Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Olympics-Five members of Team Canada delegation in COVID-19 protocol
The Canadian Olympic Committee said on Friday five members from their 246-person Olympic delegation in Beijing have been placed in COVID-19 protocols ahead of next week's Winter Olympics. The COC announced the numbers in a news release to outline its plans for sharing information related to COVID-19 cases or potential cases during the Feb. 4-20 Beijing Olympics.
Tennis-Emotional Nadal stands one win away from record 21st major
A teary-eyed Rafa Nadal felt his tennis career was "alive" again after Friday's victory over Italian Matteo Berrettini took him to the Australian Open final and left him one win away from a men's record 21st Grand Slam title. A couple of months ago, the 35-year-old Spaniard was worried that he might never return to the court again after missing chunks of the 2021 season, including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the U.S. Open, due to a long-standing foot problem.
Athletics-Tokyo Olympians set to shine as Millrose Games return
A dramatic showdown is set for the men's 60 meters at Saturday's Millrose Games at the Armory in New York, as Tokyo Olympians headline a star-studded lineup. The first major indoor track event of the year makes its return after going on hiatus in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic with 64 Tokyo Olympians - including gold medallists Ryan Crouser, Katie Nageotte and Athing Mu - appearing.
Tennis-Nadal surprised but amazed with Australian Open final run
It was little wonder that Rafa Nadal was left sobbing into his shirt on Friday -- because even he did not expect to make the Australian Open final after all the injury and illness woes he had to put up with over the past six months. However, endless hours of hard work and the strong-willed belief of a champion means the Spaniard will be contesting a sixth Australian Open final - 13 years after winning his first and only title in Melbourne.
Team Taiwan won't be at Winter Games opening ceremony
Taiwan's small team for next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing will not take part in either the opening or closing ceremonies, the government said on Friday, blaming delayed flights, tough anti-COVID-19 rules and an early departure. Chinese-claimed Taiwan had feared Beijing could "downgrade" Taiwan's status by putting its athletes alongside those from Chinese-run Hong Kong at the opening ceremony, a senior Taiwan official familiar with the matter told Reuters this week.
Tennis-Medvedev revels dream-wrecker role after booking Nadal date
Daniil Medvedev will once again be ready to play the role of dream wrecker when he takes on Rafa Nadal in Sunday's Australian Open final. The Russian became the newest member of the Grand Slam winners' club when he triumphed at the U.S. Open last September, in the process dashing Novak Djokovic's hopes of winning a men's record 21st major.
Tennis-Collins stands between Barty and the end of Australia's title drought
Ash Barty will carry the weight of a nation on her shoulders when she faces big-hitting American Danielle Collins in Saturday's Australian Open final, as she seeks to end her country's 44-year wait for a home champion. The world number one has lost just 21 games to reach her maiden final at Melbourne Park and is primed to become the first local since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open.
China's Weibo warns users about posting Winter Olympics content
Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, sent out messages to its users on Friday warning them against posting any content from the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics that belonged to broadcast rights holders or risk being blocked. The platform, which has over 570 million monthly active users, posted a notice on its official account and sent direct messages to its users, irrespective of whether they had posted any Olympics content in the past.
Amid pandemic and protest, Olympics return to a changed China
The Beijing Winter Olympics kick off in a week, putting sports at center-stage following preparations that have been clouded by diplomatic boycotts and the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the Games into a tightly sealed bubble. Beijing will become the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games, and some venues from 2008 will be re-used, including the Bird's Nest stadium, where the opening ceremony will again be overseen by famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
NFL-Chiefs host Bengals, Rams face 49ers; Super Bowl trip at stake
The Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend in a showdown of elite quarterbacks while the Los Angeles Rams hope to reverse their fortunes against the San Francisco 49ers in two games that will determine the Super Bowl matchup. The Chiefs' offense, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has looked virtually unstoppable in reaching a fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game and they could be in for yet another high-scoring affair on Sunday.
