CYCLING

The final stage of next year’s Tour de France will be held outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a clash with the Olympics, moving instead to the French Riviera.

Because of security and logistical reasons, the French capital won’t have its traditional Tour finish on the Champs-Elysees. The race will instead conclude in Nice on July 21. Just five days later, Paris will open the Olympics.

The race will start in Italy for the first time with a stage that includes more than 3,600 meters of climbing. High mountains will be on the 2024 schedule as soon as the fourth day in a race that features two individual time trials and four summit finishes.

There are a total of seven mountain stages on the program, across four mountain ranges, according to the route released Wednesday.

The race will kick off in the Italian city of Florence on June 29.

HORSE RACING

BREEDERS’ CUP: Kentucky Derby winner Mage and Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo head a full field of 14 horses for the wide-open Breeders’ Cup Classic, with trainer Todd Pletcher pre-entering two for the $6 million race that includes horses from the barns of Bob Baffert and Rick Dutrow.

The Classic field was among the 205 horses, including 59 from overseas, pre-entered for the over $31 million, 14-race world championships on Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita. The track is hosting for a record 11th time on the event’s 40th anniversary.

FIGURE SKATING

GRAND PRIX: Olympic ice dancers Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, who had recently taken time off for mental health reasons, withdrew from both of their Grand Prix assignments after he sustained a concussion during a fall in practice.

Hawayek and Baker were planning to make their comeback at the Grand Prix de France and the NHK Trophy, which they won in 2018 for their only senior-level Grand Prix triumph. But they said in a joint statement that while Baker’s recovery is going well, they have decided to take extra time off and aim for their return at the U.S. championships in January.

Baker sustained a concussion in 2015, when Hawayek accidentally struck him in practice, though they returned to finish fourth at Skate America. He sustained another in 2018, causing the pair to withdraw from the Finlandia Trophy, though they returned in time for the Grand Prix season.

Two years ago, Hawayek sustained a concussion after falling on a lift in practice.

SKIING

WORLD CUP: The International Ski Federation upheld its policy of excluding skiers from Russia and Belarus ahead of the new season.

The decision comes as the Alpine skiing World Cup gets started with women’s and men’s giant slalom races in Soelden, Austria, this weekend.

The FIS has excluded skiers from Russia and its close ally Belarus from competing in international ski and snowboard events since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

TENNIS

WTA ELITE TROPHY: Second-seeded Madison Keys was eliminated after losing her second round-robin match, a 6-3, 7-6 (3) defeat to Caroline Garcia at Zhuhai, China.

After being upset in her opening match against eighth-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia on Tuesday, the American player had to win against No.20-ranked Garcia to keep her semifinal hopes alive.

COLLEGES

FOOTBALL: The American Athletic Conference announced it is adding Army as a football-only member starting in 2024.

Army will replace SMU, which is moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference, to keep the American a 14-team football league. The addition puts Army and Navy football in the same conference. But their traditional, end-of-the-season, standalone matchup will remain a nonconference game so it can be played after conference championships.

Army mostly competes in the Patriot League, but it has been an independent in football for most of the program’s existence.

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