SPORTS

Drastic weight loss, ferocious sparring and lax regulation have created a dangerous environment in Japanese boxing, as the sport battles for its future in the country after two fighters died.

Novak Djokovic overcame an early scare to reach the third round of the US Open on Wednesday as defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka prepared to step up her title bid.

For years, a man's giant intestine was anonymously on display at a US medical museum in Philadelphia, identified only by his initials JW. Today, the donor display for Joseph Williams depicts not only his anatomical record, but his powerful life story.

World number one Jannik Sinner began his bid for back-to-back US Open titles with an emphatic victory on Tuesday as women's draw favourite Iga Swiatek swept into the second round.

Pop singer Taylor Swift and NFL Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce announced their engagement on social media on Tuesday, prompting congratulations from across the sports world.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift and American football player Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday, setting the stage for a high-profile wedding for one of the world's biggest celebrity couples.

Japanese boxing is at "a crucial moment" and could cease to exist if it does not radically improve safety, the head of the country's boxing commission told AFP following the deaths of two fighters.

Skirts swirl and hats fly on a soccer field in Jenesano in central Colombia, as the "Smelly Ones" face off against the "Fillies" in a football extravaganza celebrating women farmers.

Revitalized by Caitlin Clark and other stars and boosted by a new media rights deal, the Women's NBA is struggling to reach a union deal 60 days before the deadline.

Aryna Sabalenka launched the defence of her US Open crown with a battling victory on Sunday as American men's hopes Taylor Fritz and Blake Shelton advanced safely.

Former champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been detained in Mexico after deportation by the United States to face shock charges of involvement with a drug cartel, Mexican authorities said Tuesday.

Iga Swiatek shrugged off lingering weariness to partner Casper Ruud to back-to-back victories in the revamped mixed doubles competition at the US Open on Tuesday.

Ilona Maher transcends women's rugby, giving it a profile outside of the sport in the way that Mia Hamm did for women's football.

Whether in a sports jersey or a suit, Kenyan President William Ruto is casting himself as a model supporter of the national football team as an international tournament provides respite from recent bloody protests against his regime.

Arsenal face an immediate test of their title credentials against a revamped Manchester United, while a new-look Liverpool launch the new Premier League season at home to Bournemouth on Friday.

The world's first-ever humanoid robot games began Friday in Beijing, with over 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they compete in events from the 100-metre hurdles to kung fu.

Solomon Islands defended its move to bar some partners from an influential summit of South Pacific leaders, brushing aside claims on Thursday of a looming split or that China is influencing its decisions.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said his "frustration" at waiting for a verdict in a series of financial charges against Manchester City is irrelevant as the case is in the hands of an independent hearing.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday named "Rocky" star Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts venue.

Ballin' Together Financial's mission is to make investing accessible for the average person, cutting through the barriers that have kept everyday people out of wealth-building opportunities.

Swiss pilot Raphael Domjan beat the altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane in a flight that took him soaring to 9,521 metres, his team announced Wednesday.

The White House is to play host to a mixed martial arts bout on July 4 next year, the day the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, UFC boss Dana White said Tuesday.

Mouthguards that light up to indicate a player has suffered a significant head impact will be used at the Women's Rugby World Cup, officials announced Monday.

Jen Pawol made history by becoming the first woman to umpire in a regular-season Major League Baseball game on Saturday -- and she says she is aware of the "magnitude" of the moment.

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry is in the spotlight on how she handles her "baptism of fire" over Russia, former IOC executives have told AFP. With just six months to go to the opening ceremony for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games the odds are that Russian athletes -- normally a Winter Games superpower -- will have to compete under a neutral banner, owing to the country breaching the Olympic Charter.

A cryptocurrency group has said it organized a spate of "stunts" in which sex toys were tossed on courts at WNBA games, US media reported on Thursday.

Nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki, who is set to be inaugurated as Poland's new president on Wednesday, is a former amateur boxer with a particular interest in the criminal underworld.

The NFL sold its NFL Network and Sunday RedZone television show to ESPN on Tuesday in exchange for a 10% equity stake in the US-based sports television network.

Six months before the start of the Winter Olympics, Italian organisers say that, after years of ups and downs, they are on schedule.