AP National Sports

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The dissident Chinese architect behind the Beijing stadium hosting Friday’s opening ceremony of the Winter Games has scoffed at the head of the U.N. health agency. He said China should award him “a gold medal” for not asking hard questions about its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer Across both Super Bowl rosters, there is a great divide. The Rams are the team loaded with veterans and the Bengals are the new kids on the block. Los Angeles has the star power, which figures with Hollywood next door. Cincinnati has a bunch of relative no names

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer Joe Burrow knew Evan McPherson must be a special kicker if the Cincinnati Bengals were willing to spend a fifth-round pick on a position usually filled by undrafted players and journeyman. But the Bengals targeted McPherson and made him the only kicker taken in the 2021 draft, a

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — It’s official: New York is now the largest sports betting market in America after just four weeks of taking mobile bets. The Empire State blew past New Jersey in January to seize the market lead, taking over $1.6 billion worth of sports bets. That’s $300

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — USA Swimming has canceled a meet in Iowa, and it is reviewing its calendar for the rest of 2022 after the world championships were pushed back another year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The TYR Pro Swim Series Des Moines was set for March 2-5 at the MidAmerican Energy Aquatic

By NOAH TRISTER AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — The first day of medals at the Beijing Olympics could be the start of another Norwegian gold rush. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is among the favorites in the men’s downhill, which is one of the marquee events of NBC’s prime-time coverage Saturday. Fellow Norwegian Terese Johaug looks

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Hawkeyes’ home game against Minnesota on Sunday. Assistant Billy Taylor will be serve as the acting head coach in McCaffery’s absence. Iowa has lost three of its last four games. The Hawkeyes’ game at Ohio

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane won’t have much time to celebrate, lament or rest after the African Cup of Nations final. The Liverpool teammates are due back in time for the team’s next English Premier League game on Thursday when the squad renews its pursuit of league-leading Manchester City. Liverpool manager

By HAL BOCK AP Sports Writer PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Hail to the “Hogs,” Washington’s fun-loving offensive line, and their partner, running back John Riggins, who set a Super Bowl rushing record and led the Redskins to the National Football League championship. Riggins kept following the Hog-made holes for a record 166 yards on 38

By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a suspect was arrested in an altercation that badly injured a San Francisco 49ers fan in a parking lot outside SoFi Stadium during last weekend’s NFC championship game between the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. Inglewood police Lt. Nicole Loudermilk confirmed that the

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer It figured that after a strike-disrupted season that saw the schedule reduced to nine games, two coaches headed for the Pro Football Hall of Fame would guide their teams into the Super Bowl. Joe Gibbs, who would go on to win three NFL championships, brought Washington to the

By HUIZHONG WU and SAM McNEIL Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Many Chinese are filled with pride as the Beijing Olympics begin. It doesn’t matter that the city just held the Summer Games 14 years ago, or that the country had to artificially construct snow, or that the U.S. and several other Western countries were

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — University of Arizona police say UCLA men’s basketball player Mac Etienne has been arrested and cited on suspicion of misdemeanor assault after he appeared to spit toward a fan after the Bruins lost to Pac-12 rival Arizona. Local media outlets reported that fans jeered UCLA players Thursday night as they left

BEIJING (AP) — A correspondent in Beijing for Dutch national broadcaster NOS was manhandled away from his camera during a live news show shortly before the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Sjoerd den Daas, the NOS correspondent in China, was speaking to the camera when security officials pushed him away. Den Daas remained calm and told

By BEN NUCKOLS AP Sports Writer Members of Congress say an investigation into sexual harassment of women employed by Washington’s NFL franchise was not as independent as the team and the league claimed. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released documents that showed the league and the team agreed to pursue a “joint legal

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Athletic Bilbao is again showing Spain why it claims to be the “king” of the Copa del Rey. Athletic advanced to the semifinals of the “King’s Cup” on Thursday after eliminating Real Madrid 1-0. That came two weeks after it had prevailed 3-2 over Barcelona. Athletic

By SARAH DiLORENZO Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — China invited the world back — sort of — for the pandemic era’s second Olympics. Beijing used its first Games to amplify its international aspirations. This time it is an emboldened and more powerful nation, whose government’s authoritarian turn provoked some countries’ leaders into staying home. Chinese