A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Contador ruling expected soon
CYCLING:The Court of Arbitration of Sport have announced they intend to publish their ruling on Alberto Contador's alleged doping at the start of next week. The Swiss court had been due to make public their verdict on the case this week but are now set to make the announcement on Monday, February 6th, although the date will be confirmed in the coming days. Contador tested positive for clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France.
Djokovic quickly turns his attention to Roland Garros
TENNIS:The dust had barely settled on Novak Djokovic's record-breaking Australian Open victory over Rafael Nadal and the Serbian was already talking up his chances of glory at Roland Garros.
Djokovic outlasted Nadal in an epic five-set encounter which lasted five hours and 53 minutes to make it the longest grand slam final in history and the longest match ever staged at the tournament.
The world number one, who retained the Melbourne title he won last year at the start of a remarkable 12 months which also saw him win at Wimbledon and the US Open, was then quick to turn his attention to the French Open, the only major to so far elude him.
“I am prioritising the grand slams this year, as every year, and the Olympics,” he said. “I want to do well and get to my first final at least in Paris. I have never been to the final there and I have a feeling that I am ready this year to achieve that.”
The victory over Nadal meant he became just the fifth man to claim three successive grand slam crowns.
Thirty athletes in doping inquiry
DOPING:Thirty athletes are being investigated in connection with a suspected doping affair involving a doctor in the city of Erfurt, the German anti-doping agency said yesterday.
The agency said they were looking into each of the 30 cases where the doctor, once part of the Olympic base in Erfurt, is suspected of having used a blood infusion system after exposing the blood to UV rays.The procedure is said to boost the oxygen content in the blood. The doctor, named by the Erfurt prosecutor’s office as Andreas Franke, has already been suspended. He has denied any wrongdoing, saying he used the procedure only to battle infections.
“Obviously we are looking into each case to see whether banned methods were used, no matter if it concerns Olympic champions or young athletes,” the agency’s board director Andrea Gotzmann said.
The list includes cyclists and speedskaters.
Bids for LA Dodgers lodged
BASEBALL: A consortium led by South Korean retailer E-Land is among the short-listed bidders vying to buy the US Major League LA Dodgers franchise, Yonhap News Agency reported yesterday, estimating a price tag up to €1 billion for the team. The Dodgers filed for bankruptcy protection in June last year and a sale of the franchise was announced last week. A preliminary round of bidding has been completed.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY: Having lost their opening Tri-Nations game to South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, Ireland suffered another 1-0 defeat yesterday, a 17th-minute goal from Sofie Gierts giving Belgium victory. Audrey O’Flynn hit the crossbar from a penalty corner in the second half, but the Belgians, who host Ireland’s Olympic qualifying tournament in March, held out. Ireland play South Africa again today (5pm Irish time).
