Twelve years since he made his last Olympic appearance on the track in London, distance running great Kenenisa Bekele has been selected to run the marathon for Ethiopia at Paris 2024.

Tyson Fury said he was ready to face Oleksandr Usyk and said he'd pray for his Ukrainian rival before Saturday's Ring Of Fire heavyweight clash at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday. 

The sometimes madcap Mancunian kept his comments brief in a subdued press appearance on Thursday, two days before what is being billed as the biggest fight this century. Lennox Lewis, who became the last undisputed heavyweight champion in 1999, sat with Evander Holyfield, the man he beat to unify the belts, in the front row as Fury spoke.

"I'm ready. I've got nothing to say apart from I'm ready for a good fight," said Britain's Fury, who sauntered to the stage carrying his WBC belt.

"If it's tough or easy, either way I will be ready."

Despite fireworks in the build-up when Fury's father John headbutted a member of Usyk's entourage, both fighters have refrained from the traditional trash-talk.

"I'll say a prayer for him before we walk out that we both go back in one piece to our families because that's what it's all about," Fury said of Usyk.

The Ukrainian, who came out in a white suit with a sash, wrote a poem and placed it in his pocket while waiting to speak.

"I'm happy to be here, I'm excited," said Usyk, refusing to read out the poem.

"It's my homework. It's a poem," he said, adding to Fury: "Let your hands talk in the ring."

Britain's Lewis united the WBC, WBA and IBF belts with his victory over Holyfield, who had been the undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.

Fury and Usyk —another converted cruiserweight, who beat Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBA and WBO belts— are both undefeated heading into Saturday's fight, the first undisputed bout in the four-belt era.

The 6ft 9in (2.06m) Fury is 35-0-1 with 24 knockouts while 6ft 3in Usyk, who won Olympic gold during a stellar amateur career, enters at 24-0 with 14 KOs.

The University of Limoges' Centre for Law and Economics of Sport (CDES) claims that the 2024 Olympic Games will generate a net economic gain of somewhere between €6.7 billion and €11.1 billion for the Paris region.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for Chengdu 2025 has unveiled the fresh emblem representing the upcoming 12th edition of The World Games.

This Thursday, the Olympic Torch made a leap back in time to explore the unique medieval heritage of the Aude. Nearly 110 Torchbearers carried the Flame from the fortress of Peyrepertuse to Carcassonne. Dimitri Pavadé, one of the relay captains, was in Carcassonne and Olivia Ruiz, one of France's most popular singers, lit the Olympic cauldron.

Special Olympics European Football Week (EFW) will feature exciting football activities across the continent from 25 May to 2 June, 2024.

As anticipation builds for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the spotlight shining on elite athletes and a question is being raised: Will this prestigious event reveal the next Paralympic sensation?

Russian outlet Sovsport says 282 cases out of the 834 investigations from the former Moscow Laboratory Information Management System by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have been "proven".

British Esports, the national governing body for esports in the UK, has appointed new members to its Women in Esports Committee.

Speaking exclusively to Inside The Games, Hugo Catrileo confirmed what he had said on social media, where he described World Athletics' decision to change the qualification system for Paris as a disgrace. "This decision has affected me psychologically and emotionally," he said.

President Spyros Capralos presented Istanbul as the host of the fourth European Games to be held in 2027. He did so alongside the Mayor of the bicontinental city, Mr Ekrem İmamoğlu, who both highlighted the virtues of the great Turkish metropolis.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist was elected at the AGM. He joins the Board for an initial four-year term ending in 2028 and was nominated by Rowing Australia. Grant Harrison was also elected as Vice President.