Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
American football-XFL to collaborate with NFL on player safety
Professional football league XFL said on Monday it has reached an agreement with the NFL to collaborate on programs aimed at innovating the game and protecting the health of players. The main focus of the collaboration will be health and safety initiatives, with the two leagues working on forward-thinking physical and mental fitness programs for players, the study of playing surfaces and equipment.
Soccer-U.S. firm to invest in Rio soccer club Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama look set to become the latest Brazilian soccer club to be bought by outside investors on Monday when U.S. investment firm 777 Partners reached a deal to purchase a controlling stake, the Rio club said. Vasco said the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding that values the club at 1.7 billion reais ($333.1 million) and includes an agreement by the Miami-based company to assume 700 million reais ($137.16 million) in debt.
Athletics-Farah to return at London 10,000 race in May
Multiple worlds and Olympic champion Mo Farah will return to action at the Vitality London 10,000 on May 2 after recovering from a foot fracture, organizers said in a statement on Monday. The 38-year-old Briton, who completed the 5,000 and 10,000 metres double at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, failed to make the qualifying time for the 10,000m at last year’s Tokyo Games and has been out of action since June.
Olympics-Beijing closes curtain on ‘closed loop’ Games
Beijing doused its Olympic flame on Sunday night, closing a Games that will be remembered for the extremes of its anti-COVID-19 measures and outrage over the doping scandal that enveloped 15-year-old Russian skating sensation Kamila Valieva. Chinese President Xi Jinping was on hand for the snowflake-themed ceremony at the Bird’s Nest stadium, where International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach described the Beijing Games as “truly exceptional” before declaring them closed.
Horse racing-Medina Spirit’s 2021 Kentucky Derby win nullified, Baffert suspended
Medina Spirit’s victory in the 2021 Kentucky Derby has been nullified due to the presence of a banned drug in his system and trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended for 90 days and fined, racing stewards ruled on Monday. The dark bay colt’s win in May’s Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs had delivered Baffert a record seventh win in North America’s most prestigious race until a post-race sample found betamethasone, a corticosteroid.
Tennis-Djokovic returns to action with victory in Dubai
World number one Novak Djokovic belatedly began his 2022 campaign with a convincing 6-3 6-3 defeat of Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti at the Dubai Championships on Monday. The 34-year-old showed no sign of rust or mental baggage from the Australian Open visa saga that rocked the sports world, producing a polished display to ease into the second round, afterward describing it as a “pleasant experience.”
Rugby-Moana Pasifika made to wait for Super Rugby Pacific debut
Moana Pasifika will have to wait another week to make their Super Rugby Pacific debut after their meeting with Waikato Chiefs scheduled for this coming Sunday was postponed due to player welfare concerns, organizers announced. The expansion side, one of two new teams to enter Super Rugby this season, had their opening match in the competition against the Auckland Blues called off due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Pasifika squad.
Soccer-Neymar keen to play in MLS
Paris St Germain and Brazil forward Neymar would like to play in the United States-based Major League Soccer for at least a season before he calls time on his career. Neymar, who is under contract at PSG until June 2025, said he was more likely to play in the U.S. than return to his home country.
Maple Leafs acquire G Carter Hutton from Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes traded goalie Carter Hutton to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday in exchange for future considerations. Hutton, 36, will join his seventh NHL team. He cleared waivers earlier in the day, meaning he can be assigned directly to Toronto’s AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
Soccer-Urinary infection prolongs Pele’s stay in hospital
Brazilian soccer legend Pele has a urinary infection and will be kept in hospital for longer than his doctors planned, the clinic where he was being treated said on Monday. Pele, who has been undergoing chemotherapy for a colon tumor that was removed in September, returned to the Albert Einstein hospital on Feb. 13.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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