Sports News Roundup: Tennis-Britain's LTA fined by ATP for banning Russians, Belarusians; Ice hockey-'Captain Clutch' Poulin named Canada's athlete of the year and more

The long-time national team captain, who finished second in scoring at the Beijing Games where she netted her third career gold medal-clinching goal, is the first female ice hockey player to receive the Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete. Exclusive-Soccer-765K World Cup visitors fall short of Qatar's expected 1.2M influx Qatar received just over 765,000 visitors during the first two weeks of the World Cup, according to an organisers' report obtained by Reuters, falling short of the country's expectations for an influx of 1.2 million during the month-long event.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Britain's LTA fined by ATP for banning Russians, Belarusians

The ATP on Wednesday fined Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) 820,000 pounds ($1 million) for banning male players from Russia and Belarus from this year's summer grasscourt events ahead of the Championships over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Players were banned from the UK grass-court tournaments held in the build-up to Wimbledon, which became the first Grand Slam tournament to ban individual competitors from the two countries -- a move that was condemned by the men's and women's tours.

Ice hockey-'Captain Clutch' Poulin named Canada's athlete of the year

Marie-Philip Poulin was named Canada's top athlete of 2022 on Wednesday, capping a year in which she led the national women's ice hockey team to gold medals at the Beijing Olympics and world championships. The long-time national team captain, who finished second in scoring at the Beijing Games where she netted her third career gold medal-clinching goal, is the first female ice hockey player to receive the Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete.

Exclusive-Soccer-765K World Cup visitors fall short of Qatar's expected 1.2M influx

Qatar received just over 765,000 visitors during the first two weeks of the World Cup, according to an organizers' report obtained by Reuters, falling short of the country's expectations for an influx of 1.2 million during the month-long event. A huge surge in visitors at this stage is unlikely with only eight teams staying on in Doha, and eight games left out of the 64 in the tournament that began on Nov. 20.

NBA roundup: Donovan Mitchell (43 points) carries Cavs past Lakers

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 43 points to fuel the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 116-102 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Mitchell made 17 of 27 shots from the floor and 4 of 8 from 3-point range to eclipse his previous season-high point total of 41, set during the Cavaliers' 132-123 overtime win at Boston on Oct. 28.

Soccer-Brazil's dancing about happiness, not disrespect - Vinicius Jr

Brazil's Vinicius Jr said they would not stop dancing to celebrate goals at the World Cup as it was an expression of happiness that was part of Brazilian culture. Brazil thrashed South Korea 4-1 in their World Cup last-16 match on Monday, but it was not just their footballing masterclass that caught the eye.

Baseball-Judge agrees to re-sign with New York Yankees - report

The New York Yankees have re-signed slugger Aaron Judge, The Athletic reported on Wednesday, ending an extended period of rampant speculation over where one of Major League Baseball's most sought-after free agents would land. The report, which cited an unnamed MLB source, said Judge has agreed a nine-year, $360 million deal to remain with the only club he has ever picked up a bat for after he rejected the Yankees' offer of an extension worth $230.5 million in April.

Soccer-Fans will never let European Super League happen, says ECA chairman

The proposed European Super League will never get off the ground, even if the courts find in its favor, due to opposition from clubs and fans, European Club Association (ECA) Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus were among 12 clubs to announce a breakaway Super League in April last year but the move promptly collapsed, with nine clubs withdrawing, in the wake of a hostile reaction from across the game.

NFL-Bills' elite pass rusher Miller out for season after knee surgery

The Buffalo Bills' Super Bowl hopes suffered a major blow as the team said on Wednesday that elite pass rusher Von Miller will miss the rest of the 2022 National Football League season after having surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Miller has missed one game since he left the Bills' Nov. 24 win over the Detroit Lions but exploratory surgery on Tuesday revealed the ACL injury. Miller had previously said he sustained damage to his meniscus.

Olympics-Russia, Belarus athletes' participation at Paris Games still unclear

The participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Paris summer Olympics is still unclear and no date has been set for a final decision on the matter, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Wednesday. About 100,000 athletes around the world will be trying to qualify in the coming year and a half for the Games, with about 10,000 eventually expected to attend.

Motor racing-Portland to host U.S. Formula E round next year

Portland, Oregon, will host a round of the Formula E championship for the first time next June, replacing New York as the series' sole U.S. race. The June 24 race will be the 12th of 16 rounds in season nine. The championship starts in Mexico City on Jan. 14 and ends in London with a July 29-30 doubleheader.

(With inputs from agencies.)