Russian players cleared by Czech Republic
Russian players on two NHL teams opening the season in the Czech Republic will be allowed to participate in the two Global Series games in Prague after all.
The Czech government has dropped its attempted ban of Russian players on the rosters for San Jose and Nashville, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Thursday.
The move paves the way for the Sharks and Predators to travel to Europe this weekend for practices and exhibition games in Germany and Switzerland, respectively, before facing off at Prague’s O2 Arena Oct. 7 and 8.
The Czech Foreign Ministry last week said Russian players would not be granted entry into the country because of their nation’s invasion of Ukraine. The Czech Republic was one of the first EU countries to stop issuing visas to most Russian nationals following the February invasion.
Golf
The PGA Tour has filed a counterclaim against Saudifunded LIV Golf accusing the rival league of inducing top players to breach PGA Tour contracts by claiming the tour could not enforce them. The counterclaim was included in the PGA Tour’s response to the amended antitrust lawsuit filed in federal court in northern California, which included LIV Golf as a plaintiff.
• Davis Riley got off to a hot start in Jackson, Miss., and kept bogeys off his card to the end for a 6-under 66 and a share of the lead with Will Gordon in the Sanderson Farms Championship, the PGA Tour event he considers his fifth major.
• Xiyu Lin of China made a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th hole that sent her to a 6-under 65 and a oneshot lead in The Ascendant LPGA in The Colony, Texas.
• Romain Langasque, a 27year-old Frenchman, tied the course record on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, by shooting 11-under 61 in the first round, including a second-nine 28 that contained five birdies and an eagle on his final six holes.
Basketball
Alyssa Thomas and her United States teammates were tested for the first time in the World Cup in Sydney, Ausralia by a physical Serbia team. After a slow start, the Americans used a dominant run to take control of the game and reach the semifinals again. Thomas had 13 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists to help the U.S. beat Serbia, 88-55.
• Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon who holds French citizenship was sworn in as an American citizen two weeks ago in Philadelphia. “I’ve been here for a long time,” Embiid told The Associated Press on Thursday at training camp at The Citadel. “My son is American.
I felt like, I’m living here and it’s a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?”
Colleges
The RMU volleyball team concludes a threematch homestand at the UPMC Events Center with a pair of Horizon League tilts, welcoming Purdue Fort Wayne 6 p.m. Friday before concluding the homestand 4 p.m. Saturday against IUPUI.