Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told IOC inspectors Monday that much of the infrastructure needed for Madrid's 2020 Olympic bid is already built, emphasizing a low-cost approach at a time of financial austerity.

Rajoy welcomed the IOC's evaluation commission at the start of its four-day inspection of Madrid, which is competing against Tokyo and Istanbul.

Two men were arrested over alleged racially aggravated public order offences at Chelsea's Premier League match with West Ham United on Sunday, police have announced.

London's Metropolitan Police is also investigating reports that Chelsea's players had coins thrown at them during their side's 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Rafael Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his third Indian Wells ATP Masters title and cement his return from a seven-month injury layoff.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion from Spain claimed his first hard court title since 2010 and a record 22nd title in an elite Masters event. He had previously shared the record of 21 with Roger Federer.

Hundreds of Egyptian football fans protested outside the public prosecutor's office on Saturday, demanding the release of fellow members of their Ultras hardcore fan group.

Chanting and clapping in unison, the Ultras closed off the area outside the prosecutor's office in central Cairo to demand the release of 38 members arrested in the Nile Delta province of Menufia for "belonging to an illegal group."

When three-time Olympian Chirine Njeim hits the slopes in the United States or Europe, somebody inevitably asks the questions.

You're from Lebanon? Where do you ski there, in the desert?

Football superstar David Beckham will begin his highly-anticipated role as ambassador for the Chinese Super League next week, with domestic media saying Friday he will visit three cities on a five day trip.

Chinese football fans expressed excitement online at news that the 37-year-old will arrive in Beijing on March 20 to take up a role which officials hope will help repair the sport's battered image.

Roma officially announced on Friday the termination of plans to have a Gulf multi-millionaire invest in the club.

The Serie A club announced last month that it was set to receive two cash injections of up to 50 million euros ($65 million) by Sheikh Adnan Adel Aref al Qaddumi al Shtewi, allowing him to become an official stakeholder before the end of March.

Fans of San Lorenzo, one of Argentina's most popular football clubs, are in heaven: one of their own just became pope, a feather in the cap for a team founded by a priest.

"The new pope, from San Lorenzo, is more important even than Diego Maradona or (tango singer) Carlos Gardel," enthused Marcelo Ladelfa, invoking the most Argentinian of superlatives.

Paul McGinley said he was determined not to let his Ryder Cup captaincy affect his performances on the course as he started with a solid two-under-par 70 at the Thailand Open on Thursday.

The 46-year-old Irishman, Europe's non-playing captain for the 2014 edition at Scotland's Gleneagles, admitted some of his predecessors had found it tough to juggle the high-pressure role with maintaining their own game.

Arsenal's elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League means this is the first season since 1995-96 in which no English teams have reached the quarter-finals.

After an ignominious group phase, when Manchester City finished bottom of their pool and Chelsea became the first defending champions to fall at the first hurdle, the English challenge vanished amid the first flowerings of the European spring.