Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Grace Jale has scored her third goal in four games, but she has been unable to prevent the Wellington Phoenix falling to their 10th defeat of their maiden A-League season.

The Phoenix have been beaten 4-1 by Adelaide United in their rescheduled match at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, after an unfortunate own goal gave the Reds a 2-1 halftime lead.

The match kicked off 21 and a half hours later than originally scheduled, after lightning forced the game to be abandoned on Thursday night.

Jale equalised for the Nix with a classy first-time strike midway through the first-half but once Adelaide were gifted the lead in the 34th minute they took charge of the game and added a further two goals in a clinical five minute spell in the second half.

The win lifts Adelaide United level on points with second-placed Melbourne City, while the Nix remain bottom of the ladder.

The Wellington Phoenix's next Liberty A-League match is on Sunday week against Western Sydney Wanderers.

The Wanderers just two point above the Phoenix on the table.

Waratahs win Super Rugby opener

The New South Wales Waratahs gave Fijian Drua a torrid debut in Super Rugby Pacific and claimed their first win in 18 months with a 40-10 thrashing in Sydney on Friday.

Drua, one of two Pasifika expansion sides joining Australia and New Zealand teams in the 12-team competition, came into the match with great expectations after upsetting the Melbourne Rebels in a trial match.

However, they were quickly dismantled by a disciplined Waratahs side at Western Sydney Stadium, conceding five tries to one in a deflating display for Fijians in the crowd.

Will Harris, David Porecki, Lalakai Foketi, Angus Bell and Jake Gordon scored the tries for the Waratahs, with Ben Donaldson slotting three penalties and racking up 15 points off the tee.

Baden Kerr scored Drua's first points in the competition with a first half penalty but the Fijian side had to wait more than an hour for their opening try before Nemani Nagusa barged over from a few metres short of the line.

"It's been a long time since we put in a performance like that," said Waratahs captain Jake Gordon.

"It's been a long pre-season and it's good to see the guys reflect that in their hard work and put in a good performance like that against a challenging Fiji team."

The heavy defeat underlined the challenge ahead for the Drua and the other expansion side, Moana Pasifika, as they look to be competitive against experienced opponents from New Zealand and Australia.

The Waratahs were the worst performing Australian team last year, losing 13 matches in a winless season.

- Reuters

Mitchell returns to international coaching

Former England defence coach John Mitchell has been appointed Japan's defence coach, the Brave Blossoms said on Friday, with the 57-year-old returning to the international fold again.

Mitchell abruptly left his role with the England set-up last year, months after signing a contract extension, saying he wanted to return to club rugby. He was working with English club Wasps.

"This is a great opportunity to add value to Japan winning test matches through growing their defence and understanding how it plays a critical part in the way we want to attack," Mitchell said.

"I am grateful to be working with (head coach) Jamie Joseph, Tony Brown, Scott Hansen, Shin Hasegawa and the outstanding coaching group preparing for the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.

"I would also like to thank Wasps for their support and co-operation in allowing me this opportunity."

Mitchell was head coach of the All Blacks from 2001-2003 and he also filled in as England's forwards coach from 1997-2000.

- Reuters

Sprinter banned for 10 years

Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has been banned for 10 years for doping and refusing to co-operate with the investigation, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) said.

Okagbare, who won silver in the long jump at the Beijing 2008 Games, was provisionally suspended last year after testing positive for human growth hormone before the Tokyo Olympics and later hit with three separate anti-doping charges.

The 33-year-old had competed in the 100m heats in Tokyo on July 31 and was due to run in the semi-final before being suspended.

"The Disciplinary Tribunal has banned Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare for a total of 10 years, five years for the presence and use of multiple prohibited substances and five years for her refusal to co-operate with the AIU's investigation into her case," AIU said in a statement.

Okagbare also won silver in the long jump at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, while also securing a bronze in the 200m at the same event.

"We welcome the decision of the Disciplinary Tribunal; a ban of 10-years is a strong message against intentional and co-ordinated attempts to cheat at the very highest level of our sport," added Brett Clothier, head of the AIU.

- Reuters

Britain stripped of Olympic medal for anti-doping violation

Britain has been stripped of its Olympic silver medal in the men's 4x100m relay in Tokyo last August after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld Chijindu Ujah's anti-doping violation.

Ujah has been provisionally suspended since Ostarine and S-23 -- both substances prohibited by world anti-doping organisation WADA -- were detected in his A and B samples following the final.

In a statement, CAS said its Anti-Doping Division had found that Ujah had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation and that his team's result from the 4x100m relay on 6 August had been disqualified.

Ujah and his relay team mates Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake finished narrowly second behind Italy. Canada will now be upgraded to silver with China moving into the bronze medal position.

