American star Sarah Hammer gained revenge on British Olympic champion Laura Trott to clinch omnium gold to add to her pursuit title on the final day at the world track cycling championships here on Sunday.

Great Britain's Becky James succeeded Victoria Pendleton as world sprint champion on Saturday, breaking the six-year iron-grip on the event held by the retired English golden girl and Australia's Anna Meares.

A shortage of hotel rooms has led Rio authorities to invest millions of dollars to convert raunchy motels to accommodate the legions of tourists expected for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympics.

The Royal Opera House of London landed in Rio this week with educational programs and events that include dance lessons for children living in the city's shanty towns.

Kenya has banned three marathon runners for doping offences, including the first case of an athlete using the banned blood booster EPO, the country's national athletics body said on Thursday.

Australia's much-hyped men's Olympic freestyle swim relay team on Friday owned up to taking sleeping medication banned by the Australian Olympic Committee and then performing "stupid" pre-Games pranks.

Australia's much-hyped men's Olympic freestyle swim relay team on Friday owned up to taking sleeping medication banned by the Australian Olympic Committee and then performing "stupid" pre-Games pranks.

Martyn Irvine gave Ireland a first ever world track championships gold medal on Thursday when he swooped to victory in the scratch event, just an hour after securing a silver in the pursuit.

Brazilian legend Pele is preparing to start limiting his professional schedule of engagements as the 72-year-old gets over hip replacement surgery, O Estado de Sao Paulo daily reported on Thursday.

The United States and Iran may be arch foes on the diplomatic front, but bosses from two of wrestling's power-houses have allied to fight a decision to drop the sport from the 2020 Olympic Games.

Nike has suspended its contract with Oscar Pistorius, a spokesman for the US sportswear giant said Thursday as the South African Paralympics star fights charges of murdering his girlfriend.

US sportswear giant Nike has suspended its contract with Oscar Pistorius, a company spokesman said Thursday, after the South African Paralympics star was charged with murdering his girlfriend.

The star striker works in a pizza delivery office and has not taken a holiday in five years. Like her teammates, she scrimps and saves to fund her own training, using every spare moment to practise.

Singer-songwriter Emeli Sande, the voice of the London Olympics, continued her rise to superstardom by winning two of the most prestigious Brit Awards at a ceremony in London on Wednesday.

Rio de Janeiro needs to step up the pace if it is to be ready in time for the Olympics in 2016, the head of the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) co-ordination commission said on Wednesday.

Australia avenged two successive men's team pursuit title losses to Great Britain here on Wednesday as they regained their world track crown on the first day of the world track cycling championships.

Britain's Prince Charles bestowed a knighthood Wednesday on Quentin Blake, whose scratchy drawings of Roald Dahl characters have made him one of the world's best-loved children's illustrators.

Witnesses heard arguing, a woman screaming and gunfire at the house of "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius the night he shot dead his model girlfriend, police told a South African court Wednesday.

Some of the top names in British pop including One Direction and Mumford and Sons will gather Wednesday for the biggest night in the music calendar when the annual Brit Awards are held at London's O2 Arena.

Oscar Pistorius was drug-tested before and during last year's Paralympic Games in London, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Wednesday, adding that on both occasions the results were negative.