The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has rejected calls for Russia to be banned from next month’s Rio Olympics over the nation’s doping record, offering athletes a lifeline by ruling that decisions on individual competitors will be left to the international sports federations.

Concerned colleagues often warn of the perils of work-place romances but Britain’s badminton power couple Chris and Gabby Adcock believe marriage has only made their on-court performance more harmonious.

For former Chinese athletes that now compete for other countries’ flags, an Olympic meeting with the Motherland at Rio de Janeiro will be bittersweet.

When Mike Bryan’s cellphone rang recently and the policeman on the other end of the line told him his home security alarm had gone off one thought flashed up in his head — is my Olympic gold medal safe?

Male boxers will step into the ring without headguards at the Rio Olympics for the first time since the 1980 Moscow Games, and their vests could be next on the hit list.

Irish boxing superstar Katie Taylor along with Nicola Adams established women’s boxing in London in the 2012 Olympics as a must see event but four years on cracks are appearing in her armour.

Cellar dwellers for most of their current incarnation, South Africa’s Lions were left standing as the only threat to New Zealand domination of Super Rugby after the weekend’s first round of playoffs.

Top-seeded Venus Williams will play for her 50th WTA title in Stanford, in the tournament where she made her professional debut 22 years ago.

France’s Gael Monfils, seeking his first ATP crown outside Europe, and Ivo Karlovic, nearing titles in consecutive weeks at age 37, advanced to the ATP and WTA Washington Open final in sweltering conditions Saturday.

The power of the Olympic Games is in their ability to be a catalyst for change and transform the lives of young people from across the host nation.

Briton Chris Froome cemented his status as one of the greatest Tour de France riders when he secured his third title yesterday after a three-week rocky ride.

Over the past few weeks, one US marketing executive’s phone has been ringing hot with offers that many sports fans could only dream of: an all-expenses-paid trip to watch the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.