Athletics: An outcast from the world of athletics is set to team up with an outcast from the world of politics. Ben Johnson, it was revealed yesterday, is to hire out his expertise to the Libyan leader, Muammar Gadafy.
Under the 90-day deal, worth an estimated $400,000 the disgraced Johnson, who has spent the past few years racing against cars and animals in exhibitions, will train Al-Saad Gadafy, the Libyan leader's son who plays for the country's national football team.
Johnson, who was stripped of his 100 metres gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul after testing positive for steroids, will become the personal fitness trainer of the young Gadafy. He may then be hired to train the Libyan national team.
Libyan officials said that he would attempt to do with Gadafy what he did with another infamous name, Diego Maradona, whom he helped train for a comeback in 1997.
Rugby: Last year's winners of the European Students rugby title, UCC, will stage Pool Four in the ever expanding under-25 competition when it begins on December 13th, writes Johnny Watterson. The Cork side will first face a strong challenge from British sides Exeter and Imperial Medicals.
Queen's travel to Brunel along with Northumbria in Pool Five while UCD go to Scotland where they will play Glasgow and Loughborough University. Trinity are based in St Mary's Twickenham along with Cardiff University.
Toulouse, winners of the inaugural competition two years ago and last year's finalists Grenoble both failed to qualify for this year's event.
Seven countries are represented and 21 teams involved. The final, for which the winners will receive the Times Trophy, takes place in February.
The DRAW (first named team are hosts)
Pool 1: Glasgow, University College Dublin, Loughborough
Pool 2: St Mary's Twickenham, Cardiff, Trinity College Dublin
Pool 3: University of Wales, Durham, Heriot Watt
Pool 4: University College Cork, Exeter, Imperial Medicals
Pool 5: Brunel, Queens University Belfast, Northumbria
Pool 6: Rome, Bayonne, Bristol Pool 7: Bordeaux, San Sebastian, Swansea.
Quarter-finals: January 5th 2000.
Rugby: Teenager Boris Stankovich will make his London Irish debut in tomorrow's English Premiership clash against Sale at the Stoop.
The 19-year-old hooker has been signed on loan from Bath, and goes straight into an Irish side looking to avenge last season's home league defeat by Sale. Ben Whetstone, Ryan Strudwick and Jake Boer all return after missing the European Shield loss in Agen last Saturday, while changes behind the scrum see skipper Conor O'Shea and Jarrod Cunningham revert to their familiar Premiership positions of full-back and wing respectively.
Boxing: Frank Maloney thinks "the fight the world wants to see" - Lennox Lewis against Mike Tyson - might not go ahead until 2001.
Lewis's manager Maloney had said that his man and Tyson would fight next year but yesterday admitted, "There's lots of politics and complications, so it may not happen until the year 2001."
Lewis is planning three fights next year. "If it's Michael Grant it will be in America, if it's Franz Botha from South Africa we hope to stage that fight in England," said Maloney, adding that Lewis was considering a third contest against Holyfield.
Motor Sport: Italian Alex Zanardi is still officially a Williams driver, a spokeswoman for the Formula One team has said.
The British Autosport magazine reported he had parted company with Williams after a nightmare year that saw him score no points. Autosport said the team had not yet confirmed a replacement and jettisoning Zanardi would cost them as much as £4 million in severance pay.
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, the new CART champion, is seen as a future Williams driver.
