It's a far cry from the high-tech gymnasiums athletes are used to in Europe or America, but this sleepy Kenyan farming village has become an unlikely global training hotspot for Olympic champions.

Perched on the dramatic cliff edge of the great Rift Valley at 2,400 meters (7,870 feet) above sea level, this remote village draws top athletes including world and Olympic champions for high altitude performance training.

Austrian Jurgen Melzer beat France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 6-3 in demanding conditions on Wednesday at the Kooyong Classic, a warm-up event for the Australian Open.

In the second match on court at the eight-man exhibition tournament, Australian teenager Bernard Tomic recovered from a set down to beat world number seven Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Holders Real Madrid beat Malaga 1-0 in the Spanish Cup on Tuesday as Karim Benzema took them through to a near certain, mouthwatering quarterfinal clash with Barcelona.

Real Madrid already had a one-goal advantage after their 3-2 win in the Bernabeu and in-form French international Benzema sealed their return leg victory with a well-taken 71st minute shot that was badly fumbled by keeper Willy Caballero.

A British parliamentary committee will investigate racism in sports following a number of high-profile cases in soccer.

England captain John Terry will appear in court next month to face a criminal charge after allegedly directing racial abuse at a black opponent while playing for Chelsea.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will miss his club's next four matches after the Premier League leaders failed Tuesday in its appeal against the defender's red card against Manchester United.

Kompany was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Nani in the 12th minute of Sunday's FA Cup match. United beat 10-man City 3-2.

Seven-time MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi says he is thinking about retiring after the 2014 season and is keen to bring success to Ducati before then.

Rossi wants to sign a new two-year deal with Ducati before his current contract expires at the end of the upcoming campaign.

Footballer-turned-actor Eric Cantona, after failing in a quixotic bid to destroy global banking, is lining up a long-odds shot at the French presidency, according to a report Tuesday.

The ex-Manchester United player, known to English fans as King Eric, has written to French mayors seeking the 500 signatures from elected officials that are necessary for a presidential bid, Liberation said in a front-page report.

Venus Williams withdrew from the Australian Open on Monday, prolonging her absence from the tennis tour because of an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

The seven-time Grand Slam title winner announced on Twitter and her website that she wouldn't play in the year's first major tournament, which starts next week. She added, though, that she plans to be back in action next month.

Thierry Henry needed just over 10 minutes to mark his Arsenal return with the winning goal as Leeds United were edged out 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third round on Monday.

The former France international, 34, left the Gunners in June 2007 as the club's record goal-scorer and returned last week on a two-month loan from New York Red Bulls.

Lionel Messi was on Monday awarded the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or at a star-studded ceremony in Zurich, the third consecutive year that he has won the prestigious award for the world's outstanding footballer.

The 24-year-old Barcelona and Argentina forward finished ahead of his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Barca team-mate Xavi.