CNN – Sports

By Joshua Berlinger, CNN North Korea has been barred from competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as part of its punishment for its “unilateral decision” to drop out of the Tokyo Games this summer, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday. Pyongyang chose not to send its athletes to the Summer Games due

By George Ramsay, CNN The USA’s Ryder Cup team was finalized on Wednesday as Steve Stricker announced his six captain’s picks, which included three-time major champion Jordan Spieth and recently crowned Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele. The other four captain’s picks for golf’s biennial tournament, which gets underway at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin on September

By Steve Almasy and Christina Carrega, CNN Two-time Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis and two other former NFL players have pleaded guilty for their roles in a nationwide health care benefit fraud scheme to submit false claims for payouts totaling about $3 million, the Justice Department said Tuesday. Portis, Tamarick Vanover and Robert McCune

By Mitchell McCluskey and Marcia Reverdosa, CNN Brazilian football hero Pele underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his right colon last Saturday, he announced on social media on Monday. The news of the surgery follows Pele’s denial of reports that he had fainted last week, when he said that he was in good health

By Matias Grez and Piers Edwards, CNN Jean-Pierre Adams, an ex-footballer who fell into a coma in 1982 following a botched knee operation, has died at the age of 73, his former clubs Nimes Olympique, Paris Saint-Germain and Nice said. Adams, an imposing central defender, started his career in Fontainebleu, where he helped the local

By George Ramsay, CNN Max Verstappen regained the top spot of the Formula One championship standings as he won the Dutch Grand Prix in front of raucous home support. A sea of fans dressed in orange roared loudly as Red Bull’s Verstappen took the checkered flag at Zandvoort, while orange flares were also set off

By George Ramsay, CNN The Tokyo Paralympics officially came to an end on Saturday as the closing ceremony took place at the Olympic Stadium. While the ceremony — which included singing, dancing, and a parade of nations — drew to its conclusion in the Japanese capital, the Paralympic flag was formally passed on to Paris

By Wayne Sterling, CNN American tennis player Sloane Stephens revealed harassing and threatening messages she received following her third-round loss to Angelique Kerber at the US Open on Friday. Stephens wrote on her Instagram story Saturday: “I am human, after last night’s match I got 2K + messages of abuse/anger from people upset by yesterday’s

By Kevin Dotson and Brad Lendon, CNN American tennis player Shelby Rogers rallied to upset No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty of Australia, the top-ranked woman in the world, in the third round of the US Open in New York on Saturday night. The final score was 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5). Rogers, ranked 43rd in the

By Wayne Sterling, CNN Baylor University’s women’s basketball team will no longer be known as the Lady Bears. The team announced Friday that it’s dropping “Lady” from its moniker, and going forward it will be referred to as the “Bears,” like the university’s other sports teams. “Baylor Women’s Basketball has solidified itself as one of

By Selina Wang and George Ramsay, CNN For athletes preparing for the biggest event of their lives, it would usually be a cause for celebration. But 100 days out from the Tokyo Paralympics, Oksana Masters was confined to a hospital bed recovering from surgery on her leg. At the time, thoughts of winning a medal

By Travis Caldwell and Jill Martin, CNN In a stunning result, US Open defending champion Naomi Osaka lost her third-round match to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in three sets, as the world No. 3 and four-time major champion uncharacteristically showed signs of frustration on the court and expressed doubts after the match. “I honestly don’t know

By Matias Grez, CNN Some of England’s players were reportedly racially abused by Hungary fans during the team’s 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Hungary. ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke, who was at the stadium, says he heard monkey chants directed at Raheem Sterling, as well as at substitute Jude Bellingham as he was preparing to

By George Ramsay, CNN The US Open tennis championship was battered by remnants of Hurricane Ida on Wednesday, causing one match to be suspended as rain poured through the stadium roof. Kevin Anderson and Diego Schwartzman’s second-round singles match was halted early in the second set as water came through multiple openings of the roof

By Matias Grez, CNN Stefanos Tsitsipas was booed by the crowd during his second-round US Open win over Adrian Mannarino after taking another extended toilet break. The world No. 3 angered Andy Murray, his opening-round opponent, during their five-set epic on Monday with two long trips to the bathroom, leading the Scot to call out

By George Ramsay, CNN Video produced by Stefania Dall’Armi It was in the stands of Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium that David Brown’s dreams of a career in track and field started to take hold. Brown, who has been blind since the age of 13, remembers taking in the “spots and colors” of the Paralympic Games

By Matias Grez, Aleks Klosok and John Sinnott, CNN Some of the world’s best tennis players are congregating in New York for the US Open, the season’s final grand slam. They do so at a time when there appears to be a sense of vaccine hesitancy among some of the sport’s leading stars. Men’s world

