A possible bid by Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland for Euro 2020 has been given a boost after UEFA president Michel Platini made it clear he would not vote for Turkey to host the tournament if Istanbul wins the contest to stage the Olympics.

The cities of Doha and Baku have been cut from the list of candidates to stage the 2020 Olympic Games.

The General Secretary of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee has been filmed offering to sell several thousand pounds worth of Olympics tickets to an undercover reporter posing as a ticket tout.

Israel urged the international community yesterday to overturn the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) “unacceptable” rejection of its request for a minute’s silence during London 2012 in memory of the 11 athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich games.

Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are set to mount a joint bid to host Euro 2020. Turkey and Georgia are the other predicted bidders and as both countries have potentially serious flaws as prospective hosts, the Celtic nations will stand a good chance should they decide to translate a declaration of interest into a concrete bid.

James Willstrop is in the form of his life; Nick Matthew is defending champion and aiming for a third title.

The Week In Books

Russian agents have foiled terror attack plans on the Black Sea resort of Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter Games, and seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition, authorities say.

The countdown to the London 2012 Olympics has begun after the Olympic Flame was lit today in Greece.

A fight to overturn a decision to kick windsurfing out of the Olympic Games in 2016 has been promised by the windsurfers themselves as kiteboarding has been given the two medal events.

A major row over Olympic Games sailing is the inevitable consequence of a decision to throw windsurfers out of the 2016 line-up and replace it with kiteboarding.

The British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drugs cheats has been formally declared unenforceable.

Dwain Chambers will today be cleared to run in the London Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport yesterday informed the British Olympic Association of its judgement on the BOA's controversial byelaw that bars all athletes who have failed a dope test from competing in the Games.

With three months to go until the world comes to party in London, already the neighbours are trying to muscle in on the act.