Athletics: The ban imposed on Jamaican sprint star Merlene Ottey for failing a drugs test has been lifted, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) announced in Paris yesterday.
In a statement, athletics' governing body explained that its arbitration panel had "decided that there were not the grounds to maintain the suspension of Merlene Ottey from competition".
Ottey (40), the former 200 metres world champion, tested positive for nandrolone on July 5th last year in Lucerne, Switzerland, with the case coming to light just days before the World Athletics Championships in Seville.
However, the IAAF said: "The arbitration panel considered that the testing laboratory had not taken into sufficient account factors regarding the specific gravity of the sample, which as a result did not exceed the IOC (International Olympic Committee) recommended reporting threshold."
Tennis: Ireland's Owen Casey wants to round off his career with a confrontation with Goran Ivanisevic in the forthcoming Davis Cup tie against Croatia in Dublin.
Casey, a recent ITF Futures winner, will continue to stake his claim for the privilege during this week's Perrier-sponsored Irish Close championship in Donnybrook. "My aim to is clinch the prime singles place against Croatia," he said. Last night Casey's attempt to win a sixth title and get closer to qualifying for the prime spot looked easier when his fellow Davis Cup team-mates, John Doran and Sean Copper, pulled out with injuries. In the women's singles, Claire Curran can be expected to show the form that earned her the unique feat for an Irish player of winning the US National intercollegiate doubles final. Gina Niland, the holder, is top seed but number two seed Karen Nugent is out through injury.
Rugby: The IRFU did not make a profit of over £7 million for the year 1999-2000 as was stated in The Irish Times on Saturday. They, in fact, incurred an operating deficit of £1.6 million. That was before crediting a profit of £3.7 million in respect of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
The sum of money referred to in the article referred to a nett surplus of £7,128,091 in terms of receipts over expenses in the Match Account for the year ended April 30th, 2000.
Rugby: Bernard Jackman has become the second Connacht player to follow former coach Glenn Ross to Sale Sharks. The hooker's transfer follows the capture of former Richmond centre Mel Dean.
The young Dubliner represented Leinster at under-19 and under-20 levels before earning an international call-up for the Irish under-21s.
Hockey: Ireland are no longer in control of their own destiny at the European under-21 championships following a 2-1 defeat by Scotland in the A Division tournament in Prague yesterday.
To have a chance of gaining promotion back into the top flight, Ireland must defeat Azerbaijan by a handsome margin tomorrow and rely on Scotland beating Belarus, with goal difference almost certainly entering the equation.
Yesterday, Helen Cathcart put Ireland in front in the 18th minute. But Scotland responded by converting their only two penalty corners of the first half to establish a 2-1 interval lead. With eight minutes remaining, Cathcart missed from the penalty spot.
Pool B: Belarus 9, Azerbaijan 0; Ireland 1, Scotland 2.
