Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Murray to play Barcelona in bid for claycourt time

World number one Andy Murray will play next week's Barcelona Open in a bid to build match fitness and clock up much-needed claycourt time ahead of next month's French Open. Murray on Friday took the late decision to play in Spain after a surprise defeat at the hands of Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the last 16 of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Gymnastics: British Parkour body accuses FIG of encroachment

Britain's Parkour governing body has accused gymnastics of "encroachment and misappropriation" in seeking to incorporate elements of the running, climbing and jumping sport into a new discipline. Britain in January became the first country officially to recognize Parkour, which was founded in France in the 1980s and takes its name from the French word 'parcours' (course or route).

Ex-NFL star Hernandez's family wants death scene evidence preserved

The family of former National Football League star Aaron Hernandez will ask a judge on Friday to order prison officials to preserve evidence collected after he was found dead in his cell on Wednesday from an apparent suicide. The evidence is needed to ensure a full investigation into his death, according to a complaint filed on Wednesday by Hernandez's fiancee on behalf of their daughter.

Sailing: Italian duo break sailing record from Dakar to Guadeloupe

An Italian father and son duo have sailed their way into the record books after taking just over 11 days to cross the Atlantic in a catamaran. Nico and Vittorio Malingri arrived in the Guadeloupe port town of Pointe-a-Pitre on Thursday, 11 days, one hour and nine minutes after leaving Dakar in Senegal, the World Sailing Speed Record Council said.

Golf: I am not disappearing, Poulter says after losing U.S. Tour status

Former European Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter warned his critics not to write him off after officially relinquishing his exempt status on the PGA Tour on Friday. Poulter needed to finish 36th or better at the Texas Open to keep his tour card, but he missed the cut after posting a two-over 146 halfway total at TPC San Antonio.

Motor racing: Skeptical Villeneuve lauds Alonso's Indy bid

Jacques Villeneuve has applauded Fernando Alonso's gladiatorial spirit in chasing motorsport's 'Triple Crown' but the retired Formula One world champion and Indianapolis 500 winner said he was skeptical about the Spaniard's chances. Alonso, who races for Honda-powered McLaren in Formula One, will be at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend to soak up the Indy Car atmosphere before competing in the Indy 500 in May.

James leads Cavs to record second-half comeback win over Pacers

LeBron James engineered the NBA playoffs' biggest second-half comeback as the Cleveland Cavaliers overturned a 25-point deficit at half-time to beat the Indiana Pacers 119-114 in Game Three of their series on Thursday. James scored 41 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and dished out 12 assists as the reigning NBA champions beat the Pacers in Indianapolis to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. It was his 17th career playoff triple-double. Only Magic Johnson, with 30, has more.

Ex-Costa Rican soccer chief banned for life by FIFA

The former president of the Costa Rican Football Association, Eduardo Li, was banned from the game for life by FIFA's independent Ethics Committee on Friday, the organization said. Li is one of 42 individuals and entities charged in a U.S. investigation into the biggest corruption scandal in the history of FIFA. He was among seven soccer officials arrested at a Zurich luxury hotel in May 2015.

Fallen FIFA boss Blatter says met U.S. lawyers, but is not a suspect

Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Friday he had met lawyers from the U.S. Justice Department but was not a suspect in their soccer-related corruption investigations. The 81-year-old, banned for six years by FIFA's own ethics committee at the height of a scandal engulfing world soccer's governing body, told journalists he had met the U.S. lawyers in October or November, without going into further details.

Sharapova should not get French Open wildcard, says rival Radwanska

Former world number one tennis player Maria Sharapova should not be fast-tracked into next month's French Open as she returns from a doping ban, insists Polish rival Agnieszka Radwanska. With double French Open champion Sharapova currently unranked, all eyes will be on the French Tennis Federation (FFT) next month when it decides whether or not to hand the 30-year-old a wildcard into the tournament.