Today's sports news: What you need to know

The Breakers basketballers are still searching for their first win of the Australian NBL season.

The New Zealand club fell to 0-4 after being edged 97-96 by Illawarra in a dramatic double-overtime encounter in Wollongong on Friday night.

Chasing a morale-boosting win after a difficult few weeks dealing with a Covid outbreak in their camp and injuries to several key players, the Breakers got out to a healthy early lead and remained in front at the end of the first three quarters.

But by the end of regulation the scores were all locked up and after two back-and-forth periods of overtime it was the home side who managed to seal victory.

Big man Yanni Wetzell led the Breakers, racking up an impressive 25 points and 16 rebounds, while young French star Hugo Besson (20 points, eight rebounds) and point-guard Will McDowell-White (17 points, eight rebounds) also played their part.

The Breakers had a quick turnaround, with their next game against Melbourne United on Sunday afternoon.

Work to do for NZ Sail GP team

The New Zealand Sail GP Team have it all to do on day two of the Australia Sail Grand Prix following a lack-lustre outing on Sydney Harbour on Friday.

On a day most notable for a spectacular crash Great Britain and Japan, the Kiwi boat finished fifth, eighth and fifth in the three opening fleet races to be sitting in sixth position.

"We found ourselves right in the mix in all three races but we didn't quite manage to execute at critical times and ended up going back in the fleet," New Zealand team wing trimmer Blair Tuke said.

"We need to check in when we get in those high pressure situations in races and make sure we continue to execute."

The same was true in the third and final race of the day for Great Britain, who didn't see Japan on their inside during the pre-start and crashed heavily, ripping the bow off the starboard side of the Japanese boat.

All crew onboard were reported as safe, but the damage sustained almost certainly ruled Japan out of the event.

Brave bag first win of T20 season

The Northern Brave their first win in this season's men's domestic T20 competition.

In a match which included several Black Caps in both teams, the Brave beat the returning Auckland side by four wickets in Hamilton on Friday night.

The home side comfortable reached their target of 166 with 13 balls to spare, with Joe Carter finishing not out on 75 from 53 and Black Caps all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme belting 53 from 29.

Earlier, the Aces, playing their first match since the easing of border restrictions, posted 165 before being all out from the penultimate ball of their innings.

Black Caps opener Martin Guptill smashed 47 from 31 balls, while Joe Waker and Scott Kuggeleijn bagged four wickets each for Northern.

New Zealand seamer Trent Boult was wicketless but conceded a miserly 19 runs from his four overs.

Covid worries ramp up for major sports leagues

English Premier League clubs will meet early next week to discuss the escalating crisis around the coronavirus pandemic.

With nine games postponed over the past week, including five already from this weekend's 10-match fixture list, clubs want the chance to discuss the options.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank led calls for all matches to be called off until 26 December to enable a reset.

Some feel the break should be longer - but others such as Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp do not believe it should happen.

The Premier League said on Friday (NZ time) it intends to carry on playing matches as long as it is safe to do so.

It comes as world sport continued to reel from the surge in COVID-19 cases, with international competitions affected as countries introduced travel curbs.

European Professional Club Rugby postponed all weekend games between French and UK clubs, while outbreaks in North American leagues have also forced the NFL and NBA to postpone games and update their COVID protocols.

- BBC, Reuters

FIA gets new president

Mohammed Ben Sulayem of the United Arab Emirates will be the first non-European president of motorsport's world governing body the FIA.

He replaces 75-year-old Frenchman Jean Todt, who is retiring after three terms of office.

The 60-year-old Dubai-born former rally driver was standing against British lawyer Graham Stoker, who has been Todt's deputy president for sport since 2009.

The FIA is the governing body for Formula One, the World Rally Championship, World Endurance and Formula E among other series.

Formula One will be high on Ben Sulayem's list of immediate sporting priorities after the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi ended in uproar after a change to the safety car procedure led to Red Bull's Max Verstappen taking the title.

FIA race director Michael Masi has been at the centre of the controversy, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff saying the Australian had 'robbed' his driver Lewis Hamilton of a record eighth championship.

The governing body has agreed to look into the decision-making process and clarification of the rules.

- Reuters

UEFA and CONMEBOl strengthen ties

UEFA is in talks with the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) over a joint Nations League that would see the likes of Brazil and Argentina feature in the expanded competition.

The two confederations have fiercely opposed world soccer body Fifa's plans for a biennial World Cup, with the two this week signing an extended Memorandum of Understanding until June 2028.

European champions Italy are already also set to take on Copa America winners Argentina in the so-called "Finalissima" on June 1 next year in London.

In an interview with Polish outlet Meczyki, UEFA vice-president Zbigniew Boniek said the 10 South American teams will be added to the Nations League competition from 2024.

All the matches are reportedly set to be played in Europe to avoid excessive travel.

The revamped Nations League would also represent direct competition to Fifa's plans for a World Cup every two years, a proposal Boniek said would be difficult to implement.

Fifa will hold a global summit next week to discuss their ambitious plans, but UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who has been a vocal critic of the biennial World Cup idea, has said the meeting would not be a defining moment in the process.

- Reuters

Australian Open sets process for medical exemptions

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said players applying for a medical exemption to participate in the Grand Slam without being vaccinated against Covid-19 will have their case reviewed by an independent three-person panel.

Tennis Australia said the panel would consist of doctors from the fields of immunology, infectious disease and general practice and that the move had been agreed in conjunction with the Victoria Department of Health.

Tiley had previously said all players must be inoculated against Covid-19, with the move throwing the involvement of defending champion Novak Djokovic into doubt as the world number one has yet to disclose his vaccination status.

The Melbourne Park tournament, the first Grand Slam of the year, is due to begin on January 17.

Applicants that pass an initial stage will be subject to a second review conducted by a government-appointed panel of medical experts before the application is submitted to the Australian Immunisation Register.

All submissions will be confidential, Tennis Australia said.

- Reuters

More Jordan memorabilia sold at auction

A ticket stub for six-times NBA champion Michael Jordan's league debut has sold for US$264,000 (NZ$391,000) at auction.

The ticket sold for a final bid of $220,000, with a 20 per cent buyer's premium added to the price.

Jordan made his NBA debut on October 26, 1984, at the Chicago Stadium, in front of more than 13,000 people, as the Bulls recorded a 109-93 win over the Washington Bullets.

Jordan played 40 minutes and scored 16 points in the game, as well as recording six rebounds and seven assists.

The stub is the latest piece of Jordan memorabilia to sell for an eye-watering price, with a game-worn belonging to the 58-year-old from his sophomore season at the University of North Carolina selling for a record $1.38 million in May.

- Reuters