Pep Guardiola's imminent arrival in the Premier League is a game-changer not just for Manchester City but for English football, bringing a coveted, visionary coach to a club already having a stated aim of being a "leader in the world of football."

City has thrown down the challenge to England's other powers, and their response will be fascinating.

Guangzhou Evergrande of the Chinese Super League said Wednesday it has signed Atletico Madrid striker Jackson Martinez for a new record sum in the Asian transfer market.

The 29-year-old Colombian has signed to a four-year contract for a fee of $45.8 million (42 million euros), the club said on its website. It said Martinez will join winter training in Dubai on February 9 after completing his physical exam.

Canadian downhiller Erik Guay called it "awesome." American racer Travis Ganong raved over "Olympic-caliber" conditions. Even Christof Innerhofer, the Italian who only likes the most difficult of challenges, was satisfied.

The completely new downhill course developed for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics got mostly favorable reviews Wednesday from World Cup skiers testing it for the first time.

The United States will consider joint patrols with the Philippines in the South China Sea as part of efforts to ensure freedom of navigation in waters claimed by China, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday.

Washington angered Beijing in recent months by sending U.S. warships and warplanes on patrols near artificial islands built by Beijing to bolster its claim to most of the Sea.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has said that the Syria Donors Conference which will be held in London on Thursday will be a test for world leaders on their intention to help Lebanon.

The conference “is a test for the international community and its intention in assisting Lebanon, its government, people and economy,” Bassil told al-Akhbar daily published on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi will skip the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in six months because his coach Gerardo Martino says he needs some rest.

Martino spoke Monday on Argentina radio station La Red and said Messi will play in the Centennial Copa America tournament in the United States, but not the Olympics in Brazil.

Gary Neville knew that coaching at a high level wasn't going to be easy. He certainly didn't expect to be struggling so badly so early.

Less than two months into his first head-coaching job, the former Manchester United great is already in danger of being fired.

The heaviest spending as European football's transfer window closed on Monday was not by traditional powers but mid-ranking English clubs Stoke and Everton collectively paying around $45 million on two players.

Stoke made the biggest outlay of the window with the 18.3 million pound ($26 million) signing of defensive midfielder Giannelli Imbula shortly after Everton spent 13.5 million pounds ($19.5 million) on forward Oumar Niasse.

San Antonio improved to 26-0 on home court this season by beating Orlando 107-92 on Monday, led by season-high 28 points from LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Spurs edged within four games of Golden State in the fight over the top seed in the NBA Western Conference. They also stayed four games ahead of Oklahoma City, which beat Washington thanks to a triple double from Russell Westbrook.

Denver general manager and former All-Star John Elway realizes as well as anyone just how difficult a decision it is for an elite quarterback to retire, and he has no plans of putting pressure on Peyton Manning to make up his mind.

Heading into this weekend's Super Bowl, the Broncos are still not sure if this will be the last game for 39-year-old Manning.