Iga Swiatek believes it is "pretty confusing" to see the International Olympic Committee backing sports stars from Russia and Belarus to return to top-level sport while the invasion of Ukraine continues.
Since Russia launched its assault in February 2022, supported by Belarus, many sports have banned athletes from the two countries outright, while tennis has been among those that has largely allowed them to compete but under a neutral flag.
Swiatek, the women's tennis world number one, hails from Poland and has been a vociferous critic of the war and a fervent supporter of Ukraine.
Interim recommendations were issued by the IOC last month to international federations and organisers of events regarding the involvement of Russians and Belarusians.
The Olympic body urged federations to exclude any athletes or support personnel "who actively support the war" and said teams from either country should not be allowed to compete in international sport for now.
However, in a statement, the IOC said it should be "the sole responsibility" of sporting bodies to decide whether individuals can compete, and this should be "based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports".
There is a clear possibility of Russian and Belarusian athletes being allowed to compete as neutrals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, although IOC president Thomas Bach stressed there has been no decision taken on that matter.
Swiatek was asked about the IOC stance after her opening match at the Stuttgart Open, and the 21-year-old said: "Human rights are important, but I always feel like there are values that you have to kind of treat respectfully, and war is not something that we want in the world. I was pretty open about that since the beginning.
"Right now the situation is pretty complicated, because at the beginning of the war there weren't many decisions one way. At first they were kind of banned in other sports, not in tennis.
"Then it changed a little bit, and they are starting to be allowed, the Russian and Belarusian players, which is pretty confusing, because I feel like nothing changed in Ukraine and the cities are still under attack and many Ukrainian athletes are fighting in the war and actually losing their lives.
"It's heartbreaking. I just hope, no matter what the decision is going to be, the sport will be able to kind of put people together and not separate them.
"But there are tensions, so it may be tricky and hard to do. As just one athlete, I don't have full influence on what's going on, so we kind of have to just compete our best no matter what the circumstances are."
Russell Westbrook believes the Los Angeles Clippers were missing "the best in the world" as Kawhi Leonard sat out a Game 3 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.
Devin Booker scored 45 points as the Suns beat the Clippers 129-124 on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead, and only the Phoenix star is scoring more points so far in the postseason (36.3 per game) than Leonard (34.5).
But Leonard was not on the floor, watching instead from the sideline due to a knee injury.
The setback was only reported hours before the game in Los Angeles, although it was quickly clarified it was not related to the ACL injury that saw him miss the whole of last season.
Leonard could be back for Game 4, but his absence was a blow – especially as the Clippers came so close to beating the Suns even without him.
"I just feel sorry for him," team-mate Westbrook said. "He probably was playing his best basketball in a while, probably the best in the world, honestly. It just sucks just for him mentally.
"But it was good to see him be around and communicate with us on the bench. Hopefully we can see how he's feeling and see what's next.
"If he's not back, we have to rally around each other, support each other, find ways to make something happen. It's a series. First to four. Get ready for Saturday afternoon."
Coach Ty Lue added of the injury: "It's very deflating. I think more so for Kawhi.
"You have a guy who's coming off ACL, hasn't missed a rehab session, eats right, eats clean, does everything he can for his body, works extremely hard to get to this point. Then you have something like this happen.
"So, it's tough for him, for all the work that he puts in. I feel bad for him."
James Harden could not understand why he was ejected from Game 3 between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets, although he was not the only individual frustrated with the officiating on Thursday.
A hot-tempered affair saw a player from each side ejected and the Nets claiming Joel Embiid should have joined them.
Embiid and Nic Claxton clashed after the MVP frontrunner was fouled in the first quarter. As Claxton stared Embiid down, the Sixers big man appeared to aim a kick at his opponent.
While Embiid was issued a flagrant foul one, Claxton was hit with a technical and would later be ejected for a second technical, again for confronting Embiid.
Embiid later described himself as "too valuable" to allow that situation to escalate, but team-mate Harden was thrown out of the game in a separate incident.
He caught Nets forward Royce O'Neale while in possession late in the third quarter, and referee Tony Brothers explained after the game: "Based on the point of contact directly to the groin, it rose to the level of excessive and ejection."
Harden disagreed, not even believing the incident was worthy of a foul.
"Unacceptable, unacceptable flagrant two," Harden said. "First time I've been ejected.
