Disgraced American cyclist Lance Armstrong will be back on the Tour de France roads for a controversial charity ride Thursday, his first appearance since being stripped of his seven titles.

He will cycle two stages of the Tour for a leukemia charity -- from Muret to Rodez on Thursday and from Rodez to Mende on Friday -- a day ahead of the competing riders.

Top Kenyan athletes including former world marathon record holders Wilson Kipsang and Tegla Loroupe set off Wednesday on a 22-day "Walk for Peace" against ethnic violence, organizers said.

Cattle rustling and revenge killings between rival communities are common in Kenya's remote and impoverished northern regions, an area awash with automatic weapons.

Former Brazil star Rivaldo and his son both scored in the same match in the Brazilian league's second division on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old Rivaldo scored once and his 20-year-old son, Rivaldo Jr., netted twice in Mogi Mirim's 3-1 win over Macae.

Torn by civil war and facing a humanitarian crisis, South Sudan is finding hope on the sporting front: The world's newest nation is in line for international recognition that would allow it to send a team to next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Gaining Olympic status, some say, could help bolster national pride and unite warring tribal factions in the fractured northeastern African country, where about 50,000 people have been killed in fighting in the past year-and-a half.

Raheem Sterling became the most expensive English footballer ever on Tuesday after joining Manchester City from Premier League rival Liverpool in a drawn-out move costing 49 million pounds ($76 million).

The England winger signed a five-year deal at City after forcing his way out of Anfield following several fractious months, during which he rejected a new contract and publicly questioned the club's ambitions.

Former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez hit out on Tuesday at Real Madrid for the "lame" way they handled the departure of their star goalkeeper, his friend Iker Casillas.

"To me, his departure from Real Madrid stinks. It's a pity. It seems lame," Xavi wrote in an open letter published in the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia.

The Russian Football Union says national team coach Fabio Capello has resigned following a dispute over back pay.

In a statement released Monday, the Russian Football Union did not disclose the financial terms of the settlement but expressed gratitude to Capello for his work.

Four-time world champion Carl Froch retired from boxing on Tuesday after more than a year out of the ring.

The 38-year-old super middleweight twice won the WBC title, as well as taking the WBA and IBF belts. He won 33 of his 35 fights, with 24 of those coming by knockout.

Juventus made Carlos Tevez's transfer to his hometown club Boca Juniors official on Monday, and announced it is getting options on four players in return.

Juventus sold Tevez for 6.5 million euros ($7.2 million) — although the European runner-up won't see that money.

What a different NASCAR we have now.

The sport so married to a dictator-style reign, so resistant to meaningful change and so slow to take a stance on anything that might alienate its fan base has seemingly been turned upside down in a matter of days.