Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil and Peru currently have some of the highest coronavirus infection and death rates per capita in the world.
Why it matters: Vaccine access has been uneven in the region, which has mostly depended on Russian and Chinese vaccines. Just under 20% of the area’s population has been immunized.
10,000 volunteers working to organize the Tokyo Olympics next month have quit, Toshiro Muto, the CEO of the Tokyo organizing committee, told reporters Wednesday, the according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: The games have been under pressure to cancel amid low vaccination rates and a surge of active COVID-19 cases in Japan. Scientists have warned that "canceling the games may be the safest option" and a recent poll by Japan's Asahi Shimbun newspaper found 83% of voters wanted the games to be postponed or canceled.
Brazil has stepped in to host this month's Copa América, but the issues that caused the former hosts to drop out are roughly as bad in Brazil.
The backdrop: The soccer tournament — originally set for last summer in Colombia and Argentina — was delayed a year by the pandemic. It's now scheduled to begin on June 13.
A 1914 Babe Ruth "pre-rookie" card has been valued at $6 million, making it the most expensive sports trading card of all time.
What's next: The privately-owned card will be partially sold on Collectable, a fractional investing platform where users can buy shares of sports memorabilia.
Hours after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit's failed drug test was confirmed by a second sample requested by trainer Bob Baffert, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Medina Spirit could become the second horse in Kentucky Derby history to be disqualified for a failed drug test, the Times notes. Hours after the confirmation, Churchill Downs suspended Baffert for two years, effective immediately.
The NFL on Wednesday pledged to halt its decades-old use of "race-norming" — a practice that assumes Black players have a lower baseline level of cognition — in its near-billion-dollar concussion settlement, AP reports.
Why it matters: The use of "race-norming" meant that Black players had to show a larger cognitive decline to qualify for the settlement. The NFL said Wednesday that it will also review previous scores for potential race bias.
Tennis player Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open sparked conversations on the mental health pressures athletes face and the obligations leagues may or may not have to accommodate them.
Why it matters: In a profession built on powering through mental and emotional adversity, Osaka is just one example of how athletes are increasingly addressing the lack of mental health accommodations like they might for physical injuries, experts say.