"I'm not labelled as a dirty player, and I didn't hit him in a private area. Somebody is draped on you like that defensively, that's a natural basketball reaction. I didn't hit him hard enough for him to fall down like that.
"For a flagrant two, it's unacceptable. This is a playoff game. We've seen around the league, things are much worse than that play was.
"Honestly, I didn't think it was a foul on me. But that's unacceptable. It can't happen."
By contrast, Brothers said Embiid's foul was "unnecessary" but "didn't rise to the level of excessive" as contact was made with Claxton's leg.
Nets coach Jacque Vaughn responded: "I don't think I've ever seen that in my career before.
"For a guy to intentionally kick someone in an area that none of us want to be kicked at or towards, for him to continue to play...
"I've never seen that before in a game and a guy continues to play. Intentional."
Despite Harden playing only 29 minutes and Embiid scoring just 14 points, the 76ers won 102-97 to take a 3-0 series lead.
Stephen Curry acknowledged the "noise" around Draymond Green's suspension but was determined the Golden State Warriors would "make it about basketball" in Game 3 – with a nod to his team-mate's "history".
Green was ejected from the previous game against the Sacramento Kings – a second straight Warriors defeat – for stomping on Domantas Sabonis after the center appeared to grab his leg.
The Golden State star was then issued a one-game suspension in a statement that referred to his "history of unsportsmanlike acts".
Joe Dumars, the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations, also described Green as "a repeat offender", with this the fourth suspension of his career.
Most notably, Green was suspended during the 2016 NBA Finals, which the Warriors lost, for an altercation with LeBron James. He has also twice been banned for confrontations with team-mates in Kevin Durant and Jordan Poole.
But Curry suggested this latest "tough blow" became a source of motivation for the Warriors, who continued their strong home form from the regular season with a 114-97 defeat of the Kings on Thursday.
"There's a lot of distractions and noise around the series," Curry told TNT after scoring a game-high 36 points.
"Obviously, losing both games up there was a tough way to start, and we wanted to come home with some good focus. Then you get that call that he's suspended. It's a tough blow.
"But yesterday, at practice, we had really good energy, understanding what the mission was, understanding that we couldn't change anything about the decision that we knew was wrong.
"If we could come out and win tonight, it changes the momentum of the series, and it gives us an opportunity just to make it about basketball.
"That was Draymond's message the whole time: make the right adjustments, come with the right energy, protect the home court.
"When he gets back on Sunday, we've got to capitalise off of that and try to win and even up the series.
"So, we did what we were supposed to do. They say Draymond's got a history? So do we, so we know how to bounce back."
The Colorado Avalanche came from two goals down to beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 in Game 2 and crucially level their series, rediscovering their "swagger" along the way.
The defending Stanley Cup champions had been upset in the series opener and looked set to remarkably fall two games behind when the Kraken were 2-0 up at the end of the first period on Thursday.
Seattle were on course to become the first team in NHL history to win their first two playoff games while playing both on the road.
However, quickfire goals from Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin in the second period levelled the game, before Devon Toews came up with the winner for the Avs.
Colorado have only won one of their past nine playoff series after losing the first game, but they at least head to Seattle all square and with some confidence restored.
"We played tight [in the first period]," said coach Jared Bednar. "No one wanted the puck, no one wanted to skate with it in the pocket.
"That was a message [in the first intermission] – that we had to build our swagger back, shift-by-shift, that we have to get more assertive and more engaged competitively.
"I think [Seattle] held the competitive advantage for the first four periods of the series, and I felt like we had another level that we needed to get to that they were already at.
"In the second period, you could see we started to free ourselves up a little bit. Now, you get guys fighting through checks and being more assertive, more engaged.
"We really started to see what our team could do once we scored the first goal. Then we played, and it was still hard-fought for the next 40 minutes."
"Swagger" was the word defenseman Bowen Byram used, too.
"That's something that we're trying to build towards," he said. "We finally broke through there and got some confidence and started playing with some swagger.
"When we're playing like that, I don't know many teams that can beat us. We just had to go out there and prove it, and we did that.
"Now, it's just about putting our best foot forward on Saturday night [in Game 3]."
The Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost to the Avs last year in their third straight Stanley Cup Finals, were pegged back on Thursday as they lost 7-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The series between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets is also tied after a 5-2 home win for VGK.
However, the New York Rangers have control of their matchup against the New Jersey Devils after taking both games on the road, the latest a come-from-behind 5-1 win.
