Miscellany

Racing champion Emerson Fittipaldi was doing “very well” after back surgery in Miami, but surgeons say it will take a few days to determine if he regains full mobility.

Fittipaldi, a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a sports hero in Brazil, underwent an operation to repair a spinal fracture suffered in a plane crash and relieve partial paralysis in his left leg.

Using the success of the 1996 Olympic soccer tournament as its impetus, a U.S. women’s league, the National Soccer Alliance, announced it would start play in the spring with eight teams, including one in Seattle.

The first-ever NHL-licensed ice rink and entertainment complex opened at Birch Run, Mich., with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman promising similar complexes in the future.