Austria and Germany have launched a bitter war of words over soccer after controversial statements by the coach of the Austrian national team.

Photo: Former national team captain Andreas Ivanschitz

After weeks of rumor and speculation, Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher has come out of retirement and will race for Mercedes next season.

German World Champion Kathrin Hoelzl notched the first World Cup win of her career with a giant slalom triumph in Aspen. Austrian Kathrin Zettel came in second.

German prosecutors and European soccer body UEFA have revealed the magnitude of a continent-wide match-fixing scandal, which they said involved as many as 200 matches in competitions including the Champions League.

Germany was in shock on Wednesday after football player Robert Enke, who was set to represent his country at the 2010 World Cup, committed suicide by throwing himself under a train aftersuffering years of depression.

Legendary Austrian ski ace Hermann Maier, a two-time Olympic champion, unexpectedly announced on Tuesday that he would officially end his 13-season professional career.

Germany managed a 1:0 win against Russia in Moscow on Saturday and will now play in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Germany's woman's soccer team has cemented its reputation as the "unbeatable squad" by winning the European Championships for the fifth time in a row.

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The biggest track and field event of the year kicks off today at Berlin's Olympic Stadium featuring the world's fastest man and several German medal hopefuls.

Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has become the first man in tennis history to secure 15 grand slam titles after winning the Wimbledon men's singles final on Sunday.

Germany's Under 21 players won the European soccer crown on Monday after crushing archrivals England 4:0 with an impressive performance in Malmo, Sweden.

Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been sacked after only eight months in charge at the Allianz Arena. The German giants lost 1-0 to Schalke on Saturday, a result that leaves them third in the league and in danger of missing Champions League qualification.

Barcelona thrashed Bavaria's Bayern München 4:0 on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in Barcelona; Liverpool struggle against Chelsea losing 3-1 at Anfield.

Germany maintained their all-but flawless push for World Cup qualification with a 2-0 victory over a gutsy Wales side at the Millennium Stadium.

Germany defeated minnows Liechtenstein 4-0 in Leipzig on Saturday with efficiency rather than class to maintain a four-point lead in their World Cup qualifying group.

Vienna’s Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) received eight young, four-year old Lipizzaner horses that will receive training for public performances, the Austrian Times reported on Sunday.

Andrey Voronin was the hero as Hertha Berlin beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 on to maintain a four-point Bundesliga lead. Bayern Munich also won while Hoffenheim stumbled to a draw.

Norway beat Germany when it upset the European Championship runner-up in Duesseldorf 1-0 in a friendly match Wednesday. It was their first win against the Germans since the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Thomas Dold, an economics student from Germany, was the men's champion in the annual Empire State Building Run-Up. Dold crossed the finish line in 10 minutes, 7 seconds beating his previous record by one second.

James Blake's quest for a record third Hopman Cup title has been dashed after the United States slumped to a 2-1 loss to Germany on Wednesday. Photo: Sabine following her triumph in Perth, Australia.

Wolfgang Loitzl of Austria won the second stage of the annual Four Hills event at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Germany on Thursday.