Cycling: Professional cycling was dealt yet another blow yesterday after former Festina team manager Bruno Roussel claimed that bribery among riders on the Tour de France was common practice. Roussel, who has admitted organising doping allegedly for health reasons in his team before the Festina scandal erupted in 1998, claimed that former King of the Mountains Richard Virenque had "bought" a stage victory from German rider Jan Ullrich in 1997. Roussel also said that Virenque's bribe offer to other riders to help him reel in race leader Jan Ullrich were laughed off.
The claims, made in Le Monde newspaper which is serialising Roussel's new book Tour of Vices, due to published today, come only a week after the drug-tainted Giro d'Italia ended with 86 people, half of whom are riders, being investigated for sporting fraud and possession of illegal substances.
Tennis: Defending men's champion Pete Sampras is set to stroll through the opening rounds at Wimbledon after yesterday's draw, but top women's seed Martina Hingis faces a rough ride as she bids for a second Wimbledon crown. Sampras, seeking a record eighth title at the All England club is paired with clay-court specialist Francisco Clavet of Spain in the first round and should then face the winner of the match between two British wildcards Barry Cowan and Mark Hilton.
The American is scheduled to meet Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti in the last 32. Lapentti is seeded 30th in the expanded 32seed draw, but has never gone beyond the second round at these championships. If the seedings go according to plan Sampras should meet local hero Tim Henman, seeded sixth, in the quarter-finals and Marat Safin of Russia in the last four. Sampras beat Henman in the 1999 semi-final, while the 21-year-old Safin has yet to get to grips with the slick grass surface at Wimbledon.
World number one Hingis, bidding for a first Grand Slam title since the Australian Open in January 1999 should ease past Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain in the first round, but will be severely tested in the second round by rapidly improving Russian Lena Krasnoroutskaya, ranked 38th in the world, in the next. Waiting for the Swiss 20-year-old in the last 16 should be one of two experienced Spaniards - former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, seeded 19th, or Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (13th) who are set to meet in the third round. Hingis should meet eighth seed Justine Henin of Belgium in the quarterfinals and could then confront, for the third successive Grand Slam, Jennifer Capriati.
Capriati starts against Maria Alejandro Vento of Venezuela and has a fairly smooth ride to the last eight.
Rugby: Craig White has resigned as national fitness adviser to the IRFU and is to take up a similar position at Premiership soccer club, Bolton Wanderers. He will be replaced by Mike Bull, who has been Ulster squad fitness advisor for the past two years.
Phil Mack will take over from Bull. The fitness advisers to supervise the physical conditioning development of the academy foundation and Irish schools' and youth squads are, Philip Morrow (Ulster), Aidan O' Connell (Leinster), Marian Carey (Munster - Cork) and Des Foy (Munster - Limerick).
World Games For The Deaf: The team to represent Ireland at the 19th World Games for the Deaf in Rome on July 17th was announced yesterday by Irish Deaf Sports Association president Sean Kelly, writes Niamh O'Donoghue. The Irish team consists of 20 athletes who will compete in swimming and soccer events. Ireland has won 12 gold, eight silver and five bronze over the last seven Deaf World Games and also holds the World and European swimming titles since 1985. The games are the equivalent to the Olympic games for the global deaf community. The IOC acknowledges the Deaf World Games and its flag will fly throughout the games.
