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Mosley faces further call to resign as FIA president

MOTOR SPORT:Max Mosley yesterday faced a call from a group of the world's leading automobile clubs that he stand down as president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA, writes Alan Henry.

Next Tuesday in Paris Mosley will face a vote of confidence after tabloid revelations two months ago accused him of being involved in sado-masochistic orgies with a group of prostitutes in a flat in London's Chelsea. Mosley has said his private life is his own business and in no way affects his ability to lead the FIA.

A letter sent to Mosley by 24 automobile clubs from 22 countries yesterday said: "We strongly believe that the only respectable way forward for the FIA, and for yourself, is to have an orderly transition, with an immediate agreement and your commitment to step down.

"We deeply [regret] your refusal to accept the proposal by the members of the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism to reach an agreement for you to step down from the general assembly... in November."

Mosley said: "Club presidents have indicated that they are overwhelmingly in favour of my remaining president."

Volunteer guide to be amended

PARALYMPICS:Organisers of the summer Olympics and the Paralympic Games have asked for the volunteer guide for the two events in Beijing to be amended after it used phrases like "unusual personalities" to describe the disabled.

"We have asked the authors to revise it," Zhang Qiuping, director of the Paralympic Games department of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games told reporters yesterday.

"The purpose of the guide is to provide a better service for people with disabilities."

The guide for the thousands of volunteers who will be helping out and working at the August 8th-24th summer Games and the September 6th-17th Paralympics says: "Often optically disabled people are introverted.

"Usually physically disabled people have only body disabilities but no notable mental disfigurement . . . but they might have unusual personalities because of disfigurement and disability."

 Voigt takes 18th stage

CYCLING:Germany's Jens Voigt of the CSC team won the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia from Mendrisio in Switzerland to Varese in Italy yesterday.

Voigt was part of a 12-rider attack that formed after eight kilometres of the stage and then broke away alone 35km from the finish.

Italians Giovanni Visconti and Rinaldo Nocentini finished second and third, one minute and 10 seconds behind Voigt.

Spain's Alberto Contador of the Astana team finished in the main peloton and retained his 41-second overall race lead over Italy's Riccardo Ricco.

Graham may face retrial

ATHLETICS:Trevor Graham, the controversial US-based coach, was last night found guilty on one of three charges of lying to federal investigators about his links with a steroids dealer. He may face a retrial after the jury could not reach a verdict on the other two counts.

Graham, who helped guide the careers of the sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, had been charged over false claims about his relationship with Angel Heredia, a discus thrower who admitted supplying performance-enhancing substances.

In an interview in 2004, Graham denied meeting Heredia in person and insisted he never gave his athletes drugs from Heredia and that he had not been in touch with him by phone since 1997. At his trial in San Francisco, he denied all charges.

Graham was convicted on charges that he denied talking on the telephone with Heredia. The jury was shown records of more than 100 telephone calls between the two men. Guardian Service

Guardian Service