Sports News Roundup: U.S. charges 27 in horse racing doping scheme; Cas clears American Lawson of doping and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

U.S. charges 27 in horse racing doping scheme

U.S. prosecutors on Monday said 27 trainers, veterinarians and others have been criminally charged in a wide-ranging scheme to drug horses and cheat bettors in the $100 billion professional horse racing industry. Among those charged was Jason Servis, the trainer of Maximum Security, one of the world's best racehorses. Prosecutors accused him of covertly administering performance-enhancing drugs "to virtually all of the racehorses under his control."

CAS clears American Lawson of doping, quashes ban

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday annulled the four-year ban imposed on Jarrion Lawson by the sport's governing body World Athletics, following an appeal by the American long jumper and sprinter. The 25-year-old, who was suspended last year after testing positive for the banned substance epitrenbolone, had denied any wrongdoing, saying the substance could have entered his body through the consumption of contaminated beef in June 2018.

NHL roundup: Surging Blues get first season sweep of Blackhawks

You can now download all free assets in one place. This includes Watermark, Keyframe, Screener, XML, and Shotlist. Defensemen Robert Bortuzzo and Alex Pietrangelo had goals and Jake Allen posted a 29-save shutout to boost the visiting St. Louis Blues to a 2-0 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night for the team's ninth win in its last 10 games.

Spring training roundup: Mets beat Astros; Verlander exits

Robinson Cano and Pete Alonso stroked back-to-back run-scoring doubles in the fifth inning to help the New York Mets beat the visiting Houston Astros 3-1 on Sunday in a game at Port St. Lucie, Fla., in which Astros right-hander Justin Verlander left after two innings due to triceps soreness. Verlander was expected to pitch four innings but left after 28 pitches. He gave up three hits before exiting and was slated to undergo medical tests.

NBA roundup: Suns drop Antetokounmpo-less Bucks

Devin Booker scored 20 of his team-high 36 points in a 47-point first quarter for Phoenix on Sunday as the host Suns took advantage of the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo to thump the Milwaukee Bucks 140-131. The Bucks announced before the game that an MRI exam taken on Antetokounmpo's left knee, injured in Friday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, showed no significant damage, but that the Most Valuable Player candidate would be held out of at least two games nonetheless.

Olympics: No spectators at Tokyo 2020 Games torch lighting ceremony - organizers

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia will be the first in more 35 years to be held without spectators after organizers on Monday introduced tighter measures to protect against the coronavirus. Greece's Olympic Committee said spectators would be excluded from both the dress rehearsal at the ancient site on Wednesday and the widely broadcast ceremony on Thursday.

Giants TE Ellison retires after eight NFL seasons

Veteran tight end Rhett Ellison announced his retirement Monday after eight NFL seasons, the last three with the New York Giants. He caught 118 passes for 1,189 yards and seven touchdowns in 113 games with the Minnesota Vikings (2012-16) and Giants.

Bucks to face Nuggets without ailing Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo is making a strong case to repeat as the NBA MVP this season, but with the Milwaukee Bucks superstar nursing a sprained left knee, he will miss Monday night's game at the Denver Nuggets. It is hard to say if not having to worry about his 29.6 points and 13.7 rebounds a game is a good thing or a bad thing for the perplexing Nuggets, however.

Japan professional baseball to delay league season-opening due to coronavirus outbreak: media

Japan's professional baseball league decided to postpone the March 20 season-opening due to the coronavirus outbreak, Japanese media reported on Monday, citing Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). NPB will aim to go ahead with the start of the league season sometime in the next month, NHK said, adding that the decision to postpone the opening was made following an emergency meeting of 12 professional baseball teams' representatives.

Winter sports suspended in Italy amid coronavirus outbreak

The Italian Winters Sports Federation (FISI) has announced the suspension of all sporting activity across its disciplines, including skiing, snowboarding, and biathlon due to the coronavirus outbreak. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced new measures to fight the spread of the disease on Sunday, placing around 16 million people in central and northern provinces, including Lombardy, under quarantine.

(With inputs from agencies.)