Stephen Curry was the star of the show in Thursday's crucial 114-97 Golden State Warriors victory in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.
After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, it was a do-or-die fixture for a Warriors team who were without future Hall-of-Famer Draymond Green due to his stomping suspension from Game 2.
But Kevon Looney picked up the slack on the interior, snatching down 20 rebounds to go with an equal career-high nine assists as he did his best Green impression, while Curry provided the scoring firepower.
Curry finished with a game-high 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting, hitting six-of-12 from long range, while adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, posting a plus/minus of plus 24 in his 37 minutes.
Andrew Wiggins was the Warriors' top perimeter defender, and he chipped in 20 points (eight-of-16) in an important two-way effort as Golden State survived Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole combining to shoot nine-of-28 from the field (32.1 per cent).
For the Kings, recently announced winner of the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award De'Aaron Fox was far from a disappointment, scoring 26 points (nine-of-22) with nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals.
All-Star Domantas Sabonis also had a solid stat line of 15 points (seven-of-14) and 16 rebounds, but the duo combined for 10 costly turnovers, while the Warriors had 11 as a team.
Green will return for an energised Warriors team as they try to tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4, but if the Kings take it, they will get a chance to seal the series at home when things head back to Sacramento for Game 5.
Maxey delivers down the stretch
Third-year standout Tyrese Maxey was the Philadelphia 76ers' hero down the stretch of their 102-97 road win against the Brooklyn Nets to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.
It was a strange game for overwhelming MVP favourite Joel Embiid as the 76ers' big-man was lucky to not be ejected for kicking at Nic Claxton as the Nets center tried to step over him, and he went on to post just 14 points (five-of-13 shooting) and 10 rebounds, with five fouls and five turnovers in 38 minutes.
But after trailing 96-91 with 2:15 remaining, Maxey scored eight points in a row to put Philadelphia up, while the 76ers' defense allowed just one point in the final two minutes.
Maxey finished with a team-high 25 points (10-of-17 shooting), while James Harden was ejected for a low blow after racking up 21 points (eight-of-15) in 29 minutes, although the former MVP did have a plus/minus of minus 15.
Despite being down 3-0, Nets wing Mikal Bridges has shown he has what it takes to deliver offensively as a focal point in the playoffs, averaging 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists across the three games, with shooting splits of 45/42/88.
Booker outduels heroic Powell performance
With Kawhi Leonard ruled out, Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker had to deal with an offensive explosion from Los Angeles Clippers guard Norman Powell before emerging victorious 129-124.
The win gives the Suns a 2-1 advantage after dropping Game 1 at home, and they were led by Booker's 45 points (18-of-29 shooting), six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
This series has been a defensive awakening for Booker, who also had four steals and three blocks in Game 1, while Kevin Durant filled a secondary role.
Durant's 28 points (eight-of-15 shooting), six rebounds, five assists and two steals were slightly soured by his six turnovers, and he had no luck slowing down Powell.
Powell's 42 points on 15-of-23 shooting was one off his career-high, while Russell Westbrook also rose to the occasion with 30 points (11-of-23), 12 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, posting a plus/minus of plus one in 40 minutes.
Game 4 will remain in Los Angeles, and if the Suns take it, they can lock up a 4-1 series win back at home in Game 5.
Anthony Rizzo's hot start to the season continued on Thursday as he reached base safely five times in the New York Yankees' 9-3 home victory against the star-studded Los Angeles Angels.
Rizzo hit a single in the first inning, another single in the second inning, before drawing walks in both the fourth and seventh frames, and he capped off his great on-base percentage outing with an RBI single in the eighth.
The stat-boosting performance from the Yankees first-baseman improved his batting average to .344 from his 18 starts this season, while also boasting an on-base percentage of .449 and a slugging figure of .578.
Rizzo's sole RBI was the only RBI produced by the top four bats in the Yankees' line-up, with the bottom of their order picking up the slack.
Catcher Jose Trevino did the damage with a bases-clearing double in the first inning to open up a 5-0 lead, while Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa also finished with two RBIs each.
It was a solid start on the mound for Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, making it through six full innings in 94 pitches, allowing three runs from four hits and two walks, and striking out seven.
For the Angels, their superstar duo of Mike Trout (one-for-four) and Shohei Ohtani (zero-for-three with a walk) combined to go one-for-seven at the plate with a walk, but rookie catcher Logan O'Hoppe continued to show promise with a three-for-four day, driving in two runs.
