Sports

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson has gone from being an oversized afterthought on the Buffalo Sabres roster to becoming one of the NHL’s breakout stars. The 6-foot-6 Thompson scored five times in Buffalo’s 9-4 win over Columbus. He has now scored 59 goals and 108 points in his

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee will examine a proposal for athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to resume competing in international sports events in Asia. IOC president Thomas Bach is said to have welcomed a “creative” plan for Russia to join the Olympic Council of Asia’s competitions. Russia has been excluded

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The rulemaking arm of Tennessee’s high school sports oversight organization has made a change that allows student athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. A news release from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association says its legislative council voted for the change on Thursday, effective immediately. Students could receive

LONDON (AP) — Top 100 tennis player Kamil Majchrzak has been provisionally suspended for doping after testing positive for banned substances at three tournaments in September and October. The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced the ruling Friday. It said the 26-year-old from Poland turned in A samples at the Sofia Open, Japan Open and Seoul

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says it will examine a proposal for athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus to resume competing in international sports events in Asia. The move comes ahead of a packed calendar of qualifying events for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The IOC recommended in February that Russian

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Portugal coach Fernando Santos says Cristiano Ronaldo did not threaten to leave Qatar after being dropped from the starting lineup to play Switzerland at the World Cup. Santos did acknowledge his star player was “not happy” to be told he was not in the starting lineup. That happened in a private

BERLIN (AP) — Next season’s Bundesliga season will start on Aug. 18 and conclude the following May without interruption apart from its usual winter break. The German soccer federation has announced its schedule for the 2023-24 season, with the final day for the Bundesliga set for May 18, 2024. The first round of next season’s

By MARIAM FAM Associated Press DOHA, Qatar (AP) — An emerald inscribed for a Mughal emperor. A Safavid-period knotted wool carpet. An Ottoman-era curtain, intricately embroidered with metal threads, which was part of the covering of the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure in Mecca that Muslims consider the metaphorical “house of God.” Like tiles in a

MONACO (AP) — A long jumper and two officials from Albania could face bans after they were accused of submitting false information that helped the athlete get a spot at the Tokyo Olympics last year. The Athletics Integrity Unit says it has charged long jumper Izmir Smajlaj, Albanian track federation president Gjegj Ruli and the

By LEKAN OYEKANMI and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday, nearly 10 months after the basketball star’s detention in Russia made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm. Griner’s status as an openly gay Black woman, her prominence

By LEKAN OYEKANMI and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A plane believed to be carrying Brittney Griner landed in the United States early Friday, nearly 10 months after the basketball star was detained in Russia and became the most high-profile American jailed abroad. Griner was exchanged for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Youssouf Fofana has gone from serving pizzas to delivering crosses in the World Cup. He was dropped in 2015 at age 14 from French national training center Clairefontaine and his future in soccer seemed at an end. So he went to work for a

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Thursday night’s 17-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams makes the Las Vegas Raiders the first team to blow four double-digit halftime leads in a season, according to SportRadar, whose records go back to 1930. Seven teams had squandered three halftime leads of 10 points

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Center fielder Brandon Nimmo is staying with the free-spending New York Mets, agreeing to a $162 million, eight-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement is subject to a

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jamal Murray’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds remaining lifted the Denver Nuggets to a thrilling 121-120 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard had 40 points for the Trail Blazers, including a 3-pointer that gave them a one-point lead with 8.8 seconds remaining. Murray then answered with his 3 from the

HONOLULU (AP) — Olympic surfing champion Carissa Moore won the AAU James E. Sullivan Award as the United States’s most outstanding college or Olympic athlete. Moore is the first surfer and first native Hawaiian to win the 92nd annual award. She was presented the trophy on Thursday night in Honolulu. Moore is a five-time world

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lazar Stefanovic made six of Utah’s 16 3-pointers, and the Utes scored the first 19 points of the game and cruised to a 99-58 rout of Jacksonville State for its fourth straight win. Stefanovic finished with 20 points. Branden Carlson added 19 points and Gabe Madsen had 16 for Utah