Athletics: Brendan Reilly has ended his indoor season in convincing style with a new national high jump record of 2.28 metres (7 feet 53/4 inches) at a meeting in Iceland.

Just a week after going out of the European indoor championships at Ghent with the lathe at 2.27 metres, Reilly answered doubts about his form with an impressive sequence of figures in Reykjavik.

He had first time clearances at 2.16 and 2.221 before going over at 2.25 and 2.28 at the second attempt. Later he tried for career best figures of 2.33 but after hurting his ankle in a failed first attempt, he wisely withdrew.

It was his biggest jump since clearing 2.32 at a meeting at Liverpool six years ago and was given added merit by the fact that because of the cramped nature of the arena, he had to shorten his approach from eight to six strides.

"I didn't think it was possible to get such a clearance off an approach like that and after the disappointment of Ghent, it couldn't have come at a better time for me," he said.

Sport And Drugs: International football's governing body FIFA yesterday made a complete about-turn and denied they were striking nandrolone from their list of banned substances.

The announcement came just 48 hours after FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said the organisation had ruled out banning players who tested positive for the performance-boosting drug.

Herren said the decision was based on research which showed nandrolone could be produced by the body during strenuous exercise.

But a statement issued from FIFA headquarters in Zurich denied this was the case and said the executive committee would examine the question of nandrolone at their next meeting on March 23-24.

Boxing: Britain's undisputed world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis is poised to be stripped of his World Boxing Association (WBA) title.

That appeared the likely outcome after a WBA panel hearing involving Lewis and controversial American promoter Don King in Philadelphia yesterday.

The seven-man tribunal was told by King that Lewis had violated an agreement to fight the mandatory WBA challenger after beating Evander Holyfield for the title in November.

The Lewis camp countered, saying that that deal was in place for the first fight, but not the second.

After the sitting one of the seven members of the WBA voting panel, York van Nixon, painted a bleak picture for the Briton.

"It looks bad for Lewis. We haven't made a final decision but in talking with my colleagues they wonder why they (the Lewis camp) didn't come to us first.

The WBA will announce their decision in the next two weeks, but van Nixon concluded: "Right now it doesn't look good. It's about the rules."

Lewis was due to fight unbeaten American Michael Grant next month in New York. Lewis beat Holyfield to unify the crown last November. The deal was made in part because the WBA's mandatory fighter until two weeks ago was Henry Akinwande, a King-backed British fighter who medical tests have shown was unable to compete due to incurable liver damage.

Cycling: After much of last season was lost due to a lingering injury, 1998 junior world champion Mark Scanlon dramatically returned to winning ways in his first race for top French amateur outfit VC Etupes on Saturday. The 19-year-old emerged best of a field of 110 riders in the Tour de Quatre Cantalons, outsprinting his four breakaway companions at the end of the 160 kilometre national race in Eastern France.

While Scanlon is perceived as one of the most gifted Irish cyclists in decades, the Sligoman spent much of 1999 season out of action after a muscular imbalance led to problems with his right knee.

Scanlon will compete again with his VC Etupes squad in next week's Mavic Cup classic race from Bordeaux to Saints.

Olympic Games: An International Olympic Committee (IOC) ethics commission decided yesterday to ask an independent investigator to probe allegations that IOC vice-president Kevan Gosper breached Olympic guidelines.

The eight-member panel, headed by Senegal judge Keba Mbaye, questioned Gosper about £11,000 in expenses submitted by someone on the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games bid committee for a visit made by the Australian IOC member and his family to the city in 1993.

The largest Olympic coin ever minted, weighing one kilogramme (2.2 lb) was unveiled in Sydney yesterday. Made from silver and with a diameter of 10 centimetres (four inches), the Silver Kilo Olympic Masterpiece is the first Olympic coin to depict all 28 of the Games' sports.