Laureus legends last week led a 100-strong group of fundraisers over the Laureus Challenge 2022 presented by Sierra Space finish line after a four-day, 100-km trek through the mountains, deserts and valleys of the UAE.

When the dust settled and the blistered feet were soaked, Annabelle Bond, Nawal El Moutawakel, Chris Hoy, Steve Waugh and Bryan Habana could take comfort in another number: as more than $290,000 and counting was raised for charities including Laureus Sport for Good.

The Qatar FIFA World Cup is finally up and running with the Gulf nation opening its door with this tournament set to go down as one of the most talked about and controversial World Cups in history.

The build-up to the first tournament to be held in a Muslim country in the Middle East has been overshadowed by a number of controversies, but all 32 competing nations have been told to "focus on the football", but players have been urged to use their influence to speak up about the issues in the country.

UK Athletics (UKA) has confirmed that Birmingham will host a new Performance Innovation Centre from summer 2023, after agreeing a partnership with the City Council for the facility to be situated on the redeveloped Alexander Stadium campus, helping cement the site’s Commonwealth Games legacy.

Oxfordshire developer David Wilson Homes has donated a set of mini footballs to a nursery in Grove to inspire children to kick off the World Cup in style.

The nursery at Millbrook Primary School – which is located close to the housebuilder’s upcoming development at Monks Farm – received 25 of the footballs ahead of one of the world’s most eagerly-awaited sporting events, set to begin in Qatar.

Heritage Le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort, located in Bel Ombre, Mauritius, has been recognised as the Indian Ocean’s Best Golf Hotel at the 9th edition of the industry-leading World Golf Awards.

The accolade coincides with Heritage Golf Club’s recent announcement of its second course, La Réserve Golf Links, due to open in December 2023.

Not many Black players have represented Athletic Bilbao - or have many Basques played for an African national team, but former Spain international Inaki Williams is bucking the trend as he stands on the verge of a World Cup debut with Ghana. The forward won his sole senior cap for the country of his birth in 2016 but with none since, a trip to the West African country earlier this year prompted a family-inspired change of allegiance.