National Sports

Veteran Canadian lightweight John (The Bull) Makdessi has been forced to pull out of his scheduled bout against American Devonte (King Kage) Smith later this month at UFC 241 in Anaheim. A UFC official said the withdrawal was health-related.

TORONTO — Canada will play a scheduled CONCACAF Nations League away match against Cuba next month in the Cayman Islands rather than in Havana.

LIMA, Peru — Here are five Canadian athletes/teams to watch on Wednesday at the Pan American Games: DAMIAN WARNER (TRACK AND FIELD) The 2016 Olympic bronze medallist in the decathlon looks for his second straight Pan Am gold.

As a player, Julian de Guzman won a record 89 caps for Canada and lifted the Voyageurs Cup three times in Toronto FC colours. As GM of Ottawa Fury FC, de Guzman has made a point of showcasing domestic talent.

MONTREAL — For Edmonton's Shamit Shome, playing against former coach Tommy Wheeldon will feel like a trip down memory lane.

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays will extend protective netting at Rogers Centre next season, joining other teams that have taken measures after foul balls injured fans.

BRECLAV, Czech Republic — Canada improved to 2-0 at the Gretzky Hlinka Cup under-18 men's hockey tournament with an 8-0 win over Switzerland on Tuesday. Cole Perfetti of Whitby, Ont., and Hendrix Lapierre of Gatineau, Que.

If Katherine and Michelle Plouffe qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, they will have done so on their own dime. But the Edmonton twins say it will have been worth every penny.

Toronto Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Ottawa Redblacks returner DeVonte Dedmon and Saskatchewan Roughriders QB Cody Fajardo are the CFL's top performers of the week for Week 8.

This is fast becoming the year of the kick returner in the CFL. Through eight weeks, 14 kicks have been returned for touchdowns, including a record eight kickoffs. Last year, there were 15 return TDs.