Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - New Zealand's Nico Porteous is through to the finals of the freeski halfpipe at the opening World Cup event of the season in Colorado.

Porteous was the top qualifier from his heat with the top ten going through to the weekend's final.

He landed a score of 96.00 from a possible 100 points on his first of two runs.

"There was no margin for error today," said Porteous after landing one of the biggest qualifying runs of his career, incorporating one the biggest tricks in his bag, the double 1620, in order to be sure of a top-five result.

"After looking at the start list, I knew I had to go harder than normal but I got the run down I wanted and I'm really happy with how things are going."

Porteous had a strong 2020/21 season, finishing on the podium in each of the events he competed in and went on to win the world championship title.

He was the first halfpipe freeskier to land a combination of a right 1620 into a left 1620 in competition which has defined the international progression in halfpipe skiing for the past eight months.

-RNZ

Auckland secondary school sports players need to be vaccinated

From January 10 all students and staff involved with Auckland secondary school sanctioned sporting competitions, need to be fully vaccinated.

College Sport Auckland chief executive officer Mark Barlow said: "Before making this decision CSA had consulted with principals and received overwhelming support for such a step.

"While this follows School Sport NZ's approach, the CSA Board wanted to provide early assurance and direction to students and schools in Auckland. The health and safety of anyone involved with a sanctioned secondary school sport in Auckland is a primary obligation that CSA takes seriously."

CSA Board Chair, Tim O'Connor said: "Covid-19 poses an ongoing risk to the health and wellbeing of individuals in our community including students, coaches and managers involved with secondray school sport.

"The addition of the new Bylaw pertaining to Covid-19 vaccinations gives all our schools clarification and certainty before the start of 2022 sporting competitions."

Defending champs advance to final 16 of Champions League

Champions League holders Chelsea have finished runners up in their group after a 3-all draw with Zenit St Petersburg.

The Russian side scored four minutes into added time to grab a share of the points.

Juventus won the group after a 1-nil win over Sweden's Malmo.

Manchester United, who had already secured top spot in their group, drew 1-1 with Young Boys of Switzerland.

The match between Atalanta and Villarreal, who are battling for second spot in the same group, was postponed because of snow.

For the first time since 2004 Barcelona will not be in the knockout stage after a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich meant they finished third in the group behind Bayern and Benfica.

The draw for the last 16 will be made next week with group winners playing a second placed team.

Teams from the same group or country will not be drawn together.

Tiger to play next week

Tiger Woods will make his comeback playing alongside son Charlie at the PNC Championship in Florida next week.

The 15-time major champion has not played competitive golf since sustaining serious injuries in a car crash in February.

Woods, 45, said last month that he does not expect to play full time on the tour following the accident.

The 36-hole PNC Championship sees a field of major champions playing alongside their children or parents.

Woods wants to target certain one-off tournaments on his return and said he would "love to play" at St Andrews when the 150th Open is staged there next July.

The PNC Championship is organised by the PGA Tour and will be held on 18-19 December at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.

The players must have won either a major championship or the Players Championship in order to be invited.

The 20-team field this year includes the reigning champions, 2017 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas and his father Mike.

-BBC

Spurs hit by Covid

Eight Tottenham Hotspur players have tested positive for COVID-19, leaving only 10 players available ahead of the club's final Europa Conference League group match at home to France's Stade Rennais.

Tottenham are due to face Rennes tomorrow and European football's governig body UEFA said in a statement the "match is due to take place as scheduled".

"Eight players and five members of staff (have tested positive), but the problem is that every day we're having people with COVID-19," said manager Antonio Conte.

"People that yesterday weren't positive and today are, and we're continuing to have contact with (them). It's a serious problem.

"We had 11 players available for the match and by the end of the training session today one of the players who would start tomorrow is now positive. It's scary. We're all having contact."

Tottenham are second in Group G of the Conference League on seven points after five matches, above Dutch team Vitesse on overall goal difference.

Rennes, who have 11 points, are unbeaten and through to the knockout stages as group winners.

Tottenham are due to play away at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League this weekend.

-Reuters

Golfer cleared of sex assualt

Ryder Cup winner Thorbjorn Olesen wept in court as he was found not guilty of sexual assault, assault by beating and being drunk on a British Airways flight.

The Danish golfer, 31, had denied the charges during a three-day trial in London.

He had blamed his behaviour on sleeping pills, saying he was was not in control of his body after taking the prescription-only tablets bought on a "dodgy website" by his partner.

Olesen was on an eight-hour flight from Nashville to London in July 2019 with other golfers including England's Ian Poulter, 45, and Justin Rose, 41, following the World Golf Championships-FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis.

He told the court he had no memory of the flight after taking the sleeping pills.

-BBC

Patel up in cricket rankings

The Black Caps spinner Ajaz Patel has climbed 23 spots to 38th in the world test bowling rankings following his 14 wicket match haul in the lost second test to India in Mumbai.

Patel became only the third player to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings in the match.

