SPORTS DIGEST

Other sports stories in brief

Drogheda get go-ahead for stadium

SOCCER:Drogheda United have got the green light to build their new football stadium after councillors in Meath unanimously voted in favour of the €65 million development, reports Elaine Keogh.

The club hope to play their first game in the 10,000-seat arena in time for the 2010 season.

The club's grounds at United Park in Drogheda, which opened in the 1920s, are well below the standards accepted by the FAI and the club has had to play European matches at other grounds.

It's anticipated that European matches will also be played at the new venue. As well as the 10,068-seat stadium to be built at Bryanstown in Co Meath, a leisure centre and multiplex cinema are planned, plus a four-kilometre road linking the M1 to the N1, the former main Dublin to Drogheda road.

The 25-hectare site is on the southside of Drogheda and just within the Co Meath boundary and some 20 minutes from Dublin Airport.

To grant permission the county councillors in Meath voted to contravene the Meath county development plan. The site was un-zoned and is currently used for agriculture.

Swimsuit gets thumbs up in Japan

SWIMMING:A dazzling world record by Kosuke Kitajima could secure Japanese swimmers the right to choose what swimsuit they use at this year's Olympics.

The double Athens Olympic champion shattered the men's 200 metres breaststroke record at the weekend wearing one of Speedo's controversial new LZR bodysuits.

Japanese officials now appear ready to allow their athletes to ditch approved swimsuit makers Mizuno, Descente and Asics for Britain's Speedo at the Games.

"We are thinking of giving the swimmers the freedom to choose," Japan Swimming Federation (JSF) director Kazuo Sano said yesterday.

"We have not had any big protest (from the three Japanese companies). We would like to do what's best for the swimmers in Beijing."

 Safin struggles against Ward

TENNIS: Britain's James Ward threatened to pull off a shock on the opening day of the Artois Championships yesterday before eventually losing in three sets to former world number one Marat Safin on Centre Court as the home challenge wilted at a sun-baked Queen's Club.

The 21-year-old from Middlesex - who came through qualifying to make a main ATP Tour event for only the second time - delighted the partisan home crowd as he broke the two-time grand slam winner in the third game of the opening set and grew in stature.

But it was a different scenario when the second set began, the Russian finding his range and taking the set 6-1. Safin eventually closed out the match, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, in just short of two hours.

The top eight singles seeds - which also include newly-crowned French Open champion Rafael Nadal, Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic and American four-time winner Andy Roddick - all received byes into the second round.

Davis succeeds in quest to reach Olympic triathlon

ATHLETICS:Emma Davis has succeeded in her quest to become Ireland's first Olympic triathlon representative. With her 15th place at Sunday's World Championships in Vancouver, the highest ever finish for Ireland, Davis comes way inside the top 55 Olympic-ranking necessary to make it to Beijing in August, reports Ian O'Riordan.

Davis was lying in 47th on that ranking before Sunday, and with bonus points earned in Vancouver will have climbed even further in securing her Olympic qualification. The International Triathlon Union (ITU) will announce the official Olympic qualifying list on June 21st, and Davis is practically assured of being on it.

Sunday's event was staged in testing conditions, with air temperatures of 14 degrees, and water temperatures of just 11 degrees - and Davis, who is English-born but raised in Bangor, was glad just to get through it.

"My initial feelings were, thank God that's over and I can get warm now. I was also relieved to get through the race unharmed as with the wet weather I was concerned about crashes. I realised the morning before the race that I was already qualified for Beijing - two girls pulled out at the last minute which meant that I couldn't be overtaken. Consequently I was trying to get the best placing I could in the race but without taking too many chances, as making it to the start line and my performance in Beijing is my primary concern for the year."

Irish squad for Poland selected

BOXING:The Irish Amateur Boxing Association yesterday named a 10-man squad for the 2008 European senior championships in Cetniewo, Poland, which begin next Sunday and which will be their last major tournament before the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Ireland's five Olympians, Ken Egan, Darren Sutherland, John Joe Nevin, Paddy Barnes and John Joe Joyce will travel to Poland along with Jamie Conlon, David Oliver Joyce, Eric Donovan, Willie McLoughlin, and Con Sheehan.

Jim Walsh will be team manager again this time out, while high performance coach and head coach Billy Walsh and Zuar Antia will be in the Irish team's corner in Cetniewo.

McLaren accept ruling

MOTOR SPORT:McLaren yesterday accepted Lewis Hamilton's punishment for a pit-lane collision at Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix that shunted him and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen out of the race.

Hamilton received a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours in two weeks.

"We regard the stewards' decision as hard but fair," McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh declared.