Lewis Hamilton has been knighted three days after he was dethroned as Formula One world champion in the most dramatic fashion.
Hamilton was well on course to win a record eighth F1 title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday but was overtaken by Max Verstappen on the final lap.
With fresh tyres fitted, Red Bull driver Verstappen went on to snatch his maiden F1 crown, capitalising on race director Michael Masi controversially ruling that lapped cars could overtake the safety car before it headed in to leave one last lap of racing between the contenders.
Hamilton claimed on the team radio that the incredible finale had been "manipulated" and Mercedes lodged two complaints with the stewards, both of which were rejected – prompting the Silver Arrows to lodge a notice of their intention to appeal.
After the heartbreak of seeing his four-year reign as champion come to an end, the Brit was given a new title when he was knighted by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old F1 legend became Sir Lewis Hamilton, having been named in the New Year Honours list at the end of 2020 after matching Michael Schumacher's record tally of seven world titles.
Hamilton's mother, Carmen Lockhart, watched her son join Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss and Sir Jack Brabham as the only F1 drivers to be knighted.
Real Madrid announced on Wednesday that Luka Modric and Marcelo have tested positive for coronavirus.
The experienced pair returned positive results in the latest round of routine squad tests and will now self-isolate.
Madrid, who beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the derby on Sunday, are next in action on Sunday, when they face Cadiz in LaLiga.
While Marcelo, 33, has started just once for Madrid this season, Modric remains a key part of Carlo Ancelotti's side.
The midfielder, who turned 36 in September, excelled against Atleti as Los Blancos moved eight points clear of Sevilla at the top of the table.
In total, he has played 18 times in all competitions this season.
Madrid face Athletic Bilbao on December 22 before resuming their season away to Getafe on January 2.
Sergio Aguero has retired at the age of 33 due to a heart problem.
The Barcelona forward announced his decision to retire in a statement on Wednesday that was delivered at an event featuring president Joan Laporta and the club's first-team players.
Aguero, who starred for Atletico Madrid before becoming a Manchester City great, suffered chest pain in the draw with Deportivo Alaves on October 30, which the club confirmed was down to a heart arrhythmia.
Sergi Barjuan, interim coach at the time, said Aguero told him he was feeling "a little dizzy".
Further tests resulted in Aguero being ruled out for three months to undergo a "diagnostic and therapeutic process".
However, after consultations with specialists, the Argentina international has been told it is too much of a risk to continue playing.
Aguero joined Barca on a free transfer from City in July, but a calf injury meant he did not make his debut until October.
He made five appearances in all competitions for Barca, playing just 166 minutes, with his sole goal coming in the form of a late consolation in a 2-1 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid.
Aguero scored a club-record 260 goals in 390 appearances in a trophy-laden decade at City, including their famous last-gasp winner against QPR in 2011-12 to clinch the club's maiden Premier League title.
Sergio Aguero has retired at the age of 33 due to a heart problem.
The Barcelona forward announced his decision to retire in a statement on Wednesday that was delivered at an event featuring president Joan Laporta and the club's first-team players.
Aguero, who starred for Atletico Madrid before becoming a Manchester City great, suffered chest pain in the draw with Deportivo Alaves on October 30, which the club confirmed was down to a heart arrhythmia.
Sergi Barjuan, interim coach at the time, said Aguero told him he was feeling "a little dizzy".
Further tests resulted in Aguero being ruled out for three months to undergo a "diagnostic and therapeutic process".
However, after consultations with specialists, the Argentina international has been told it is too much of a risk to continue playing.
An emotional Aguero said at Camp Nou on Wednesday: "This conference is to communicate that I have decided to stop playing football.
"It's a very difficult moment. The decision I've made, I've taken it for my health, because of the problem I had a month and a half ago. I was in good hands with the medical staff, who did their best, who told me the best thing would be to stop playing.
"So, 10 days ago I made that decision, but I want to tell everyone I did everything to have some hope, but there wasn't very much."
Aguero joined Barca on a free transfer from City in July, but a calf injury meant he did not make his debut until October.
He made five appearances in all competitions for Barca, playing just 166 minutes, with his sole goal coming in the form of a late consolation in a 2-1 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid.
Aguero scored a club-record 260 goals in 390 appearances in a trophy-laden decade at City, including their famous last-gasp winner against QPR in 2011-12 to clinch the club's maiden Premier League title.
Virat Kohli has insisted he was not asked to reconsider his decision to step down as India's T20I skipper and says he was not aware he might lose the ODI captaincy.
