SPORTS DIGEST

Today's other stories in brief

Dajka found dead

CYCLING:Australia's former world champion Jobie Dajka was found dead yesterday, local media reported.

Dajka, who was 27, was found dead in his Adelaide home. The television network said no cause of death had been given.

Dajka won a gold medal in the keirin at the 2002 track cycling world championships in Denmark and was a silver medal winner in the keirin and sprint at the 2003 world championships.

In 2004, Dajka was kicked off the Australian team for the Athens Olympics after being charged with bringing the sport into disrepute when he admitted lying to a doping investigation. He was later recalled to the Australian team in 2005 but later banned from professional cycling for 12 months for assaulting Australia’s head coach, Martin Barras. In 2006 Dajka admitted to having suffered from depression.

McLaren facing sanctions for 'lying to stewards'

FORMULA ONE: McLaren risk heavy sanctions, including the possibility of being excluded from the Formula One championship, after being summoned to face charges of lying to stewards at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement yesterday it had charged the team of world champion Lewis Hamilton with breaching the international sporting code on five counts.

An extraordinary meeting of the FIA’s world motor sport council (WMSC) will be held in Paris on April 29th, the Wednesday after the fourth round of the championship in Bahrain.

It will be McLaren’s third appearance before the WMSC in two years, with the team fined a record $100 million and stripped of all their constructors’ points in 2007 for a spying controversy involving Ferrari data in their possession.

The Mercedes-powered team were also charged with breaches of the same article 151c of the international sporting code on that occasion. If the charges are upheld and severe sanctions are applied, McLaren could be kicked out of the championship although a fine or points deduction is more likely.

Murphy quits Longford Town

GAELIC GAMES:Navan goalkeeper Brendan Murphy, who surprisingly quit the Meath football squad to join League of Ireland First Division side Longford Town earlier this year, has now left the Midlands club after playing just four games with them.

Murphy was a member of Meath’s All-Ireland winning team in 1992 before embarking on a soccer career during which he played with a number of clubs including Wimbledon when they were in England’s top flight.

He played with his club, Trim, in an outfield role in a league match last Sunday.

Klitschko to take on Haye

BOXING:Heavyweight champion Vladimir Klitschko will fight British contender David Haye in Bundesliga club Schalke's soccer stadium on June 20th, the Ukrainian's manager said yesterday.

“We have reached an agreement with Schalke 04 and the stadium,” Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente told reporters. The stadium has a capacity of just over 61,000.

Deignan finishes down the field Ex-champion

CYCLING: Irish pro Philip Deignan finished in the main bunch on yesterday's second stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, rolling in 47th at the end of the 160- kilometre leg to Villatuerta, reports Shane Stokes.

Bbox Bouygues Telecom rider Yuri Trofimov was first to the line, soloing in just over one minute ahead of the peloton and five seconds in front of breakaway companion Rein Taaramae (Cofidis).

Deignan’s fellow Irish pro Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale) had a tough day, finishing 13 minutes 14 seconds back in 148th place. “I had a big asthma attack and allergies,” he said afterwards. “It was depressing - I had nothing in my legs”.

Roche will hope to recover in time for today’s third stage, a tough 172.5 kilometre race from Villatuerta to Eibar. Stage one winner Luis León Sánchez continues to lead overall heading into the mountainous leg.

Deignan is 29th overall, 42 seconds back. Roche is 138th.