2000

May 24 - Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik is banned for life for match-fixing. Several team mates, including the 1999 World Cup captain Wasim Akram, are censured. Hansie Cronje and Mohammad Azharuddin, the former leaders of South Africa and India respectively, are also banned for life later in the year.

September 15-October 1 2000 - Cathy Freeman lights the Sydney Olympic flame in a symbol of reconciliation between Aboriginal Australians and the European settlers. She goes on to win Australia's only track gold in the 400 metres.

Her team mate Ian Thorpe wins three Olympic golds and three silvers in the pool and American sprinter Marion Jones wins three golds and two bronzes in track and field.

2001

April 8 - Tiger Woods becomes the first man to hold all four of golf's modern major titles at the same time, sealing a two-stroke win in the Augusta Masters with a birdie.

2002

February 8-24 - Croatian Alpine skier Janica Kostelic wins three golds and one silver, a record for her sport, while Norway's Ole Einar Bjorndalen also sets a record with golds in all four biathlon events at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

Unprecedented security is in place for the first major global event since the attacks on New York and Washington in the previous year.

June 8 - Lennox Lewis systematically destroys Mike Tyson in eight rounds to confirm beyond doubt he is the best heavyweight boxer of his era.

June 30 - Ronaldo, who had battled against injury for the previous two-and-a-half years, scores the two goals, which give Brazil victory over Germany in the soccer World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan.

Brazil win a record fifth title and Ronaldo's eighth goal of the tournament brings him level with compatriot Pele's World Cup tally of 12.

2003

August 25 - Pete Sampras retires at the age of 32 after winning a record 14 Grand Slam tennis titles.

November 23 - England flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson drop-kicks the winning goal during the final minutes of extra time in the rugby World Cup final against Australia in Sydney.

It is the first and still the only time that a northern hemisphere side have won the Webb Ellis trophy.

2004

August 13-29 - Leading Greek medal hopes Costas Kenteris, the defending 200 metres champion, and Katerina Thanou withdraw from the Athens Olympics after missing a drugs test on the eve of the Games.

Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj wins the 1,500 metres title at his third attempt and goes on to complete the first 1,500-5,000 double for 80 years.

2005

July 22 - Yelena Isinbayeva, a former gymnast who has taken women's pole vaulting to new heights, breaks the five-metre barrier at London's Crystal Palace.

July 24 - Lance Armstrong narrowly avoids a crash just before entering the Champs Elysees to win a record seventh successive Tour de France then retires at the age of 33.

After dabbling in a variety of other pursuits he makes a comeback in 2009, finishing a creditable third.

2006

July 9 - France captain Zinedine Zidane is sent off in extra-time after headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi in the Berlin World Cup final with the score tied at 1-1.

Materazzi had levelled the score after Zidane scored the opening goal from a penalty. Italy go on to win the penalty shoot-out 5-3.

September 10 - Michael Schumacher announces he will retire at the end of the Formula One season after winning the Italian Grand Prix, the 90th career victory for the 37-year-old German.

2007

July 3 - Swiss syndicate Alinghi defeat Team New Zealand by one second in a dramatic seventh race to take the 32nd America's Cup 5-2 off Valencia. Alinghi, skippered by a New Zealander, are the first European team to successfully defend yachting's elite trophy.

September 20 - American 2006 Tour de France champion Floyd Landis is banned for two years after a US arbitration panel finds him guilty of doping violations.

October 5 - Marion Jones admits in a US federal court that she used steroids before the 2000 Sydney Olympics and pleads guilty to lying to federal agents about her drug use. All her results dating back to September 2000 and including her five Sydney medals are annulled.

2008

July 6 - Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in an epic, rain-interrupted, five-set Wimbledon final to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same year.

August 8-24 - A spectacular opening ceremony in the futuristic Bird's Nest stadium precedes an immaculately-organised Beijing Olympics.

Usain Bolt breaks the world 100 and 200 metres records in the greatest display of sprinting at an Olympics and Michael Phelps wins a record eight gold medals in the pool.

November 2 - Briton Lewis Hamilton moves from sixth to fifth on the final lap of the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix to become the youngest Formula One drivers' champion.

2009

March 3 - Five policemen and a bus driver are killed when gunmen attack the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore.

Six members of the team and their British assistant coach are wounded.

July 5 - Federer overcomes Andy Roddick in a marathon five-set Wimbledon final to secure a record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title.

September 21 - Formula One team Renault are given a suspended two-year ban after admitting to race-fixing at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Renault's Nelson Piquet deliberately crashed on lap 13/14, allowing team-mate Fernando Alonso to move into the lead behind the safety car after refuelling. Alonso went on to win the race.