Sports Digest

A roundup of today's other sports news in brief

Disgraced Jones turns thoughts to basketball

BASKETBALL: Disgraced former American sprinter Marion Jones is attempting to relaunch her sporting career as a professional basketball player. Jones was an outstanding basketball talent before choosing a full-time athletics career in 1996.

In 2008 she spent almost six months in jail after admitting to perjury, conceding she had used steroids, and due to her involvement in a cheque fraud. The former Olympic 100m and 200m champion, who has since been stripped of her medals, appears to have no plans to return to the track.

Now 34, she told the New York Times: "Back in May, when I got a call from someone in the NBA, asking if I would possibly be interested in the WNBA, my reaction was, 'Yeah, right'." However Jones gave the idea further consideration, and has come around to the idea of returning to women's basketball.

Westwood takes November award

GOLF: Lee Westwood has been named the European Tour's Golfer of the Month for November following his six-stroke Dubai World Championship victory, which enabled him to win a second Order of Merit title.

Other leading contenders were Frenchman Gregory Bourdy for his Hong Kong Open success and Italians Edoardo and Francesco Molinari, who won the World Cup.

Rogge trusts Russia on security

OLYMPICS: IOC president Jacques Rogge said yesterday he trusted Russia to provide all the necessary security arrangements for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi following a deadly train bombing at the weekend.

“The Russian authorities are aware of the need to have a secure environment and we fully trust them,” the IOC chief said.

Rogge visited Moscow to help unveil a new emblem for the 2014 Games and talk to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. “Yesterday we met President Medvedev and expressed our condolences,” Rogge added, referring to a bomb blast that caused a train crash on the main line between Moscow and St Petersburg on Friday, killing 26 people and injuring 100.

Burnett through to quarter-final

BOXING: Belfast light flyweight Ryan Burnett got Ireland's Agalarov Youth Cup campaign off to a positive start with a 5-0 last 16 win over Saad Farrhad of France in Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday.

Burnett, of the Holy Family club, was always in control of the 48kg contest en route to an impressive win.

Meanwhile, AIBA World Junior champion Joe Ward will meet Fagan Huseynov of Azerbaijan in the last eight today.

Speaking before departing for Baku, Ward, who turned 16 last month, said that he was looking forward to the tournament.

“This will be the first time that I have boxed four two-minute rounds and it will be a test for me,” he said. “I think that it will be a very tough tournament but we are all looking forward to it and hopefully we will do well.”

AGALAROV YOUTH CUP(Baku, Azerbaijan) Last 16 – 48Kg: R Burnett (Ire) bt S Farrhad (Fra) 5-0.