PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny Knight have pledged to donate $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, the school announced Thursday, describing it as the largest single gift to a U.S. university.
“This gift is an unprecedented investment in the millions of lives burdened with cancer, especially patients and families here in Oregon,” OHSU President Shereef Elnahal said in a statement.
The donation will help ensure patients have access to various resources, including psychological, genetic and financial counseling, symptom management, nutritional support and survivorship care, the university statement said.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the transformational potential of this work for humanity,” the Knights said in the statement.
The university described it as the “largest single donation ever made to a U.S. university, college or academic health center.” It surpasses the $1.8 billion given by Michael Bloomberg to Johns Hopkins in 2018, described by that university at the time as the largest single contribution to a U.S. university.
Bloomberg also donated an additional $1 billion to Johns Hopkins last year, covering tuition, living expenses and fees for students from families under certain income levels.
The magnitude of the donation will allow the Knight Cancer Institute to become a self-governed entity with its own board of directors within OHSU, the university said.
Knight is Oregon’s richest man. In 2013, he and his wife pledged $500 million to the cancer institute if the university matched it within two years. The match was met following $200 million in bonds from the Oregon Legislature, $100 million from then-chair of Columbia Sportswear Gert Boyle and donations from some 10,000 people, the university said.
Universities across the country are struggling with moves from President Donald Trump's administration to cancel or freeze research grants at universities.
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2015, file photo, Nike co-founder Phil Knight watches from the sidelines during the second half of an NCAA college football game between Oregon and Utah in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang, File)
FILE - This June 28, 2016 file photo shows the Oregon Health & Science University Campus in Portland, Ore. (Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP, File)
SHEFFIELD, England (AP) — It was Georgia's day at the European figure skating championships Thursday.
Skaters representing the former Soviet nation won the pairs gold medal and took the lead in the men's event at the championships, a key warmup for next month's Winter Olympics.
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava recovered from a fall to win their first European title after silver in 2024 and bronze last year.
The Georgians had the lead from Wednesday's short program and, even though Metelkina fell on a triple toeloop, the rest of their free skate was strong to score 139.80 for a total 215.76.
The two skaters laid on their backs on the ice in relief after finishing their free skate, as Berulava pumped his fists and made a snow angel gesture.
The title defense of Germany's Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin ended with an erratic free skate. Hase fell on a throw triple loop and tumbled to the ice again when Volodin tried to lower her down from their final lift.
Hase seemed in pain as she waited for the scores, and then stunned to see that she and Volodin had scored enough to stay ahead overall of third-place Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary, 203.87 to 202.56.
Georgian figure skater Nika Egadze edged ahead of two Estonian brothers to take the lead in the men's short program.
Egadze scored 91.28 points for the lead after starting his program with a bang, following up a quadruple salchow-triple toeloop combination with a quad toeloop.
That was enough to beat last year's silver medalist Aleksandr Selevko on 88.71 and his younger brother Mihhail on 88.28. Defending champion Lukas Britschgi was sixth for Switzerland.
Estonia is on track for more medals as Niina Petrokina leads the women's event ahead of Friday's free skate.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics
Estonia's Aleksandr Selevko competes during the Men's Short Program on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, Thursday, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Georgia's Nika Egadze competes during the Men's Short Program on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, Thursday, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava compete during the Pairs Free Skating on day two of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Sheffield, England, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
