Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. NBA: Affected player Gobert pledges $500,000 to virus relief effort

Frenchman Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player known to have tested positive for the coronavirus, is donating more than $500,000 to support both the employee relief fund at the Utah Jazz's home arena and COVID-19-related social services relief in Utah, Oklahoma City and the French health care system, the NBA team said on Saturday. "These donations are a small token that reflect my appreciation and support for all those impacted and are the first of many steps I will take to try and make a positive difference, while continuing to learn more about COVID-19 and educate others," Gobert said in a statement released by the Jazz. Golf's Masters postponed, English soccer suspended as coronavirus wreaks havoc

Golf's jewel in the crown The Masters and English soccer's Premier League joined the lengthening list of elite sporting events to fall foul of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. Few dates on the global sporting calendar are as keenly-anticipated as the Augusta National showpiece, but organizers moved swiftly to postpone golf's opening major, which was due to be played between April 9-12, throwing the elite championship golf schedule into a state of flux. Factbox: Global sports events hit by coronavirus pandemic

Major sports events around the world which have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak: OLYMPICS Tokyo governor vows full measures to combat coronavirus during Torch relay

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Saturday vowed to take thorough measures against the coronavirus outbreak for the Olympic Torch relay through Japan and reaffirmed that preparations for a "safe and secure" 2020 Games were progressing, TV Asahi reported. Koike's comments came after Greece's Olympic Committee on Friday canceled the remainder of the Olympic Torch relay through the country to avoid attracting crowds that could raise the risk of virus contagion. Boxing: Russo's bid for fifth Olympics fades in his hotel room

Italian super-heavyweight Clemente Russo, a double Olympic silver medallist, blamed digestive problems for a no-show in his Tokyo 2020 qualifying bout with Britain's Frazer Clarke on Saturday. The 37-year-old two-times world champion, seeking to fight at a fifth Games, told his 130,000 followers on Instagram that 'bad digestion' had kept him stuck in his room for the past 24 hours. NBA stars, owners pledge donations for workers furloughed by coronavirus shutdown

As the bright lights of professional sports go dark across the United States this week, some top names from the NBA were pitching in to ease the burden for arena and stadium staff facing the grim possibility of weeks without pay in the coronavirus shutdown. The basketball league announced Wednesday that it was indefinitely suspending its season in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, upending daily life for thousands of concession employees, ushers and custodians who rely on games for a paycheck. Boxing: Dubois wins Tokyo 2020 qualifier to launch senior career

British lightweight Caroline Dubois, who made her start in boxing pretending to be a boy called Colin, won the first fight of her senior career in a Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifier on Saturday. The 19-year-old Londoner, an unbeaten junior world and Olympic champion, outpointed Ala Staradub of Belarus in the opening bout at the Copper Box near London's 2012 Olympic stadium. Athletics: Boston Marathon moved to September from April due to coronavirus

The Boston Marathon, originally scheduled to be held on April 20, has been postponed until mid-September because of the coronavirus outbreak, the city's mayor said on Friday. The world's most prestigious marathon, which is now due to take place on Sept. 14, generally draws more than 30,000 runners from all over the world ranging from decorated professionals and Olympians to amateur runners. As world grapples with pandemic, Tokyo 2020's Twitter account puts on a happy face

The official Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics Games Twitter account offers no inkling that the novel coronavirus pandemic has threatened the Games - and the account's cheery tone is prompting sarcastic online replies. Japanese officials insist the Olympics will go on as planned, and the Tokyo 2020 tweets reflect this. Triathlon: World body suspends all events due to coronavirus

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has suspended all activity until April 30 including all events in the World Triathlon and Continental calendars due to the coronavirus outbreak, the governing body said on Saturday. All world rankings, Olympic qualification rankings, paratriathlon rankings and Paralympic qualification rankings will be frozen from Monday as a result, it added.