Reuters Sports News Summary

IOC President Thomas Bach said the Olympic body would support "every Ukrainian athlete" who wanted to take part in Olympic qualifying events in their respective sport. Soccer-Girma tipped to be cornerstone of U.S. defence for years United States defender Naomi Girma completes her meteoric rise from national team debutant to the Women's World Cup stage next month and many are predicting she will be a key player for the four-times champions for many years.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Tennis-Alcaraz sails into Queen's Club quarters, Fritz knocked out

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the quarter-finals of the Queen's Club Championships after he beat Jiri Lehecka 6-2 6-3 on Thursday but third seed Taylor Fritz was knocked out by Adrian Mannarino. Alcaraz is playing on grass for the first time this week since his fourth-round exit at Wimbledon last year and he is slowly getting to grips with the unfamiliar, faster surface.

Qatari fund buys passive stake in Wizards parent - Sportico

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is buying a passive minority stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the parent of the Washington Wizards and the Washington Capitals, Sportico reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. QIA would be buying 5% of Monumental, which owns the Women's National Basketball Association's Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena and the NBC Sports Washington, the report said, adding that the deal would value the group at $4.05 billion.

Motorcycling-Marquez says commitment to Honda is 'maximum' amid exit rumours

Honda rider Marc Marquez said he is committed to the Japanese manufacturer and already has an eye on next year's project after a disappointing season. Six-times MotoGP champion Marquez signed a four-year extension in 2020 that will keep him with Honda until 2024, but he has struggled to match his title-winning performances due to injuries and a machine that is unable to compete with Ducati.

Olympics-International Boxing Association is stripped of its recognition-IOC

The International Boxing Association's (IBA) recognition as the global body for the sport was stripped on Thursday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues. The IOC's extraordinary session, held online on Thursday, rubber-stamped an executive board recommendation by 69 votes to one to withdraw the IBA's recognition.

Soccer-Barcelona to begin LaLiga title defence at Getafe

Barcelona will begin their Spanish league title defence away to Getafe on Aug. 13 while Real Madrid visit Athletic Bilbao the same weekend, the Spanish FA (RFEF) said on Thursday.

With the renovation of Barcelona's Camp Nou already under way, the Catalan giants will host the first Clasico of the season against bitter rivals Real Madrid on matchday 11 (Oct. 29) at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium. Both teams will meet again at Santiago Bernabeu on matchday 32, on the weekend of April 21, 2024.

Soccer-Chelsea owners agree to become shareholders of French club Strasbourg

The consortium BlueCo which purchased Chelsea last year has reached an agreement to become shareholders of French club Racing Strasbourg, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The agreement will see BlueCo invest in Strasbourg's first teams and academy while Marc Keller will remain the club's president having been at the helm since 2012 when the club was at risk of being liquidated.

Soccer-Suarez struggling with knee problem, says Gremio president

Uruguay and Gremio striker Luis Suarez, who suffers from osteoarthrosis in his right knee, is struggling to extend his playing career, according to his Brazilian club's president Alberto Guerra. The former Barcelona player is considering retirement, Brazilian media reported, as he suffers from severe pain that forces him to take injections to play.

Cricket-Perry falls for 99 but Australia in command in women's Ashes test

Australia all-rounder Ellyse Perry missed out on an Ashes test century by one run on a rain-hit first day of the one-off match against England as the visitors reached 328-7 at stumps at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday. Australia opted to bat after winning the toss but their openers Beth Moooney and Phoebe Litchfield could not convert their starts before Perry came to the crease.

Olympics-Ukrainian athletes should have chance to qualify for Paris Games-IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday appealed to Ukraine to give their athletes the chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics despite a partial ban on competing against Russian and Belarusian athletes. IOC President Thomas Bach said the Olympic body would support "every Ukrainian athlete" who wanted to take part in Olympic qualifying events in their respective sport.

Soccer-Girma tipped to be cornerstone of U.S. defence for years

United States defender Naomi Girma completes her meteoric rise from national team debutant to the Women's World Cup stage next month and many are predicting she will be a key player for the four-times champions for many years. The 23-year-old centre back first played for the senior U.S. team last year and quickly settled in to earn a place in Vlatko Andonovski's World Cup squad.