Sports News Roundup: NFL-Washington Football Team has a name again - the Commanders; Olympics-Curling-Britain edge Canada, Italy make winning start in mixed doubles and more

China and Britain claimed victories in the "Ice Cube", where American swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics when it was known as the "Water Cube", opening the action in the Games which will last until Feb. 20 in front of crowds made sparse by COVID-19 curbs. Former Dolphins coach says refusal to throw games cost him his job Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said on Wednesday his refusal to throw games as a way to improve the football club's chances of landing a top draft pick ultimately cost him his job.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

NFL-Washington Football Team has a name again - the Commanders

The National Football League's Washington Football Team said on Wednesday they will now be called the Commanders following a lengthy review on how best to replace a name and logo that were widely criticized as disrespectful of Native American culture. The team retired their controversial Redskins name in mid-2020 along with a logo that featured a profile of a red-faced Native American with feathers in his hair.

Olympics-Curling-Britain edge Canada, Italy make winning start in mixed doubles

Reigning world champions Britain earned a notable victory over fellow favorites Canada in a tough contest at the National Aquatics Centre on Thursday to continue their winning start to the curling mixed doubles competition. Having beaten Sweden in the opener on Wednesday, Britons Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds faced another stern test against the Canadians but prevailed 6-4 after their opponents were unable to make the final stone advantage count in the last end.

NBA-Tattoos, money and the 3-point shot are ruining the NBA, says Oakley

Basketball great Charles Oakley, who personified toughness during his 19 bruising NBA seasons, said efforts to make the league more "sexy" leave a lot to be desired. Oakley, nicknamed "Oak Tree", retired in 2004 after memorable stints with the Bulls and Knicks during an era when the game was dominated by big men and the now ubiquitous three-point shot was still something of a novelty.

Olympics-Curling kicks off Beijing Games ahead of Putin-Xi main event

Mixed doubles curling opened competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Wednesday as the shadow of war in Ukraine, and the impending arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, loomed over an event already transformed by the coronavirus pandemic. China and Britain claimed victories in the "Ice Cube", where American swimmer Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics when it was known as the "Water Cube", opening the action in the Games which will last until Feb. 20 in front of crowds made sparse by COVID-19 curbs.

Former Dolphins coach says refusal to throw games cost him his job

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said on Wednesday his refusal to throw games as a way to improve the football club's chances of landing a top draft pick ultimately cost him his job. Flores, who was fired last month by Miami, alleged in a proposed class action complaint on Tuesday that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss in 2019 as an incentive to help the team land a higher draft pick in 2020.

Olympics-Figureskating-Japan's Uno puts on brave face as coach tests positive

Japanese figure skater Shoma Uno said on Thursday that he was unworried by his Swiss coach still awaiting clearance to travel to Beijing after a positive COVID-19 test, but expressed some doubt over how it could affect his performance at the Olympics. A silver medallist in South Korea four years ago, Uno is regarded as a strong medal contender at the Beijing Winter Games along with compatriot Yuzuru Hanyu and American Nathan Chen, and he is also among the possible competitors for the team event that starts on Friday with the men's short program.

Olympics-Actor Jackie Chan carries Olympic torch atop Great Wall

The Olympic torch relay began its second day on Thursday atop the Great Wall, with Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan and Chinese Olympic medallists among those taking turns carrying the flame along a route shortened to three days because of COVID-19.

The relay for the torch that will open the Feb. 4-20 Winter Games is much more modest than the globe-spanning relay for Beijing's 2008 Summer Games, a tour that was disrupted by protests.

Olympics-Beijing will deliver 'safe and splendid' Games-Chinese President Xi

The Beijing Olympics, which officially opens on Friday, will be streamlined, safe and splendid, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, as the head of the IOC decried boycott ghosts "rearing their ugly heads again" over human rights concerns. Addressing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in the capital via a brief video message, Xi said China had played an active part in the Olympic movement since staging the 2008 summer Olympics.

Soccer-COVID pandemic cost European clubs 7 billion euros: UEFA study

A study by governing body UEFA showed the COVID-19 pandemic cost European clubs seven billion euros ($7.91 billion) across two seasons even as player wages at top sides rose by 2% to 11.9 billion euros ($13.45 billion) during the period. Top-flight clubs suffered losses worth four billion euros ($4.52 billion) in 2021, up from three billion euros ($3.39 billion) the previous year.

Olympics-Snowboarding-White tests out halfpipe course at Beijing Games

American three-time gold medallist Shaun White checked out the halfpipe course at the Beijing Games in what is likely to be his final Olympics. In an Instagram post published early Thursday, White and his coach shredded the Olympic course, admiring the Great Wall artwork carved into the side of one of the snowbanks in Zhangjiakou.

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