Athletics: German sportswear firm Puma is not worried about the possible imminent retirement of Usain Bolt, the highest profile athlete it sponsors, believing the popular Jamaican sprinter could be just as valuable off the track. “Usain is part of the Puma family,” chief executive Bjorn Gulden told reporters. “If he decides not to run, we will probably work even closer with him,” he said, adding Bolt would have more time for product development and could even take on a commercial role at Puma. Gulden made the comments after Puma reported a stronger-than-expected rise in second quarter sales.

Sports study: Teens who play sports are less likely to say they’ve used opioid painkillers without a prescription, or heroin, according to a new US study. Researchers also found that opioid and heroin use declined among teen sports players between 1997 and 2014, a period when overall use of these drugs was increasing in the US. Young athletes, in general, are less likely than non-athletes to use illicit substances like cocaine or LSD, said lead author Philip Veliz of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

2028 Games: Brisbane is a step closer to committing to a bid for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games after a favourable study into the merit of hosting the Games in Australia’s Queensland state. A year-long pre-feasibility study said southeastern Queensland had the capability to bid for and host the event and local governments will decide in weeks whether to commission a more exhaustive feasibility study, local media reported. The Gold Coast, a bustling holiday destination south of Brisbane, will host the multi-sport Commonwealth Games in 2018. Rome, Paris, Buda-pest and Los Angeles are bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Cricket: England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the third test against Pakistan with the calf injury he sustained in the second test. Stokes, making his first appearance after undergoing a knee surgery in May, tore his right calf muscle during England’s series-levelling, 330-run win against Pakistan at Old Trafford on Monday. Fast bowlers Steven Finn and Jake Ball and leg-spinner Adil Rashid have been included in the squad for the third of the four tests against Pakistan, which begins on August 3 at Edgbaston.