Sports

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for figure skater Kamila Valieva. He says she did not compete “dishonestly” after her doping case dominated this year’s Winter Olympics. Valieva was on the gold-medal winning Russian squad for the figure skating team event at the Beijing Olympics but no medal ceremony has been held because she

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer A number of NFL draft prospects made the most of an extra season in college. Players such as Alabama tailback Brian Robinson Jr., Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson took advantage with huge seasons. They’re hoping it pays off in the draft. Pickett and

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer There is dramatic change going on in men’s college basketball. Villanova’s Jay Wright has joined North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski in retirement in the past 13 months. Athletes can now strike endorsement deals for money and players are making frequent use of the transfer portal. The

MADRID (AP) — Rafael Nadal says he will play the Madrid Open after recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him for a month. Nadal had been recovering from a stress fracture he sustained while playing at Indian Wells in March. Nadal missed tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona because of the injury. The

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals are listing Alex Ovechkin as day to day with an upper-body injury. But there’s legitimate concern about the longtime captain’s health moving forward. Ovechkin slammed into the boards left shoulder first in the Capitals game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday night

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have placed center fielder Aaron Hicks on the paternity list and recalled infielder/outfielder Miguel Andújar from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Hicks has been expecting his first child with wife Cheyenne Woods, a professional golfer and niece of Tiger Woods. The switch-hitting Hicks is batting .273 with a .377 on-base

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer Penn State is working to finalize a deal with Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft to replace the retiring Sandy Barbour and become the school’s next AD. A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that the school and Kraft were close. Kraft has

PARIS (AP) — The doping suspension of French middle-distance runner Ophélie Claude-Boxberger has been extended to four years by France’s highest administrative court. The athlete tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO before the 2019 track and field world championships. Claude-Boxberger has consistently denied wrongdoing. The case had been referred to the Conseil d’Etat after

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — The 150th edition of the British Open is expected to attract a record-breaking crowd of 290,000 when St. Andrews hosts in July. Organizers say they received more than 1.3 million ticket applications, leading to the highest-ever number of general admission tickets being issued to fans for the world’s oldest major

ZURICH (AP) — Russia was removed Tuesday as host of the 2023 world championship in men’s ice hockey that was to be played in Vladimir Putin’s home city St. Petersburg. Citing “concern for the safety and well-being of all participating players, officials, media, and fans,” the International Ice Hockey Federation announced the decision after its

MADRID (AP) — Davis Cup Finals organizers say that Serbia and Spain have been drawn the same group. That could mean a matchup of Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal when their nations play as part of Group B along with Canada and South Korea in Valencia from Sept. 14-18. Group A to be played in

COPPERHILL, Tenn. (AP) — A fire early Tuesday destroyed Tennessee’s Ocoee Whitewater Center, which served as the host site for paddling events during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. Polk County Emergency Management Agency Director Steve Lofty told the Chattanooga Times Free Press the blaze had engulfed about 90% of the structure by the time a

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — With Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets had expectations of being the last team standing. Instead, they were the first team sent packing. Irving wasn’t around to start the season. Harden was long gone before the end of it. And after

By The Associated Press The PGA Tour returns to Mexico in the spring for the first time since 2020. Two years ago it was a World Golf Championship in Mexico City. Now it’s a regular PGA Tour event and resumes the history of the Mexico Open. Jon Rahm highlights an otherwise weak field that includes

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Roger Federer intends to return to tournament tennis after what will have been more than a year away from the tour by playing at the Swiss Indoors in October. The event in Basel announced in a statement posted on its website that the 20-time Grand Slam champion officially entered