Kohli confirmed in September that he had decided to take a step back from leading India in the shortest format after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup.
However, he had agreed to stay on as India's ODI and Test captain, and remain available for selection in T20Is.
India failed to progress from the Super 12s in the World Cup, with Rohit Sharma named as captain for the subsequent T20 series against New Zealand.
But on December 8, Rohit was named India's new permanent white-ball captain.
The BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly, explained that the selectors felt there would have too much leadership within the white-ball squad had there been two captains for each of the formats.
Ganguly also claimed that Kohli had been asked to stay on as captain. However, the batsman has contradicted this statement.
"When I decided to leave the T20I captaincy and approached the BCCI about my decision, it was received well," Kohli told reporters.
"There was no offence or hesitation, I wasn't told to reconsider it. It was received well; I was told it's progressive and it's a step in the right direction.
"Then I told them I'd like to continue in Tests and ODIs, unless the office bearers and selectors feel otherwise.
"My communication was clear in what I wanted to do. I gave them the option, that if they feel I shouldn't [remain captain in Tests and/or ODIs], the decision is in their hands."
Kohli, who is staying on as Test captain, also revealed he was only told of the BCCI's decision to replace him as ODI skipper an hour-and-a-half prior to the squad announcement for India's upcoming red-ball tour of South Africa.
"I was contacted one-and-a-half hours before the selection meeting on December 8 for the Test series," Kohli said.
"There was no prior communication to me at all from when I announced the T20I captaincy decision until December 8, when I got a call before the selection meeting.
"The chief selector [Chetan Sharma] discussed with me the Test team, to which we both agreed, and before ending the call I was told the five selectors have decided I will not be the ODI captain, to which I replied, "okay, fine".
"In the selection call afterwards, we chatted about it briefly. That's what happened. There was no communication prior to that at all."
But Kohli is adamant the captaincy call will not impact his preparation for the South Africa Test series.
He added: "To be prepared for a tour like this and to perform to the best of my abilities, nothing has, and nothing can derail me from that.
"A lot of things that happen on the outside are not ideal and not how one expects them to be, but you have to understand you can only do so much as an individual and we have to keep thing in tight perspective and do things that are in your control.
"I'm focussed, mentally prepared, and excited to do the best I can for the team and make the team win."
Organisers of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations are working "around the clock" to ensure the tournament goes ahead amid suggestions it will be postponed.
There have been reports the finals could be called off due to the emergence of the Omicron strain of COVID-19, first identified in South Africa and now being cited as the reason for a rapid rise in infections in some parts of Europe and Africa.
The tournament was originally set to be played in January and February 2021, but was postponed due to the pandemic.
Veron Mosengo-Omba, the general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), met with officials from host nation Cameroon on Tuesday to discuss concerns ahead of the tournament's scheduled start on January 9.
CAF said in a statement that "the meeting between CAF and Health Ministry [of Cameroon] ironed out a number of details in relation to the competition" with the continent's footballing governing body and the Cameroon government said to have reached "common ground on the approach to the competition in January".
Mosengo-Omba said: "The meetings were important in getting a level of understanding on the state of readiness in Cameroon. There is a lot of work that is being done.
"We have to continue with the same momentum. We cannot rest. We have to work around the clock. I'm not resting, the LOC [local organising committee] cannot rest. CAF cannot rest. Everyone must join the efforts. We want to see a great Africa Cup of Nations here in Cameroon in January next year.
"Together with the Minister of Sport, we discussed all the pending issues and the way forward.
"There is a lot of progress in most operational matters and there is work that is currently being done day and night by the host nation, Cameroon to ensure that all the facilities for the teams are ready. We know of the massive effort that everyone is putting as part of the final touches on the ground. We see this progress, we acknowledge this progress."
Kevin Durant said it felt "amazing to be out there" as he inspired the short-handed Brooklyn Nets to victory over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
There had been some doubt about whether the game would even go ahead after the Nets' list of players in the league's health and safety protocols grew to seven, James Harden and Bruce Brown ruled out within an hour of tip-off.
Durant had also been questionable due to an ankle problem but powered through a game-changing 48 minutes as the Nets won 131-129 in overtime.
Having mustered a season-high 51 points in the win over the Detroit Pistons last Sunday – the eighth 50-point game of his NBA career – Durant posted a triple-double of 34 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
He is the first forward or center to follow a 50-point game with a triple-double since Wilt Chamberlain back in 1968.
