The United States Nordic combined program has been salvaged for the upcoming World Cup season, receiving desperately needed financial help from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

FIS gave Nordic Combined USA a grant last week, a contingency the Steamboat Springs, Colorado-based nonprofit needed to enter a new partnership with its Norwegian counterpart.

“Definitely an extreme relief,” Niklas Malacinski, a 2026 Olympic hopeful, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know how else this would’ve been done.”

Americans who compete internationally in Nordic combined, which encompasses ski jumping and cross-country skiing, lost funding for training and coaching from USA Nordic Sport last June.

That decision sent athletes, their parents and supporters of the sport scrambling to save the season for the U.S. men and women after they showed signs of improvement during a two-year partnership with the traditionally powerful Norwegians.

Nordic Combined USA was created to pick up the pieces. The all-volunteer nonprofit led by president Jill Brabec, whose daughter, Alexa, is a Nordic combined athlete and four-time Olympian Taylor Fletcher asked donors for funds and made a grant request with FIS.

About $350,000 has been raised toward the organization’s $500,000 budget for the 2024-25 season.

The Americans will share coaches, training facilities, sports science data and efforts to attract sponsors with Norges Hopplandslaget. Even though Norway competes with the U.S., it wants the country to be a part of a sport that is often overlooked outside of Norway, Germany and Austria.

It is in sports’ best interest to have an American presence because Nordic combined could potentially be cut from the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps. That would be one way to address the discipline being the only Olympic sport without gender equality.

BASEBALL

Agent hopes Soto could top Ohtani’s deal

Agent Scott Boras indicated Juan Soto may be seeking to top Shohei Ohtani’s record $700 million contract because he is three years younger than the Japanese two-way star was when he reached his deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Boras gave a pun-filled, 48-minute assessment of the market at the general managers meetings, calling Soto “the Mona Lisa of the museum.” Boras said only a handful of players have matched Soto’s accomplishments at age 26, mentioning Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Ted Williams, and boasted “he has literally 15 years more of his prime to offer.”

“You can really see that owners, general managers, that they’re kind of called upon to be championship magicians,” Boras said. “It’s hard to do, to put together that magic of a championship run, but behind every great magician obviously is the magic Juan.”

Dodgers not counting on Ohtani next spring

The Dodgers aren’t counting on Shohei Ohtani to pitch at the start of next season and will wait to see how his rehabilitation progresses following shoulder surgery on his non-throwing arm.

Ohtani had a procedure Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, an injury sustained while sliding during a stolen-base attempt in Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26. The two-way star did not pitch this year while recovering from elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023.

“We’re going to take it piece by piece and get through this and then take it in one-, two-week chunks and make sure that we’re in a really good place on each of those benchmarks and then go from there and not try to say, ‘Hey, we need to be ready by this day,”’ general manager Brandon Gomes said.

College basketball

UConn men beat Sacred Heart in season opener

Alex Karaban had 20 points, seven rebounds, seven blocks and six assists as No. 3 UConn opened the season with a 92-56 win over Sacred Heart.

Liam McNeeley added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, seeking their third consecutive NCAA championship. Solo Ball scored 16.

Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Connecticut outrebounded Sacred Heart 47-25.

Rutgers freshman sensation scores 20

Freshman standout Dylan Harper scored 20 points in his highly anticipated debut to lead No. 25 Rutgers to a 75-52 win over Wagner in the season-opener for both schools.

Harper, a combo guard, is considered one of the top freshmen in the country and together with fellow first-year forward Ace Bailey, a major reason why the Scarlet Knights entered the season at No. 25. He is the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr., who also starred at Rutgers, and whose father, Ron Harper Sr, was a 15-year NBA veteran.

Rutgers was without Bailey, who was sidelined with an undisclosed injury he suffered Monday in practice. His status is day-to-day.

BRIEFLY

NBA >> Utah Jazz forward Taylor Hendricks underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured right fibula and dislocated ankle.

College basketball >> South Carolina has lifted its suspension of forward Ashlyn Watkins after assault and kidnapping charges against her were dismissed earlier this month.

MLB >> Third baseman Alex Bregman has had surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow.

— From news services