Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Spain players decry 'systematic discrimination' toward women's team; Motor racing-Verstappen resumes normal service with top time in Japan and more

Biles, a four-times Olympic champion and 19-times world gold medallist, headlines the five-woman team heading to Antwerp, Belgium, where she won the first of her five world all-around titles in 2013 at the age of 16. Golf-Key trio's absence won't hurt Europe's Ryder Cup hopes - Azinger Europe will be "unfazed" by the absence of Ryder Cup stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood when the biennial competition gets underway next week in Italy, golf analyst Paul Azinger said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Spain players decry 'systematic discrimination' toward women's team

Spain's women soccer players said on Thursday the fight they have waged with the country's football federation (RFEF) followed decades of "systematic discrimination" and they hoped that it would inspire others to stand up for their rights. Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas said the kiss on the mouth of team mate Jenni Hermoso by then RFEF President Luis Rubiales during the World Cup and his subsequent refusal to resign was the "straw that broke the camel's back" that prompted the players to boycott playing for the team until leadership changes were made at the federation.

Motor racing-Verstappen resumes normal service with top time in Japan

Red Bull's runaway Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen roared back from defeat in Singapore to set the fastest lap in the first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday. The Dutch 25-year-old laid down an immediate marker as the first driver out of the pitlane, on the hard tyres, in the hour long opening session at Suzuka and stayed top throughout.

WWE to bring back 'SmackDown' to NBCUniversal's USA Network

WWE's "Friday Night SmackDown" will be back on USA Network late next year, after the wrestling company struck a new partnership deal with Comcast's NBCUniversal to air more shows. WWE, part of TKO Group, will also produce four primetime specials per year for NBC as part of the five-year deal.

Olympic medalist sues US bobsled team doctor for sexual abuse

Aja Evans, a 2014 Olympic bobsled bronze medalist, has filed a lawsuit alleging that a doctor who worked on Team USA's medical staff subjected her to nearly a decade of sexual abuse and harassment during treatment. The doctor, Jonathan Wilhelm, a chiropractor who resides in Montana, as well as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and USA Bobsled and Skeleton Federation were named as defendants in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday in a state court in upstate New York.

Soccer-Twice US World Cup champion Ertz bows out

Two-time World Cup champion Julie Ertz bid farewell to professional soccer with a 3-0 U.S. victory over South Africa in a friendly in Cincinnati on Thursday. Ertz, a twice Female Player of the Year who played a key role in the team's World Cup winning campaigns in 2015 and 2019, was given an emotional send off with fans holding up messages of appreciation throughout the contest.

Motor racing-McLaren sign Le Mans winner Hirakawa as F1 reserve for 2024

McLaren have signed Japan's 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Ryo Hirakawa as a Formula One reserve driver for next season, the team announced on Friday. The 29-year-old won last year's Le Mans with New Zealand's Brendon Hartley and Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi as well as the endurance world championship with Toyota, a series the trio currently lead in the Hypercar category.

Tennis-Confident Kenin continues resurgence by reaching Guadalajara semis

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin reached back-to-back semi-finals for the first time since 2019 as the American downed unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-7(6) 6-1 in the Guadalajara Open on Thursday. Kenin had reached a career-high number four in the world rankings after her 2020 Melbourne triumph and finished runner-up at the French Open later that season, before injuries, illness and off-court issues saw her drop to 235 last year.

Soccer-Olympic hopes on line as reigning champions Canada face Jamaica

After seeing their World Cup dreams crushed Canada's women's national soccer team will try to avoid the same for their Olympic hopes when they take on Jamaica in a home and away tie that will decide which team will get a ticket to Paris. The CONCACAF region will have two spots in the 12 team Olympic tournament next year and with the United States having already secured one of those places Canada or Jamaica will grab the other.

Gymnastics-Biles to compete in sixth world championships

Simone Biles is set to compete in her sixth world championships this month after posting the top all-around score at a U.S. qualifying competition, USA Gymnastics said on Wednesday. Biles, a four-times Olympic champion and 19-times world gold medallist, headlines the five-woman team heading to Antwerp, Belgium, where she won the first of her five world all-around titles in 2013 at the age of 16.

Golf-Key trio's absence won't hurt Europe's Ryder Cup hopes - Azinger

Europe will be "unfazed" by the absence of Ryder Cup stalwarts Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood when the biennial competition gets underway next week in Italy, golf analyst Paul Azinger said on Thursday. Garcia, Poulter and Westwood have played a combined 28 Ryder Cups but are part of LIV Golf and resigned from the European Tour, which made them ineligible to play the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome.

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