Reuters Sports News Summary

The Briton, a seven-times world champion and Formula One's most successful driver, chose his words carefully but left little doubt about his stance. Athletics-Tokyo shot put silver medallist Saunders banned for 'whereabouts' failure Tokyo Olympics shot put silver medallist Raven Saunders has been handed an 18-month suspension for violating whereabouts rules, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Infantino re-elected FIFA president, telling critics 'I love you all'

Gianni Infantino was re-elected as FIFA president during the 73rd Congress in Kigali on Thursday, promising record revenues in the next four-year cycle of $11 billion as he called for more football to be played around the world. Infantino stood unopposed, making his re-election as head of football's governing body a formality, even if he is not universally popular among member associations amid controversies including the treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year's World Cup in Qatar and a failed plan to play the tournament every two years.

Olympics-USOPC wants definition of 'neutral' before Russian athletes cleared for Games

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) continued to walk a tightrope reaffirming its support for Ukraine in its war with Russia on Thursday while leaving the door open for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at Paris Olympics as neutrals. Presiding over his first meeting as USOPC president and chair, Gene Sykes began by confronting the issue head-on. He said the body stood with the Ukraine but would listen and consider a process that would allow "truly neutral" athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in next year's Summer Games.

Motor racing-Hamilton indicates unease over return to Saudi Arabia

Lewis Hamilton distanced himself on Thursday from Formula One rivals who said they felt comfortable to be racing in Saudi Arabia this weekend. The Briton, a seven-times world champion and Formula One's most successful driver, chose his words carefully but left little doubt about his stance.

Athletics-Tokyo shot put silver medallist Saunders banned for 'whereabouts' failure

Tokyo Olympics shot put silver medallist Raven Saunders has been handed an 18-month suspension for violating whereabouts rules, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said. "The accumulation of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period constitutes a rule violation under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing ... and the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules," USADA said in a statement on Wednesday.

Broadcaster says MLB streaming dispute pushed it toward bankruptcy

Diamond Sports Group, which owns the broadcasting rights of 14 Major League Baseball teams, said on Thursday the league's desire to broadcast games directly to fans helped push the company's regional sports networks into bankruptcy. The Sinclair Broadcast Group subsidiary filed for Chapter 11 protection on Tuesday, citing its high debt, outdated broadcast rights agreements and sports viewers' cord-cutting trend.

Soccer-Barcelona make case for the defence ahead of Real Madrid showdown

Barcelona's rock-solid defence will be put to the test as they look to take a big step closer to a first league title in four years with victory over rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in El Clasico on Sunday. Barca, who hold a nine-point advantage over their rivals at the top of the table, have won 21 of their 25 matches this season, losing only one of their last 16 games.

Soccer-Women's prize money at World Cup 10 times what it was in 2015 - Infantino

Prize money for the 2023 Women's World Cup will be $150 million, 10 times what it was in 2015 and three times the amount of 2019, FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced in his closing remarks to the 73rd FIFA Congress on Thursday. The figure, however, is still considerably lower than the $440 million total prize money awarded at the men's World Cup in Qatar last year.

Motor racing-Ferrari drivers dismiss reports of unrest at Maranello

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz hit out at media reports of turmoil behind the scenes at Maranello after the Italian team's disappointing start to the Formula One season. Spaniard Sainz accepted Ferrari needed to do a better job but said the mood back home was "a lot better than the news makes it sound".

Tennis-Rybakina outlasts Muchova to reach Indian Wells semis

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina survived a stern test from Czech Karolina Muchova before advancing 7-6(4) 2-6 6-4 and will face Iga Swiatek in Friday's semi-final after the world number one rolled past Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-3 at Indian Wells. Muchova smacked a backhand crosscourt winner to break serve in the first set for a 3-2 lead and, despite having played several grueling three-set matches at the tournament and having her left thigh wrapped, looked fresh.

Golf-Limiting ball distances 'bad' for the game, says Thomas

Proposals that would limit how far players can drive the ball at elite tournaments are "bad for the game of golf", two-times major winner Justin Thomas said. Average driving distances are around 300 yards on the PGA Tour but many players hit well in excess of that, meaning some courses are in danger of becoming obsolete.

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