8 JAN 2021 · Anthony Joshua admits he is coming towards the end of his career and has hinted that he will have a maximum of five years left in the sport before retiring. Kenya’s half marathon record holder, Kibiwott Kandie, says he is shifting his focus to the 10,000 meters as he looks to earn a ticket for this year’s Tokyo Olympics and help end his country’s 53-year wait for a gold medal in the event. Aston Villa is preparing to field a team of youngsters in Friday's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Liverpool after a significant Covid-19 outbreak at the club.

4 JAN 2021 · President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Ibrahim Gusau, says the federation plans to focus on improving a lot of its athletes in 2021. Gusau made the promise in a statement signed by AFN Director-General, Pepple Young. Gusau said the board will also work towards making the federation one of the strongest in the country in 2021. Nigeria's Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has reassured that the February 14 kick off-date of the National Sports Festival in Benin City, Edo State remains sacrosanct. The festival, tagged Edo 2020, was initially billed for March 2020 but has suffered several postponements following the outbreak of COVID-19.

29 DEC 2020 · Britain's Andy Murray has been awarded a wildcard for February's delayed Australian Open. It comes two years after he played what he feared would be his final match as a professional in Melbourne. The five-time runner-up, suffering from chronic hip pain, lost in five sets to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the 2019 event. At 122 in the world, Murray is ranked just too low to gain direct entry into the tournament, which is due to begin on 8 February after a delay because of coronavirus. Nigerian Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has been ranked the 10th best fighter in the Mixed Martial Arts franchise for the outgoing year. Adesanya had two successful title defences in 2020, beating Yoel Romero via unanimous decision in Las Vegas in March, before stopping hard-hitting Brazilian, Paulo Costa, in the second round of their highly publicised bout in the United Arab Emirates.

21 DEC 2020 · World number one female golfer, Ko Jin-young, shot a final-round six-under-par 66 to win the LPGA season-finale CME Group Tour Championship in Florida by five shots. South Korea's Ko, who trailed her compatriot Kim Sei-young by a shot after Saturday's round, pulled away from the pack with five birdies over the last nine holes for 18 under. Saul Canelo Alvarez produced a near-flawless display to defeat Callum Smith and take the British fighter's WBA world super-middleweight title. The 30-year-old Mexican shone in Texas as he all but froze Smith out over 12 rounds with calculated pressure, spiteful punching and evasive defensive work.

18 DEC 2020 · The FIA, has confirmed the calendar for the longest season in history next year. There will be 23 grand prix held, starting in Australia on 21 March and ending in Abu Dhabi on 6 December. Saudi Arabia will make its debut with a street race in Jeddah as the penultimate grand prix of the year on 28 November. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone will be on 18 July and the Brazilian Grand Prix has been firmed up at Sao Paulo's historic Interlagos circuit on 14 November. Russia has been banned from using its name, flag, and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years. A ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport also blocked Russia from bidding to host major sporting events for two years.

14 DEC 2020 · Max Verstappen ended a frustrating season for Red Bull on a high with victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Dutchman took his second win of the year ahead of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, who were unable to challenge in second and third. Lewis Hamilton says he is happy to be alive after recovering from coronavirus to finish the season in third place. The world champion missed the penultimate race in Bahrain a week ago after contracting Covid-19 but recovered in time to race in Abu Dhabi.

11 DEC 2020 · Lewis Hamilton will take part in this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after testing negative for Covid-19. The seven-time world champion missed the Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain last weekend after contracting coronavirus. 35-year-old Hamilton arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after completing 10 days of quarantine in Bahrain. Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says he will answer no more questions about fighting Tyson Fury until after he faces a motivated Kubrat Pulev in London on Saturday. The unified world heavyweight champion knows a win at Wembley Arena could set up a fight with Fury, who has declined an invitation to attend the Pulev bout. Uefa has started a disciplinary investigation after a match official was accused of using a racist term in the Champions League game between Paris St-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir. The Turkish club alleges Romanian fourth official Sebastian Coltescu made a racist comment towards assistant coach Pierre Webo in Tuesday's match.

7 DEC 2020 · The first ODI between South Africa and England at Eurolux Boland Park was abandoned again on Sunday after two staff members at the Vineyard hotel, where England are staying, tested positive for Covid-19. The match was initially delayed as the England team and management awaited further results but a decision was later made to abandon the match. The first ODI, which was to take place at Newlands on Friday, was postponed due to one of the Proteas players returning a positive Covid-19 test. Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie on Sunday, broken the half marathon world record on Sunday, becoming the first person to break 58 minutes at the Valencia Half Marathon. His latest achievement comes after he finished second at the world half marathon championships in Gdynia in October. Formula 1 career after taking his maiden victory in the Sakhir Grand Prix. Perez, who made his F1 debut in 2011, said victory in his 190th grand prix gives him a bit more peace with himself.

23 NOV 2020 · Daniil Medvedev fought back to beat US Open champion Dominic Thiem and win the biggest title of his career at the ATP Finals in London. The Russian dug deep to claim a 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 victory over world number three Thiem at the O2 Arena. 24-year-old Medvedev will now finish the year fourth in the world rankings. Medvedev did not beat a single top-10 player from November 2019 to October 2020 but has now beaten seven in the space of four weeks. Newly crowned UFC flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, made his first title defense in impressive fashion in the main event of UFC 255. The 32-year-old needed fewer than two minutes to make American Alex Perez submit in the headline bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Figueiredo and Perez both started quickly as the pair traded powerful strikes early on before the American attempted to take the fight to the canvas.

9 NOV 2020 · Saudi Arabia is set to join the racing calendar with a night race in the 2021 season. A street circuit in Jeddah will stage the inaugural race in November of next year. Saudi Arabia will become F1's third race in the Middle East after Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. F1 chairman, Chase Carey, describes the Arab nation as a country rapidly becoming a hub for sports and entertainment with many major events taking place there in recent years and we are very pleased that Formula 1 will be racing there from next season. Amnesty International has however kicked against Saudi's inclusion. In a statement, the right group's Head of Campaigns in the UK, Felix Jakens, said Formula One should realise that a Saudi Grand Prix in 2021 would be part of ongoing efforts to sportswash the country's abysmal human rights record. Amnesty urged all F1 drivers, owners and teams to consider speaking out about the human rights situation in the country, including by expressing solidarity with jailed human rights defenders. Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has called for the introduction of the video assistant referee in Europa League group games. Arteta's call comes after video replays showed the Gunners could have led early in Thursday's game against Molde. Arsenal came from a goal down to win the match 4-1 on the night at the Emirates. Unlike the Champions League, VAR is not being used in the group stages of the Europa League.