In a statement CAS acknowledged that Ujah had not challenged the decision in his written submissions to the hearing and that he claimed he had "not knowingly or intentionally doped".

The 27-year-old said he had been left "devastated" by his anti-doping violation.

"I accept the decision issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport today with sadness," Ujah said in a statement issued by UK Athletics on Friday.

"I would like to make it clear that I unknowingly consumed a contaminated supplement and this was the reason why an anti-doping rule violation occurred at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

"I would like to apologise to my team mates, their families and support teams for the impact which this has had on them. I'm sorry that this situation has cost my teammates the medals they worked so hard and so long for, and which they richly deserved. That is something I will regret for the rest of my life."

Ujah will now have to wait for the Athletics Integrity Unit to determine the length of any ban, which could be as long as four years

- Reuters

Figure skating American makes history as first non-binary Winter Olympian

Timothy LeDuc made history as the first openly non-binary Olympian to compete in the Winter Games, and the American pairs figure skater hopes to pave the way for others to enter the sport without being bound by gender stereotypes.

Competing in a discipline where the traditional male-female dynamic is usually unabashedly on full display had been a challenge for LeDuc as well as pairs partner Ashley Cain-Gribble, who has spoken about being "body shamed" as a taller-than-average female skater.

"It was such a joyous moment for us out there today," LeDuc, who began using the they/them pronouns in 2021, said after the pair skated to their season's best score of 74.13 in the short programme at the Beijing Games.

"I think both Ashley and I have had to overcome so many different things so many times when people have told us no or that we don't belong," LeDuc said. The pair advance to the final free skate on Sunday after placing seventh in the short programme.

"Both Ashley and I, we had something to prove today. I hope people watching us feel like maybe there is space for them to come into figure skating. And for them to be able to celebrate what makes them unique and different."

LeDuc said many people had reached out with words of support and gratitude.

"I know for me, people who are non-binary, it's only possible because amazing queer people have come before me and laid the groundwork for me. And so now I want to do that for others to come after as well."

A record number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes are competing at the Winter Olympics - at least 36, or double the number from Pyeongchang in 2018 - according to LGBTQ+ news site Outsports. The Tokyo Summer Games last year saw the first openly transgender and non-binary Olympians.

- Reuters

World champions ease past Sri Lanka in Melbourne

Australia eased to a six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the fourth Twenty20 international in Melbourne, barely needing to shift out of first gear as they heaped misery on the tourists who have yet to register a win in the five-game series.

Chasing 140, the home side suffered some early jitters before the middle order steadied the ship, cruising to 143-4 with 11 balls to spare courtesy of a 20-ball 40 by Josh Inglis.

Bowling with clever variations of pace, Lahiru Kumara (2-22) took the wickets of unconvincing opener Ashton Agar (26 off 31 balls) and captain Aaron Finch (two), who increased his run of scores without a half-century to 12.

Inglis, who struck the only two sixes of the innings, partnered Glenn Maxwell (48 not out) at the crease with the side at 49-3 in the ninth over and the duo put on a carefree 71 runs together to put the result beyond doubt.

Earlier, fast bowlers Kane Richardson (2-44) and Jhye Richardson (2-20) combined for a flurry of late wickets to restrict Sri Lanka to 139-8 when a more competitive score could have been achieved -- summing up Sri Lanka's batting woes in Australia.

The world champions paid the price early for resting Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, conceding 35-0 in the first four overs while Sri Lanka's openers took on the long boundaries.

Agar induced a false stroke by Danushka Gunathilaka (17) to break the stand though, and a sharp run-out by Maxwell to dismiss Kusal Mendis (27) pegged the visitors back further.

The 23-year-old Pathum Nissanka again showed his potential, anchoring his side's innings with little support, scoring 46 before being stumped off Adam Zampa.

The final match will be played in Melbourne on Sunday.

- Reuters

Hydrogen-powered vehicles to join Extreme series

Extreme E, the electric off-road series that made its debut last year, is set to launch a hydrogen championship in 2024, organisers announced.

Extreme H will run alongside Extreme E, with races held on the same days and at the same venues.

"Extreme E was designed to be a tested for innovation and solutions for mobility," founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said in a statement.

"It has become increasingly clear to us that creating a hydrogen racing series is a natural evolution of our mission to showcase the possibilities of new technologies in the race to fight climate issues."

Development for the Extreme H vehicle, which will see a hydrogen fuel cell replace the battery as the car's principal energy source, is already in the works, with a prototype expected by early next year.

"Together with the current Extreme E Teams we will decide in the coming months the best way to integrate the Hydrogen powered cars into the racing weekend. Two separate categories, full transition to Hydrogen or joint racing are all options on the table," added Agag.

Former Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg's team won the inaugural Extreme E title last year, edging seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton's team for the trophy. The new season kicks off in Neom, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.

- Reuters