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN Former International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has died at the age of 79, the organization announced Sunday. Rogge served as president from 2001 to 2013, overseeing three summer Games and three winter Games, as well as creating the Youth Olympics. “First and foremost, Jacques loved sport and being

By Alaa Elassar, CNN YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has found his way back into the ring, this time to fight former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley. Paul previously defeated fellow YouTube personality AnEsonGib, former NBA star Nate Robinson and former MMA fighter Ben Askren. The pay-per-view event, which includes five fights, is scheduled to start Sunday,

By Ben Church, CNN Three-time grand slam champion Andy Murray says he hopes more tennis players decide to get a Covid-19 vaccine in order to keep the “wider public” safe. The 34-year-old said he was happy he had got the vaccine but is aware not everyone on the tennis tour is as keen. “Ultimately I

By Sana Noor Haq, CNN Manchester City put on a stunning display to thrash Arsenal 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, dropping the Gunners to the bottom of the Premier League table with their third consecutive loss. Ilkay Gundogan scored within the first ten minutes of the match thanks to a cross from teammate

By Ben Church, CNN Cristiano Ronaldo is set to re-sign for Manchester United subject to personal terms, visa and a medical assessment, the club announced on Friday. The Premier League giant said an agreement had been reached with Juventus for the 36-year-old, who scored 118 goals in 292 games during his first spell at Old

By Aleks Klosok, Ben Church and Matias Grez Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been remanded in custody after appearing in court on Friday, charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Chester Magistrates Court verbally confirmed the news to CNN and said Mendy will remain in custody until the next

By Ben Church, CNN Cristiano Ronaldo is set to leave Juventus this season, manager Massimiliano Allegri said in a news conference on Friday. The Portuguese forward joined the Italian club on a four-year deal for a reported $117 million transfer fee in 2018 but has less than one year left on his current contract. “Yesterday,

By Sana Noor Haq, CNN Bringing a child into the world should be the happiest day of any parent’s life. But Abbas Karimi said that when his mother gave birth to him in Afghanistan, his parents were riddled with anxiety. Karimi was born without arms, diagnosed with congenital limb deficiency. “They cried so much […]

By Matias Grez, CNN Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been charged by the Cheshire Constabulary with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says the alleged events took place in Cheshire, northwest England, between October 2020 and August 2021 and relate to three complainants over the

By Wayne Sterling, CNN Twenty-three-time grand slam singles champion Serena Williams and her sister, seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams, will miss the final tennis major of the year, the US Open, the two announced on social media on Wednesday. Serena Williams announced she would not be playing because of a hamstring injury, writing on

By Amanda Davies and Sana Noor Haq, CNN Beatrice de Lavalette was 17 years old when she was at Brussels’ Zaventem Airport, heading back to the US for spring break. The next thing she remembers is darkness, and the feeling of being lifted off the ground. By chance De Lavalette had been standing next to

By Scottie Andrew, CNN The US Open will offer athletes mental health support during this year’s tournament, in addition to typical health services, US Open officials said in a statement Tuesday. Mental health care providers will join sports medicine experts from the Mount Sinai Health System at this year’s US Open in New York, scheduled

By Amir Vera and David Close, CNN A six-year corruption investigation into bribery schemes in multiple world football organizations ended Tuesday. The US Department of Justice awarded $201 million to FIFA, international football’s governing body; CONCACAF, the confederation overseeing football in North and Central America along with the Caribbean countries; CONMEBOL, the governing confederation in

By Ben Westcott, CNN Australian cyclist Paige Greco won the first gold of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics on Wednesday with the Games, delayed by a year due to the pandemic, finally underway as new coronavirus cases surge in Japan’s capital. Greco crossed the line first in the women’s C1-3 3,000 meters individual pursuit at the

By Ben Morse, CNN Sixteen days after the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Japan is hosting its next global sporting event as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games get underway. Like the Olympics, the Paralympics are taking place a year after originally planned because of the delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the International

By Scottie Andrew, CNN At least 30 athletes competing in the Tokyo Paralympics identify as LGBTQ — a new high for LGBTQ representation at the Paralympic Games, by one count. That’s more than double the amount of athletes who publicly identified as LGBTQ in the 2016 Rio Paralympics, according to the SB Nation blog Outsports,

By Sana Noor Haq and Rachel Trent, CNN If you’re watching the Paralympic Games, you may notice an unfamiliar abbreviation, RPC. It stands for the Russian Paralympic Committee, and it’s a way of allowing Russian athletes to compete in the Paralympics while their country is banned from the Games because of one of the biggest

By Ben Church, CNN The flag of Afghanistan will be used as a symbol of “solidarity and peace” as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games kicks off on Tuesday night in Japan. The 16th Summer Paralympics — delayed by a year due to the pandemic — will take place amid Japan’s worst outbreak of Covid-19, with

