Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Olympics: Kim's cheer squad 'charm offensive'

They cheer, dance and sing in perfect unison. But these are not your ordinary cheerleaders. Charm offensive

Olympics: No NHL? Can't always have caviar, says IIHF head

The men's ice hockey tournament at the Pyeongchang Games might not have turned out to be a gourmet meal so far with the absence of NHL players, but it has not entirely been without flavor, the International Ice Hockey Federation chief said on Saturday. The fact that Sunday's gold medal game will feature the one elite team in the tournament - the Olympic Athletes from Russia - playing a surprise finalist in Germany rather than another hockey powerhouse like Canada or Sweden only adds to the unique nature of this year's Games, IIHF President Rene Fasel said.

Olympics: Snowboarding - Galmarini upgrades to men's PGS gold in Pyeongchang

Switzerland's Nevin Galmarini upgraded his silver medal from four years ago when he held off the challenge of South Korea's Lee Sang-ho to win gold in the men's snowboard parallel giant slalom on Saturday. Galmarini claimed victory by 0.43 seconds from local favorite Lee, who claimed his country's first ever medal in a snowboard event, as Slovenia's Zan Kosir defeated Sylvain Dufour of France in the small final to complete the podium.

Ice hockey: Pay row helped forge gold medal team: U.S. captain Duggan

A protracted pay dispute that almost saw the U.S. women's ice hockey team boycott last year's world championships was part of a journey that forged bonds between the players and helped them win a first Olympic gold since 1998, captain Meghan Duggan said. USA Hockey and the national team reached a pay deal just days before the start of the tournament last March. It came after more than a year of efforts by the team to secure higher wages and greater support from the governing body.

'Peace Games' are no game-changer for South Koreans

South Korea's self-styled "Peace Games" have been a sporting success but public reaction suggests it may have failed its bigger test -- to generate the support its president needs to make bold moves to improve ties with old enemy North Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has been using the Games, which end on Sunday, to help galvanize the public behind his risky policy of re-engagement with the North, an approach that in the past has ended ultimately in disappointment.

Olympics: Russian bobsledder Sergeeva admits anti-doping violation - CAS

Russian bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva has admitted an anti-doping violation and has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Saturday. Sergeeva, who finished 12th in the women's bobsleigh competition, had tested positive in an out-of-competition test for the banned product trimetazidine and had her result from the race removed, CAS said in a statement.

Olympics: Bobsleigh Friedrich pilots German team into gold position

Francesco Friedrich piloted his four-man bobsleigh team to the top of the timesheets with a blistering second run on Saturday to put Germany in a commanding lead heading into the final two runs of the competition a day later. The multiple world champion, who won gold in the two-man bobsleigh on Monday, steered his sled to a 0.29 second lead over Won Yun-jong's South Korean team, who enjoyed the support of a raucous hometown crowd at the Olympic Sliding Centre.

Olympics: Cross-country skiing - Finn Niskanen takes gold in 50km mass start

Finland's Iivo Niskanen made a lung-busting early break and held off a furious challenge from Alexander Bolshunov to win the 50km mass start classic cross-country ski race and get Finland's first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Games on Saturday. Bolshunov, representing the Olympic Athletes from Russia, took silver 18.7 seconds behind Niskanen, with fellow OAR racer Andrey Larkov beating Norway's Martin Johnsrud Sundby to take bronze.

Butler awaits scan on knee after injury against Rockets

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Jimmy Butler injured his right knee and had to be carried off the court during a game against the Houston Rockets on Friday. Butler sustained the injury in the third quarter on a non-contact play after grabbing a rebound on his own missed shot. The 28-year-old immediately fell to the floor and clutched his knee.

Olympics: Alpine skiing - Switzerland pip Austria to win inaugural team gold

Pyeongchang individual medalists Wendy Holdener and Ramon Zenhaeusern led the way as Switzerland beat Austria 3-1 in a final showdown of traditional Alpine powerhouses to win the inaugural team gold at the Winter Olympics on Saturday. Austria, without their double gold medalist Marcel Hirscher, took silver with the bronze going to Norway when they edged France on time differential after a 2-2 draw in the "small" final at the Yongpyong Alpine Centre.