HOCKEY: The International Hockey Federation's disciplinary committee will today hear Lithuania's protest against the decision to order a replay of their penalty strokes shoot-out against Ireland at the World Cup Qualifier in France last September, writes Mary Hannigan. Lithuania refused to turn up for the replay and were deemed to have withdrawn from the tournament - Ireland were declared winners of the tie, securing their qualification to the 2002 World Cup finals.
The Irish Hockey Association will be represented at the hearing, which takes place in Brussels, by its legal adviser Giles Kennedy, president Joan McCloy, Rachael Kohler and Denise McCarthy, captain and manager, respectively, of the Irish team.
Lithuania will present its case to the committee - one that claims the "rights and legitimate interests of the Lithuanian hockey team were violated" by tournament director Claire Peeters-Monseu's decision to order a replay of the shoot-out - before Ireland will be given an opportunity to make submissions on its own behalf. Peeters-Monseu, who is understood to be standing firmly behind her decision to rule the original shoot-out invalid, will be called as a witness by the IHA if required. A verdict is not expected until later in the week.
GOLF: Ireland's most capped Ryder Cup player Christy O'Connor Snr was among 17 recipients in the PGA centenary dinner awards at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin last night. O'Connor played in the Ryder Cup on 10 occasions, a record which stood until Nick Faldo played in his 11th Ryder Cup at Valderamma in 1997.
Seve Ballesteros, who was the European Ryder Cup captain on that occasion, was awarded the international player award. There were four posthumous award winners: Michael Moran, Harry Bradshaw, Ireland's only major winner Fred Daly and Eddie Hackett.
Award Recipients 2001: Women's Amateur Juvenile: H Nolan (Shannon); Men's Amateur (Juvenile): M McHugh (Ballinasloe); Women's Amateur Senior: A Coffey (Warrenpoint); Men's Amateur Senior: M Hoey (Shandon Park); PGA Order of Merit Winner: J Dwyer (Ashbourne); Centenary winners. Pioneering: M Moran (Royal Dublin); Champion: H Bradshaw (Portmarnock); Major: F Daly (Balmoral); Ryder Cup: C O'Connor Snr (Royal Dublin); Women's Amateur: M McKenna (Donabate); Men's Amateur: J Carr (Sutton); PGA teacher: C Patterson (Warrenpoint); Club professional: M Doherty (City of Derry); Tour professional: Des Smyth; Service and Support for Irish Professional Golf: Michael Smurfit (The K Club); International player: Seve Ballesteros; Golf Course Architect: E Hackett.
TENNIS: Croatian player and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic was due to start serving his compulsory military service yesterday in a barracks of his home town of Split, the defence ministry said.
Ivanisevic is to spend the next six months at Split's Lora barracks within a sports regiment. According to Jutarnji List the independent daily, Ivanisevic had hoped that he would not be deployed in an artillery regiment because he had complained about sight problems during a recruitment medical test in September.
After undergoing basic training in Split, the 30-year-old is to attend a swearing-in ceremony Zagreb in mid-December.
Military service within the sports regiment is specially-tailored to top sportsmen so Ivanisevic should have no problems in preparing for the 2002 tennis season, the newspaper said.
TENNIS: A special training camp is being planned by Tennis Ireland at altitude for their Fed Cup team due to play in the qualifiers in Pretoria in the New Year, writes Pat Roche. It's an unprecedented step but Irish official Des Allen said: "We feel we have a good chance of qualifying this time with a team that consists of full-timers. They must be given every chance as the climate in South Africa in April will be a factor."
Kelly Liggan, the Irish number one who is based in Spain, is making steady inroads on her 200 WTA world ranking and Cork's Elsa O'Riain has picked up ranking points at an encouraging rate in her first year as a professional. Claire Curran finishes her spell at the University of California at Christmas and is returning to the professional circuit.
Peter Clarke is officially Ireland's number one men's player following his recent success on the Japan and Australian circuits.
GOLF: The chairman of the Munster branch of the GUI, John Brett, has expressed his concern that only half of the 87 registered clubs in the province returned results of classic events held during the year. The a.g.m. at Mallow heard that out of a total of 299 classics played, only 99 results were returned to the branch.
Following a motion from the branch, proposed by Michael Galvin (Limerick), fines are to be imposed on clubs who have caused disruption to the running of the cups and shields. These include handicap irregularities, failing to show up without giving notice or giving less than three days' notice of inability to field a team.
SNOOKER: A resurgent Jimmy White stunned man-of-the-season John Higgins 5-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the £250,000 European Open in Valletta in Malta yesterday. Former World Champion Ken Doherty advanced after beating Scotland's Alan McManus 5-3 but fellow Dubliner Michael Judge fell 5-1 to England's Stephen Lee.
ATHLETICS: Thirty-four athletes eligible for prize money from this year's World Championships and the grand prix circuit have still to receive their winnings because they have not produced the required number of out-of-competition drug tests.
The head of the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) Anti-Doping Commission Arne Ljungqvist told the federation's final council of the year yesterday that about 460 athletes were to get prize money.
"Thirty-four athletes have still not received any because they have not produced the required number of dope tests," he said.
IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said each of the cases would be examined individually as some athletes might not have been aware that they had to submit to two tests in the 12 months before they could earn prize money.
"In those cases we might accept that one test was enough," Davies said.
GAELIC GAMES: Offaly county board secretary Christy Todd criticised the International Rules series in his address to delegates at the county convention in Tullamore last weekend.
He said he didn't see any benefit from the GAA's continued participation, adding that he is naturally disappointed the series is to continue for at least another four years.
He described the series as "only a mix-and-match game where there have been far too many unsavoury incidents". Todd, who is unopposed for a 12th year in office, is critical also of the bigger role in decision-making assumed by central council. He said county committees had not been asked for their views on the International Rules series.