By Ben Morse and Kevin Dotson, CNN A top-flight French league game between Nice and Marseille was abandoned on Sunday after fans invaded the pitch and a mass brawl broke out, involving players and staff. “The game between Nice and Marseille on Sunday evening ended prematurely as — following disturbances on the pitch involving home

By Kevin Dotson and Alaa Elassar, CNN Hall of Fame hockey player Rod Gilbert, fondly known as “Mr. Ranger,” died on Sunday. He was 80 years old. His death was confirmed by the National Hockey League in a press release mourning Gilbert’s loss and highlighting his impact. The cause of his death was not revealed.

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera hit his 500th career home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto on Sunday to become the 28th member of the exclusive 500 home run club. Playing in his 19th season, Cabrera hit a 400-foot solo shot off Blue Jays pitcher Steven

By Ben Church, CNN Anna Nordqvist held her nerve on the final hole to win this year’s Women’s Open at Carnoustie, Scotland, on Sunday. The Swedish golfer was all smiles as she was crowned champion after a nerve-wracking end to competition. Nordqvist was tied on 12 under with playing partner Nanna Koerstz Madsen coming into

By John Sinnott, CNN Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane scored Liverpool’s goals in the 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley, but it was the performance of teenager Harvey Elliott that really caught the eye on Saturday. The 18-year-old midfielder was making his first Premier League start for Liverpool and he didn’t look out of place

By John Sinnott, CNN Cristiano Ronaldo has “never wanted to leave Juventus,” according to the club’s coach Massimiliano Allegri. Ronaldo, who has 12 months remaining on his Juve contract, has been the subject of much recent transfer speculation with Spanish TV show El Chiringuito suggesting a return to Real Madrid could happen. There was also

By John Sinnott, CNN It’s par for the course for a golfer’s shot to occasionally land in a water hazard or the rough, but Hideki Matsuyama’s drive ended up in a spectator’s shirt at The Northern Trust tournament on Friday. “It went between my legs, hit my knee, and somehow rolled up into my shirt,”

By Ben Church, CNN Friba Rezayee made history in 2004 when she became one of the first two Afghan women to compete at the Olympic Games. When the judoka competed in Athens, her father and one of her brothers told her it was as if she had taken the “first step on the moon.” It

By Kevin Dotson and Eric Levenson, CNN Tim Tebow’s brief stint as a Jacksonville Jaguar is over after the NFL team announced Tuesday morning that it had waived the quarterback-turned-tight end. The move comes a little less than three months after the team signed the former Heisman Trophy winner, reuniting him with his former University

By Jill Martin, Kay Jones and Eric Levenson, CNN The NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders announced Monday that the franchise will require fans to provide proof of Covid-19 vaccination to attend home games this season at their gleaming new Allegiant Stadium. The vaccine mandate will go into effect September 13, the date of the team’s first

By Jill Martin, CNN Naomi Osaka, preparing to compete in her first tennis tournament since the Tokyo Olympics, briefly took a break during a pre-tournament news conference on Monday after she started crying. The Western & Southern Open news conference in Mason, Ohio, began with Osaka answering questions regarding mental health and doing press conferences

By Ben Morse, CNN Carli Lloyd, who is one of the most successful players in the history of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT), is to retire from professional football. Over an illustrious international career which began in 2005, Lloyd earned 312 caps — the second all-time record in US and world history behind

By Sana Noor Haq, CNN American BMX rider Connor Fields says he is “progressing nicely” after he suffered brain shearing and bleeding, intubation, a broken rib and a collapsed lung following his crash at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The 28-year-old rider, who won the final BMX racing event at Rio 2016, was one of the

By John Sinnott, CNN The continuation of a legacy was how Nico Ali Walsh — the grandson of Muhammad Ali –– described making his professional boxing debut in the sport on Saturday. Wearing a pair of his grandfather’s white trunks, the 21-year-old Walsh won his his middleweight bout against Jordan Weeks with a first-round stoppage

By John Sinnott, CNN No Harry Kane? No problem. Tottenham Hotspur stunned Manchester City on Sunday, grinding out a gritty 1-0 win, despite the absence of the London’s club star striker, who has been linked with a move to the reigning Premier League champion. The 28-year-old Kane was missing from Spurs’ squad for the match,

By John Sinnott, CNN German soccer great Gerd Müller, who scored a remarkable 566 goals in 607 competitive appearances for Bayern Munich, died on Sunday at the age of 75, according to the Bundesliga club. “Today is a sad, dark day for FC Bayern and all its fans,” said Bayern President Herbert Hainer in a

