Sports

Lady Gaga performed an iconic French cabaret classic at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday.

Australian field hockey player Matt Dawson has gone to extraordinary lengths to compete at the Paris Olympics, amputating part of a finger to ensure he will be fit for his third Games.

The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) removed head coach Bev Priestman on Thursday following her suspension by Canada Soccer over a drone spying scandal that has thrust the 2020 Olympic gold medalists into an unsavory global spotlight.

France aims to wow the world on Friday with an extravagant Olympics opening ceremony through the heart of Paris, officially kicking off a Games fraught with security risks at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

Spain playmaker Aitana Bonmati scored once and created another goal as the world champions came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in the opening Group C match of Olympics women's football competition in Nantes.

The Olympic tennis competition suffered another blow as women's third seed Elena Rybakina joined a lengthy list of non-starters hours after the draw took place at Roland Garros on Thursday.

The head of the UAE's Olympic committee has backed the country's athletes to put on a strong show in Paris.

Twice Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray said he will not compete in the singles competition at the Paris Games and will prioritise the doubles in his final tournament before retirement.

Romanian long jumper Florentina Iusco will not compete at the Paris Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after she tested positive for a banned substance.

French winger Moussa Diaby has joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad from Aston Villa on a five-year contract, the Premier League side confirmed.

Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Paris Games due to tonsillitis, the world number one said on Wednesday, denting Italy's hopes of winning a first Olympic tennis medal since 1924.

Crowd trouble in the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday caused chaos, with Argentina eventually beaten 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2.

The sporting action at the Paris Olympics kicked off with two football matches on Wednesday, two days before thousands of athletes and artists are set to take part in an opening ceremony at the heart of the French capital.

France has been conditionally picked as the host of the 2030 Winter Games and must now deliver key financial guarantees in the coming months, the International Olympic Committee said.

UEFA has started disciplinary proceedings against Spanish players Alvaro Morata and Rodri over their behaviour during a Euro 2024 presentation in Madrid this month, European football's governing body said on Tuesday.

European Leagues and FIFPRO Europe will jointly file a complaint to EU antitrust regulators against FIFA's international match calendar, the sports organisation and players union said, intensifying the spat with football's governing body.

Andy Murray, the first male player to capture two Olympic singles gold medals, said that the tennis competition at the Paris Games will be the final event of his glittering career before retirement.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has poured cold water on reports linking Kevin De Bruyne with a move away from the club amid speculation the Belgian midfielder may depart for Saudi Arabia.

Aston Villa have signed defensive midfielder Amadou Onana from fellow Premier League side Everton in a deal worth £50 million (AED 237 million).

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has joined Olympique de Marseille on loan with an option to buy, both clubs said on Monday.

Oscar Piastri captured the first win of his Formula One career on Sunday at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, but not without a bit of drama.

Xander Schauffele shot a sterling 65 at Royal Troon to emerge from the pack and win the 152nd Open Championship for his second major title of the year Sunday in Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland.

French authorities have recalled Paris 2024-branded metal water bottles containing excessive levels of the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A, less than a week before the start of the Olympics.

UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar will be firmly in the spotlight as he goes down the ramp last on Sunday's final day individual time trial in his adopted home of Monaco, with a third Tour de France title all but secured.

Pakistan's leading all-format players Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan have been denied permission by their cricket board to play in the Global T20 in Canada over workload concerns.

Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates won stage 19, Embrun-Isola 2000 (144.6 km, including the climb of the Col de la Bonnette and the summit arrival) at the Tour de France.

The Dubai World Cup, recognised worldwide as one of horseracing’s premier sporting and social occasions, will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2025, as the grand finale of an extended 16-meeting Dubai Racing Carnival.

Spain's football federation (RFEF) has proposed 11 stadiums as candidates to host matches during the 2030 World Cup, including the home arenas of LaLiga clubs Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

The Paris Olympics organising committee said on Friday the impact of a global cyber outage on its operations was limited and ticket sales were unaffected ahead of the Games which begin in a week.

FIFA has postponed consideration of a Palestinian request to exclude Israel from international football competitions until after the Paris Olympics, saying both sides had asked for more time to present their arguments.

Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has joined Olympique de Marseille on a five-year deal, worth up to 31.6 million euros (AED 126.3 million).

Suryakumar Yadav was appointed India's T20 captain on Thursday ahead of Hardik Pandya and his tenure will begin with a three-match series in Sri Lanka later this month.

Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player to debut in MLS and North American team sports history when he played in Wednesday night's match against the New England Revolution.

Chelsea have signed England defender Lucy Bronze on a free transfer after the 32-year-old left Barcelona last month following her contract expiry.

FIFA is investigating a video circulating on social media that showed some members of the Argentina national team singing about France's players that the French Football Federation decried as "racist and discriminatory".

Croatian midfielder Luka Modric has signed a one-year contract extension with Real Madrid which will keep him at the Bernabeu until 2025, the LaLiga club said on Wednesday.

Former world number one Rafa Nadal marked his return to singles tennis with a 6-3 6-4 win over Leo Borg, the son of Swedish great Bjorn Borg, to reach the last 16 in Bastad as he continues his preparations for the Paris Olympics.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has described a video posted on social media by his club team mate Enzo Fernandez as "uninhibited racism".

Kylian Mbappé was given a rapturous reception at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium on Tuesday with more than 80,000 fans applauding the striker as he was unveiled as a new Real Madrid player.

Gareth Southgate has announced his resignation as the manager of the England national football team stating he "needs a change and a new chapter in his career".

Rafa Nadal warmed up for his bid for another Olympic medal at the Paris Games with a doubles win at the Swedish Open in Bastad on Monday as the Spaniard returned to competition for the first time since May.

Defending champions Argentina won a record 16th Copa America title by beating Colombia 1-0 thanks to an extra-time goal from substitute Lautaro Martinez at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida on Sunday.

England coach Gareth Southgate said he would discuss his future in charge of the national team after Sunday's 2-1 defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final left him once again trying to work out why glory had eluded his side.

Spain winger Nico Williams had to do more than his share of heavy lifting, including score the opening goal, to help his team to the Euro 2024 title with a 2-1 victory over England on Sunday and a deserved man-of-the-match award.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz produced an utterly ruthless performance to dismantle Serbia's Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6(4) in a rematch of last year's Wimbledon final to successfully defend his title on Sunday.

The Tour de France stepped up protective measures on Sunday, to "limit health risks" in the face of a resurgence of Covid-19 which has affected several riders, including UAE Team Emirates' Juan Ayuso, in recent days.

The Professional Cyclists' Association (CPA) said it will take legal action against a spectator who threw potato chips at UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar and Visma-Lease A Bike's Jonas Vingegaard during the Tour de France stage 14 on Saturday.

As a precocious 12-year-old tennis novice, Barbora Krejcikova had scribbled into her notebook that her ambition was to win the French Open.

The USA Basketball Men's National Team has arrived in Abu Dhabi as part of their preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Canada head coach Jesse Marsch criticised the treatment North American sides have received at Copa America, claiming his team has been treated like second-class citizens.

Seven-times champion Novak Djokovic produced some of his best tennis to outclass Italian 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 7-6(2) 6-4 on Friday and reach a 10th Wimbledon final.

Carlos Alcaraz finally found his A-game to tame Daniil Medvedev and reach his second straight Wimbledon final, as the champion overcame an erratic first set to beat the Russian 6-7 (1) 6-3 6-4 6-4 on Friday.

James Anderson bowed out of international cricket on the winning side as England thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on the third day of the first Test at Lord's on Friday.

Saudi Arabia will host the inaugural Olympics Esports Games in 2025, the International Olympic Committee announced on Friday.

Barbora Krejcikova returned to a Grand Slam singles final three years after her only triumph with a stirring Wimbledon comeback on Thursday that set up a meeting with Italian Jasmine Paolini, who continued to break new ground at the All England Club.

Eritrean Biniam Girmay breezed past Wout van Aert to win the 12th stage of the Tour de France on Thursday while UAE Team Emirates rider Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach the Wimbledon final after defeating Croatian Donna Vekic 2-6 6-4 7-6(8) in the longest women's semi-final at the All England Club.

