Reuters Sports News Summary

World number one Djokovic, level on 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, declined to reveal his vaccination status again this week and said he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open crown as authorities work out COVID-19 restrictions for the tournament. NHL-League suspends Evander Kane for 21 games for COVID-19 violations The National Hockey League (NHL) on Monday suspended the San Jose Sharks' Evander Kane for 21 regular-season games without pay for violating its COVID-19 protocols.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Figure skating-Chen says he has grown since disappointing Pyeongchang Games

U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen on Monday said his disappointing performance at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018 gave him a fresh perspective on the sport. Chen was forced to settle for fifth place in the individual competition in South Korea, and left with just a bronze medal in the team event despite sky-high expectations.

Olympics-Beijing Games organisers receive flame amid calls for boycott

Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics organisers on Tuesday received the Olympic flame at a heavily-guarded Panathenaic stadium in central Athens as human rights activists called on a boycott of the Games over China's human rights record. In a brief ceremony inside the empty stadium that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896, Beijing Games vice president Yu Zaiqing fired up a small red lantern from the flame lit on Sunday in ancient Olympia, site of the ancient Games.

Tennis-No special deals to allow unvaccinated players at Australian Open: official

Australia's Victoria state will not do special deals with unvaccinated athletes to allow them to compete at major events, an official said on Tuesday, putting Novak Djokovic's Australian Open title defence and bid for the Grand Slam record in doubt. World number one Djokovic, level on 20 Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, declined to reveal his vaccination status again this week and said he was unsure if he would defend his Australian Open crown as authorities work out COVID-19 restrictions for the tournament.

NHL-League suspends Evander Kane for 21 games for COVID-19 violations

The National Hockey League (NHL) on Monday suspended the San Jose Sharks' Evander Kane for 21 regular-season games without pay for violating its COVID-19 protocols. The Canadian forward will be ineligible to play before Nov. 30, effectively keeping him off the ice for more than a quarter of the regular season.

Soccer-Lazio owner Lotito's ban reduced to two months after appeal

Lazio president Claudio Lotito's ban for COVID-19 protocol violations was reduced to two months by the federal appeal court on Tuesday. The Serie A club's owner was appealing against a 12-month ban handed to him by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) appeal court in April.

Activists urge Beijing Olympics boycott over human rights concerns

Human rights activists urged governments and athletes worldwide to boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in China, saying that anything less would make the world complicit in what they called 'genocide' by Beijing. China's treatment of minorities has come under increased scrutiny in the run-up to the games, scheduled from Feb. 4-20. Activists protested at Ancient Olympia on Monday, where the torch lighting ceremony was held.

NBA-Playing low minutes isn't good for me, says Lakers' James

Fit-again Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James suggested limiting his game time would not bring the best out of him in what will be his 19th NBA season, as his coach said he had yet to work out how to manage the veteran's workload. The 36-year-old four-time NBA champion missed 26 games last season due to a right ankle injury, playing a career-low 33.4 minutes per game.

NHL roundup: 5-goal period carries Blues past Coyotes

Jordan Kyrou scored twice in a career-high, four-point game and Klim Kostin netted a pair of goals 47 seconds apart in a five-goal outburst in the second period to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 7-4 victory over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday in Glendale, Ariz. Pavel Buchnevich, Justin Faulk and Ivan Barbashev also scored for the Blues, who erased a 2-1 deficit early in the second period with five goals in a 5:07 span, the third-fastest five-goal outburst in franchise history. St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington made 22 saves.

NBA-Opening-night rosters to feature 109 international players

Opening-night squad lists for the National Basketball Association's 2021-22 season, which begins later on Tuesday, will feature 109 international players from 39 countries, according to the league. Canada remains the most represented country outside of the United States for an eighth consecutive year with 18 players, followed by Australia, France and Germany who each have seven players each on opening-night rosters.

Soccer-Racist fans face lifetime stadium bans - Italian FA chief Gravina

Racist soccer fans must be identified and banned from stadiums for life, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina said, after several incidents of racism at the start of the Serie A season. Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly said he was called a "monkey" by Fiorentina supporters in Florence this month and called on authorities to ban the perpetrators from attending matches.

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