Sports

Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events by new IOC policy

GENEVA (AP) — Transgender women athletes are now excluded from the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy It aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on women’s sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The International Olympic Committee says “eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.” Eligibility will be determined by “a one‑time SRY gene screening.” It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level.

NBA shares some anti-tanking concepts with owners, AP sources say

The NBA’s process of finding new ways to deter teams from tanking is currently focused around three separate concepts to change the draft lottery, two people with knowledge of the discussions surrounding the issue tell The Associated Press. The concepts — they are not yet finalized proposals — were presented to the league’s board of governors by NBA executives earlier this week, the people said. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because none of the details have been shared publicly.

Iran’s soccer team honors victims of deadly missile strike on elementary school

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Players held small backpacks as Iran’s national soccer team used a match against Nigeria to honor the victims of a deadly missile strike on an elementary school. More than 165 people were killed, most of them children, when a February 28 strike, likely launched by the U.S., hit the school in southern Iran. Neither the United States nor Israel has accepted responsibility. The U.S. military is investigating and has said it would never target civilians. During the national anthem Friday, the Iranian team honored the memory of the slain children by placing small pink and purple school backpacks in front of them. The match was played in Antalya, southern Turkey.

Safety Damar Hamlin returns to Buffalo for 6th season after signing a 1-year contract with the Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Safety Damar Hamlin is returning to Buffalo for a sixth season after signing a one-year contract with the team. Hamlin was a free agent after his one-year contract expired. And he’s staying in Buffalo where the 28-year-old has served as an inspiration for perseverance following his remarkable comeback after a near-death experience three years ago. Hamlin has shown no signs of a setback since he went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati in January 2023. Hamlin was a backup last season and limited to just five games after landing on injured reserve.

Cori Close sounds a warning on coaching’s new grind as UCLA’s postseason run rolls on

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Cori Close isn’t sure how much longer she’ll be coaching. The responsibilities of coaches have changed a lot in her 33 years in the game. Between the transfer portal, name image and likeness and revenue sharing, coaching has changed. It’s not just about recruiting players from high school, but also now about keeping your team together each season. The transfer portal was moved this year to open up the day after the national championship game.

Alabama’s Aden Holloway is approved to travel out of state ahead of Sweet 16 game vs. Michigan

Alabama guard Aden Holloway, who was arrested on felony drug charges, has been granted permission by a judge to leave the state as his team prepares to face Michigan in the Sweet 16 in Chicago. The Crimson Tide say “nothing has changed with regard to Aden’s status with the team.” Alabama listed Holloway as out on the availability report given to the NCAA on Thursday. Holloway was arrested March 16 after authorities found 2.1 pounds of marijuana in his apartment. He was suspended indefinitely following the arrest, but coach Nate Oats has not ruled out the possibility of his return in the NCAA Tournament.

Masters offers a locker room unlike any other with first photos of new Player Services Building

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Players now have another reason to love playing in the Masters. Augusta National is starting to release photos of its new Player Services Building. It’s a three-story building by the driving range that features just about everything except a reason to leave. The locker room has 100 lockers and attention to details. The entire building oozes the history only the Masters can provide. The Magnolia Dining room upstairs is for players and family and staff and seats about 300. Half of those are on the terrace. There’s also a state-of-the-art fitness center down below, along with an underground parking garage.

Novak Djokovic pulls out of the Monte Carlo Masters

MONACO (AP) — Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters after having skipped the Miami Open with a right shoulder injury. The tournament’s announcement didn’t specify Djokovic’s reason for the withdrawal, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since losing in three sets to Jack Draper in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open two weeks ago. Djokovic, ranked No. 3, has not commented on his social media channels about the withdrawal.

Goal-getters Lewandowski and Džeko aim to join stellar group of old geezers at World Cup

Robert Lewandowski and Edin Džeko had a combined 160 goals in 309 national team games going into the World Cup qualifying playoffs. So it was no surprise they delivered yet again for Poland and Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday. Even at a combined age of 77. Their goals leveled the score in playoff semifinals their teams went on to win. Lewandowski and Džeko will captain their countries in playoff finals on Tuesday. Poland goes to Sweden and Bosnia hosts Italy. A stellar group of old geezers is going to the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo is 41, Luka Modrić 40 and Lionel Messi turns 39 in June.

England superfan hoping to sell a house to fund his World Cup holiday

LONDON (AP) — One hardcore England fan hopes to sell a house to fund his World Cup trip this summer. Retired teacher Andy Milne has told British tabloid The Mirror that he is ready to cash in on a second residency so he can afford to follow the soccer tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Milne lives in Thailand and has been renting out the house in northern England that he is selling for 350,000 pounds ($465,000). In addition to high travel costs to move between venues, fans have criticized FIFA’s ticket pricing strategy for the tournament.

Olympic champs Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron lead ice dance at the figure skating worlds

PRAGUE (AP) — Olympic champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron have a commanding six-point lead in ice dance at the figure skating world championships in Prague. They thrilled the crowd with a rhythm dance set to music by Madonna and achieved a personal best score. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were second. Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson are third. Americans Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik are fourth. U.S. stars and Olympic silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates have skipped the worlds.