Sports News Roundup: A year to go, rearranged Toky Games still shrouded; Michael Bennett retires after 11 NFL seasons and more

The event's organisers said last week Serena would return to the court for the first time since the novel coronavirus shutdown when she competes at the tournament, which begins on Aug. 10 at the Top Seed Tennis Club.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics: A year to go, rearranged Tokyo Games still shrouded in uncertainty

Tokyo 2020 organisers will host celebrations marking the one-year countdown to the Olympics on Thursday but with the postponed Games still shrouded in uncertainty, they are sure to be more muted than the first attempt 12 months ago. On July 24 last year, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach presided over a glitzy ceremony in the Japanese capital and declared Tokyo the best prepared host city he had ever seen.

Michael Bennett retires after 11 NFL seasons

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Michael Bennett said Tuesday that he is retiring after 11 seasons in the NFL. Bennett, 34, rose to prominence as a valued and versatile lineman for the Seattle Seahawks from 2013-2017 and has 69.5 career sacks.

Time away from mom hardest part of quarantine, says James

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said the hardest part about quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic was the time he was forced to spend away from his mother. The NBA was suspended in March in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak and three-times NBA champion James quarantined in Los Angeles, California, while his mother, Gloria, remained in Akron, Ohio.

Soccer: Hollywood stars team up with ex-players to bring NWSL to Los Angeles

Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman and more than a dozen former U.S. women's national team players have formed an ownership group to set up a professional women's soccer team in Los Angeles from 2022. The new team, which has yet to be named, was announced by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on Tuesday.

Baseball: Giants manager Kapler kneels during national anthem at Oakland game

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he would continue to speak out against racial injustice after joining his players in taking a knee during the national anthem before their exhibition game against the Oakland Athletics on Monday. He became the first Major League Baseball manager to kneel during the anthem in a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter campaign, which gained momentum after George Floyd's death in police custody in May.

Tennis: Citi Open in Washington cancelled due to coronavirus disruption

The Citi Open in Washington, which was scheduled to restart the men's ATP Tour after the COVID-19 shutdown, has been cancelled for 2020, organisers announced on Tuesday. The tournament was set to begin on Aug. 14 and serve as a build-up for the U.S. Open but the organisers said concerns about travel restrictions and recent trends in the coronavirus outbreak had led to the decision to scrap the event.

Venus Williams to join Serena at new WTA event in Kentucky

Venus Williams will join her sister Serena at the inaugural Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky next month, organisers have said. The event's organisers said last week Serena would return to the court for the first time since the novel coronavirus shutdown when she competes at the tournament, which begins on Aug. 10 at the Top Seed Tennis Club.

Motor racing: Zanardi transferred to specialist recovery centre

Italian former Formula One driver and Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi has been transferred to a specialist recovery centre a month after suffering serious head injuries in a handbike accident, the hospital treating him said on Tuesday. The 53-year-old was placed in a medically-induced coma and has had three operations at Siena's Santa Maria alle Scotte hospital since the accident during a road race near the Italian city on June 19.

Motorcycling: Marquez aiming for August return after successful surgery

MotoGP champion Marc Marquez could be back in action next month after his Repsol Honda team reported successful surgery to his right arm on Tuesday. Marquez suffered the injury when he crashed four laps from the end of the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on Sunday.

Palermo Open will bear losses to get Tour going again

The Palermo Ladies Open will lose money when it gets the WTA Tour going again next month but tournament director Oliviero Palma says they will carry that burden to prove professional tennis can resume safely. When action on the clay courts of the Sicilian capital gets underway on Aug. 3, it will mark the first time a tennis ball has been hit in anger across the WTA or ATP Tours since they were suspended in early March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.