Ukrainian former number 13-ranked Alex Dolgopolov: "Tennis prepared me for war".

Ukrainian Atlanta 1996 champion Wladimir Klitschko has words on the recent announcement of IBA/WBA easement on Russian boxers.

Boxer Amy Broadhurst is 'Sports Woman of the Year' for The Irish Times in 2022.
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Tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek headline recognition of the ITF 'world champions' for 2022.

"You are just a number." Tennis legend Boris Becker opens up in detail about his experience in prison.

Snowboarder Zoe Sadowski-Synnott is the first-ever winter sports athlete to win Team New Zealand's Lonsdale Award.

Competition's more enjoyable for Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, after finding a 'new life-biathlon balance'.

Acknowledging "it's time to evolve", trampolinist Rosannagh MacLennan is focused on MBA studies and her FIG Athlete Commission role.

Team USA water polo stalwarts Maggie Steffens, Maddie Musselman, and Kaleigh Gilchrist had a rare chance to take a backseat as they were 'sidelined' in recent competition.

Can basketball phenom Jean Montero help secure a FIBA World Cup ticket for Dominican Republic?

Dutch superstar and Tokyo 2020 Olympian Vivianne Miedema has her soccer World Cup dreams shattered after a severe knee injury.

How did World Cup soccer hero Lionel Messi win 'over the hearts of all of Argentina'?

Short track speed skater Denis Nikisha has "the best day" with a podium place, and an engagement. (geo-restricted)

Irene Schouten receives a 'Sportswoman of the Year' honor for her speed skating exploits in 2022. (in Dutch)

Beach volleyball cousins Marco and Esteban Grimalt are the 'best of the best' in 2022 according to the Chilean press. (in Spanish)

Nineteen honorees across ten categories at the Spanish Olympic Committee's annual gala included Olympians Saul Craviotto (canoeing), Mireia Belmonte (artistic swimming), Sandra Sanchez (karate), Alberto Gines (sport climbing), Ruth Beitia (track & field), and more. (in Spanish)

Gymnast Sanna Veerman's first world championship fire has her 'revved up' for what could be next. 

Five months after an initial ban, mountain biker Mathias Fluckiger gets a reprieve.

Badminton player Haramara Gaitan enjoys giving back to the sport while juggling a full-time career.

The newly-elected weightlifters for the IWF Athletes' Commission include three Tokyo 2020 champions: Hidilyn Diaz, Fares El-Bakh, and Maude Charron.

Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020 weightlifting champion Neisi Dajomes gets a big honor in Pastaza, Ecuador. (link in Spanish)

Kaylee McKeown now owns a rare slice of swimming history as the first woman to hold four key global titles at the same time.

London 2012 swimmer James Disney-May gets a prison sentence for a horrific domestic crime.

Outsports looks at swimmer Alex di Giorgio's recent landmark appearance on Italy's Dancing with the Stars, as part of an all-gay, out performing couple.

Surfer Kolohe Andino 'still has fire' as he looks to recover from a disappointing 2022 season.

The 'Duel of the Decade'? Team Australia middle-distance runners Ollie Hoare and Stewart McSweyn target each other in Tasmania.

Pole vault champion Mondo Duplantis is Track & Field News' male 'Athlete of the Year' for 2022.

Athletics Weekly asks long sprinter Roger Black some key questions on training, Atlanta 1996, and more.

Runner Eilish McColgan headlines the Women's Sports Alliance's annual award recognitions.

Middle-distance runner Brandon McBride targets a 'more experienced, strategic, and smarter approach' as he looks to rebound from injury into 2023.

Decathlete Niklas Kaul and sprinter Gina Luckenkemper are German 'Sportspeople of the Year' for 2022.

"I want to win everything", says 17-year-old Ben Wiggins, son of cycling great Bradley Wiggins.

Denim Rogers is a decathlete-turned-bobsledder that is up for the challenge of a new sport.

Brittney Griner is back.

Dorian Connix finds some cold weather training.

Eric Radford is always good for some steam...

Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern are definite TikTok users...

Tomas Gonzalez hits the beach.

Team Ukraine's track 4x100 meters relay squad, amongst others, takes up residency in Cardiff with a hopeful eye to train for Paris 2024.

Olympic tennis champion Andy Murray's humanitarian efforts in 2022 have earned more than $630,000 USD toward support for Ukraine...and an Arthur Ashe Award.

​Tennis star Rafael Nadal is an Esquire 'Man of the Year' for 2022. (in Spanish)

Barcelona 1992 tennis gold medalist Boris Becker heads back to Germany after his U.K. prison stint.

Is Lasha Talakhadze now the 'best super heavyweight weightlifter ever'?

Basketball star Brittney Griner is back.

Fellow basketball gold medalist Chris Paul graduates from Winston-Salem State, notably a Historically Black College. (paywall)

Check out a bevvy of fun moments from USA Swimming's Golden Goggles awards' red carpet...

