Istanbul winning the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games would help bridge the gap between different cultures and religions, the bid's chief executive Hasan Arat told Agence France Presse.

Arat, a former top level basketball player turned successful businessman, is the frontman for what is Istanbul's strongest bid yet of the five times they have tried to host the quadrennial sporting extravaganza.

Former U.S. midfielder Robbie Rogers has reportedly agreed terms with the Los Angeles Galaxy on a deal that would make him the first openly gay player competing in Major League Soccer.

USA Today reported the deal on Friday, citing "two people familiar with the negotiations". Rogers had revealed his sexual orientation in February in a blog posting, simultaneously announcing his retirement from football.

UEFA President Michel Platini wants to establish a European sports police force to tackle betting, corruption, match-fixing, doping and hooliganism.

Addressing the UEFA Congress in London on Friday, Platini said that his previous calls have been ignored by governments for six years.

Former Giro d'Italia winner Danilo Di Luca tested positive for EPO in a surprise test at his home before this year's race, organizers announced Friday.

If confirmed in a backup "B'' sample, Di Luca risks a lifetime ban since this is his third offense.

Friday's 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia was canceled due to snow along the route, leaving just one more difficult leg for overall leader Vincenzo Nibali to navigate.

Organizers said there were "adverse weather conditions and, in particular, snow on the stage route in its entirety."

Manchester City overcame a three-goal deficit to beat rival Chelsea 4-3 on Thursday in the opener of a two-game U.S. tour.

Edin Dzeko's second goal of the game tied it in the 85th minute for Man City and Micah Richards scored the stoppage-time winner by redirecting a header into the net.

LeBron James drove for a game-winning layup as time expired to give the Miami Heat a thrilling 103-102 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers Wednesday in game one of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

James, recently named regular season Most Valuable Player for the fourth time, lived up to the billing with his buzzer-beating exploit, ensuring the reigning NBA champions retained home court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

The Formula One circus descends on Monaco for this weekend's showpiece Grand Prix with tensions running high over tires and Bernie Ecclestone telling drivers to stop complaining and use their brains to win races.

After a week of squabbling between the teams and tire supplier Pirelli over the performance of the Italian company's high-degradation tires, Formula One's veteran commercial rights holder waded in to the debate.

If momentum counts for everything in tennis, nothing will stop Serena Williams from winning the French Open for just the second time in her career in Paris on June 8.

At 31, the superstar of the women's game is on an unprecedented winning run going in to the consecration of the claycourt season at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal can become the first man to win the same Grand Slam title eight times at the French Open with few willing to risk talking down the rejuvenated Spaniard's chances.

Having pulled clear of Bjorn Borg's record of six wins at Roland Garros with a seventh championship in 2012, the 26-year-old has already confounded the critics who had written him off during a seventh-month injury absence.