President Barack Obama linked U.S. Olympic prowess to the country's racial and ethnic diversity Wednesday, as he urged young Southeast Asians to support inclusive societies.

FIFA on Wednesday said work on Moscow's flagship Luzhniki stadium for the 2018 World Cup appeared to be on course, ahead of a visit to the delay-hit arena in Saint Petersburg.

Rio de Janeiro set aside worries over finances, ticket sales and politics for a spectacular opening show Wednesday welcoming thousands of athletes to the start of the Paralympics.

Blind, missing limbs or partially paralyzed, the world's toughest and most competitive disabled were to parade in the famed Maracana football stadium ahead of 11 days of contests.

Just hours before the start of the official Paralympic Games in Rio, Russia on Wednesday kicked off its own event for its athletes banned from Brazil over evidence of state-run doping.

A new chapter dawns for Formula One with American media mogul John Malone poised to become the glittering but flawed sporting jewel's new custodian.

Just as Brazil was shaking off its headache over thefts at the Olympic village, Spanish Paralympic athletes said Monday they had around $390 in cash stolen from their rooms.

Members of the cleaning staff are the primary suspects in the latest thefts, which occurred over the weekend in the athletes' village in Rio de Janeiro, a member of Spain's delegation told AFP.

French president Francois Hollande has sent a message of gratitude to the charismatic captain of Italy's football team, who hushed fans booing the visitors' national anthem ahead of their friendly match last Thursday.

Lionel Messi's availability for Barcelona's Champions League opener with Celtic next week remains in doubt after tests confirmed the five-time World Player of the Year is suffering from a groin injury.

Rio 2016 Paralympics said Monday that 1.5 million tickets had been sold and they hope that all 2.5 million will go.

President Barack Obama weighed in Monday on the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick, saying the San Francisco 49ers quarterback was exercising his "constitutional right" to protest the US national anthem.

Kaepernick has drawn fierce criticism for refusing to stand during renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner", and was roundly booed during a match in San Diego last week in which he knelt during the song.