Mt. SAC a host for track meet
Southern California will serve as one of eight locations for an international track meet featuring worldclass athletes who will compete by way of synchronized video from around the globe.
The Inspiration Games, scheduled for July 9, will include U.S. Olympic champions Allyson Felix and Dalilah Muhammad and world champion Noah Lyles running at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Other medalists such as Omar McLeod of Jamaica and Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands will be at foreign venues. — David Wharton
Brooks Koepka and Webb Simpson were among five players who withdrew from the Travelers Championship, four of them out of a chain-reaction abundance of caution over the coronavirus that put the PGA Tour on notice.
The tour released results that showed three positive tests at the TPC River Highlands in Connecticut — Cameron Champ and the caddies for Koepka and Graeme McDowell, who also withdrew.
Chase Koepka also withdrew from the tournament.
A meeting Tuesday between leaders of the NBA and the players’ union closed with an in-principle agreement that “the goal of the season restart in Orlando, Fla., will be to take collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice,” both sides announced in a joint news release.
The meeting was attended by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, players union executive director Michele Roberts, union president and Oklahoma City guard Chris Paul and vice president and Miami guard Andre Iguodala, among others, with the purpose of advancing the league’s response to social justice issues. — Andrew Greif
Clippers guard Lou Williams is still undecided about playing in July when the NBA season resumes, according to his agent, Wallace Prather. Wednesday was the deadline to notify teams and the players’ union if you were opting out for an absence to be considered excused and be eligible for pay. A final decision is needed by July 1, when rosters and each team’s 35-person travel party is set. — Andrew Greif
All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon of the Colorado Rockies became the first Major League Baseball player known to test positive for the coronavirus. A person familiar with Blackmon’s situation confirmed the test result to AP on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.
Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said a few players tested positive but declined to specify the number or whether they are part of Seattle’s 40-man roster. And several Toronto Blue Jays players and staff members have tested positive, according to a person who confirmed the test results to the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement but did not specify a number.
The New York City Marathon, the world’s largest marathon, was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, with organizers and city officials deciding that holding the race on Nov. 1 would be too risky. This year’s Berlin Marathon also was canceled because of the pandemic. That race, one of the fastest marathons in the world, had been scheduled for Sept. 27.
The Washington Redskins are removing former owner George Preston Marshall from their Ring of Fame and striking all references to him on their website.
Novak Djokovic’s parents defended their son and blamed Grigor Dimitrov for spreading the coronavirus at a series of exhibition matches hosted by the topranked player.
Dimitrov was one of the three other players to test positive in the last few days. There is no evidence to suggest Dimitrov spread the virus to others.
University of Connecticut President Thomas Katsouleas said the school will eliminate its men’s crosscountry, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis and women’s rowing teams as it deals with an expected budget deficit driven by issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.