The win improves the Yankees' record to 12-7 – the third-best record in the American League – while the Angels fell below .500 at 9-10.
Outman sends two balls out, man
Los Angeles Dodgers rookie outfielder James Outman had the first multi-home run game of his career in a 6-2 win away from home against the Chicago Cubs.
Outman, who was bumped up to the lead-off spot, connected on a 420-foot bomb in the third inning for his fourth homer of the season. He added number five in emphatic fashion, blasting a grand slam in the top of the ninth to turn a 2-2 tie into a 6-2 triumph.
The 25-year-old is slashing .290/.397/.645 as he looks to insert his name into NL Rookie of the Year conversations early.
Alonso hits MLB-leading ninth homer
New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso now sits alone atop the home run leaderboard after hitting his ninth in a 9-4 road win against the San Francisco Giants.
One of the best power-hitters in the sport, Alonso is coming off a 40-homer campaign, and he broke a three-way tie atop this season's standings in the fourth inning with a 366-foot, two-run shot to left-field.
Alonso went on to finish with four RBIs after a two-run single in the seventh frame, with 30-year-old Japanese rookie Kodai Senga collecting the win on the mound to improve his record to 3-0 from four starts.
New York Mets ace Max Scherzer will miss his next two scheduled starts after he was suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for having a foreign substance on his hand during Wednesday's start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Scherzer was ejected in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium after he had several interactions with umpires during the customary between-inning hand checks.
Umpire Phil Cuzzi determined after the second inning that Scherzer’s hand was stickier and darker than normal, and ordered the three-time Cy Young winner to wash his hand, which Scherzer said he did with alcohol while a Major League Baseball official watched.
After the third inning, Cuzzi then determined the pocket of Scherzer's glove was "sticky," likely with too much rosin, and he ordered Scherzer to change gloves. The umpires then checked the 38-year-old right-hander again before the fourth, and his hands were even worse than before.
Scherzer said he used only a combination of sweat and rosin to improve tactness. He could be spotted on the TV broadcast yelling that it was "just rosin" on his hands.
"When you use sweat and rosin your hand is sticky," Scherzer said after the game. "But I don’t know how I get ejected when I'm in front of MLB officials doing exactly, exactly what you want and being deemed that my hand's too sticky when I'm using a legal substance. I do not understand that."
Scherzer appealed the penalty imposed by Michael Hill, MLB's senior vice president for on-field operations, and can continue to play until the appeal is decided. The appeal would be heard by MLB special adviser John McHale Jr.
He becomes the third pitcher suspended by MLB since the crackdown on sticky substances started in June 2021. Seattle's Héctor Santiago was penalized June 28 that year, before Arizona’s Caleb Smith was pinged a month later on August 24, with both drawing 10-game penalties.
All three inspections that led to suspensions involved Cuzzi.
Scherzer is 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA in four starts this season with nine walks and 17 strikeouts.
Matt Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex shot a four-ball round of 62 on Thursday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans to sit one stroke off the lead through 18 holes in the unique format.
The only duos event on the PGA Tour calendar, the pairs of Wyndham Clark with Beau Hossler and Sean O'Hair with Brandon Matthews took the first-round lead with 11-under 61s as each member played every hole, with only the best score from each hole counting towards their team's score.
Hossler contributed seven of his team's 11 birdies, while Matthews had five birdies and an eagle for his pairing.
The Fitzpatrick brothers poured in five birdies each to earn a spot in the five-way tie for second place, joined by the teams of Keith Mitchell with Im Sung-jae, David Lipski with Aaron Rai, Henrik Norlander with Luke List, and Noh Seung-yul with Michael Kim.
Last year's runners-up Sam Burns and Billy Horschel are three strokes off the pace in a logjam at eight under, while one of the strongest teams in the field featuring world number 13 Collin Morikawa and world number seven Max Homa are tied for 43rd at six under.
Reigning champions Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay were disappointing, two strokes outside of the cut-line at five under, but they will hope to claw their way back into things when the format switches to alternate shot foursomes on Friday.
Boston Celtics reserve Malcolm Brogdon has been named NBA Sixth Man of the Year for his stellar first season with his new team.
Brogdon, 30, was traded to the Celtics from the Indiana Pacers in July for a 2023 first-round draft pick and a combination of smaller contract for matching salary, and it has proved a shrewd move.
