Water polo: Hungary's triple Olympic champion Benedek dies at 47
The former captain and coach of Hungary's water polo team Tibor Benedek, who won three straight Olympic golds as a player in the 2000s and a world championship as coach, died on Thursday aged 47, the Hungarian Water Polo Federation said.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 10:28 pm(NZT)
Soccer: Players take a knee as Premier League restarts
Premier League players, including champions Manchester City, took a knee before kickoff in support of the "Black Lives Matter" movement as the English season restarted on Wednesday.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 8:37 pm(NZT)
CONMEBOL, Colombia complain to FIFA about 2023 World Cup bid report
Colombia's soccer chief and the head of South American football confederation CONMEBOL have written to FIFA complaining of "erroneous and discriminatory conclusions" in the assessment of the country's bid to host the 2023 Women's World Cup.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 8:32 pm(NZT)
Kvitova hopes for 'easy' U.S. Open decision, Barty also waits
Petra Kvitova is yet to make a call on participating in the U.S. Open and hopes the health situation in New York will improve to make her decision easier, the two-times Wimbledon champion told Reuters.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 8:30 pm(NZT)
Alcott slams U.S. Open 'discrimination' over wheelchair omission
Australian Paralympic tennis champion Dylan Alcott has slammed the omission of the wheelchair tournament from the U.S. Open, calling it "disgusting discrimination".Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 7:15 pm(NZT)
High penalty count will open game up eventually: Gatland
Fans should get used to a greater number of penalties in the early stages of Super Rugby Aotearoa as teams adjust to new rule interpretations but the end result should be a more open, free flowing game, Waikato Chiefs coach Warren Gatland has said.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 6:33 pm(NZT)
Exclusive: La Liga television audiences soar 48% in first week back
Spanish football's international viewing figures have increased by over 48% since the season returned after being halted for three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organising body La Liga said on Thursday.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 6:08 pm(NZT)
On this day: Born June 19, 1978 - Dirk Nowitzki, NBA player
Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki was one of the finest imports to feature in the NBA and became the first European player to win the league's Most Valuable Player award (MVP) in 2007 before he led the franchise to a maiden championship in 2011.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 6:03 pm(NZT)
Speaking about social issues more normal for players now: Rashford
Expressing opinions on social issues and campaigning for change is becoming more normal for the current generation of players, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has said.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 5:40 pm(NZT)
Serena 'cannot wait' to play in this year's U.S. Open
Fears that strict health protocols due to the COVID-19 outbreak could deter the game's biggest names from competing at this year's U.S. Open were somewhat allayed on Wednesday when Serena Williams confirmed she will play the New York event.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 4:50 pm(NZT)
Football to return in Brazil on Thursday
Brazilian football will kick off again in Rio de Janeiro this week after the city's mayor gave the go ahead for the local league to start after a three-month hiatus caused by the new coronavirus.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 3:38 pm(NZT)
Heavy fog may have disoriented pilot in Kobe Bryant helicopter crash: NTSB
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed outside Los Angeles in January, killing basketball great Kobe Bryant, his daughter and all seven others on board, likely became disoriented in the fog, federal investigators said on Wednesday.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 2:43 pm(NZT)
Sprint star Coleman facing ban after another whereabouts failure
World 100 metres champion Christian Coleman, who narrowly escaped a ban last year for missing three doping tests, was provisionally suspended on Wednesday and could miss next year's Tokyo Olympics after again breaching whereabouts rules.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 1:25 pm(NZT)
NBA coaches union expresses concerns over Orlando plan
The NBA coaches' union is concerned that the league's return-to-play setup at Walt Disney World Resort will risk their members' health and hurt their future job prospects.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 1:07 pm(NZT)
Trump backs ex-QB activist Kaepernick returning to NFL
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be in favor of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick returning to the field.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 12:06 pm(NZT)
Manfred, MLBPA's Clark agree to framework of 2020 season
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and players union executive director Tony Clark re-opened talks geared toward getting baseball back on the field and away from the negotiating table, and they reportedly were closing in on an agreement.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 11:28 am(NZT)
McLaren considering sale of a minority stake in F1 team: Sky
McLaren are considering selling a minority stake in their once-dominant Formula One team to raise funds to help the company weather the COVID-19 crisis, Sky News reported on Wednesday.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 9:57 am(NZT)
MLB and players agree framework for 2020 season
Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred said on Wednesday he met with the head of the MLB Players Association this week and they put together the framework of a deal to salvage a 2020 season amid the COVID-19 outbreak.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 8:18 am(NZT)
Golf: You should be here, McIlroy tells European players upset about rankings
The European players who opted not to travel to the United States for the PGA Tour's restart after a three-month COVID-19 break should not complain about losing out on world ranking points, world number one Rory McIlroy said on WednesdaySource: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 7:13 am(NZT)
Racing Point get 2020 F1 car on track at Silverstone
Racing Point became the first Formula One team to get their 2020 car on track after the COVID-19 shutdown when Lance Stroll took part in a limited-mileage private test at Silverstone on Wednesday.Source: Reuters: Sports News | 18 Jun 2020 | 7:01 am(NZT)
