Baumann vows to find the `spikers'

Athletics: German police questioned Dieter Baumann yesterday as the former Olympic champion, who faces a two-year ban for testing positive for nandrolone, began legal proceedings after the steroid was found in his toothpaste by experts.

Police spoke to Baumann and his wife and trainer Isabelle at the couple's home in the German city of Tuebingen, a spokesman for the local police said.

Baumann, who has denied any wrongdoing, said he was determined to find out who had injected the banned anabolic substance. "My case no longer has anything to do with doping," he said. "There is somebody who has tried to do me harm."

Anti-doping campaigner Baumann, who won a 5,000 metres gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games, was found to have levels of nandrolone 10 times over the accepted limit after random tests conducted on October 19th and November 12th.

Motor Sport: Eddie Irvine has tipped his former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher as favourite for next year's Formula One title.

Speaking at an awards ceremony on Sunday night, Irvine, who won the British Driver of the Year award, told an audience that included world champion Mika Hakkinen and McLaren boss Ron Dennis that the German driver would be hard to beat in 2000.

"There is no doubting Michael's driving talent and he is going to be the one to beat next year," said Irvine, runner-up to McLaren's Hakkinen this season.

"The McLaren boys have got the best technical man in the business in Adrian Newey, but they will have to come up with something special to get near Michael."

"McLaren did their best to throw it away last year. That was disappointing for me because, going into the last race in Japan, I was the leader, but it just didn't happen."

Hakkinen had a swipe at Irvine in return. "I am not worried at all about competing against a fit-again Michael Schumacher next year. Although I would rather be racing against Eddie Irvine in the Ferrari," he said.

Baseball: Major League Baseball and the ESPN sports television company announced a new six-year agreement yesterday on the day the two were to go to court to settle a contract dispute. The new deal will include a "significant increase" in coverage.

Tennis: Steffi Graf was presented with the medal of the Olympic Order in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Juan Antonio Samaranch.