SPORTS

Borussia Dortmund face the acid test after a fairytale run to Saturday's Champions League final as a star-studded Real Madrid roll into Wembley expecting to be crowned European champions for a 15th time.

Since the early days of Paris's bid for the 2024 Olympics, the city has been receiving advice from a prestigious counsel: Nobel peace prize winner and social business guru Mohammed Yunus.

Carlos Alcaraz needed four sets to reach the third round of the French Open on Wednesday ahead of a blockbuster clash between defending champion Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka as persistent rain caused widespread disruption to the tournament.

Novak Djokovic begins the defence of his French Open title at a rainswept Roland Garros on Tuesday, confident his Grand Slam pedigree will help overcome his lacklustre season.

Rafael Nadal says he will be facing "one of the toughest opponents possible" when he plays Alexander Zverev in the French Open first round on Monday, after Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner eased through their openers.

Cricket's ability to grow its global presence beyond its heartlands, while still maintaining the quality at the highest level, will be tested over the coming month in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States.

Naomi Osaka swept to her first victory at the French Open in three years on Monday, setting up a potential showdown with world number one Iga Swiatek, as Roland Garros prepared to possibly bid farewell to Rafael Nadal.

Alexander Zverev expects to face "peak Rafael Nadal" in their mouth-watering French Open duel as he prepares to deliver a heart-breaking, final blow to the 14-time champion's storied Roland Garros career.

South Korea began 2024 vowing to win the Asian Cup but they have endured a year of turmoil and are still without a coach three months after the sacking of Jurgen Klinsmann.

Men's volleyball is flying high in Japan with the national team ranked fourth globally ahead of the Paris Olympics and the sport's soaring popularity fuelled by a manga blockbuster.

US President Joe Biden said Sunday he heard the voice of Gaza war protesters as some students turned their backs on his graduation ceremony speech at the former university of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. A small number of graduates carried out the silent protest, with some holding Palestinian flags and one holding up a fist as Biden spoke at Morehouse College, a historically Black university in Atlanta, Georgia.

Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury by split decision to win the world's first undisputed heavyweight championship in 25 years on Sunday, an unprecedented feat in boxing's four-belt era.

At a sprawling vehicle test centre in the English countryside, a hydrogen-powered Grenadier 4x4 made by Ineos Automotive grips steep and rugged tracks, showcasing its off-road capabilities.

Golf world number one Scottie Scheffler was handcuffed and arrested by police early Friday after allegedly trying to drive around traffic controls outside the PGA Championship at Valhalla.

The Women's World Cup will take place in South America for the first time after Brazil was chosen to host the 2027 edition at a FIFA congress Friday marked by debate about the war in Gaza.

Donald Trump's arch-foe and former personal attorney Michael Cohen endured grueling cross-examination Tuesday, as senior Republicans increasingly politicized the criminal trial by attending court to support the former president.

Celebrities who have remained silent on the crisis in Gaza are feeling the wrath of angry fans wielding the "digital guillotine" to block them on social media and streaming platforms.

The Olympic torch relay began in Marseille on Thursday with the port city's football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde before passing it on to a number of other celebrity sports stars including Ukrainian gymnast Mariia Vysochanska.

Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the heart of Donald Trump's hush money case, testified in a rapt Manhattan courtroom Tuesday about a 2006 sexual encounter that precipitated the criminal trial of the former US president.

A wave of crimes against South American footballers has underscored the risks faced by players loath to return home from overseas clubs to a region where they, or their loved ones, risk being kidnapped, blackmailed or targeted by gangs with a message to send.

Sadiq Khan, who was Saturday re-elected for a record third term as London mayor, rose from humble roots to spar with world leaders and bring consequential change to the British capital.

Arsenal resume their quest for Premier League glory against Bournemouth this weekend knowing they have no margin for error with Manchester City hot on their heels.

The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined the former president on Tuesday for defying a gag order and warned that further violations could see him thrown in jail.

The sum reportedly paid by Nike to lure the German football team away from its historic partner Adidas was "inexplicable", the CEO of the German sportswear giant Bjorn Gulden told AFP in an interview.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe's decision to award prize money to Olympic gold medallists may have been welcomed by athletes but the move has upset some of his fellow federation bosses and surprised seasoned observers of the Games.

Taylor Swift is primed to release her highly anticipated record "The Tortured Poets Department" on Friday -- the 11th studio album from the megastar who is already having a blockbuster year.

The NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life on Wednesday after a bombshell probe found he bet on league matches -- dubbed a "cardinal sin" by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Even though the United Nations voted last year to observe the Olympic Truce, the Paris Games will still be held under the shadow of international conflict.

The final bill for the Paris Olympics is still unknown but, depending on the point of view, are likely to be expensive compared to original estimates or cheap, when set against other recent Games.