By John Sinnott, CNN Hundreds of thousands of fans attended English Premier League matches this weekend for the first time in nearly 18 months, though one game was marred by homophobic chanting and another by “isolated incidents of disorder” ahead of kick off. Norwich City midfielder Billy Gilmour, who was playing for the newly promoted

By Jacob Lev, CNN The modern-era record in Major League Baseball for most no-hitters thrown in a season was broken on Saturday in a sensational way, as a pitcher achieved the feat in his first career big league start. Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Tyler Gilbert tossed the no-hitter as the team defeated the San Diego Padres

By John Sinnott, CNN The reviews are in for Arsenal’s performance against Brentford in the English Premier League’s opening match on Friday and they make for grim reading if you’re a Gunners fan. “Weak and bullied,” was how Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher described Arsenal’s defending when Brentford scored its second goal in the newly

By John Sinnott, CNN Manchester United paraded new signing Raphaël Varane before its match against Leeds United at Old Trafford on Saturday and then treated the French international to an impressive win in its first match of the new Premier League season. Varane, who has joined the Manchester club from Real Madrid until June 2025

By Matias Grez, CNN Not since Real Madrid’s famous ‘Galácticos’ squad of the 2000s has a single club boasted so much individual talent. Paris Saint-Germain’s dramatic capture of Lionel Messi — which will undoubtedly go down as one of the most shocking in football history — capped off what had already been an incredible summer

By Rhea Mogul, CNN The medal-bite is a familiar photo opportunity for winning athletes at the Olympic Games. But one Japanese mayor took it a step further after he bit a softball player’s gold medal without permission, causing widespread public outrage. Nagoya Mayor Takashi Kawamura was shown removing his covid-mask and biting into the medal

By Rob Picheta, CNN It’s a situation we can all relate to: You get on the wrong bus, lose track of time and come close to missing an important appointment — or in the case of Hansle Parchment, almost don’t make your semifinal in the 110 meters hurdles at the Olympic Games. Jamaica’s gold medal-winning

By Oscar Holland, CNN Around the age of 16, I arrived at an uncomfortable conclusion: As a Manchester United fan from London, I was among the most hated demographics in English football. Like so many ’90s kids, I’d been sucked in by the glamor of the era’s most successful Premier League club. Each night, I

By Aleks Klosok, Ben Church and Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Lionel Messi has officially signed for French club Paris Saint-Germain, bringing his long-term association with FC Barcelona to an end. The French giants said in a statement that the Argentine superstar is signing a two-year deal “with an option of a third year.” “I am

By Amir Vera, CNN Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has now had Covid-19 twice, but when asked by reporters Monday whether the Ravens have spoken to him about getting vaccinated, he was noncommittal on vaccines. “I just got off the Covid list, so I’ve got to talk to my team about this and try to

By Kevin Dotson, Madeline Holcombe and Jill Martin, CNN Following an investigation, the Colorado Rockies have backtracked after accusing a fan of saying a racial slur, concluding the man instead was calling out the name of the team’s mascot. “After a thorough investigation that included calls, emails and video clips from concerned fans, media and

By Homero De la Fuente, CNN The NBA Summer League game between the Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers has been postponed due to the league’s health and safety protocols. “Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Wizards, the team does not have enough available players to proceed with tonight’s game against the Pacers,” the league

By Duarte Mendonca and John Sinnott, CNN Video by Stefania Dall’Armi and Noura Abou Zeinab, for CNN As he bid a tearful farewell to Barcelona on Sunday, football superstar Lionel Messi said a move to Paris Saint-Germain was “a possibility.” It’s been widely reported that Messi has been offered a two-year contract by PSG, though

By Wayne Sterling, Jacob Lev and Eric Levenson, CNN Bobby Bowden, the famed college football coach who led Florida State University for over 30 years and transformed the Tallahassee team into a powerhouse, died Sunday, the school said in a statement. He was 91. Bowden “passed peacefully” at his home, according to a statement from

By George Ramsay, CNN After winning the men’s Olympic marathon at Tokyo 2020, Eliud Kipchoge disarmingly remarked that he’d “wanted to test my fitness” and gauge how he was “feeling.” With around 12 kilometers of the race remaining, Kipchoge pulled clear of the lead pack to cross the line in a time of two hours,

By Theresa Waldrop, CNN Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles left Tokyo on Wednesday with her fame intact, but changed from the person she had been before the games. Suffering from the twisties — a mental condition in which gymnasts lose the sense of where their bodies are in midair — Biles stunned the world by withdrawing

By Jack Guy, CNN A fast track and new developments in running shoe design have seen a number of records broken at the Tokyo Olympics, but a leading sports scientist has warned athletes that they could be entering into a “Faustian bargain.” Among the record breakers were Norway’s Karsten Warholm, who set a world record