Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Olympic champions Canada to kick off 'Celebration Tour' in October; U.S. lawmakers take time out from politics to play ball; Republicans win and more

The National Basketball Association's tentative protocols released to teams on Tuesday showed vaccinated players will only be tested if they show coronavirus symptoms or are a close contact of a positive case. Tennis-Djokovic pulls out of Indian Wells World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next month's Indian Wells tournament, organisers said on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Olympic champions Canada to kick off 'Celebration Tour' in October

The Olympic champion Canadian women's soccer team will kick off a "Celebration Tour" next month with two home games against 2023 Women's World Cup co-host New Zealand, Canada Soccer said on Wednesday. The matches, which will be held during the FIFA international window and mark the start of Canada's journey to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, will be held on Oct. 23 in Ottawa and Oct. 26 in Montreal.

U.S. lawmakers take time out from politics to play ball; Republicans win

As partisan standoffs in the U.S. Congress risk a government shutdown and debt default, lawmakers took a timeout on Wednesday for one of Washington's few remaining bipartisan traditions: their annual baseball game. The 2021 contest between the Democrats and Republicans, an event that typically raises over $1 million for charity, was played at Nationals Park, normally used by Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals.

Garcia jumps back into action after Ryder Cup letdown

Sergio Garcia may not have got much sleep after Europe's Ryder Cup letdown but the Spaniard said on Wednesday his energy level is good ahead of his title defense this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. Garcia, who is the lone participant from last week's Ryder Cup in the field at the Country Club of Jackson, went 3-1-0 at Whistling Straits but it was not enough to prevent a crushing defeat by the United States.

Ice hockey-Smereck unsure about Ukraine league return after racial abuse

American defenseman Jalen Smereck said he is unsure about his future in the Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) after an opponent made a racist gesture toward him in a game over the weekend. HC Donbass' Smereck, who is Black, was targeted by Kremenchuk's Andriy Deniskin during the contest, with videos on social media showing him mimicking peeling a banana and eating it before he was ejected.

Rugby League-Crowd reduced for NRL final due to COVID-19 restrictions

Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) final between Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs on Sunday will be played in front of a reduced crowd of 39,000 in Brisbane because of new COVID-19 restrictions, the league said on Thursday. The move follows Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's announcement of stage-two coronavirus restrictions across areas of Queensland on Thursday, including Brisbane and Gold Coast as well as Townsville.

NBA-Unvaccinated players to face extensive COVID-19 curbs - memo

NBA players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 will have to comply with a long list of restrictions to take part in the upcoming season, according to a memo obtained by Reuters. The National Basketball Association's tentative protocols released to teams on Tuesday showed vaccinated players will only be tested if they show coronavirus symptoms or are a close contact of a positive case.

Tennis-Djokovic pulls out of Indian Wells

World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next month's Indian Wells tournament, organizers said on Wednesday. "I am sorry I won't get to see my fans in Indian Wells and play in the desert, my favorite place to go. I hope to see you next year!," Djokovic said in a statement.

Olympics-Beijing Games to allow spectators only from mainland China

Tickets for the Beijing 2022 winter Olympics will be sold to spectators from mainland China only, while unvaccinated athletes must spend 21 days in quarantine ahead of the Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday. Organizers of the Beijing Games have informed the IOC's Executive Board 2022 of the principles to deliver "safe and successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as scheduled," the committee said.

Injured Gerald McCoy apologizes for 'honest mistake' with banned substance

Injured Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Gerald McCoy tested positive for a banned substance, an admission he made Wednesday afternoon with a qualifier. McCoy, lost for season in the season with a torn ACL, issued an apology via social media but described his positive test as an "honest mistake."

MLB roundup: Brewers end Cards' win streak at 17

Daniel Vogelbach hit a two-run homer as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers snapped the St. Louis Cardinals' 17-game winning streak with a 4-0 victory Wednesday. Adrian Houser (10-6) and relievers Brent Suter, Brad Boxberger, and Aaron Ashby combined on a three-hitter for the Brewers, who have won four of their last five games.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)