Sports News Roundup: 2020 Games postponement signals growing; Japan businessman paid $8.2 million by Tokyo Olympics and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

2020 Games postponement signals growing power shift from IOC to athletes

Tweeting from her Toronto couch two weeks ago, six-time Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser had two words for the International Olympic Committee, which had yet to postpone the Tokyo Summer Games amid the coronavirus pandemic: "Insensitive and irresponsible." Days later the IOC acquiesced, delaying the Olympics until July 2021 and sparking what some say could be a permanent shift in power away from the hierarchical governing body to athletes.

Exclusive: Japan businessman paid $8.2 million by Tokyo Olympics bid lobbied figure at center of French corruption probe

A businessman who received millions of dollars for his work on Tokyo's successful campaign to host the 2020 Olympics, which was postponed last week due to the coronavirus, said he played a key role in securing the support of a former Olympics powerbroker suspected by French prosecutors of taking bribes to help Japan's bid. Haruyuki Takahashi, a former executive at the advertising agency Dentsu Inc, was paid $8.2 million by the committee that spearheaded Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Games, according to financial records reviewed by Reuters. Takahashi told Reuters his work included lobbying International Olympic Committee members like Lamine Diack, the ex-Olympics powerbroker, and that he gave Diack gifts, including digital cameras and a Seiko watch.

Tough for game to resume this year, says Tennis Australia chief

Tennis could lose the remainder of the 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic, Tennis Australia (TA) chief executive Craig Tiley has said. The tennis season screeched to a halt in early March due to the respiratory illness, which has infected almost 800,000 in the world while killing over 38,500 since emerging in China late last year.

World Games reviewing 2021 dates to avoid Olympic clash

Organizers of next year's World Games said on Tuesday they were urgently reviewing their options after the rescheduling of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic. The World Games are held every four years and showcase over 35 sports not on the Olympic program, with next year's event scheduled for July 15–25 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Mickelson 'working on' potential rematch with Woods

American golfer Phil Mickelson got fans excited in the midst of a virtual halt to live sports by the coronavirus pandemic when he hinted at a rematch with longtime rival Tiger Woods. Mickelson was asked on Twitter about the possibility of a round of golf against Woods being live streamed in the near future, and the left-hander replied https://twitter.com/PhilMickelson/status/1244420989750063108: "Working on it."

WTA working on better pay, considers extending Tour

With lower-level players reeling financially from the tennis shutdown over the coronavirus, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said on Tuesday it was working to boost players' earnings when the sport resumes and may extend the 2020 season. The season screeched to a halt in early March due to the virus, leaving players in the lowest tiers without any opportunity to earn their livelihoods.

U.S. Open venue to host 350-bed temporary hospital amid coronavirus pandemic

A portion of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is set to transform into a 350-bed temporary hospital on Tuesday, the USTA said, as the coronavirus outbreak strains resources in New York City, which as been dramatically affected by the pandemic. The site of the U.S. Open and the crown jewel of American tennis, the venue has been thrust into the fray amid a medical crisis that has gripped the world and brought professional sports to a sudden and indefinite halt.

Federer wows fans on Twitter with video of trick shots

Roger Federer delighted fans by posting a video on Twitter on Tuesday, which shows him executing some trademark trick shots against a wall in the snow. The 20-times Grand Slam champion last played at the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Novak Djokovic, before undergoing keyhole surgery on his knee in February.

FIFA working on "Football Marshall plan" for virus impact

FIFA is working on the details of a "Football Marshall plan" to deal with the financial fall-out from the coronavirus pandemic, which will almost certainly result in them dipping into their $2.7 billion reserves. World soccer's governing body have set up a working group to look into the myriad of issues thrown up by the halting of the game across the globe as a result of the pandemic and this week they are expected to focus on ways in which they can help give a cash boost to those struggling.

Doping: WADA reinstates International Taekwondo Federation

The International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)'s non-compliant list, WADA said on Tuesday following a vote by its executive committee. The ITF had been ruled non-compliant in October last year for failing to complete and submit a Code Compliance questionnaire.

(With inputs from agencies.)