"We had to debate Kevin's situation," coach Steve Nash said. "Obviously, we're talking about a franchise player; we don't want to risk it. So we're probably more cautious than he is, but he really wanted to play, and so that was it."
Durant's inspirational impact came as part of a side featuring four rookies, his 14th career triple-double taking the Eastern Conference leaders to 20-8.
"Man, I can't even explain how I feel," he said. "It's December and we're down seven players and we easily could've punted this game.
"But we saw an opportunity for us to grow and get better, especially the younger guys who haven't played a lot of meaningful games in the NBA, especially against a championship organisation like Toronto. [It] was an amazing test for us.
"I'm so proud to just be a part of this group and play with these young dudes... man, it was amazing to be out there."
The Philadelphia 76ers are next up for the Nets at Barclays Center on Friday.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad have been included in England's 12-man squad for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
The pair's omission for the opening match raised eyebrows and came under further scrutiny after the tourists slumped to a nine-wicket loss as Australia seized the upper hand in Brisbane.
But both are in contention as England seek to level the series in the first of two day-night Tests, with the final selection to be confirmed at the toss on Thursday.
Anderson is his country's leading wicket-taker in Tests with 632, while Broad – who is one shy of 150 Test caps – has 524.
Spinner Jack Leach, who endured a torrid outing as he gave up 102 runs in 13 overs at the Gabba, retains his place in the squad, while seamer Mark Wood has been rested.
Any lingering fears over the fitness of Ben Stokes, who jarred his knee in the field during the opening Test, appear to have been put to rest with his inclusion.
Joe Root's side face a tough task, with Australia boasting a 100 per cent record in day-night Tests.
England squad: Joe Root, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.
Stephen Curry broke the record for most three-pointers made in NBA history as the Golden State Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 105-96.
Curry eclipsed Hall of Famer Ray Allen with his 2,974th three in the opening quarter of Tuesday's contest at Madison Square Garden.
A three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, Curry – who needed two three-pointers to make history – was congratulated by Allen on the sidelines amid a lengthy celebration in New York.
To put Curry's achievement into context, it took the Warriors 17 seasons to hit that many three pointers after the three-point line was implemented (1979-80 to 1995-96).
Curry finished with 22 points on five-of-14 shooting from three-point range as the NBA-leading Warriors improved to 23-5 for the season.
Julius Randle posted a season-high 31 points, but it was not enough for the Knicks.
Durant dazzles again
After his season-high 51 points on Sunday, Kevin Durant was the hero again for the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets, who outlasted the Toronto Raptors 131-129 after overtime. In the absence of James Harden after he entered the league's health and safety protocols as the Nets' list grew to seven players, Durant – questionable prior to tip-off due to an ankle issue – fuelled the Eastern Conference leaders with a triple-double (34 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists). It was Durant's 14th career triple-double. According to Stats Perform, he is the first forward or center to have a 50-point game followed by a triple-double since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.
Damian Lillard put up 31 points and 11 assists, but the Portland Trail Blazers still lost 111-107 to the Phoenix Suns in overtime. Chris Paul (24 points, 14 assists) and Deandre Ayton (28 points, 13 rebounds) inspired the Suns.
New York's Kemba woes?
It has not been a smooth ride for the Knicks since they opted to remove All-Star Kemba Walker from their rotation. The Knicks are 2-7 after deciding not to play Walker, having been 10-9 with the star recruit.
Stephen Curry savoured his "special" outing after the Golden State Warriors superstar made history as the NBA's all-time leader for three-pointers.
Curry broke Ray Allen's three-point record with his 2,974th successful shot from beyond the arc in Tuesday's 105-96 victory over the New York Knicks.
A three-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, Curry needed a pair of three-pointers to surpass Hall of Famer Allen at Madison Square Garden, where he finished with five threes.
Curry was congratulated by Allen on the sidelines amid the celebrations after the Warriors guard achieved the feat in the opening quarter in New York.
"It's kind of crazy to think, growing up around the league, watching my dad play, my family going to old Hornets games and having big dreams about shooting the basketball hopefully playing on this level," Curry said after finishing with 22 points.
"To do it here at Madison Square Garden in front of this guy right here [Ray Allen] and Reggie and just all that basketball means to me, it's special.
"Had great support here, in this arena. I can't express how much of an honour that was to have that reaction here on the road and the appreciation for this milestone. And obviously it's great to get the win on top of that. A very, very, very special night."
Curry set the record in his 789th NBA game, 511 appearances fewer than Allen.
