Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Athletics-Rupp ready for Chicago after short Olympics turnaround

Galen Rupp may have missed out on a medal at the Tokyo Olympics but the American said on Friday that despite a short turnaround he has had a great recovery and is raring to get to the start line for this weekend’s Chicago Marathon. Rupp, who in 2017 became the first American-born male to win the Chicago Marathon in 35 years, placed eighth at the Olympics where some major names dropped out amid humid conditions but said his coach Mike Smith has him ready for Sunday.

Soccer-Andorra v England to go ahead despite fire at stadium

England’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra on Saturday will go ahead as planned despite a fire that broke out at the Estadi Nacional on Friday, the Andorran Football Federation (FAF) has confirmed. Sky Sports earlier posted videos showing a television gantry at the side of the pitch between the two sets of team benches engulfed in flames and giving off plumes of thick, black smoke.

Japanese octogenarian skateboarder learns new tricks

Yoshio Kinoshita is living proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. The 81-year-old rides the ramps at his local skate park in the city of Osaka almost every morning, picking up tips from skateboarders decades younger than him.

Doping-Indonesia, Thailand want WADA to reconsider non-compliant ruling

Indonesia and Thailand will ask the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to reconsider its decision to declare them non-compliant, representatives of the two countries said on Friday. WADA announced on Thursday that the National Anti-Doping Agencies (NADOs) of North Korea and Indonesia were ruled to be non-compliant for not implementing effective testing programs.

U.S. charges 18 former NBA players with defrauding league’s health plan

Eighteen former National Basketball Association players were charged on Thursday with defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan out of $3.9 million by seeking reimbursement for medical and dental work that was never performed. According to an indictment filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, players received $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds, with 10 paying the alleged ringleader, Terrence Williams, at least $230,000 in kickbacks.

Soccer-Human rights groups criticise Newcastle sale to Saudi-led consortium

Saudi Arabian human rights group ALQST accused the Premier League of being driven only by money and employing ‘profoundly inadequate’ criteria for assessing human rights considerations in the wake of Newcastle United being acquired by a Saudi-led consortium. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman — now owns 80% of the club, with the rest divided between RB Sports & Media and PCP Capital Partners, whose chief executive, Amanda Staveley, led the takeover.

Years later, Eli Manning talks about 2004 draft-day trade

After 17 years, a career that led to two Super Bowl victories and a place in the top 10 of a number of all-time quarterback lists, Eli Manning finally talked about why he didn’t want to play for the San Diego Chargers, the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2004. “It was my decision having talked with my agent, coaches, [general managers] and owners,” Manning said on the “10 Questions with Kyle Brandt” podcast, which was posted Thursday.

Boxing-Fury and Wilder post career-heaviest weights ahead of title fight

Heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder tipped the scales at their biggest weights yet on the eve of their highly-anticipated third fight in Las Vegas on Saturday with the WBC belt on the line. Fury, who recovered from a 12th round knockdown in their first meeting to earn a draw before dominating Wilder 20 months ago to take the strap, weighed in at 277 pounds, five pounds heavier than in their second fight.

Motor racing-Hamilton to take grid drop in Turkey after engine change

Seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will take a 10-place grid penalty for the Turkish Grand Prix after Mercedes changed the engine on his car on Friday amid reliability concerns. The new internal combustion engine (ICE) exceeds the Briton’s allocation of three for the season, triggering the penalty.

Soccer-Staveley promises Newcastle overhaul, knocks back sportswashing critics

British businesswoman Amanda Staveley on Friday denied that a Saudi-backed takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United was designed to “sportswash” Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, saying the deal would rebuild the club into a winning team. Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners group fronted a consortium 80%-led by Saudi Arabia’s PIF sovereign wealth fund that on Thursday secured the club in a 305 million pound ($415.5 million) deal to the delight of fans who had accused former owner Mike Ashley of under-investment.

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