Sports News Roundup: Games must connect with gamers - Bacht; Kpsang provisionally suspended for anti-doping and more

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs. Olympics:

Games must connect with gamers to keep Olympics relevant - Bach

The International Olympic Committee has to connect with hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide if the Olympic body is to remain relevant with the younger generation, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Friday. Bach also said games simulating sports could at some point in the future become a part of the Olympic program.

Athletics: Kenya's Kipsang provisionally suspended for anti-doping violations

Kenyan Wilson Kipsang, former marathon world record holder and bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympics, has been provisionally suspended for whereabouts failures and tampering with samples, the Athletics Integrity Unit said on its Twitter account on Friday. Kipsang's management company denied the case involved the use of doping and tampering with the doping test.

Wozniacki, Williams set up busy weekend in Auckland

Caroline Wozniacki and Serena Williams guaranteed themselves a busy weekend at the Auckland Classic as they both advanced on Friday to the semi-finals of the singles and the final of the doubles. Wozniacki ended not only her hex at the hands of Julia Goerges but also the German's 12-match unbeaten run in New Zealand's largest city with the 6-1 6-4 victory to join good friend Williams in Saturday's singles semi-finals.

Veterans, newcomers alike romp into divisional playoff round

The four battle-hardened winners of the NFL's wild-card games roll onto the next round of playoffs this weekend, with a mix of veterans and relative newcomers all vying to clear the latest hurdle on the path to the Super Bowl. Having toppled the heavy favorites New Orleans Saints in their wild card clash, the Minnesota Vikings hope to beat the odds yet again on Saturday as they face off against the San Francisco 49ers, who enjoyed a stellar 13-win and three-loss regular season.

World Cup veteran McBride named general manager of USMNT

After playing in three World Cups and nearly 100 games on the international level with the United States Men's National Team, Brian McBride is returning as general manager. McBride's appointment Friday will be effective immediately and the 47-year-old will join the team for its January training camp that was moved from Qatar, site of the 2022 World Cup, to Florida because of rising tension in the Middle East.

Nadal recovers from upset loss to help Spain move into ATP Cup semi-final

World number one Rafael Nadal recovered from an upset loss against Belgium's David Goffin to win the deciding doubles match and send Spain into the semi-final of the ATP Cup teams event in Sydney in the early hours of Saturday. Nadal partnered with Pablo Carreno Busta to win the high stakes decider 6-7(7) 7-5 10-7 against doubles specialists Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen after Spain and Belgium split the results of the single earlier in the evening.

NBA roundup: Thunder spoil Westbrook's return to OKC

Houston's Russell Westbrook scored 34 points in his return to Oklahoma City, but the Thunder controlled the game from early on to beat the Rockets 113-92 Thursday night. Westbrook starred 11 seasons for the Thunder, helping Oklahoma City to nine playoff appearances and one NBA Finals, before being traded to the Rockets in the offseason. He received a video tribute than a lengthy ovation from the Chesapeake Energy Arena fans after his pregame introduction.

MLB notebook: Red Sox, Betts avoid arbitration with record deal

Mookie Betts continues to do big things with the Boston Red Sox as the All-Star outfielder avoided arbitration with the club Friday by agreeing to a record $27 million deal for 2020, according to multiple reports. The previous record to avoid arbitration was the $26 million than Nolan Arenado agreed to with the Colorado Rockies last year before he was locked up to an eight-year, $260 million extensions during spring training.

Olympics: CAS verdict on Russia ban must come soon and be watertight - IOC

A decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over Russia's four-year ban for doping must come as soon as possible and leave no room for interpretation ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday. IOC President Thomas Bach said the ruling should be watertight so as to leave no room for other legal challenges that would further delay decisions about how Russian athletes will take part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Athletics: Rupp picks college coach to replace banned Salazar

U.S. distance star Galen Rupp, who was coached for years by the now-banned Alberto Salazar, is training with successful college mentor Mike Smith. Smith, the head coach at Northern Arizona University, confirmed to Runner's World in an email that he had become Rupp's coach, the magazine reported on Friday.