Badminton world number one Kento Momota was injured and his driver was killed in a crash near Kuala Lumpur on Monday just hours after he won the Malaysia Masters.
As the World Athletics Championships get underway in Qatar on Friday, the environmental cost of holding a top-tier sporting event in a sweltering desert has been thrust into the global spotlight.
Lionel Messi won a record sixth men's Ballon d'Or award at a ceremony in Paris on Monday evening, while USA World Cup superstar Megan Rapinoe claimed the women's prize.
Star striker David Villa, Spain's top goalscorer, Wednesday announced he will retire next month, ending a glittering career in which he won the World Cup, European Championships and Champions League.