The 2017 Rookie of the Year had put together a rare 50-40-90 shooting season in 2018-19 to earn a big free agent deal with the Pacers, and he returned to his sharpshooting best coming off the bench in Boston.
Registering zero starts from his 67 regular season appearances, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his 26.0 minutes per game, while shooting 48.4 per cent from the field, 44.4 per cent from three-point range and 87.0 per cent from the free throw line.
Among players to play at least 20 games this season while averaging at least four three-point attempts per contest, Brogdon's 44.4 per cent clip is the third-highest in the league, trailing only Memphis Grizzlies sniper Luke Kennard (49.4) and Brogdon's Boston team-mate Al Horford (44.6).
His main competition for the award was New York Knicks spark plug Immanuel Quickley, who incredibly finished with almost identical averages to Brogdon at 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists, and while he played 14 more games than the eventual winner, 21 of his outings came in the starting line-up.
Quickley's performances in the starting line-up boosted his figures considerably, playing 38.6 minutes in those fixtures and averaging 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 46.9 per cent from the field, 40.1 per cent from deep and 84.6 per cent from the free throw line.
His late-season run as a starter likely cost Quickley some votes from voters who are stricter about their definition of a sixth man, as Brogdon received 60 of the 100 first-place votes, while Quickley scooped up 34. Milwaukee Bucks back-up big-man Bobby Portis finished third.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard in Game 3 against the Phoenix Suns due to a knee injury for the two-time NBA champion.
Leonard averaged 34.5 points across the first two games of the first-round playoff series, despite sustaining a right knee injury in Game 1 and playing through the pain in Game 2.
Yet the 31-year-old will miss Thursday's third showdown between the two teams, with the series tied at 1-1, according to reports.
Leonard's recovery from a knee strain will be monitored on a day-to-day basis, ESPN said, as the Clippers hope their five-time All Star will be healthy for Saturday's Game 4.
The two-time Finals MVP's aggravation of a knee problem is not related to the ACL injury that saw him miss the whole of last season, the ESPN report added.
The Clippers are already without fellow star Paul George, who is also recovering from a knee injury.
Carlos Alcaraz moved into the quarter-finals of the Barcelona Open with a straight-sets defeat of Roberto Bautista Agut, but it was a miserable Thursday for Alexander Zverev on home soil.
Defending champion Alcaraz won an all-Spanish contest with Bautista Agut 6-3 7-5 on Pista Rafa Nadal.
Top seed Alcaraz will face another compatriot in the form of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who saw off Emil Ruusuvuori, for a place in the last four in his homeland.
Eyeing a third title of the year, 19-year-old US Open champion Alcaraz was a break down at 3-2 in the opening set before winning six games in a row to take the opener.
Bautista Agut broke the teenager's serve twice midway through the second set, but the favourite reeled off nine points in a row to seal victory in an hour and 54 minutes.
Second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3 6-2, and Jannik Sinner, the fourth seed, battled past Yoshihito Nishioka 6-1 4-6 6-3, but Casper Ruud was beaten by Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets.
Lorenzo Musetti and Dan Evans advanced at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 along with Alex de Minaur, who went through with a walkover as Grigor Dimitrov withdrew due to injury.
Meanwhile, there will be no third BMW Open title for Zverev in Munich this week after he suffered a shock loss at the hands of world number 82 Christopher O'Connell.
Australian O'Connell saw off the third seed 7-6 (7-2) 6-4, while defending champion and top seed Holger Rune ousted Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-4, and Taylor Fritz got past Marton Fucsovics in three sets.
Lorenzo Sonego was another seed who bowed out, Cristian Garin beating the Italian 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Iga Swiatek is through to the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open after easing to a 6-1 6-4 win over Zheng Qinwen on her return from a rib injury.
Swiatek had not played since sustaining the issue in the semi-finals of Indian Wells over a month ago, but advanced on Thursday despite stating that she felt "rusty".
The world number one won 84 per cent of points after landing her first serve in as she made up for lost time.
Swiatek also forced eight break points, winning four of them as she took just and hour and 26 minutes to set up a quarter-final with Karolina Pliskova, who bested Donna Vekic in a thriller.
Pliskova looked to be on her way to a routine win as she claimed the first set 6-2, only for the Croatian to take the second via a tie-break.
The decider also went the distance, with Pliskova able to finally put Vekic away 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) to book her clash with Swiatek.
