SPORTS

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is spreading like wildfire among US girls drawn by the prospect of its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, its popularity even sparking plans for a professional league.

French giants Marseille have not been involved in European competition this season but such is their determination to get back onto the continental stage that coach Roberto De Zerbi and his players are already embarking on some foreign travel.

Inter Milan head into the final straight of their title battle with Napoli locked on points at the top of Serie A and reeling from a crushing derby defeat which ended the champions' hopes of the treble.

Pep Guardiola admitted his wild celebration of Matheus Nunes's stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa felt strange because Manchester City don't score as many late goals as their Premier League rivals.

Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis heads up a stellar cast of athletes kicking off the 16th Diamond League season in Xiamen on Saturday amid a changing landscape that has seen Michael Johnson launch his Grand Slam track series.

Oklahoma City Thunder destroyed the Memphis Grizzlies 131-80 in the most lopsided game-one win in NBA playoff history on Sunday as reigning champions Boston, Cleveland and Golden State opened the post-season with victories.

Liverpool could seal the Premier League on Sunday should the runaway leaders condemn Leicester to relegation and Arsenal suffer a Champions League hangover by losing at Ipswich.

Football fans in China were outraged by Zhejiang FC's decision to go ahead with a league match hours after the death of their Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza.

Ailing Red Bull arrive on the Red Sea for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah desperate to prevent their 2025 season sinking into mediocrity.

Kylian Mbappe joined Real Madrid in search of Champions League glory, hoping to be on the right side of exactly the kind of magical night they need against Arsenal on Wednesday if they are to progress to the semi-finals.

Oscar Piastri wrapped up a dream weekend in Bahrain to leave McLaren with their two drivers atop the drivers standings.

Mohamed Salah ended months of speculation over his future by signing a new two-year contract with Premier League leaders Liverpool on Friday.

McLaren's Lando Norris holds a wafer-thin advantage over four-time world champion Max Verstappen going into this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

Manchester United's lone hope of salvaging anything from a terrible season lies in the Europa League, where success is vital to helping finance a rebuild of Ruben Amorim's underperforming squad.

The NBA has said it is "exploring" the creation of a professional basketball league in Europe, but the plans remain vague and raise many questions.

Real Madrid's attacking superstars need no introduction but behind them lies a soft, vulnerable underbelly which Arsenal aim to exploit on Tuesday in a Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.

Just three points separate leaders Barcelona from Real Madrid at the top of La Liga in a gripping campaign and three goals also divide their main marksmen.

What is being billed as a "revolution" for the sport of athletics gets under way in Kingston on Friday with the opening meeting of US sprinting legend Michael Johnson's ambitious Grand Slam Track series.

Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United 1-0 to close in on Champions League football next season as Bukayo Saka scored in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Fulham on his return from injury on Tuesday.

Luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda said on Monday it planned to sell its minority stake in the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One team to help turn around its loss-making core business.

Czech teenager Jakub Mensik upset Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/4) to win the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, denying the Serb his 100th career title.

Arsenal's women produced a thrilling fightback from a 2-0 first leg defeat to beat Real Madrid 3-0 on Wednesday and set up a Champions League semi-final with eight-time winners Lyon.

World Athletics said on Tuesday it had approved the introduction of a cheek swab test to determine if an athlete is biologically female.

Australia will build a 63,000-seat stadium and an indoor swimming venue for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, officials said Tuesday after shelving contentious earlier plans, with The Gabba to be demolished after the Games.

Oscar Piastri led a McLaren one-two from Lando Norris in the Chinese Grand Prix after an action-packed weekend where Lewis Hamilton won the first Saturday sprint of the season and then had a shock disqualification Sunday, along with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

CONCACAF football chief Victor Montagliani played down concerns over a US border crackdown impacting the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, following a flurry of recent cases involving foreign visitors who have been detained or deported after attempting to enter the United States.

Mikel Merino's 93rd-minute equaliser earned Spain a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in Nations League quarter-final first leg action on Thursday, while Croatia have one foot in the semi-finals after beating France 2-0.

The race to succeed Thomas Bach as president of the International Olympic Committee reaches a climax on Thursday with Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Sebastian Coe and Kirsty Coventry believed to be neck and neck but clear of the remaining quartet.

Flamboyant former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan has died aged 76 after battling an "aggressive form of prostate cancer", his family announced on Thursday.