Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Wednesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:
– LAUSANNE, Switzerland – The political and economic turmoil in Brazil will ”inevitably” affect next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a senior IOC official said, as Brazilian organizers declared that preparations remain on track for the games. With the opening ceremony less than eight months away, Brazil is dealing with a severe recession, impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff and a corruption scandal involving state-run oil company Petrobras.
– LONDON – The United States hopes Qatar will cooperate with the World Cup bidding investigation, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, insisting that the Gulf nation being a key ally in the fight against Islamic State militants was irrelevant in any considerations about pursuing a corruption case. The U.S. is working closely on the FIFA investigation with Swiss authorities, whose case started by probing the dual votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups five years ago.
– CLEMSON, S.C. – Deshaun Watson rarely panics, not as a high school star in Georgia watching his mother fight cancer or as Clemson‘s quarterback working to come back from knee surgery. Calm and confident without being flashy, Watson’s style led the Tigers to their first 12-0 season since 1981 – and a chance to accomplish much more.
– ANNAOLIS, Md. – Keenan Reynolds has already enjoyed a sensational, record-setting career at Navy. On Saturday, he hopes to add another milestone to his impressive list of accomplishments: first quarterback to go 4-0 as a starter in the Army-Navy series.
– NEW YORK – The crowded bowl season finally cracked this year and teams with losing records will play in the postseason. Most college sports leaders agree the system has reached a saturation point. Now they need to figure out a way to cut back.
– It took one preseason scrimmage for Calvin Ridley to feel as if he was ready for the Southeastern Conference. No. 2 Alabama’s freshman wide receiver has certainly proven his assessment correct while living up to the recruiting hype.
– CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One year after an automobile accident that left him hospitalized with two broken bones in his back, Cam Newton has the Panthers atop the NFL at 12-0.
– GLENDALE, Ariz. – On a six-game winning streak, the Arizona Cardinals look to tighten their grip on the No. 2 seed in the NFC against a battered Minnesota Vikings team coming off a blowout loss at home to Seattle but still in the thick of the playoff race.
– LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 8 Kentucky and unranked rival Louisville have started the season on opposite trajectories, adding a bit more importance to Thursday’s Bluegrass showdown at Rupp Arena.
– SPRINGFIELD, New Jersey – The IBF stripped British boxer Tyson Fury of its world heavyweight belt because he was breaking rules by meeting Wladimir Klitschko in a rematch in his next fight. Fury was supposed to meet the IBF’s No. 1 contender, Vyacheslav Glazkov, in a mandatory defense, but couldn’t because he was contractually obligated to meet Klitschko.
