Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Baseball-Cleveland team sued by roller derby team over Guardians name change

Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians, which is changing its name to the Guardians, was sued for trademark infringement on Wednesday by a local roller derby team also named the Guardians. The lawsuit was filed three months after the Indians announced it would change its name https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/cleveland-baseball-team-change-name-guardians-2021-07-23 following the 2021 season in response to years of pressure from Native American groups and human rights activists that viewed the Indians name used since 1915 as racist and degrading.

Olympics-Norway forecast to top medals table for second successive Winter Games

Norway will top the medals table for the second successive Winter Games in Beijing in February with the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in second place, according to a projection by Nielsen’s Gracenote. The Norwegians, who won 14 gold and a record 39 medals in all on the back of dominant performances in cross-country skiing and biathlon in Pyeongchang, are forecast to raise those tallies to an imposing 22 gold and 44 total medals.

WTA roundup: Romanian Simona Halep records easy win in homeland

Top-seeded Simona Halep recorded six aces while knocking off Romanian countrymate Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday in the first round of the Transylvania Open at Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Halep needed just 73 minutes to finish off Ruse, who committed six double faults without notching an ace. Halep won 25 of 30 first-serve points (83.3 percent).

Heads of Ukraine anti-doping body resign after WADA charges

The heads of Ukraine’s national anti-doping organisation (NADC) resigned on Wednesday after being accused of violating international standards, the Ukrainian sports minister said. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) this week said it had evidence that the Ukrainian agency had violated doping sample collection rules by effectively warning athletes in advance of future tests.

Olympics-Tokyo experience reassures Australia for Beijing

Australia’s Chef de Mission for the Winter Olympics says the experience of the Tokyo Summer Games has reassured him that the health protocols in place in Beijing will keep his athletes safe. Beijing marked the 100-day countdown to the Games on Wednesday with the city’s vice mayor Zhang Jiandong expressing his confidence that epidemic control measures would work even as China continues to battle COVID-19 flare-ups.

Factbox-Key issues as Beijing marks 100 days until Winter Olympics

The Chinese capital will become the first city to stage both the Summer and Winter Olympics when Beijing 2022 begins in 100 days in a “closed-loop” and without international spectators, as China maintains what are among the world’s most stringent COVID-19 protocols. Despite the challenges, there has been little doubt that the Winter Games will take place on schedule, in contrast to Tokyo’s 2020 Summer Games, which were delayed by a year and held this past July and August in venues that were largely devoid of fans due to the pandemic.

Roger Goodell: NFL investigation of Deshaun Watson ‘ongoing’

Nothing to report is the status of the NFL’s investigation into Deshaun Watson’s alleged off-field conduct, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, describing the league probe into the Houston Texans’ quarterback as “ongoing.” Watson has been the subject of a legal investigation in Houston with allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct from 22 women who filed civil lawsuits.

ATP roundup: Denis Shapovalov rallies in St. Petersburg

No. 2 seed Denis Shapovalov of Canada was on upset alert before recovering for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 second-round win over Spain’s Pablo Andujar on Wednesday at the St. Petersburg Open in Russia. Eight of Shapovalov’s 11 aces came over the second and third sets. He dominated the deciding set, winning 72 percent of his return points and only losing 10 points overall.

Olympics-Russian Olympic chief says young unvaccinated athletes not expected to quarantine

Russia’s Olympic Committee chief said on Wednesday he did not expect minors in the country’s Olympic team to be subjected to three weeks of quarantine if they are unable to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before next year’s Beijing Winter Games. China, where measures to tackle COVID-19 are among the strictest in the world, requires athletes and team officials to be vaccinated to avoid 21 days in quarantine ahead of the Games, which run from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20. Some exceptions for medical reasons can granted on a case-by-case basis.

Motor racing-Rosberg says motorsport can help tackle climate change

Retired Formula One champion Nico Rosberg says motorsport has a positive role to play as the world seeks to combat climate change. The 36-year-old German, who spent much of his career flying around the world to race cars powered by fossil fuels before quitting in 2016, now promotes green technology and sustainability as an eco-entrepreneur.

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