Skipping the short course worlds proves fruitful for swimmer Daniel Wiffen as he sets a European record and starts thinking what's next.

'A world title was the perfect way to wrap up' swimmer - and Tennessee Volunteer Jordan Cook's year.

Landmark swimmer Alice Dearing is refocused on a push toward Paris 2024 after a tough transition to the pool from open water.

Isaac Cooper is victim of a 'rubbish' mishap at the World Swimming Championships (25m).

Veteran Hilary Knight continues to be a source of inspiration and influence for Team USA ice hockey teammates.

Peter Sagan confirms a still 'frosty' relationship with fellow road cycling star Wout van Aert.

Ice dance champions Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue receive the Order of Canada for their 'extraordinary contributions to the nation'.

More Canada: As incoming president, artistic swimmer Claire Carver-Dias headlines new Commonwealth Sport Canada appointees.

Curling in Italy is on a high, not doubt helped by Olympic champion Amos Mosaner's photoshoots.

The 'ever-smiling, talented' Tara Rigney is World Rowing's 'Rower of the Month' for this December.

Team USA's female Nordic combined athletes make their own political statement against the IOC.

Javelin thrower Adriana Vilagos may already have two world U20 wins, but has no plans to leave the age group competition just yet.

More from World Athletics: What's next for Sharon Lokedi after a surprise New York City Marathon win?

Lifetime Achievement: Sprint legend Usain Bolt wins an honor at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Did you know Olympic sprint hurdle champ Jasmine Camacho Quinn was once an aspiring gymnast?

More sprint hurdles...Devon Allen has 'had a blast' with this season in football as he contemplates what the future might hold in track.

Fellow hurdler Trey Cunningham and sprinter Abby Steiner are 2022's Bowerman Award winners of college track & field athletes in the U.S.

Former decathlete Ben Gregory makes recovery progress after his severe summer accident.

Who was the 'most written-about (track & field) athlete' in 2022? Javelin champion Neeraj Chopra...

Marathoner Jessica Stenson and golfer Cameron Smith are the big Australian Institute of Sport winners.

Boxer Ramla Ali speaks with Interview on training, diet, Rocky, marriage, and more.

Whether Tokyo 2020 boxer Andy Cruz left Cuba illegally or not, he's not there anymore as he prepares for a professional debut.

London 2012 boxing champion Katie Taylor headlines RTE Sports' awards as 'Sportsperson of the Year'.

Olympic champion Max Whitlock has confidence in Bristish Gymnastics' response following recent abuse allegations.

Gymnast Jordan Chiles still pursues 'greatness' with persistence as her UCLA college career starts again.
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Is this the legacy-defining win for soccer superstar - and Beijing 2008 gold medalist - Lionel Messi?

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 hasn't represented the definitive Olympic sport, but it sure is 'the global game' and its quadrennial championship for senior men, the 22nd edition since 1930, concluded today after four weeks of competition between 32 national men's soccer teams.

A reminder that, unlike with the women's game, men's soccer at the Olympics is a primarily under-23 tournament as a way to differentiate the world championship from the Games. It's a model that works, for FIFA, and is surely an envy of other sports' governing bodies with their own world cups (like FIBA and IIHF...)

The tournament surely started on a (well-deserved) controversial note - many notes​, in fact. And, the bosses at the sport's governing body deserve continued questioning and scrutiny on a host selection that prompted such frustration, to put it mildly.

In the end, as expected, the game of soccer itself did its best to win regardless, with action across 64 games that delighted and anguished fans. Team France entered as the defending champions from their 2018 win against Team Croatia. The Croatians ended in third place this time, defeating an upstart Team Morocco  - the first African semifinalist ever - 2-1 in its final match.

As for the French...they made it back to the final game, defeating Teams Australia and Denmark in the group stage while losing to Team Tunisia, and then sweeping past Teams Poland, England, and Morocco in the knockout rounds. Team Argentina also went 2-1 in their group stage, after a shock opening defeat to Team Saudi Arabia before regrouping to defeat Teams Mexico and Poland, and Australia, Netherlands, and Croatia to make their way to the final.

​And? The expert predictions were right as Team Argentina won 3-3 (4-2) over the French in a fascinating penalty kick match, featuring first half goals from super star Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria and another from Messi in the 108th minute. Thanks to their gold from Beijing 2008, Messi and Di Maria fittingly become the first men to have both a World Cup title and Olympic gold post-World War II. It's the third title for the Argentines, after 1978 and 1986. French star Kylian Mbappe, though, - who became a rare 'hat trick' scorer in a men's World Cup final - is one player who could duplicate the feat should he make it to Paris 2024 as hoped and help lead the French to the gold there.

​In the meantime, congrats to the Albiceleste​! And to everyone for a great, thrilling match.