Sports News Roundup: England's Fleetwood joins calls for Ryder Cup; Sponsors to stand by delayed Olympics and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

England's Fleetwood joins calls for Ryder Cup defense delay

England's Tommy Fleetwood said Europe's Ryder Cup title defense should be postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, as this would give all golfers a fair chance to qualify. The biennial contest between Europe and the United States is scheduled to be played at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan from Sept. 25-27.

In coronavirus-hit world, sponsors to stand by delayed Olympics

Major corporate sponsors of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics are standing by the International Olympic Committee after the Games were postponed and experts familiar with the deals said the companies would not likely seek the return of billions of dollars committed to the agreements. Fourteen global companies including Coca-Cola Co, Procter & Gamble Co and Intel Corp spent $500 million this year and have committed close to $4 billion on multi-year contracts that designate them as top-tier sponsors, according to research firm Global Data.

Olympic postponement may be blessing for busy calendar

The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics has disappointed athletes around the world but, if the coronavirus pandemic eases over the next few months, it could turn out to be a blessing for the tennis world. The Tokyo Games, originally scheduled for July 24-Aug. 9, were postponed to 2021 on Tuesday as the world's biggest sporting spectacle became the latest to fall prey to the coronavirus crisis.

Bach opens door to Spring Tokyo Games, says will require sacrifice and compromise

The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics will require sacrifices and compromises by all involved, IOC chief Thomas Bach said on Wednesday, before predicting the completion of "a beautiful jigsaw puzzle and wonderful Olympic Games". "Our mission is to organize Games and make dreams of athletes come true," Bach said, adding that although the rescheduled Olympics must be held before the end of Summer 2021, the as-yet-undecided dates would not necessarily be restricted to summer months.

Russian cyclists' lawsuit against WADA dismissed

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Wednesday it welcomed a decision by the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario to dismiss a lawsuit that three Russian cyclists brought against it and investigator Richard McLaren. The cyclists had been seeking damages over their exclusion from the Rio 2016 Olympics after a WADA-commissioned report by Canadian lawyer McLaren found evidence of widespread doping and manipulation of doping tests by Russian athletes and officials.

Stop the clock: Japan awakes to reality of Tokyo Games postponement

Japan awoke on Wednesday to the deflating reality that the Olympics they had hoped to host in Tokyo this summer were now probably 16 months away after the coronavirus crisis forced organizers into an unprecedented postponement. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese government finally succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world on Tuesday when they agreed to put back the Games until 2021.

Heptathlon champ relieved by Tokyo postponement

Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam of Belgium says she is relieved that the Tokyo Games were put back by a year but disappointed too, after focusing for the last four years on defending her gold medal from Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old told Belgian media she supported the postponement of the Games in the wake of the coronavirus health scare.

AIBA hopes suspension lifted before Olympics in 2021: official

Amateur boxing's international governing body (AIBA) should be able to complete its reforms and have its suspension lifted before the Tokyo Games are held in 2021, a Russian boxing official who also holds a position at AIBA said on Wednesday. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year suspended AIBA, the International Boxing Association, over issues surrounding its finances and governance and took over the boxing competition and qualification for the 2020 Olympics.

Top U.S. sports postpone 2020 Olympic trials

Qualifying trials for three of the United States' Olympic sports, athletics, swimming, and gymnastics, have been postponed for 2020 officials said on Tuesday after the Tokyo Games were delayed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. All three sports have top teams and major prospects for the Olympics which will now be held in 2021 - four-times gold medalist Simone Biles in gymnastics, swimmer Katie Ledecky, winner of five Olympic gold medals, and world sprint champions Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles in athletics.

Federer donates one million Swiss Francs to vulnerable families

Roger Federer has joined the list of sports stars helping out the needy during the coronavirus pandemic, with the former world number one and his wife donating one million Swiss Francs ($1.02 million) to vulnerable families in his native Switzerland. Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had each donated one million euros ($1.08 million) to help clinics and medical centers fight the outbreak.