"I've been thinking about this number for a long time. I've even got it on my shoes," Curry said on TNT.
"Basketball history. This is pretty special. These two, legends. I watched them growing up and understood what it meant to shoot the ball because of them and my dad.
"Full-circle moment, man. I'm blessed. Blessed, for sure.''
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added: "I thought the night was perfect. It just pretty much encapsulated who he is and his reaction to it was perfect."
"Steph is the best to ever shoot a basketball and we get the opportunity to go to work with him every day and it's a very special thing," said Warriors team-mate Draymond Green.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver also congratulated Curry in a statement which read: "It was thrilling to see Steph break the NBA's all-time record for three-pointers.
"He has revolutionised the way the game is played and continues to leave fans in awe with his amazing artistry and extraordinary shooting ability. We congratulate him on this historic achievement."
Australia star David Warner will face rivals England in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide, despite badly bruised ribs.
Warner was in doubt for the blockbuster day-night showdown at Adelaide Oval, starting Thursday, after the opener did not bat or field in the second innings of Australia's nine-wicket rout of England in Brisbane last week.
But Warner – who scored 94 runs in the opening innings of the first Test – has been declared fit to play after Australia captain Pat Cummins confirmed his XI on Wednesday.
"He'll be right," Cummins told reporters. "He had a bat yesterday, batted with a bit of discomfort but knowing Davey, he's not going to miss this one. Once adrenaline and everything kicks in, [he'll be] a little bit sore but he'll be fine.
"It's one thing batting in the nets but another thing when you walk out and it's a packed crowd. I don't think he had any kind of painkillers or anything yesterday.
"He's played close to 90 Tests, I'm sure a lot of them have been played in discomfort or with [niggles] going into the game. He'll be fine tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Jhye Richardson will make his international return for Australia after replacing injured paceman Josh Hazlewood (side strain) – the only change to the starting XI.
Richardson got the nod ahead of Michael Neser for the pink-ball Test, having not featured for Australia in cricket's longest format since his debut in 2019.
The Australia attack will be licking their lips at the prospect of doing more damage with the pink ball, where they will be hunting what would be a sixth win in seven matches in the longest format in Adelaide.
No side has a better record than Australia's eight out of eight in day-night Tests, while England have lost three day-nighters out of four and their only victory was against West Indies in 2017.
Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.
Uruguay appointed former Inter Miami boss Diego Alonso as head coach of the CONMEBOL nation, it was announced on Tuesday.
Former Uruguay international Alonso replaces Oscar Tabarez after the legendary coach was sacked last month following a 15-year tenure.
Uruguay parted with Tabarez amid the country's woes after four consecutive defeats in 2022 World Cup qualifying left them seventh in the 10-team standings, but just one point adrift of fourth-placed Colombia and the final automatic qualification berth.
The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) made no further comment upon confirming Alonso as the new coach.
River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo was reportedly the AUF's number one target before the Argentine coach re-signed with the champions.
Uruguay then turned to Alonso, who was available after his departure from David Beckham's MLS outfit Inter Miami in January.
Alonso – an eight-time international – has also coached Monterrey, Pachuca, Olimpia, Penarol, Guarani and Bella Vista.
The 46-year-old guided both Monterrey and Pachuca to CONCACAF Champions League glory in 2019 and 2017 respectively.
Alonso's first match in charge of Uruguay will be against ninth-placed Paraguay on January 27.
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out of Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers after entering the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Antetokounmpo is the latest big-name player to be listed in the league's COVID-19 protocols after Brooklyn Nets star James Harden on Tuesday.
Finals MVP Antetokounmpo has been averaging 27.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for the defending champions this season.
Antetokounmpo is shooting 53.0 per cent from the field – his lowest number since the 2017-18 season, and 28.0 per cent from three-point range.
The Bucks (18-11) are third in the Eastern Conference, behind the Nets (19-8) and Chicago Bulls (17-10).
The Los Angeles Lakers cancelled practice on Tuesday after guard Talen Horton-Tucker entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
Amid a growing list of cases in the league, the Lakers' Horton-Tucker tested positive for COVID-19.
The Lakers were due to practice prior to their flight ahead of Wednesday's clash with the Dallas Mavericks, however, a team spokesperson confirmed to ESPN and The Athletic that training did not take place.
The Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets have all been struck down by coronavirus.
Anthony Davis is also questionable for the midweek game against the Mavericks due to left knee soreness.
The Lakers (15-13) are sixth in the Western Conference and riding a two-game winning streak.
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