Coco Gauff perhaps paid the price for taking almost three hours to beat Veronika Kudermetova on Wednesday, as the fifth seed fell to a straight-sets loss to Anastasia Potapova on Thursday, going down 6-2 6-3.
Fourth seed Caroline Garcia will go up against Potapova next after she defeated Tatjana Maria 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, while Paula Badosa had few problems seeing off fellow Spaniard Cristina Bucsa 6-1 6-2 and will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the last eight.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner expects the team's Formula One rivals to close the gap this season.
A superb start to their title defence has already seen Red Bull open a 58-point lead in the constructors' championship over closest competitors Aston Martin.
However, due to the "cultural change" within F1 in recent seasons, referencing the budget cap, Horner believes his team will be unable to maintain their advantage.
As defending champions, Red Bull were allocated the least time in the wind tunnel for this season, with their time reduced further by penalties issued by the FIA for breaching the cap in the 2021 season.
For that reason, Horner is predicting Red Bull's rivals will be hot on their heels later in the season.
"I think it will be very tough for us to develop this car, because when you look at the amount of percentage time less we have compared to some of our rivals, it's significant," he said, quoted on the F1 website.
"But it is what it is. We just have to do the best we can with what we've got, be efficient, effective, and selective in what we choose to develop, and how we apportion our time.
"It's been a total cultural change over the last couple of years. It's a new challenge in Formula 1, how you apply your resources. It used to be a sprint in terms of developing a car as quickly as you could with whatever budget you can rustle up.
"Now it's a question of how and where do you apply your resources, and of course there are so many variables like crash damage, accident damage in there that can have a massive effect on your potential to develop. It's going to be interesting to see how it pans out this year."
The Oakland Athletics have secured land near the Las Vegas strip and intend to move to Nevada by 2027.
Team president Dave Kaval confirmed the development, bringing an end to a tense number of years for the Major League Baseball franchise and seemingly ending prospects of staying in Oakland at a new waterfront home.
Kaval told MLB.com: "We know this is a really difficult day for our fans in Oakland and the Oakland community. We put an incredible six-year effort into trying to get this waterfront vision for a stadium approved.
"At the end of the day, the progress has not been fast enough. We're still maybe seven or eight years away from being even able to open a stadium [in Oakland] with the lawsuits and referendums and timing challenges.
"We have a pact in Las Vegas that we think can work and has the support from the league, so we are really putting all our focus in Las Vegas and the efforts there."
The A's are set to become the first MLB franchise to relocate since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2004.
A move would also bring an end to professional sport in Oakland, who previously lost the NFL's Raiders, also to Las Vegas, in 2020 and saw the Golden State Warriors return to San Francisco three seasons ago.
The news sparked an angry reaction in Oakland, with mayor Sheng Thao saying the city would no longer negotiate with the team.
"The city has gone above and beyond in our attempts to arrive at mutually beneficial terms to keep the A's in Oakland. In the last three months, we've made significant strides to close the deal," she said in a statement.
"Yet, it is clear to me that the A's have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas.
"I am not interested in continuing to play that game – the fans and our residents deserve better."
The Athletics moved to Oakland in 1968, winning three consecutive World Series from 1972 to 1974, then earning fame in the 2002 season following Billy Beane's 'moneyball' approach that saw the franchise set a record for most consecutive wins.
England wing Jack Nowell has been fined £10,000 for criticising referee Karl Dickson in a tweet during Exeter Chiefs' hammering at Leicester Tigers last Sunday.
Dickson sent Olly Woodburn off and awarded a penalty try for his tackle on Chris Ashton as the flyer attempted to finish in the corner.
Nowell made his feelings about that decision crystal clear as he was forced to watch on as a spectator rather than play at Welford Road.
He posted on social media: "I'm actually in shock, like shock shocked. What the hell is happening? That's one of the worst decisions I've ever seen. EVER."
Nowell later deleted his post, but found himself in front of an independent disciplinary panel on Wednesday, charged with committing conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.
He accepted his conduct was prejudicial and was fined £10,000, while he was also directed to undertake a referees' course.
World Rugby confirmed that Dickson had correctly applied the law.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has provisionally suspended and charged Conor Benn for the alleged use of a prohibited substance.
The boxer twice tested positive for the banned substance clomifene last year ahead of a scheduled bout with Chris Eubank Jr in October that was subsequently scrapped.
