throughout the Games.

Olympics-Thai golfer Jazz out to make a splash in Tokyo

If Jazz Janewattananond's father had his way he would be gearing up to make a splash in the pool at the 2020 Olympics but instead the Thai golfer is banking on birdies to bring him a medal at the Tokyo Games. The 25-year-old, who said he was drawn to the Olympics as a boy by Michael Phelps' dominating performances, will be competing against the likes of Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama at the Kasumigaseki Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo.