Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Formula One expects shortened season of 15-18 races

Formula One expects to run a shortened season of 15-18 grands prix once racing can resume after the coronavirus pandemic, hopefully during the European summer, chairman and chief executive Chase Carey said on Monday. The original 2020 calendar had a record 22 races but the season has yet to start with the first eight postponed or cancelled and more likely to be called off. 'Heartbroken' Australian athletes face up to Olympic reality

Australian athletes were feeling a mixture of regret and relief on Tuesday following the national Olympic committee's decision to pull out of the 2020 Tokyo Games due to the coronavirus, while the country's top soccer competition also fell victim to the outbreak. The Australian Olympic Committee said on Monday that the coronavirus pandemic had made it untenable to assemble a team for the 2020 Games. Translating IOC-speak means Games moving to 2021, says Pound

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) speaks its own language and no-one understands it better than senior member Dick Pound, who told Reuters on Monday that a communique setting out a four-week deadline to decide the fate of the 2020 Tokyo Games translated into a postponement. While no official decision has been taken, Pound explained that the message coming out of an emergency IOC meeting on Sunday was clear -- the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, set to run July 24 to Aug. 9, will not be held this year due to the coronavirus crisis and will be postponed until 2021. Cowboys Pro Bowl C Frederick announces retirement

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick stunningly announced his retirement on Monday. Frederick, who turned 29 last Wednesday, was a Pro Bowl selection in five of his six NFL seasons. World Athletics willing to move 2021 worlds to accommodate rearranged Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Tokyo organisers may have been presented with a new date for the 2020 Olympic Games should they be postponed when World Athletics agreed on Monday to change the dates of its 2021 world championships in the United States. "World Athletics has already been in discussion with the Oregon 21 Organising Committee regarding the possibility the Olympic Games may move to next year," athletics' governing body said in a statement. WADA to continue testing 'where possible' amid coronavirus

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Monday that it would continue to test "where possible" while remaining in line with protocols set out by governmental and health organisations amid a coronavirus pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the global sporting calendar. "We will get through this situation and everyone hopes that we can return the global anti-doping system to full power as soon as we emerge," WADA President Witold Bańka said in a written statement. NFL notebook: Cowboys Pro Bowl C Frederick retires

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick stunningly announced his retirement on Monday. Frederick, who turned 29 last Wednesday, was a Pro Bowl selection in five of his six NFL seasons. U.S., New Zealand join calls for Tokyo Games to be postponed

The United States added its significant weight to calls for the Tokyo Games to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, with New Zealand Olympic organizers seeking a swift decision to allow teams to reset and prepare for a delayed event. The Sankei newspaper reported Japan's government is negotiating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games by up to a year, in what would be a first in the Olympics' 124-year modern history. Sports events around the world hit by coronavirus pandemic

Major sports events around the world that have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic: OLYMPICS Olympics: Ticket holders monitor possible Games postponement

Holders of tickets for the Tokyo Olympics face an anxious wait as the future of the Games hangs in the balance, following media reports they might not get a refund in case of a postponement or cancellation. Tokyo 2020 haven’t confirmed how many tickets have been sold but in the bidding process, organizers said over seven million seats would be available. All domestic tickets for the Olympics have been sold, according to organizers.