Sports News Roundup: Oosthuizen looms as major factor once again; Boxing-Fury v Wilder heavyweight bout rescheduled for Oct. 9 and more

Spieth, who claimed the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in 2017 but whose form has slumped, recovered from an early bogey to card a five-under 65 -- producing a beautifully controlled round in a moderate breeze around the Royal St George's layout. Soccer-VAR scores Euro win with clinical and fast decision-making - research The use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) upsets many soccer fans worldwide, but its role at the European Championship was far less controversial than during the 2020-21 English Premier League season, William Hill said in a report on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

IOC's Bach says 'zero' risk of COVID spreading from participants

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Thursday there was "zero" risk of Tokyo Olympics participants infecting Japanese residents with coronavirus, because cases would be isolated immediately after detection.

Golf-Oosthuizen looms as major factor once again

Louis Oosthuizen continued his stellar run of form at major championships to lead the British Open with a flawless first-round 64 at Royal St George's on Thursday. The 38-year-old South African, British Open champion at St Andrews in 2010, finished tied second in this year's PGA Championship and was runner-up at last month's U.S. Open.

Golf-Holder Lowry laments poor driving after rough start at British Open

After two years of waiting to defend his British Open title, Shane Lowry finally got his chance on Thursday but nerves got the better of the Irishman in a wobbly opening round of one-over 71 at Royal St George's. Lowry, who won his sole major before a partisan crowd at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in 2019 before the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bogeyed his first two holes before a birdie on the sixth to make the turn in 36.

Olympics-Hundreds of horses fly into Tokyo for equestrian competition

It is not only thousands of athletes who are flying to Tokyo for the Olympic Games but also hundreds of horses. They will compete with their riders in the three equestrian disciplines dressage, jumping and eventing - the only Olympic sports where men and women compete individually on equal terms.

Motor racing-McLaren CEO Brown isolating after positive COVID-19 result

McLaren Chief Executive Zak Brown is isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 but the team's preparations for their home British Grand Prix at Silverstone this weekend remain unaffected, the team said on Thursday. McLaren said two other team members had also tested positive in unconnected cases.

Boxing-Fury v Wilder heavyweight bout rescheduled for Oct. 9

The trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas, which was postponed earlier this month when Fury tested positive for COVID-19, will take place on Oct. 9, promoters Top Rank Boxing said on Thursday. WBC heavyweight champion Fury had signed a contract in May to fight American Wilder for a third time on July 24 but tested positive for the virus last week.

Soccer-England's Saka urges social media companies to step up fight against abuse

England's Bukayo Saka said popular social media platforms are not doing enough to prevent online racist abuse after he was on the receiving end following his missed penalty in Sunday's European Championship final against Italy. Substitutes Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka all missed spot kicks in the 3-2 shootout loss to Italy and Saka - who was reduced to tears after the final - penned an apology to the fans as the country's 55-year trophy drought was extended.

Cycling-Pogacar closes in on Tour title, doping suspicions hit race

Tadej Pogacar claimed another landmark victory in the 18th stage to edge closer to retaining his Tour de France title as a cloud of doping suspicions hung over the world's greatest cycling race on Thursday. Before the start of the stage, the French prosecutor's office said it had opened a preliminary investigation into the Bahrain Victorious team after police searched the outfit's accommodation and bus on Wednesday.

Golf-Spieth gives DeChambeau lesson in links golf

Jordan Spieth gave his big-hitting fellow American Bryson DeChambeau a masterclass in the complexities of links golf as the former champion began his latest British Open campaign in fine style on Thursday. Spieth, who claimed the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in 2017 but whose form has slumped, recovered from an early bogey to card a five-under 65 -- producing a beautifully controlled round in a moderate breeze around the Royal St George's layout.

Soccer-VAR scores Euro win with clinical and fast decision-making - research

The use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) upsets many soccer fans worldwide, but its role at the European Championship was far less controversial than during the 2020-21 English Premier League season, William Hill said in a report on Thursday. The bookmaker generated a controversy rating for each of the 18 decisions overturned by VAR during the Euros with reactionary metrics such as tweet volume, text sentiment analysis and articles generated on the incidents.