RIO DE JANEIRO -- Three-time World Cup champion Pele says he was invited to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, but sponsorship deals could stop him from performing the prestigious task.Speaking at an event in Rio, Pele said he was invited to light the cauldron by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Rio 2016 organizing committee chairman Carlos Arthur Nuzman.Philip Wilkinson, a spokesman for the Rio 2016 organizing committee, did not confirm the information, saying the identity of the person lighting the cauldron was supposed to be a surprise.Pele, 75, said he has a commitment to a sponsor that would make him travel on Friday, the day of the Opening Ceremony. The Brazilian said Nuzman invited him in person and Bach called him to do the same.I need to solve the travel issue. It is an international commitment with an English company. But I would love to (light the cauldron), Pele said. If I manage to change (the travel plans), I would like to have the honor to light it.Almost two weeks ago Pele held the Olympic flame in Santos, the city in the outskirts of Sao Paulo where he started his football career. He never took part in the Games.In 2004, Pele carried the Athens Games torch in Rio and wept as he did it. At the time, he said that one of the few regrets of his successful career was to never have played at the Olympic Games.Brazilian media reported in recent weeks that three retirees were the favorites to light the cauldron at the Maracana stadium on Friday: Pele, sailor Torben Grael and tennis player Gustavo Kuerten.Grael carried the flame on Wednesday. Kuerten refused to do it because of sponsorship deals.Kyrie Irving Shoes For Sale . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Wholesale Kyrie Irving Shoes . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. https://www.cheapshoeskyrieirving.com/ . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Cheap Kyrie Irving Shoes . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Kyrie Irving Shoes Deals .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights.ST. PAUL, Minn. -- After six straight one-goal games and a seventh which was tight before an empty-net goal, the Minnesota Wild got the chance to breathe easier at the end of a game.Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves and five players scored a goal each as Minnesota won its fifth straight game, 5-1 over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.Zach Parise, Erik Haula, Eric Staal, Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker scored for the Wild, who have points in 10 of their last 11 games. Zucker added an assist, and Jason Pominville and Jonas Brodin each had two assists for Minnesota, which has seen 18 of its 28 games this season decided by one goal.Nice to not have one come down to the wire with someone pulling their goalie and a one-goal game, Parise said. You hope that we can have more of those. We know thats not always easy, but thats what were trying to do.Florida goaltender Roberto Luongos regrettable history in Minnesota continued as he stopped 12 of 17 shots before being pulled midway through the third period. Luongo is 0-7 and has been pulled in four of his last seven games at the Xcel Energy Center.James Reimer stopped all five shots he faced in relief of Luongo. Dylan McIlrath scored his first goal of the season for the Panthers, who have one win in their past six games.Its a bad loss, Florida interim coach Tom Rowe said. Guys have got to understand that if youre going to play in the National Hockey League youve got to show up every single day, cant show up when you feel like it.Dubynk is 7-0-2 in his last nine games and leads the league in goals-against average and save percentage. Since making his Wild debut on Jan. 15, 2015, Dubnyk leads all NHL goaltenders in shutouts, save percentage and goals against-average while placing second in wins in that span.The Panthers thought they had pulled within a goal midway through the second period when Kyle Rau scored off Dubnyks skate. A video review showed Derek McKenzie was offsside and the goal was waved off.ddddddddddddFlorida was also 0 for 5 on the power play.Obviously you learn from every game, but this was a tough one, Panthers center Nick Bjugstad said. We knew they play a tight style and they capitalize on chance. I think we had more shots but that doesnt mean anything when you give up odd-man rushes and they capitalize on them.Staal scored his seventh goal 67 seconds after the reviewed goal to make it 3-0. Pominville passed to a streaking Staal for a breakaway. Luongo got his blocker on the initial shot, but Staal followed by batting the puck out of the air.Parise opened the scoring in the first period with his first goal in eight games. He has five on the season and three in 11 games since returning from injury.We need to keep climbing, Dubnyk said. Its exciting to be in this spot with games at hand, as well, and again those games dont matter unless we win them, but its still a good situation to be in and winning is fun so you just got to keep doing it.Game notesLuongo is 3-12-1 all-time at the Xcel Energy Center. He entered with a goals-against average of 3.21 and .884 save percentage in Minnesota. ... Wild D Christian Folin returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a sprained MCL in his left knee. ... Florida D Keith Yandle played in his 581st consecutive game, surpassing Johnny Wilson for sole possession of the ninth-longest streak in NHL history. ... Minnesota F Kurtis Gabriel had to retreat to the locker room following a first-period fight with McIlrath. Gabriels jersey ripped nearly the length of his back, splitting the numbers. It was Gabriels fourth fight in six games since being recalled from the AHL.UP NEXTPanthers: The second game of their three-game trip is Thursday in Winnipeg.Wild: They are at Nashville on Thursday. ' ' '