Police in Italy successfully intercepted and prevented pro-Palestinian activists from interfering with a sacred Olympic tradition on Saturday. 

The Italian police said that the pro-Palestinian activists were prevented from coming into contact with the opening stages of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics torch relay.

Both groups of protesters were removed before they reached the relay route in Rome, per police. 

A third group of about 10 people that was monitored by police waved Palestinian flags when the relay passed by the city’s biggest university, La Sapienza.

There were also three people carrying signs in support of Venezuela near the American embassy.

In October, more than two million demonstrators marched through more than 100 Italian cities to protest the war in Gaza.

Olympic champion swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri began the relay in the statue-lined Stadio dei Marmi and the torch was carried for 20 miles before ending the day in Piazza del Popolo.

The relay will cover nearly 7,500 miles and wind its way through all 110 Italian provinces before reaching Milan’s San Siro Stadium for the opening ceremony on Feb. 6.

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In all, there will be 10,001 torch-bearers.

The next stops on the torch relay are Viterbo on Sunday, and Terni on Monday.

Pro-Palestinian protesters causing disruption to sporting events have become increasingly regular over the past year, especially sporting events involving Israeli teams. 

Last month, multiple people were arrested at a soccer match in the United Kingdom that involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli fans of the team were prohibited from attending the match due to safety concerns, but disturbances still broke out regardless, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity. 

Multiple people were arrested at a soccer match in the United Kingdom that involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. Israeli fans of the team were prohibited from attending the match due to safety concerns, but disturbances still broke out regardless, with anti-Israel protesters in the vicinity. 

An Israeli cycling team was excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, because of concerns over potentially disruptive pro-Palestinian protests. Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta. 

Seven of the past 11 days of racing at the Vuelta were cut short or interrupted because Spain’s government estimated more than 100,000 people were on the streets in Madrid during the final stage in September. 

The protesters said their actions were aimed at denouncing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel Oct. 7, 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Luka Doncic was removed from the team’s status report entering Sunday’s game at Philadelphia after the Lakers superstar and his fiancee announced the birth of their second child Saturday.

Doncic missed the last two games, but before Friday’s game against Boston, coach JJ Redick was open to the possibility of him rejoining the team in time for Sunday’s road trip finale. The Lakers (16-6) went 1-1 to begin the trip with a thrilling, three-point win in Toronto on Thursday before getting blown out in Boston.

LeBron James, who also missed Friday’s game because of sciatica and joint arthritis in his left foot, is questionable to return Sunday. The 40-year-old has played in only six of the Lakers’ 22 games.

Guard Marcus Smart will miss a sixth consecutive game because of a left lumbar muscle strain.

Doncic, who shared a photo of his new daughter, Olivia, on social media, leads the NBA with 35.3 points per game. If he returns against the 76ers (13-9), the game will feature three of the league’s top five scorers.

Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey ranks third with 31.6 points per game and Lakers guard Austin Reaves is fifth with 29.3 points. Reaves’ career season has helped the Lakers go 4-2 in games without Doncic, as Reaves is averaging 40 points per game without Doncic in the lineup.

As the debate over NFL playing surfaces continues, the league introduced a plan that aims to bring more consistency to all stadiums.

The new enhanced standards will have to be met by 2028, according to the NFL, and will be set through lab and field testing.

Nick Pappas, an NFL field director, shared some details about the plans for the program rollout.

Each team will be provided with “a library of approved and accredited NFL fields” before the 2026 season begins. Any new field will immediately have to meet those standards, and all teams will have two years to achieve them. Both grass and synthetic turf fields will be subject to the new standards.

Most artificial surfaces are replaced every two or three years, Pappas said. Natural fields can have a shorter usage span and are often replaced several times during a single season.

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Pappas added that the fields will have undergone extensive testing and been approved by a joint committee with the NFLPA.

 “It’s sort of a red, yellow, green effect, where we’re obviously trying to phase out fields that we have determined to be less ideal than newer fields coming into the industry,” he said.

“This is a big step for us. This is something that I think has been a great outcome from the Joint Surfaces Committee of the work, the deployment and development of devices determining the appropriate metrics and ultimately providing us with a way to substantiate the quality of fields more so than we ever have in the past.”

Pappas said fields have been tested in labs and on site using two main tools. One is called the BEAST, which is a traction testing device that replicates the movements of an NFL player. The other is called the STRIKE Impact Tester, which helps determine the firmness of each field.

The league’s goal is to find fields that are as consistent as possible for all 30 NFL stadiums and at each stadium throughout the season. Pappas said the “key pillars” for a field are optimized playability, reducing injury risk and player feedback.

The NFL has no plans to require natural grass fields. The league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said there are no “statistically significant differences” in lower extremity injuries or concussions that can be attributed to the type of playing surface or a specific surface despite widespread preferences by players for grass fields and complaints about surfaces such as the one at MetLife Stadium, where the New York Giants and Jets play.

“The surface is only one driver of these lower extremity injuries,” Sills said. “There are a lot of other factors, including player load and previous history and fatigue, positional adaptability and cleats that are worn. So, surfaces are a component, but it is a complex equation.”

The natural grass field for the upcoming Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, has been growing at a sod farm located a couple hours east of the Bay Area.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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