AP National Sports

By MARK LONG AP Pro Football Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville’s meandering coaching search has a new twist. The Jaguars have interviewed former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman for an undisclosed front-office role. That’s according to a person familiar with the process who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has qualified for a 10th successive World Cup after beating Syria 2-0 in Dubai. Second-half goals from Kim Jin-su and Kwon Chang-hoon gave the Koreans a comfortable victory over the bottom team in Asia Group A qualifying. South Korea moved 11 points clear of the third-placed United Arab

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Barcelona came agonizingly close to losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but it never really had a chance of getting rid of Ousmane Dembélé. Barcelona president Joan Laporta says the deal to sign Aubameyang was sealed a minute before the transfer window deadline ended on Monday night and that

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady has retired after winning seven Super Bowls and setting numerous passing records in an unprecedented 22-year career. He made the announcement in a long post on Instagram. Brady has long stated his desire to spend more time with his wife, supermodel Gisele

SALZBURG, Austria (AP) — Ski jumper Marita Kramer will miss the Beijing Olympics after testing positive for COVID-19. The Austrian team says a PCR test confirmed the infection detected over the weekend in Germany. The 20-year-old Kramer was due to compete at her first Winter Olympics. The women’s normal hill competition on Saturday is one

BEIJING (AP) — Olympic officials in Taiwan have reversed a decision to skip Friday’s opening ceremony of the Beijing Games in China. They say the decision was made under pressure from the International Olympic Committee. Taiwanese athletes compete as Chinese Taipei at Olympics as part of a decades-old agreement with China brokered by the IOC.

By ISIFU WIRFENGLA Associated Press BUEA, Cameroon (AP) — The African Cup of Nations in Cameroon sparks memories for Tiku Achale of what soccer used to be like in his hometown before the fighting and the killings. Achale remembers fans wearing Cameroon team shirts and carrying flags as they walked down the streets on gameday.

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer Two-time Alpine skiing gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin has been thinking a lot about the stress and pressure that gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Caeleb Dressel discussed during last year’s Tokyo Olympics. And Shiffrin knows that she will face similar burdens when her races at the Beijing Winter Games begin

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer World Cup champion Elana Meyers Taylor’s quest to add to her Olympic medal total at the Beijing Games is in jeopardy after the veteran U.S. women’s bobsled pilot revealed she has tested positive for COVID-19. USA Bobsled and Skeleton remains hopeful that Meyers Taylor will be able to compete

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer The NFL is awarding $1 million in research funding to two teams of medical researchers to study the effects of cannabinoids on pain management and neuroprotection from concussion in elite football players. Medical teams from the University of California San Diego and University of Regina in Canada were

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer BEIJING (AP) — Athletes and team officials are testing positive for COVID-19 at much higher rates than other people arriving in China for the Beijing Olympics. Local organizers say there were 11 positive tests Monday for athletes and officials on a day 379 arrived at the airport. They were

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer A 10-event run called the International Series will form part of this season’s Asian Tour in a move that could prove to be a threat to golf’s two main tours. The series is being funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and fronted by former world No. 1 Greg

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer Two-time Alpine skiing gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin has been thinking a lot about the stress and pressure that gymnast Simone Biles and swimmer Caeleb Dressel discussed during last year’s Tokyo Olympics. And Shiffrin knows that she will face similar burdens when her races at the Beijing Winter Games begin

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer BEIJING (AP) — Equipment manager Petr Sulan stepped into the net for the Czech Republic’s latest pre-Olympic practice because the three goaltenders on the roster have not gotten to Beijing yet. Sulan was the only goalie on the ice with 10 Czech skaters while the team awaited COVID-19 test

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Shaun White is making a curtain call. The big question is whether his finale will include a stop at the medal stand. The 35-year-old American will be in his fifth Olympics next week in Beijing. He says he’s at peace calling it a career and