Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was named African player of the year for a third straight time on Thursday.

He beat out Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel of Nigeria in the vote by Africa's national team coaches. Toure's fellow Ivorian Didier Drogba, the Galatasaray striker and two-time recipient, was third.

Second-seeded Petra Kvitova suffered an upset 6-4, 6-3 loss to Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in the semifinals of the Sydney International on Thursday.

Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, was broken twice in the first set and four times in the second against Pironkova, who finished last season ranked No. 108.

Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the Spanish club until 2016.

The Spain international had delayed re-signing with Madrid with his contract up in June and reported interest from English club Chelsea and Juventus in Italy.

Lionel Messi marked his return from a near two-month injury absence by coming off the bench to score two late goals as Barcelona beat Getafe 4-0 in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

While Cesc Fabregas also scored twice, the atmosphere at the far-from-capacity Camp Nou only picked up with Messi's entrance as a substitute in the 64th minute.

For adventure athletes, it's the new essential: a video of their exploits.

On social media, slogans such as "It ain't bragging" read like a mission statement proclaimed by high-octane sports seekers who strap tiny cameras on to their helmets, bikes and bodies to document their weekend and vacation adventures.

Spain's world number 13 Nicolas Almagro has pulled out of the Austrlian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, due to a shoulder injury, he announced on Wednesday.

"I can tell you that I will not be able to go to Australia, now I need to continue recuperating and look to the future with optimism," he posted on his official Twitter account.

Former international Thomas Hitzlsperger became the first German footballer to say he's gay.

"I am expressing my sexuality because I want to promote the discussion of homosexuality among professional athletes," Hitzlsperger told Die Zeit in excerpts of an interview on the newspaper's website on Wednesday. The full interview was to be published in its print edition on Thursday.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will not be held in June and July but would best be held in the winter time, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said on Wednesday.

The scheduling of the tournament has been hotly debated ever since FIFA controversially awarded it to Qatar in December 2010, especially over fears that the summer heat in the Gulf emirate would be dangerous for players and fans alike.

Investigators probing Michael Schumacher's accident on Wednesday ruled out faulty skis, inadequate signage and excessive speed as possible causes of his life-threatening off-piste fall in the French Alps.

They said that signs marking the edge of the piste Schumacher skied off just before the accident on December 29 were in line with legal requirements, and said the Formula One legend had appeared in control of his speed.

Former U.S. Open champions Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina and Samantha Stosur of Australia rallied to win their second-round matches against tough French opponents Wednesday at Australian Open warm-up tournaments.

Del Potro beat Nicolas Mahut 1-6, 6-3 6-4 at the Sydney International, while Stosur saved two match points and eked out a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7) win over Kristina Mladenovic at the Hobart International.