HOCKEY

NECK GUARDS: The International Ice Hockey Federation announced Monday it is making neck guards mandatory for all levels of competition in the tournaments it runs, including the Olympics and men’s and women’s world championships.

The mandate would not apply to professional leagues, including the NHL, which currently does not have any cut-proof safety requirements for players. Any sort of mandate in the NHL would require an agreement between the league and players’ union, which have been discussing skate blade safety for years.

The IIHF’s move comes after the death of American Adam Johnson, whose neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England in late October. Johnson’s death at age 29 is being investigated, and the on-ice tragedy has sparked significant debate around the sport about the need for more protection of the neck, wrists and legs.

The exact date for the IIHF neck guard mandate to go into place is still to be determined, based on the supply of neck guards available.

SOCCER

COPA AMERICA: Fourteen U.S. cities will play host to Copa América next summer, with the semifinals at East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of the July 14 championship in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The governing bodies of South America and of North and Central America and the Caribbean made the announcement Monday, filling in the cities that will be part of the 16-team tournament.

The quarterfinals will be held July 4 at NRG Stadium in Houston; July 5 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; and July 6 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The semifinals will be in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 9 and Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium the next day. The third-place game will be in Charlotte on July 13, the eve of the final.

The draw is set for Thursday in Miami. This will be only the second time Copa América has been held outside of South America since the inaugural tournament in 1916.

PREMIER LEAGUE: The Premier League sold its domestic TV rights for 6.7 billion pounds ($8.4 billion) for the next four-year cycle, for what the competition said on Monday was the largest sports media rights deal ever concluded in Britain.

The new contract covering the period from 2025-26 to 2028-29 underlined the league’s status as the richest in soccer, with the annual figure of 1.675 billion pounds ($2.12 billion) around double the value of domestic rights in each of Germany, Spain and Italy.

LUGE

MAZDER RETIRING: Chris Mazdzer has decided to end his luge career, after four trips to the Olympics and becoming the first men’s singles slider to medal there for the United States.

The 35-year-old Mazdzer will compete in his final World Cup race this weekend in Lake Placid, New York, his home track just a few miles away from his hometown of Saranac Lake. He was the face of luge in the U.S. for many years, his stardom soaring after winning the silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics – the first for a USA Luge men’s singles athlete and just the second singles medal in federation history after Erin Hamlin won her bronze at the 2014 Sochi Games.

TENNIS

FINAL RANKINGS: Novak Djokovic earned the year-end No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for the eighth time on Monday, adding to a record he already held.

Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and went 56-7 this season while leading the tour with seven titles, including at the ATP Finals last month. The 36-year-old from Serbia regained the top ranking from Carlos Alcaraz, who edged him in a five-set final at the All England Club in July.

Daniil Medvedev closed 2023 at No. 3, followed by Jannik Sinner at a career-best No. 4 and Andrey Rublev at No. 5.

Iga Swiatek claimed the WTA’s year-end No. 1 ranking for the second consecutive year by winning the WTA Finals last month. Swiatek overtook Aryna Sabalenka. Coco Gauff finished at No. 3, followed by Elena Rybakina at No. 4 and Jessica Pegula at No. 5.