Carmelo Anthony, having endured years of NBA disappointment and feeling pushed to speak out on social issues, chases an Olympic-record third men’s basketball gold medal with the Americans in Rio.

There has never been an Olympic dynasty quite like the US women’s basketball team, which seeks a sixth consecutive gold medal in Rio to complete two decades of global domination.

New England manager Sam Allardyce admitted Wayne Rooney has a significant part to play in his plans but refused to give assurances about the player’s future as captain.

Cook made 76 not out and vice-captain Root 71 not out, with the duo putting on 105 for the second wicket before the skipper declared the innings

Sri Lanka’s record-breaking spinner Muttiah Muralitharan launched a blistering attack on his former bosses after they complained about his behaviour in his new role as a mentor to Australia.

Australian captain Steve Smith named spin twins Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe in his line-up for the series opener against Sri Lanka as the newly-crowned kings of Test cricket look to cement their supremacy.

The 27-year-old Kohli replaced Dhoni as India’s Test captain after the wicketkeeper-batsman retired from that form of cricket in late 2014

‘We had our groundsman working for 10 days on the pitch, but the conditions were just too dangerous for the players. The rain has made it totally unsafe to play on this pitch’

Big money signings and investments in storied European clubs, and the backing of a president who is an avid soccer fan: things should be looking up for millions of Chinese supporting the ‘beautiful game’.

Soccer fans of a certain age will always remember Falcao at the World Cup in 1982 and his starring role alongside Zico, Socrates and Cerezo in one of the greatest Brazil sides of all time.

‘It’s not about potential now. It’s about standing up and being counted even though some of those experiences have been bitter. Potential is a word I don’t like to use too much. You want the actual quality of the player producing his best immediately’

India’s Narsingh Yadav has claimed his supplements and water had been ‘sabotaged’ after the wrestler, due to represent his country in the 74kg category at next month’s Rio Games, tested positive for a banned steroid.