Sports News Roundup: Wimbledon canceled for the first time; National committees have final say for Tokyo Games and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Wimbledon canceled for the first time since World War Two

The Wimbledon championships were canceled for the first time since World War Two on Wednesday as the coronavirus pandemic struck another blue-riband sports event off the calendar and wiped out the entire tennis grasscourt season. While the decision had looked inevitable for some time, since the virtual shutdown of world sport and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Wimbledon had been one of the few events not to have been officially canceled or postponed.

National committees have final say on qualified athletes for Tokyo Games

Athletes already qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will need to be picked again by their respective National Olympic Committees to compete at the postponed Games in 2021, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday. The IOC and Japanese government succumbed to intense pressure from athletes and sporting bodies around the world last week by agreeing to postpone the Games by a year to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

McLaren to put staff on furlough, F1 drivers take pay cut

McLaren became the first Formula One team to furlough staff because of the coronavirus on Wednesday, with drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz joining senior management in taking a pay cut. The sportscar maker said in a statement the temporary three-month wage reduction was part of wider cost-cutting measures due to the impact of the pandemic on its business.

Moody's downgrades Formula One's outlook to negative

Credit rating agency Moody's changed Formula One's outlook to negative from positive on Thursday to reflect the impact of the coronavirus crisis on a sport yet to race in 2020. Liberty Media-owned Formula One canceled its March 15 season-opener in Australia, with May's showcase Monaco Grand Prix also axed and has postponed six other races so far as countries go into lockdown.

MotoGP start pushed back further as French race postponed

The start of the MotoGP season was pushed back to the end of May at the earliest on Thursday after France postponed its race at Le Mans due to the coronavirus pandemic. The race, which had been due on May 17, was the fifth round postponed since the March 8 season-opener in Qatar was canceled.

'There may be no more tennis this year', says Wimbledon chief Lewis

Tennis may not return until 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the entire grasscourt season and most of the claycourt campaign, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Richard Lewis said on Thursday. The outbreak has played havoc with the global sporting calendar and the Wimbledon championships were canceled by the AELTC on Wednesday for the first time since the Second World War.

Basketball: McLaren to head up international basketball integrity unit

Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, who wrote a report into state-sponsored doping in Russia for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), was appointed Integrity Officer for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) on Wednesday. "I am delighted to be working with FIBA. I congratulate FIBA’s leadership for their commitment to ensuring the integrity of the sport," McLaren said in a statement.

Woods, Mickelson to play coronavirus relief match with Brady, Manning: report

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will play a coronavirus relief golf match next month with Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, CNBC reported on Wednesday. The report, which sourced an unnamed person familiar with the negotiations, said the charity match would be held at an undisclosed location without fans and is being organized by the PGA Tour and AT&T's WarnerMedia.

Tokyo 2020 delay a blessing in disguise for India's Chopra

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will have to wait another year before chasing India's first Olympic track and field medal in Tokyo but the delay may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, the 22-year-old has told Reuters. The Commonwealth and Asian Games champion, seen as one of India's best medal prospects at the Games, spent the whole of 2019 recovering from an elbow operation on his throwing arm.

'There may be no more tennis this year', says Wimbledon chief Lewis

Tennis may not return until 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic caused the cancellation of the entire grasscourt season and most of the claycourt campaign, All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) chief executive Richard Lewis said on Thursday. The outbreak has played havoc with the global sporting calendar and the Wimbledon championships were canceled by the AELTC on Wednesday for the first time since the Second World War.

(With inputs from agencies.)