Sports digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Irish duo make Leipzig semi-finals

CANOEING: Ireland's Eoin Rheinisch and Ciarán Heurteau have made it through to today's K1 (racing kayak) semi-finals of the Canoe Slalom World Cup in Leipzig.

Rheinisch’s first run of 100.39 with no penalties was good enough to secure 26th place, while Heurteau did his best work on his second run and finished 31st.

The third Irish competitor, Patrick Hynes, finished 69th. Aisling Conlan and Hannah Craig are set to compete in the women’s K1 today.

Leinster announce Academy panel

RUGBY:The Leinster Academy panel for the 2011/12 season has been named and includes a number of Ireland under-20 internationals who competed in the recent IRB Junior World Championships.

In all there are 18 players in the Academy, including Jordi Murphy, who captained the Ireland Under-20s last month.

The Academy programme is set out over three years where all of the players will aim to ultimately earn a professional contract. Amongst the most recent graduates are Andrew Conway, Brendan Macken and Jack McGrath, who have all gone on to feature for the senior side of late.

Other past graduates from the Leinster Academy system include the likes of Ireland internationals Fergus McFadden, Kevin McLaughlin, Seán O’Brien, Rhys Ruddock, Jonathan Sexton and Devin Toner, as well as Fionn Carr and Jamie Hagan, who re-joined the province this summer.

In addition to each Academy player’s third level commitments, they will also complete a supplementary HETAC course covering modules such as Rugby, Fitness, Psychology and Lifestyle.

LEINSTER ACADEMY 2011/12 – Year 1: A Boyle (wing), J Coghlan (No 8), D Doyle (hooker), T Furlong (prop), C Gilsenan (back row), L McGrath (scrumhalf), M Moore (prop), C O’Shea (centre), M Sherlock (centre), J Tracy (prop). Year 2: S Coghlan-Murray (wing), D Hudson (wing), B Marshall (backrow), J Murphy (backrow), J O’Connell (prop), N Reid (outhalf). Year 3: C Ruddock (secondrow), E Sheridan (centre).

IOC future is secure after record EUR3 billion TV deal

OLYMPIC GAMES: NBC Universal's €3.07 billion deal for the US broadcast rights of the Olympics has secured the movement's financial future for the rest of the decade, the International Olympic Committees Richard Carrion said yesterday.

NBC Universal, which is controlled by Comcast Corp and has broadcast every summer Olympics since 1988 and every winter edition since 2002, acquired the rights in June for four Games from 2014 to 2020 in the biggest single TV deal in the IOC’s history.

“The fact that we have this deal is very good,” IOC Executive Board member Carrion, the chief negotiator of the deal, said during an IOC meeting in Durban.

“It gives us a solid basis. From a financial perspective it assures financial security of the Olympic movement for the rest of the decade.”

The American network beat out their main rivals Fox and ESPN during a bidding process in Lausanne last month.

Rain is the only winner at Silverstone

FORMULA ONE:Rain put a dampener on yesterday's practice for the British Grand Prix, with Red Bull's Mark Webber fastest in the morning and Ferrari's Felipe Massa on top of largely meaningless timesheets after lunch.

Only after 51 of the 90 minutes had ticked away did a driver set a proper timed lap, with Toro Rosso’s Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari at least giving the crowd some engine noise as he splashed around.

Massa, the fastest of the Ferrari drivers in the morning, set his best time of one minute 49.967 seconds right at the end of the session, and on a drying track, to topple Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg off the top.

Webber, last year’s winner at Silverstone, had been quickest in the morning with a best lap of 1.46.603.

Michael Schumacher was second quickest in the morning.

Dilleen, Puspure shine in Lucerne

ROWING:Sanita Puspure and Lisa Dilleen landed a place in the A/B semi-finals (the top 12) at the World Cup rowing regatta in Lucerne with a gritty second-place finish in their repechage yesterday, writes Liam Gorman.

Canada and Germany One disputed the crucial second qualification place behind a dominant New Zealand crew, but Ireland held on. Dilleen and Puspure had finished fifth in their heat.

Siobhán McCrohan also produced a heart-lifting recovery in her repechage of the lightweight single scull after a fifth-place finish in her heat. The Galway woman won her repechage. The two Ireland lightweight double sculls failed to make the semi-finals.

Sarah Dolan and Claire Lambe, an under-23 crew, finished fourth in their repechage, with the two qualification places taken by Italy and New Zealand. The men’s crew of Michael Maher and Mark O’Donovan qualified for the quarter-finals but came a cropper there.

Diamond success boosts Semenya

ATHLETICS: South Africa's Caster Semenya got her preparations for the World Championships back on track at the Diamond League in Paris last night, winning the women's 800m at the Stade de France in a time of 2:00.18 seconds to finish ahead of Lausanne winner Halim Hachlaf of Morocco.

Usain Bolt comfortably won the 200 metres in a time of 20.03, with local favourite Christophe Lemaitre second.