Test cricket: England beat the West Indies by ten wickets in the fourth and final Test match, at The Oval. England have now won seven consecutive Test matches, a feat they haven't achieved for 75 years. (BBC)
Rugby union: In the final match of the Tri Nations Series held in Durban, the Springboks (South Africa) hold off a late charge by the Wallabies (Australia) to win 23–19, winning the Tri Nations for the first time since 1998. [1]
English football player Jonathan Woodgate makes a surprise move from Newcastle United to Spanish side Real Madrid, for a transfer fee of £15 million. Woodgate is the second English footballer in the space of a week to sign for Real, following Michael Owen's transfer from Liverpool. They join fellow Englishman David Beckham, who has been a player at the club for a year.
Athletics: Konstantinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou, who missed a mandatory drugs test last Thursday, withdraw from the games after an IOC disciplinary hearing – even though the IOC chose not to take any action against them. A meeting of the IAAF on August 26 will consider whether a doping offence has been committed. (BBC)
Equestrian: Bettina Hoy of Germany crosses the start line twice, and is awarded penalty points. After an appeal, the points are removed. This gives Hoy the gold medal in the individual event, and Germany gold in the team event, overturned on appeal (see August 21).
Test cricket: England beat the West Indies by seven wickets at Old Trafford in the third Test, securing the series. England's last-innings total of 231 is a record winning score in Old Trafford Tests. (BBC)
Kobe Bryant's accuser files a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Laker star, asking for $75,000 in compensatory damages and an undisclosed amount in punitive damages. Bryant's attorneys had no comment. (AP)
Baseball: New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine is hospitalized after being involved in a car collision; he lost two upper teeth and suffered injuries to his lips.(ESPN)
Rugby union: In the fourth match of the Tri Nations Series, held in Sydney, the Wallabies (Australia) defeat the All Blacks (New Zealand) 23–18. The result throws the series wide open, with all three participants—the Wallabies, All Blacks, and Springboks (South Africa)—having a chance to win the series going into the final two matches in South Africa. (BBC)
Basketball: A three-pointer by Allen Iverson from near half-court with less than a second to go lifts the Dream Team 80–77 over Germany in a friendly game held in Cologne. German NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki, who had tied the game with a three-pointer of his own seconds before Iverson's shot, led all scorers with 32 points. (ESPN)
Asian Cup 2004: Hosts China thrill fans by defeating Iran in a penalty shootout 4–3. Iran missed their fourth and fifth shots. The game was tied 1–1 aet. In the other match, Bahrain ties Japan in a hard-fought match 3–3, with Japan only tying on the 90th minute of regulation play. Japan scores first in extra time, however, and keeps the score at 4–3 to win the game.
Horse racing: The owners of Smarty Jones, the horse who gained popularity with his spirited pursuit of the Triple Crown, announce that he is forced to retire due to deep bruises in all four of his legs. Smarty was the first undefeated horse to win Kentucky Derby since Seattle Slew, in his retirement he will reside in the exact same stall that Slew retired to in Kentucky. (ESPN.com)
National Football League: Running back Ricky Williams files paperwork officially declaring his retirement from the NFL at the age of 27. Williams, who rushed for 6,354 yards in his 5 NFL seasons for the New Orleans Saints and, most recently, the Miami Dolphins, told Miami he was leaving the team a week earlier. Because Williams is part of the NFL's substance abuse program, he is forbidden from playing in 2004 should he choose to unretire. (ESPN.com)
Football (soccer): Mark Palios resigns as chief executive of the English Football Association. Both he and the England head coach Sven-Göran Eriksson have admitted affairs with the same woman: Faria Alam, an FA secretary. Palios does not admit any wrongdoing (he, Eriksson, and the secretary are all unmarried) but says he feels his action is necessary to help the Football Association return to normality. Eriksson is also under pressure to resign. (BBC)