Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

No upgrades for Perez in Russia after Stroll crash

Mexican Sergio Perez will miss out on an aerodynamic upgrade package at this weekend’s Russian Formula One Grand Prix after his Racing Point team were unable to provide enough parts for both cars. Team mate Lance Stroll was the only one of the two to have the upgrade at the previous Tuscan Grand Prix in Italy but the Canadian suffered a big crash, wrecking the new parts.

Djokovic out to make amends in Paris for U.S. Open fiasco

If recent form is anything to go by, world number one Novak Djokovic is perfectly poised to launch a challenge for his second French Open title and an 18th major honour after one of the lowest ebbs of his trophy-laden career. Djokovic was disqualified from the U.S. Open earlier this month after hitting a line judge in the neck with a petulant swipe of the ball but he bounced back in style by winning his fifth Italian Open title on Monday.

British Olympians call on government to prioritise environment

More than 300 British Olympians have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling on the government to prioritise tackling environmental issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Runner Mo Farah and former rower Steve Redgrave, who have a combined nine Olympic golds between them, were among the 310 past and present athletes to sign on behalf of the ‘Champions of the Earth’ movement.

Doping: CAS overturn life bans handed to three Russian biathletes

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday overturned life bans handed to Russian biathletes Olga Vilukhina, Yana Romanova and Olga Zaytseva, who were stripped of their medals for doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The trio won silver in the 4×6 kilometre relay biathlon before they were disqualified and their result annulled in 2017 following an investigation into widespread doping and tampering with samples of Russian athletes during the Sochi Games.

U.S. sports figures decry ruling in Breonna Taylor shooting

Colin Kaepernick and LeBron James headlined those from the sporting world who spoke out on Wednesday after police officers were cleared of criminal charges in the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black medical worker killed in her Louisville apartment. Two white policemen who fired into the apartment in March will not be prosecuted for Taylor’s death because their use of force was justified while a third was charged with endangering her neighbors, Kentucky’s attorney general said.

Sports events can be held without vaccines, says IOC President Bach

The recent resumption of sports events show they can be organised safely without vaccines, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Thursday. Bach made the comment at a news conference.

MLB roundup: Rays capture first division title since 2010

Randy Arozarena hit a tiebreaking two-run homer with one out in the sixth inning and added another homer in the ninth and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched the American League East Division title with an 8-5 victory over the host New York Mets Wednesday night. The Rays won their third division title and first since 2010. They took over first place in the division for good on Aug. 22 and are closing in on clinching the top seed in the American League playoffs. The Rays celebrated on the field with confetti near their dugout on the third base side.

Raonic, Bencic pull out of French Open

Canada’s Milos Raonic and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic have pulled out of the French Open, organisers said on Thursday as they made the draw for the final Grand Slam of the year. Raonic, ranked 20th in the world, played the Italian Open last week and was eliminated in the second round.

Cycling: Dygert out after horror crash, Van der Breggen wins TT gold

American race favourite Chloe Dygert suffered a horrible crash in the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships as Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen claimed gold on Thursday. The 23-year-old defending champion Dygert was setting the pace again and looked on course for gold on the 31.7km circuit at Imola, but lost control on a corner.

Flushed with success, Thiem hopes for third time lucky in Paris

Next week’s French Open will be like no other due to the COVID-19 pandemic but that could work in Dominic Thiem’s favour, with the newly-crowned U.S. Open champion hoping it will be third time lucky for him in Paris. After being beaten by Rafa Nadal in the Roland Garros final in 2018 and 2019, and losing a thriller to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open earlier this year, the Austrian finally got his hands on a Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows last month.