Frenchman Francois Letexier will referee Sunday's European Championship final between Spain and England in Berlin, UEFA said on Thursday.

England's last-gasp victory over Netherlands in their Euro 2024 semi-final showed their character and resilience and the team are ready to take the final step and lift their first major trophy in almost 60 years, manager Gareth Southgate said.

Colombia coach Nestor Lorenzo was delighted his decision to stay on the attack against Uruguay despite going down to 10 men paid off on Wednesday after they emerged with a 1-0 win that set up a Copa America final against Argentina.

Captain Shubman Gill struck a fluent half-century as India claimed a 23-run win over hosts Zimbabwe in the third T20 international in Harare on Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Elena Rybakina advanced to the semi-finals of Wimbledon with a 6-3 6-2 win over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.

Alex De Minaur pulled out of his Wimbledon quarter-final against second seed Novak Djokovic due to a hip injury, the Australian ninth seed said on Wednesday.

Spain teenager Lamine Yamal on Tuesday sought to play down excitement over his wonder goal against France, but said reaching the European Championship final was a dream come true for him - and his mother too.

Argentina's path to the Copa America final has been no bed of roses, coach Lionel Scaloni said, as he praised his players for their performance in Tuesday's 2-0 semi-final win over Canada.

If Carlos Alcaraz was watching Tommy Paul from Wimbledon's Court One stands, he might have been left drooling over the American's breathtaking variety of shot-making.

Fifth seed Daniil Medvedev edged out world number one Jannik Sinner in a five-set battle to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the second successive year.

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir was appointed head coach of the country's cricket team on Tuesday, succeeding former teammate Rahul Dravid in what is considered one of the most challenging jobs in the game.

Emotions ran high for Novak Djokovic on Monday as he angrily lashed out at Wimbledon fans following his three-set demolition job over young Dane Holger Rune in the fourth round.

Keegan Bradley has been named US captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York, the PGA of America announced on Monday after a search process during which they also talked to Tiger Woods about taking the job.

UAE Team ADQ's Chiara Consonni won the second stage of Giro d'Italia Women after a grueling 110 km race from Sirmione to Volta Mantovana on Monday.

Newly established sports franchise, Dubai Basketball, has announced the Coca-Cola Arena as its home venue.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals after ailing Russian 17th seed Anna Kalinskaya retired from their clash with a suspected right forearm injury while trailing 6-3 3-0.

Rather than despairing at the carnage left behind in the women's draw at Wimbledon, the evidence shows that the entertainment value has never been better, Coco Gauff declared after becoming the latest Grand Slam champion to perish in the first week.

Of all the Formula One firsts achieved by Lewis Hamilton on Sunday, and there was quite a list, the sobbing over the radio and tears in the arms of his father Anthony will live long in the memory.

Manuel Akanji should forget about the penalty miss that shattered Switzerland's dream of a place in the Euros semi-finals and focus instead on his stellar performances that were central to their impressive run, his coach Murat Yakin said on Saturday.

Turkey leave Euro 2024 having laden the tournament with their spirit and energy and won the hearts of football lovers all over the world, coach Vincenzo Montella said on Saturday.

Top seed Iga Swiatek crashed out of Wimbledon in the biggest shock of this year's Championships so far but Novak Djokovic avoided joining her through the exit door despite another below-par performance on Saturday.

Uruguay's diligence and resilience under pressure after going a man down against Brazil in Saturday's Copa America quarter-final victory put the team's distinctive character in the spotlight, coach Marcelo Bielsa said.

Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose remains a major concern for France as they head to the European Championship semi-finals, even if the France captain says he is not too bothered by his indifferent form.

Diego Ulissi obtained his 47th career victory on stage 3 of the Tour of Austria, Schladming-St Johann Alpendorf (153,1 km).

Spain has secured their spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals after a thrilling 2-1 extra-time victory over hosts Germany in a quarter-final clash at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart.

Abu Dhabi has created sporting history by attracting the sailing regatta Cowes Week to its shores in January 2023, consolidating its position as the Middle East's sports capital.

Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit has outlined exactly why football is failing to properly address racism within the game in an exclusive interview with Off Script on Dubai Eye 103.8.