New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell is up 26 places to 78th.

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has bridged the gap with top-ranked bowler Australia's Pat Cummins after finishing with four wickets in each innings in India's 372-run victory.

Ashwin has gained 43 rating points to reach a total of 883 and is 67 points ahead of third-placed Australian Josh Hazlewood.

Tim Southee is down one spot to fourth.

There are no changes at the top of the test batting rankings with Joe Root number one from Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.

Tom Latham drops three spots to 12.

Pele back in hospital

Brazil legend Pele is in hospital for treatment for a colon tumour.

The three-time World Cup winner had surgery to remove a colon tumour in September, with the hospital saying at the time that he would also need to have chemotherapy.

Sao Paulo's Hospital Albert Einstein said the 81-year-old was in a stable condition and would be discharged in the next few days.

The hospital also said Pele was now "continuing" his treatment.

Pele said on Twitter last month that he was "fine" and "feeling better every day" following his release from hospital in September.

His health has been a concern in recent years. He had prostate surgery in 2015 after he was admitted to hospital for the second time in six months, and he was admitted again for a urinary infection in 2019.

Pele is Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals in 92 games and one of only four players to have scored in four World Cup tournaments.

-BBC

Pakistan sweep Bangladesh

Pakistan bowlers claimed 13 wickets on a frenetic final day to win the second test against Bangladesh by an innings and eight runs to complete a 2-0 series sweep.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, Pakistan posted 300-4 before declaring their first innings in the weather-bedevilled contest in which only 215 overs could be bowled at Mirpur's Shere Bangla Stadium.

Pakistan bundled out Bangladesh for 87 and enforced a follow-on.

Bangladesh were all out for 205 in their second innings but their improved batting display was not enough to avoid a resounding defeat.

Spin all-rounder Sajid Khan, who claimed eight wickets in the first innings, finished with a career-best match haul of 12-128 to claim the man of the match award.

Pakistan opener Abid Ali was adjudged player of the series for his tally of 263 runs in three innings.

Bangladesh leave for New Zealand later this wek.

-Reuters

Djokovic on Melbourne entry list

World number one Novak Djokovic has been named on the official entry list for next year's Australian Open but 23-times Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams was absent.

Djokovic has declined to disclose his vaccination status despite all players, officials, staff and fans at the Jan. 17-30 tournament at Melbourne Park needing to be inoculated against COVID-19.

Local media reports said that everyone on the entry list needed to be vaccinated or have a medical exemption. Tennis Australia did not immediately reply to a request for confirmation of that rule.

Djokovic, who will be bidding for a record 21st Grand Slam men's singles title if he plays at the tournament, said last week that he would be making a decision "very soon" about travelling to Australia.

To play in Sydney without being vaccinated, the state government would have to apply for an exemption for Djokovic and he would have to undergo 14 days quarantine upon arrival.

Williams, who won the last of her seven Australian Open titles in 2017, had an injury-disrupted season and has not played since she limped out of her first-round match at Wimbledon in June due to the leg injury.

"Following the advice of my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from this year's Australian Open," Williams said in a statement.

-Reuters

Rohit replaces Kohli as captain

Opener Rohit Sharma replaced Virat Kohli as India's one-day captain, thus taking charge of both the white-ball squads ahead of their tour of South Africa later this month.

Kohli led India in all three formats until the Twenty20 World Cup last month, after which he relinquished 20-overs captaincy which went to Rohit.

Many expected Kohli, who remains the test captain, to lead India in the 50-overs World Cup on home soil in 2023 but the board opted for a single white-ball skipper.

Under Kohli, India reached the semi-finals of the 50-overs World Cup in 2019 but could not advance beyond the group stage at this year's T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

In further indication of Rohit's growing stature within the team, the 34-year-old also replaced fellow Mumbai player Ajinkya Rahane as vice-captain of the test side.

Rahane is part of the 18-member squad that will travel to South Africa but must snap his woeful run of form to maintain his place in the side.

Rohit, who was rested for the home series against New Zealand, returns to the test side, along with fellow opener KL Rahul, first-choice wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.

Opener Shubman Gill and spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel missed out with injuries.

-Reuters

Commonwealth Games open to rainbow flag

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said organisers were open to the idea of athletes bringing the Pride flag onto the podium at next year's event in Birmingham.

"We will be talking to athletes over the next six months in the lead-up to the Games about what that may or may not look like -- but certainly, we are open to that," the New Zealander told the BBC.

Speaking at the launch of the Commonwealth Sport Pride Network, an initiative aimed at bringing together LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches and organisers from Commonwealth nations, Sadleir said the CGF "absolutely embraced" athletes' freedom of expression but added that it would refer to the code of conduct.

"We have a code of conduct and there are some aspects about respect for other competitors and where you do what you do," Sadleir said.

"From the perspective of advocates and freedom of expression, it's something that we are thoroughly, thoroughly embracing."

The 2022 Commonwealth Games are scheduled for July 28 to Aug. 8.

-Reuters