Sport in brief

Basketball

A post-mortem examination of the helicopter crash that killed basketball star Kobe Bryant earlier this year ruled that blunt force trauma was the cause of death for all nine victims. The 180-page report also found that the pilot, 50-year-old Ara Zobayan, tested negative for drugs and alcohol.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office released the autopsies of all nine victims who died from the crash in Calabasas, California, on Jan 26.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and their fellow passengers were on the way to a youth basketball tournament but all sustained immediately fatal injuries.

The cause of death is listed as blunt force trauma for all nine, and the manner of death is listed as accidental for each victim.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not concluded what caused the crash but said there was no sign of mechanical failure. A final report is not expected for months.

Formula One

The disrupted season appeared to take another hit as race promoters for the Singapore Grand Prix claimed they could not hold their race without spectators.

Formula One plans to start its stalled season in July with races behind closed doors in Austria and Britain due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The sport has not given up on crowds returning later in the year, however. Singapore GP promoters told The

Straits Times that they were maintaining an open dialogue with Formula One but it was “not feasible to conduct the race behind closed doors”.