Italian anti-doping authorities have called for two-year bans on 26 athletes, including Olympic bronze medallist Fabrizio Donato and European champion long jumper Andrew Howe, for allegedly failing to provide doping samples.
Here's a glimpse of all that happened around the world last week, in 9 images.
A look at some daredevil acts in recent years
Lin Dan earned his sixth All England badminton title when he routed Chinese teammate Tian Houwei 21-9, 21-10 in the final.
In the twilight of his career and prone to injuries like never before, ace Indian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt is still eager to continue and insists that the thought of retirement has not even crossed his mind yet.
Monica Puig gave Puerto Rico its first ever Olympic gold after an a outstanding display of tennis to defeat Germany's Angelique Kerber to win the women's singles title at the Rio Games on Saturday.
Happy New Year! Stunning fireworks displays welcomed the New Year across the world. Take a look.
Colombia reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time after a double from James Rodriguez gave them a 2-0 win over Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
Jackson Martinez scored twice as Colombia beat Japan 4-1 to top World Cup Group C with maximum points on Tuesday. The victory earned them a second-round meeting with Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro and ended Japan's interest in the tournament.
Forty-five athletes have failed dope tests after their samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Games were re-analysed, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday.
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) might have allowed professional boxers to compete in the Olympics but India's biggest pro star Vijender Singh will not be seen in the Rio de Janeiro Games as he hasn't been left with any time or chance to make the cut. In a landmark decision, AIBA today threw the Olympic doors open for professional boxers after an extraordinary congress in Lausanne, Switzerland voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move. The decision has, however, been met with a mixed response with some like Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis calling it "foolish" and "preposterous" while others like Amir Khan welcoming the step. In India, AIBA's decision brought the focus on Olympic medallist Vijender, who turned professional last year. The 30-year-old, a former amateur world No.1 in middleweight, is enjoying an unbeaten run in his pro career and is scheduled to fight for the WBO Asia title belt on July 16 in the national capital.
Annemiek van Vleuten suffered three fractured vertebrae and a concussion after a horrifying high-speed crash in the Olympic women's road race on Sunday but the Dutch rider said she will be fine and was more disappointed at missing out on a medal.
Jamaica's Elaine Thompson-Herah made Olympic history in Tokyo Tuesday, blazing to victory in the 200 metres to complete an unprecedented women's sprinting "double-double".
Australian swimming has moved on from the debacle in the London pool four years ago and it's 'disrespectful' to keep reminding the Olympic team about it in the leadup to Rio de Janeiro, 100 metres freestyle world record holder Cate Campbell has said.
Brazilian police are considering charging a group of US Olympic swimmers with vandalism and giving false testimony, Rio's police chief said on Thursday, accusing them of lying about an incident that has marred South America's first Games.
Accolades poured in for Dipa Karmakar, who became the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.
Olympic Games have seen both political protests by athletes in the past as well as boycotts of nations
A team mate of Japanese badminton Olympic medal hope Kento Momota on Friday confessed to taking the world number two-ranked player to an illegal casino and tearfully begged officials to allow the star to compete at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
Brazil's government on Tuesday issued its first estimate of public spending on projects related to Rio de Janeiro's 2016 Olympic Games, though the 5.6 billion reals price tag is set to swell as more projects receive approval.
Tamil Nadu's S Dhanalakshmi, who had stunned Dutee Chand in the 100 metres final, beat Hima Das, another star athlete, in the 200 metres semi-final heats, clocking a new meet record time of 23.26 seconds, in the Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships, in Patiala, on Thursday.
A team of refugees that will compete at this year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics could number as many as 10 athletes, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Wednesday.
Indian trap shooters Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Kynan Chenai got off to positive starts on day one of competition at the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup at Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
The sea 'n' sand is calling. Hit the beach no matter what!
Images from Copa America matches played on Monday.
Brazil opened the 2021 Copa America with a 3-0 win over a depleted Venezuela
It's a sport that is synonymous with power for most, but India's Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik says her achievements on the mat are not just because of brawn but also brain.
Deepa Malik, who was on Saturday nominated for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, believes that her biggest achievement is changing perception of common public towards disability and para-athletes in general.
The US women's gymnastics team, anchored by all around world champion Simone Biles, won the team gold medal at the Olympics on Tuesday by the widest margin ever.
Former Brazil coach Dunga has been sacked by Internacional after a fourth successive defeat in the Brazilian Championship, the club from the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul said on Friday.
All infrastructure for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be ready before they begin in August, including a much-delayed metro line, Brazil's newly appointed Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani said in an interview on Wednesday.
As we near the end of another eventful year, 15 top moments from the world of arts and culture.
The IOC said all four -- Victoria Valyukevich, a triple jumper who was eighth in the women's competition, hammer throwers Gulfiya Khanafeeva and Mariia Bespalova, and weightlifter Khadzhimurat Akkaev, who did not compete due to a back injury, had tested positive for anabolic steroid turinabol.
Brazil's first gold medallist of the Rio Olympics basked in her new-found fame on Tuesday, with Judoka Rafaela Silva taking aim at the racism that first threatened to defeat her and then became the affront that spurred her to greatness.
Captain Casemiro said Brazil fully deserved the three points.
Disgraced Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte is joining the 'Dancing With the Stars' cast, ABC television announced on Tuesday, as the gold medalist said he thought reaction to his tale about being held up at a Rio de Janeiro gas station had been blown out of proportion.
India cricketers Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were, on Friday, conferred with the coveted Arjuna Award for this year and the previous year respectively by Sports Minister Vijay Goel in New Delhi.
P V Sindhu is hoping to become India's first-ever woman Olympic gold medallist across all sporting disciplines when she takes on World champion Carolina Marin of Spain in the final of women's singles badminton event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, on Friday.
India's tennis campaign at the Rio Olympic Games ended in disappointment as Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna were blown away by the Czech Republic team of Radek Stepanek and Lucie Hradceka in the bronze medal play-off in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.
Indian duo of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna entered the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles event of tennis competition at the Rio Olympics with a straight-set win over Australian pair of Samantha Stosur and John Peers in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. Sania and Bopanna, who are being touted as India's medal hope at the Olympics, won their opening round match 7-5 6-4 in 73 minutes.
Deepika Kumari advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the women's individual recurve event as Indian archers rounded off a good day in office at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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