In today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Aston Martin have signed 41-year-old Fernando Alonso for the 2023 season.

Two-times Formula One world champion Alonso has signed a multi-year contract and joins from Renault-owned Alpine as replacement for Germany's four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, 35, who last week announced his retirement at the end of the current season.

The vacancy created at Alpine by the Spaniard's departure is expected to be filled in turn by that team's 21-year-old Australian reserve Oscar Piastri, last year's Formula Two champion.

Alpine are fourth in the 10 team championship while Silverstone-based Aston Martin are ninth.

Canadian billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll, whose son Lance also drives for Aston Martin, has invested heavily in the team, with a new factory being built and staff recruited from rival outfits.

Team boss Mike Krack said the whole team was excited to work with Alonso, who won his titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, and learn from his experience.

Alonso has also raced for former champions McLaren and Ferrari in a Formula One career that started with Minardi (now AlphaTauri) in 2001.

-Reuters

Donald replaces Stenson as Europe's Ryder Cup captain

Former world number one Luke Donald has been named captain of Team Europe for the 2023 Ryder Cup to replace Henrik Stenson, who was stripped of the role before he joined the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Stenson was removed as captain last month, hours before the Swede announced he was joining the lucrative Saudi-backed series and Englishman Donald later told Golf Week he would love to take over.

The 44-year-old has never finished on the losing side as a player in four Ryder Cup appearances, winning 10-1/2 points from his 15 matches. He served as vice-captain when Europe regained the Ryder Cup by beating the United States in 2018.

Donald previously said he had not been approached to play in the LIV Series, but added he had turned down a broadcast role with the breakaway league.

Stenson won his first start on the LIV Series on Sunday in New Jersey.

The Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy will host the next edition of the biennial Ryder Cup starting in late September next year.

-Reuters

Dottin forced out by 'negative team environment'

All-rounder Deandra Dottin, whose 38-ball century against South Africa remains the fastest hundred in women's T20 Internationals, has retired from the West Indies side citing negative team environment.

The 31-year-old all-rounder, currently playing for Barbados at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, announced the decision on Twitter adding she looked forward to "...playing domestic cricket around the world."

"... the current climate and team environment has been non-conducive to my ability to thrive and reignite my passion," said Dottin, who made her West Indies debut in a 2008 ODI against Ireland.

"With much sadness but without regret, I realise that I am no longer able to adhere to team culture and team environment as it has undermined my ability to perform excellently."

Dottin is the most-capped West Indies' women cricketer having played 124 Twenty20 and 143 one-day internationals for them.

She became the first woman to smash a century in T20 Internationals following her unbeaten 112 off 45 balls in a 2010 World Cup match against South Africa in St Kitts.

She has scored close to 6500 international runs and claimed 134 wickets with her medium pace.

-Reuters

Velodrome safety vital: Kenny

Five-times Olympic champion Laura Kenny urged organisers to install bigger barriers at velodromes after a crash involving England's Matt Walls at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Tokyo Games gold medallist Walls and two other cyclists were taken to hospital after a crash during the second heat of the men's scratch race at Lee Valley VeloPark yesterday.

Spectators were also hurt after Walls and his bike came over the top of the barriers on the high banking at a corner of the track. Walls received treatment from paramedics for 40 minutes before leaving in an ambulance but escaped without serious injury.

"I think the crashes are getting worse and it's because the speeds are getting higher, the positions are getting more extreme," said Kenny after finishing 13th in the points race.

"At some point the UCI (International Cycling Union) are going to have to put a cap on these positions. Maybe there should be screens because Matt should not have been able to go over the top and into the crowd - that's pretty damn dangerous."

The crash was the second major incident in cycling at the Games after England's Joe Truman suffered a broken collarbone.

-Reuters

England women footballers keen to inspire

England hope their victory in the Women's European Championship final will inspire a new generation of players and urged the fans who followed them up and down the country in record numbers to stick with them when they return to domestic football.

An extra-time goal from Manchester City's Chloe Kelly secured a 2-1 win over Germany at Wembley on Sunday in front of 87,192 fans, an attendance record for a UEFA tournament, men's or women's.

The final also had a peak television audience of 17.4 million people on the BBC, the highest United Kingdom audience for a women's match.

England had set a record for the attendance for a women's Euros match when 68,871 watched them take on Austria in the opening match of the tournament at Old Trafford.

"I think the whole journey ... Old Trafford feels like so long ago, we don't forget the fans that came out to watch us at that game," Kelly said, adding that she hoped their victory would swell attendances during the Women's Super League.

Manchester City forward Lauren Hemp thanked the women who had "paved the way" for England's success.

"(They) have allowed us to play on an amazing stage like that, in front of thousands of fans," Hemp said.

"And hopefully we've inspired some young girls and boys to take it up in the future. I think that was our aim, and I think we achieved it."

-Reuters