Lewis Hamilton would not have won the driver’s title this year until Bernie Ecclestone’s proposed medal scheme. Photograph: Vladimir Rys/Getty Images
Formula one president Bernie Ecclestone wants to scrap the sport’s current points system and instead replace it with an Olympics-style medal scheme. Under the new proposal, the eventual world champion would be the driver who [...]

The LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was just a constituent part of the Redeem Team’s single ego. Photograph: Timothy A. Clary/AFP
The United States have their redemption. They arrived in Beijing a fortnight ago on a mission to right the wrongs of Athens four years ago, when they conceded their Olympic crown in humiliating fashion, and [...]

Angel Di Maria of Argentina wheels away in delight after scoring the only goal of the men’s Olympic final. Photograph: Ceerwan Aziz/Reuters
Under the delighted gaze of Diego Maradona, looking a little chubby but otherwise the picture of health, Argentina retained their Olympic title. A marvellous goal by the 20-year-old Angel Di Maria was enough to [...]

Sergio Batista talks to the media ahead of Argentina’s gold medal match against Nigeria. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images
Argentina face Nigeria tomorrow in the men’s Olympic football final hoping to remain gold medallists. It is the third time that the countries have met in a final: in Atlanta in 1996, Nwankwo Kanu lead Nigeria to gold [...]

Rafael Nadal wins men’s singles title in Beijing, beating Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal capped a magnificent summer by winning the gold medal in the men’s singles tennis in Beijing. Nadal eased to a straight sets victory over Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3. The 22-year-old Wimbledon [...]

Head to head: Kobe Bryant and the Dream Team showed their domination, crushing Pau Gasol and his Spanish teammates 119-82. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
The Dream Team returned yesterday as the US men’s Olympic basketball team crushed world champions Spain 119-82.
The Spanish players looked thoroughly dejected as they walked off the court, having hoped to at [...]

Ainslie is now on the verge of winning a third gold in as many Olympic Games. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images
Britain’s Ben Ainslie and the new Yngling blondes - Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb, and Pippa Wilson - maintained their gold medal position after the penultimate day’s sailing here in Fushan Bay. All that remains is Saturday’s [...]

Nicole Cooke wins gold in the road race. Photograph: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images
Cyclist Nicole Cooke broke the British team’s Beijing medal drought in style today, overcoming a world-class field and pouring rain to win gold in the women’s road race.
Racing in the shadow of the Great Wall on the day that the rain that has [...]

Competitors ride during the men’s cycling road race at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Photograph: Martin Bernetti/AFP
Spain’s incredible sporting summer took another surprising step when Samuel Sanchez added the Olympic road race gold medal to the country’s trophy cabinet, already overflowing after Carlos Sastre’s Tour de France victory, Alberto Contador’s win in the Giro d’Italia, [...]