Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motorcycling-Darryn Binder steps up to MotoGP with RNF Racing

South African Darryn Binder, younger brother of KTM MotoGP rider Brad, will enter the top category next season with the independent RNF Racing team using Yamaha bikes. Binder, 23, is currently competing in the Moto3 category with the Petronas Sprinta team and joins on a one-year contract with an option for 2023.

NBA roundup: Knicks edge Celtics in double OT

Evan Fournier scored a career-high 32 points and hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.1 seconds left in the second overtime Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who squandered an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter before edging the Boston Celtics 138-134 in an entertaining season opener for both teams. Fournier, who spent last season with the Celtics, scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and both overtimes as he became the first player in Knicks history to score 30 points in his debut for the team.

Motor racing-Hamilton and Verstappen close on track, distant off it

Formula One title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been close on track all season, at times too close, but otherwise they are keeping their distance. Mercedes’ seven-times world champion Hamilton, six points behind Red Bull’s Verstappen after 16 of 22 races, had little to say when asked at the U.S. Grand Prix on Thursday how the relationship had changed as the title fight intensifies.

Boston Celtics’ Kanter sparks backlash in China after comments on Tibet, Xi

Boston Celtics highlights were absent from China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd sports platform after their backup center Enes Kanter criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping and China’s treatment of Tibet. Kanter, who has a history of activism speaking out against his native Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, tweeted a two-minute video of himself expressing support for Tibet and wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of the Dalai Lama, its exiled spiritual leader.

Athletics-Coates and Symington step down from UK Athletics roles

UK Athletics chief executive Joanna Coates and performance director Sara Symington have stepped down from their roles, the governing body said on Thursday. Coates, who previously headed England Netball, was appointed in March 2020, while former cyclist Symington took over the job in August last year. Symington will join British Cycling as head of its Olympic and Paralympic programme.

Soccer-FIFA says 57 more refugees evacuated from Afghanistan

The evacuation of a second group of 57 refugees from Afghanistan linked to women’s soccer and basketball, comprising mainly women and children, has been completed after negotiations, world soccer’s governing body FIFA said on Friday.

There have been numerous evacuations since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Aug. 15 and announced a new government last month after U.S.-led foreign forces withdrew and the Western-backed government collapsed.

Tennis-Djokovic will need to be vaccinated to play Australian Open: minister

Novak Djokovic will not be able to enter Australia to defend his Australian Open title unless he is fully vaccinated for COVID-19, the country’s immigration minister said on Wednesday, putting the Serb’s Grand Slam record bid in doubt. World number one Djokovic, who is level with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on 20 Grand Slam titles, has declined to reveal his vaccination status, and said he is unsure if he will defend his Australian Open crown.

NFL-League, players reach agreement to drop ‘race-norming’ in settlement program

The National Football League (NFL) and former players have agreed to eliminate race-based methods of weighing claims in the league’s $1 billion settlement program over brain injuries under a proposal filed in federal court. Former players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport alleged in a proposed class-action filed in federal court in 2020 that the “race-norming” process, used to evaluate cognitive function, assumed a lower baseline cognitive functioning for Black players than their white counterparts, making it more difficult to qualify for a settlement award.

Doping-Russian triathlete Polyanskiy suspended for three years

Russian triathlete Igor Polyanskiy has been banned for three years after testing positive for the banned substance EPO, World Triathlon said in a statement on Thursday. The sample was collected during an out-of-competition test in July, meaning that Polyanskiy will be disqualified from all subsequent events.

Cycling-Olympic champions Italy, Germany win team pursuits at world championships

Olympic champions Italy added the men’s team pursuit title to their list of impressive victories in 2021 as they defeated hosts France in the final at the track cycling world championships on Thursday. It was a first world title for the Italians in the men’s pursuit for 14 years as Filippo Ganna, Liam Bertazzo, Simone Consonni and Jonathan Milan finished the four km race in a time of 3:47.192 ahead of France’s 3:49.168.

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