Reuters Sports News Summary

Predicaments began mounting as early as December 2010 when it was announced that Qatar would host the finals amid a storm of international criticism. Soccer-FIFA tech promises faster, more accurate offside decisions in Qatar VAR offside decisions will be quicker and more accurate at the World Cup after the introduction of new technology developed by FIFA over the last three years, referees chief Pierluigi Collina said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Banka re-elected for second three-year term as WADA president

Witold Banka was unanimously re-elected on Friday for a second three-year term as president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) during a Foundation Board meeting in Montreal. Speaking before his re-election, Poland's Banka said that while there has been much progress during his first term there is plenty more that needs to be accomplished in the fight against doping.

Doping-WADA expects CAS ruling on Valieva to 'take some time'

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Friday it will push sport's highest court CAS to make a quick decision on Russian Olympic figure skater Kamila Valieva's doping case but expects it will "take some time" to reach a conclusion. Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in December 2021 but the result was only made known on Feb. 8, a day after she helped her team win a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics.

NBA roundup: Royce O'Neale, Nets tip Blazers at buzzer

Royce O'Neale capped his first career triple-double by converting the tiebreaking tip-in with 0.7 second remaining as the visiting Brooklyn Nets earned a 109-107 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday. O'Neale totaled 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds -- and no play was bigger than how he finished Brooklyn's last possession.

Soccer-No alcohol sales permitted at Qatar's World Cup stadium sites

Alcoholic beer will not be sold at Qatar's World Cup stadiums, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Friday, a last minute reversal which raised questions among some supporters about the host country's ability to deliver on promises to fans. The announcement comes two days before Sunday's kickoff of the World Cup, the first to be held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public.

Basketball-U.S lose top spot in FIBA rankings after 12 years as Spain take over

The United States men's basketball team have been knocked off the top of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) world rankings for the first time in over 12 years, with Spain taking over. Spain, who have enjoyed success in recent years including winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 and FIBA EuroBasket 2022, lead the November table ahead of the U.S.

Tennis-Rublev storms back to beat Tsitsipas and reach ATP Finals last four

Andrey Rublev produced a stunning come-from-behind victory to down Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 6-3 6-2 and reach the last four at the ATP Finals, while Novak Djokovic stayed unbeaten in the round-robin stage with a win over Daniil Medvedev on Friday. Tsitsipas came out firing to dominate the first set, pouncing on a shallow ball from Rublev to crush a forehand winner for the early break and a 3-1 lead as the fiery Russian's temper began to boil over.

Horse racing-Appeals court rules horse racing safety law unconstitutional

A law designed to makes horse racing safer by creating and enforcing national rules governing the use of drugs and the treatment of animals is "facially unconstitutional," a federal appeals court in Louisiana ruled on Friday. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) was created by Congress in 2020 to replace the state-by-state patchwork of regulations following a series of high-profile doping scandals and horse deaths that rocked the industry.

NHL roundup: Devils top Leafs in OT for 11th straight win

Yegor Sharangovich scored 57 seconds into overtime and the visiting New Jersey Devils defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 Thursday night for their 11th straight win. Sharangovich scored on the rebound of a shot by Jack Hughes for his fourth goal of the season. William Nylander had tied the game for Toronto late in the third period.

Soccer-Qatar's moment of truth has come

The moment of truth for Qatar's ability to organise the World Cup after years of failed overtures and criticism over labour rights and strict laws has come. Predicaments began mounting as early as December 2010 when it was announced that Qatar would host the finals amid a storm of international criticism.

Soccer-FIFA tech promises faster, more accurate offside decisions in Qatar

VAR offside decisions will be quicker and more accurate at the World Cup after the introduction of new technology developed by FIFA over the last three years, referees chief Pierluigi Collina said on Friday. The "semi-automatic offside technology" will rule on even the tightest offside decisions more quickly than under the previous system and a 3D animated rendering of the incident will be broadcast for fans in the stadium and on TV.