Valentina Petrillo is set to become the first openly transgender athlete to participate in the Paralympic Games after the visually impaired sprinter was selected to represent Italy in the women's 200 and 400 metres races in Paris.

Spain fans - including King Felipe - purred with a growing belief that their team can go all the way and be crowned Euro 2024 winners after an utterly dominant victory over defending champions Italy.

Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs ramped up his preparations for the Paris Games by breaching the 10-seconds mark twice on Tuesday to win gold at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Finland.

Bajrami pulverised the previous Euros record for the quickest goal of 67 seconds by Dmitri Kirichenko of Russia against Greece in 2004.

Italy kick off their European Championship title defence against Albania on Saturday as a new-look team tries to rebuild the reputation of one of the world's most important football nations.

Luciano Spalletti has said that his side must "aspire" to retain their European Championship crown, even if it seems a longshot.

Jannik Sinner took an unexpected path to the world number one ranking on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic's French Open withdrawal but the youngster said it was the culmination of years of hard work and represented a proud moment for Italy.

"The fields of Rome may be a long way from the Gabba, MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) or our front yard growing up. But I feel like I'm coming home. Grazie."

The Champions League will have 36 teams in the group stage from next season, four more than this term.

Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali has been charged with misconduct by England's Football Association relating to 50 alleged incidents of betting on matches, the governing body announced Thursday.

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti made 11 changes to the lineup from Thursday's 2-1 win over Venezuela, which was the first of the two matches on the U.S tour, giving more players a chance to prove themselves before the Euro 2024 finals in Germany.

Francesco Acerbi on Monday left Italy's training camp ahead of two friendlies in the United States after reports he will be investigated for alleged racial abuse of Napoli defender Juan Jesus.

Luciano Spalletti on Friday called up three newcomers to his 28-man Italy squad for next week's trip to the United States for friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador in the build-up to their European title defence.

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France coach Didier Deschamps admits he is ‘happy to go back to Italy’ for the Nations League after his experience at Juventus.

World Cup runners-up France, European champions Italy and Belgium will face off in the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, while holders Spain will be favourites to win a group comprising Denmark, Switzerland and Serbia.

Roberto Mancini said he "didn't want to disrespect anyone" by disappearing down the tunnel before South Korea took the penalty that eliminated his Saudi Arabia team from the Asian Cup on Tuesday.

Jannik Sinner has sprinted past opponents at the Australian Open in his quest for a maiden Grand Slam but could end up running a marathon in the final against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday, when Melbourne Park will crown a new king.

Sardinia was mourning the loss of a sporting deity on Monday after the death of former Italy striker Luigi "Gigi" Riva, who did more than anyone else to put the Italian island on the footballing map.

Italian Jannik Sinner's climb towards the top of men's tennis could hardly be described as sluggish unless of course a direct comparison is made with Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.