Gareth Bale insists Wales will not be celebrating to excess but said the tournament debutants will happily soak up the plaudits as they wait to find out their last 16 opponents at their “amazing” Euro 2016.

Marcel Koller’s Austria have one “uncomfortable” last chance to salvage their Euro 2016 campaign in their final group game against Iceland at the Stade de France today.

Reinvigorated by Romelu Lukaku’s goals, Belgium take on under-par Sweden today with both sides still in the hunt for a Euro 2016 last-16 berth. Neither side can catch Group E leaders Italy having both lost to the Azzurri.

Sweden’s superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced yesterday he will retire from international football after Euro 2016.

Park In-bee’s chances of playing at the Rio Olympics golf tournament dimmed further yesterday after the South Korean world number three pulled out of an international team event due to a lingering thumb problem.

Australian Olympic chiefs yesterday demanded Rio Games organisers immediately improve security after a decorated Paralympian and her physiotherapist were robbed at gunpoint, underlining a crime wave sweeping the city.

The incoming director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said it could be years before the results of August’s Rio Olympics are upheld.

All potential Olympians from Russia and Kenya must face added scrutiny before being cleared to compete in the Rio Games because of suspicions about their country’s anti-doping programmes, IOC executives said yesterday.

Brazil’s synchronised swimming team is planning to make waves in August, when Rio de Janeiro becomes the first South American city to host the Olympics.

Russia could gain three weightlifting gold medals stripped from other nations’ competitors because of doping positives reaching back as far as two Olympics, but could also lose quota places at the Rio Games because of its own team’s transgressions.

European athletics chief Svein Arne Hansen welcomed the arrest of athletics coach Jama Aden in a Spanish probe in which reportedly a third person was detained yesterday.

Although Olympic champions can make great role models, sports officials can’t expect all athletes to be angels in their pursuit of results, according to Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe.