Sports News Roundup: Lionel Messi open to playing in 2026 World Cup; Tennis-Kyrgios assault charge dismissed despite guilty plea -ABC News and more

The Baltic nations and Poland earlier Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues. Motor racing-Renault's first F1 winner Jabouille dead at 80 French racing driver and engineer Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who in 1979 gave Renault their first Formula One victory, has died at the age of 80.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Lionel Messi open to playing in 2026 World Cup

After hoisting his first World Cup trophy with Argentina in December, Lionel Messi said that tournament would be his last, but now it appears he's open to the possibility of playing in the 2026 event. "Because of age it'll be difficult to make 2026," Messi, 35, told Diario Ole, a sports newspaper in Argentina. "I love playing football and while I feel like I'm in good shape and enjoying this, I'm going to keep at it. It seems like a long time until the next World Cup, but it depends on how my career is going."

Tennis-Kyrgios assault charge dismissed despite guilty plea -ABC News

A common assult charge against tennis player Nick Kyrgios was dismissed in a Canberra court on Friday, despite earlier lodging a guilty plea, broadcasters ABC News and Sky said. The charge related to a 2021 incident involving his former girlfriend Chiara Passari.

NBA-Abdul-Jabbar to attend Lakers games as LeBron closes on record - source

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be in the stands for two Lakers home games in which LeBron James is likely to surpass him and become the NBA's all-time leading scorer, a source close to the Lakers great told Reuters on Thursday. Abdul-Jabbar and James have had a frosty relationship amid a range of public disagreements leaving some to wonder whether the Hall of Famer would want to witness the fall of the record he has held for nearly four decades.

NFL-Mahomes says first Super Bowl with two Black quarterbacks is ‘special’

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said this year's Super Bowl will have added significance with two Black quarterbacks starting for the first time, while his Philadelphia Eagles counterpart Jalen Hurts called it a meaningful moment. Mahomes, who won with the Chiefs in 2020, will face off against Hurts for the Lombardi Trophy in Glendale, Arizona, later this month, with the pair making history as soon as they step onto the field.

U.S. snowboarders sue former coach alleging sexual abuse

Three former U.S. snowboarders sued their former coach, the national snowboarding federation and the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday alleging sexual abuse that was covered up by the two sporting bodies, court documents showed. Rosey Fletcher, Erin O'Malley and Callan Chythlook-Sifsof sued former coach Peter Foley, U.S. Ski and Snowboard (USSS), and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in U.S. District Court for the central district of Los Angeles.

Batting champ Luis Arraez wins arbitration with Marlins

Newly acquired infielder Luis Arraez earned his first victory of the season, defeating his new team in salary arbitration on Thursday. Arraez will earn $6.1 million in 2023 while the Miami Marlins -- by way of Minnesota -- had filed at $5 million.

Motor racing-Ford set to partner Red Bull in F1 from 2026 - reports

U.S. carmaker Ford will announce an engine partnership with Formula One world champions Red Bull from 2026 at the team's launch in New York on Friday, according to media reports in Europe. Italian media disclosed details on Thursday after an apparent embargo breach.

Figure skating-U.S. 'deeply frustrated' by medals' delay

U.S. Figure Skating on Thursday said it was "deeply frustrated" by the nearly one-year delay in its athletes receiving medals won in the team event at the Beijing Olympics as a doping case involving a Russian skater continues to play out. The Americans finished second behind the Russian Olympic Committee in the event on Feb. 7 but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled no medals would be presented after Russian teenager Kamila Valieva's doping case forced a postponement of the ceremony.

Poland expects broad coalition to call for Olympics ban on Russian, Belarusian athletes

Poland believes it will be possible to build a coalition of some 40 countries, including the U.S., Britain and Canada, by Feb. 10 supporting the call to block Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics, a Polish minister said on Thursday. The Baltic nations and Poland earlier Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues.

Motor racing-Renault's first F1 winner Jabouille dead at 80

French racing driver and engineer Jean-Pierre Jabouille, who in 1979 gave Renault their first Formula One victory, has died at the age of 80. The Renault-owned Alpine team mourned his passing on Thursday and paid tribute to the two-times race winner as a pioneer whose victory at Dijon-Prenois was also the first in Formula One for a car with a turbocharged engine.