Benn was reinstated to the WBC rankings in March, but recent reports suggested he had been provisionally suspended since March 15.
That was confirmed by a UKAD spokesperson on Thursday.
"Following reports in the media and comments made by professional boxer Mr Conor Benn on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, and in exceptional circumstances, UKAD confirms that Mr Benn was notified and provisionally suspended by UKAD on March 15, 2023 in accordance with the UK Anti-Doping Rules," a statement read.
"Whilst provisionally suspended, Mr Benn is prohibited from participating in any capacity (or assisting another athlete in any capacity) in a competition, event or activity that is organised, convened, authorised or recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control or any other World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sport.
"UKAD can also confirm that on April 3, 2023, it charged Mr Benn with an Article 2.2 violation for the alleged use of a prohibited substance (clomifene). The charge against Mr Benn is pending and will now follow the results management process in accordance with the UK Anti-Doping Rules."
Prior to UKAD's confirmation, Benn defended himself on social media earlier in the week, saying he had been in conversation with the anti-doping body but suggested "politics" were to blame.
"I can't comment on anything to do with UKAD other than to say that I am in touch with them," Benn wrote on Twitter.
"Someone at the BBBoC or UKAD obviously wanted to create a headline, unlike the [Amir] Khan case where it was kept quiet for 14 months.
"But this is nothing new. I remain free to fight outside the UK. This isn't even about my innocence anymore, it's all politics. You can't keep a good man down."
Deontay Wilder vowed to deliver Saudi Arabia's first knockout victim if a proposed heavyweight bout against Anthony Joshua goes ahead.
The two former heavyweight champions are widely reported to be in discussions for what would be one of the most fiercely anticipated fights in recent years.
Joshua is on the hunt for a new opponent after responding to back-to-back defeats with victory over Jermaine Franklin earlier this month, while Wilder beat Robert Helenius in October after consecutive losses to Tyson Fury.
Both fighters are keen to work their way up the rankings to earn another shot at the titles and, with the pair having history with Fury and Usyk, a meeting in the ring is a favoured option for many fans.
Should a blockbuster clash in Saudi Arabia occur, Wilder is confident he would see off Joshua with a knockout.
"What we expecting? I'm gonna just put it like this, I'll just keep it sweet, I'm gonna give Saudi their first knockout victim," he told ES News.
Earlier this week, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn revealed he was travelling to the Far East to discuss the potential fight.
Remarkably, the proposals are to have Wilder and Joshua face off on the same card as a unification bout between Fury and Usyk.
"There have definitely been conversations that have taken place, just of plans, where people would like to host Fury against Usyk and AJ against Wilder on the same night," he told IFL TV.
"It will cost a lot of money, but it would be epic, and we will have those conversations."
Last week, Fury dismissed those rumours on social media but, in his latest update, promised fans of a "monstrous" fight in his return to the ring.
"I've got some massive, massive news coming. An imminent fight date, an absolutely monstrous fight. Keep tuned because the WBC heavyweight king is back in action, coming very, very soon," he said.
Rafael Nadal remains unsure when he will return to action with the French Open looming after being forced to withdraw from the Madrid Open.
The 22-time grand slam champion has been struggling with a left hip issue that contributed to his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Nadal pulled out of the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, while the troublesome injury has also hampered the start of his favoured clay-court season.
Having withdrawn from the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open, the Spaniard is still not fit enough to participate in next week's Madrid Open on home soil.
And a concerned Nadal is now facing a race to be fit in time for the French Open, which begins in a little over five weeks' time.
"As you know, I suffered an important injury in Australia of the psoas [muscle]," he said in a video published on social media on Thursday.
"Initially it had to be a six-to-eight-week recovery period and we are now on fourteen. The reality is that the situation is not what we would have expected.
"All medical indications have been followed, but somehow the evolution has not been what they initially told us and we find ourselves in a difficult situation.
"The weeks are passing and I had the illusion of playing in tournaments that are the most important in my career, like Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros.
"For the moment, I have missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona. I will not be able to be in Madrid, unfortunately."
Nadal, who has played just four matches this season, added: "The injury still hasn't healed and I can't work out what I need to to compete.
"I was training, but now a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment and see if things improve to try to get to what comes next.
"I can't give deadlines because if I knew I would tell you but I don't know. This is how things are now."
Nadal won a record-extending 14th French Open title with a straight-sets victory over Casper Ruud in last year's final.
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