Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics-Beijing’s new skeleton and bobsleigh venue hosts first test event

The men’s and women’s skeleton test events for the 2022 Winter Olympics were held at the National Sliding Centre in Beijing on Monday, making it the first international competition to take place at the newly constructed venue. The races, sanctioned by the International Skeleton and Bobsleigh Federation (ISBF), will serve as a qualifying event for the Olympics, with 240 athletes from 23 countries set to compete across the two-day test event.

NFL roundup: Joe Burrow, Bengals end Ravens’ 5-game winning streak

Joe Burrow threw for a career-high 416 yards and three touchdowns and Ja’Marr Chase had 201 yards receiving as the Cincinnati Bengals throttled the host Baltimore Ravens, 41-17, to move into first place in the AFC North. Chase and the Cincinnati offense sparkled while the defense did enough to contain Lamar Jackson, who had never lost to the Bengals.

Tennis-Sinner boosts ATP Finals chance with Antwerp title

Jannik Sinner moved up in the leaderboard in the race to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals after the 20-year-old Italian won the European Open title in Antwerp on Sunday. Sinner defeated second seed Diego Schwartzman 6-2 6-2 in Belgium to lift his fifth ATP Tour title and climbed to 10th in the race to qualify for the Finals in Turin.

Taliban officials celebrate cricket win but Kabul streets subdued

Taliban officials took to social media on Monday to congratulate the Afghan national cricket team for winning a match in the Twenty20 World Cup, but there was a muted response on the streets of Kabul where such wins were celebrated enthusiastically in the past. Afghanistan beat Scotland in a match played in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates – the first major victory for the team since the Taliban takeover of the country.

NHL roundup: Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin posts second straight shutout

Josh Bailey scored once and added an assist, while goaltender Ilya Sorokin collected his second consecutive shutout as visiting New York claimed a victory over slumping Vegas. Mathew Barzal also scored for the Islanders, who have won two straight. Sorokin made 42 saves to earn his fifth career shutout. He is the first goalie in franchise history to record shutouts on back-to-back nights, with both coming on the road.

With axes and stones, women make their mark on traditional Basque rural sports

Women lifted heavy stones up to their shoulders and swung axes during the Women’s Championship of Herri-Kirolak – or Basque sports – as a new generation aims to change attitudes in the traditionally male-dominated sport. The town square in Mungia in northern Spain was packed with spectators to cheer on the female competitors, who are still a relatively unusual sight in the events.

Olympics-Beijing Games competitors to face daily COVID-19 tests, remain in closed loop

Competitors in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be subject to daily tests for COVID-19 and will be required to remain in a closed loop that includes transport between the various games venues, organisers said in guidelines released on Monday. China, where measures to tackle COVID-19 are among the world’s strictest, has already said international spectators will not be allowed to enter the country for the Games which will run from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20.

Soccer-Barcelona to play Boca Juniors in friendly tribute to Maradona

Spanish club Barcelona will play Argentine giants Boca Juniors in a December tribute match to mark the one year-anniversary of the death of their former player Diego Maradona, the two clubs announced on Monday. “FC Barcelona and Club Atletico Boca Juniors will play the ‘Maradona Cup’ on Dec. 14, a game to pay tribute to the star Diego Armando Maradona when the first anniversary of his death is remembered,” Barcelona said in a statement.

Tennis-Unvaccinated players can compete at Australian Open after quarantine – report

Unvaccinated athletes will be able to take part in next year’s Australian Open after undergoing 14 days of quarantine, the WTA Tour has told its players, according to an email leaked to U.S. media. The email, obtained by freelance tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, contradicts a statement made last week by Australia’s immigration minister that players would need to be double vaccinated to get a visa to compete at the Grand Slam.

Motor racing-Feels like America has accepted Formula One, says Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second but Formula One’s most successful driver said Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix in Austin still felt like a breakthrough for his sport. The race day crowd of 140,000 at the Circuit of the Americas surpassed the 135,000 who attended the Indianapolis 500 in May, then the largest sporting event in America since the start of the pandemic.

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