The London Olympics pop up on teapots, bunting and a one-eyed mascot -- but strict branding laws are in place to ensure that official products are the only ones in the race.

Union Jack umbrellas bearing the 2012 logo are sure to be a hit if the British weather doesn't brighten up and would contribute to the £1 billion (1.24 billion euros, $1.57 billion) of merchandise which Olympics organizers hope to sell.

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the London Olympics, saying he is “not in condition” to compete.

Nadal said in a statement Thursday it is one of the saddest moments of his career and that he will not travel with the Spanish delegation to London.

A first Tour de France visit to the summit of Peyragudes in the Pyrenees could signal the last chance of glory for several yellow jersey challengers on Thursday.

At only 143.5 km, stage 17 is comparatively short but what it lacks in distance it will make up for in intensity, according to organizers.

At a nearly empty stadium in Dubai, several dozen runners had gathered in a bid to clock qualifying times for the London Olympics.

There were Africans runners stretching on the track and athletes from Europe mingling in the stands. Despite hosting the event, though, the United Arab Emirates was barely represented.

Even when he's looking at photos of his bleeding and blistered leg stumps, Oscar Pistorius smiles.

And with his Olympic debut approaching, it's easy to understand why.

Mike D'Antoni was there for the start of Linsanity, Kobe Bryant on the wrong end of its greatest highlight.

Neither imagined next season opening without Jeremy Lin on the New York Knicks.

Frank Schleck of Luxembourg pulled out of the Tour de France and spent several hours in a police station in southwest France on Tuesday after failing a doping test.

The UCI said Schleck tested positive for a banned diuretic called Xipamide on July 14, another reminder of the doping cloud that has damaged the image of cycling - and its biggest event.

Paris Saint-Germain have signed AC Milan's Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic subject to him passing a medical, the French club's sporting director Leonardo told AFP on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old - who has previously played for among others Barcelona and Juventus - will be paid a reported 15 million euros ($18.4 million) a year, making him the highest-paid player in Ligue 1, should he pass a medical on Wednesday morning.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson wants the English Premier League trophy back at Old Trafford next season.

He told a media conference Tuesday in this Indian Ocean city that regaining the symbol of English football supremacy was "priority number one" after being pipped at the post by neighbors Manchester City last season.

Jeremy Lin is leaving New York and taking Linsanity to Houston.

The New York Knicks announced Tuesday that they will not match the Houston Rockets' three-year, $25 million offer for Lin, a restricted free-agent.