A round-up of the day's other stories in the world of sport.

ATHLETICS: The Irish teams for the Great North Cross Country in Durham, England, on Saturday, January 4th were announced yesterday.

Clare's Seamus Power, who has a record eight National Intercountry Championships to his name, leads the men's team, which will take part in the short course race. Power will be backed up by Dundrum's Robert Connolly, who took silver in the National 5,000 metre Championships behind Mark Carroll, and Fiachra Lombard (Leevale) and Mark Kennelly (Raheny Shamrocks) who took silver and bronze, respectively, behind Power in the intercounty championships.

The women's team is led by the evergreen Ann Keenan-Buckley, who despite turning 41 three days after the event, has shown the form of her career in recent years as was shown by her 10th place finish at the World Championships in Leopardstown in March. She will be backed by Maria McCambridge, (Dundrum South Dublin) and Pauline Curley (Tullamore Harriers), both of whom have World Cross Country medals to their credit.

The races will be shown Live on BBC Grandstand.

IRELAND (Great North Cross Country, Durham): Men - S Power (Kilmurray/Ibrikane), R Connolly (Dundrum South Dublin), F Lombard (Leevale), M Kenneally (Raheny Shamrocks). Women - A Keenan Buckley (North Laois), M McCambridge (Dundrum South Dublin), P Curley (Tullamore Harriers).

MOTOR SPORT: Britain's Justin Wilson, labelled too tall to succeed in Formula One, proved his critics wrong when he was named as the new Minardi driver yesterday.

Wilson (24) had been set to replace under-performing Malaysian Alex Yoong for two races last season but was unable to fit his 6ft 3in frame into the car.

"There have always been people who have said that it is not going to happen (because of his height). We've proved that bit wrong and now I want to prove that I deserve to be here as much as everyone else," Wilson told reporters. "Now I just need to prove that I'm good enough to stay here."

Earlier this month, the team signed a deal to use the Ford Cosworth engine and Stoddart now believes he has a very competitive team to start the Formula One season in Australia on March 9th.

GYMNASTICS: Japan's gymnastics chiefs withdrew their threat yesterday to bar Romania from a competition, despite their anger over a nude performance by double Olympic gold medallist Lavinia Milosovici near Tokyo.

The 26-year-old five-time world champion and two other female Romanian gymnasts perform naked on competition-standard apparatus such as the balance beam in a DVD filmed in Chiba prefecture outside Tokyo.

The performance was partially broadcast in a recent late-night show on a private television network in Tokyo.

"We have concluded the Romanian Gymnastics Association shares our indignation," said Eri Nakamura, secretary of the junior division under the Japanese Gymnastic Association.

Koji Takizawa (60), executive director of the national association, earlier told reporters: "Even if she has retired from competition, her act is a disgrace to her sport."

HOCKEY: A "golden goal" by Ross McCandless gave the Irish Universities a 4-3 win over the British Universities at Grange Road, Dublin, yesterday. In the women's game, the honours went to the visitors, 3-0.

The men's match was vigorously contested as Ireland's Jonathan Quigley, David Bane and Eamon Bane (with a 70th-minute equaliser) exchanged goals with Michael Houlihan, David Robb and Matt Philpott.

The Irish women's team was weakened somewhat by defections but the resistance was resolute throughout, particularly from Ciara Ronan in goal, Aoife Mitchell and Kim Wallis.

IRISH UNIVERSITIES (men): G Lennox (UU); S McCandless (UU), R Willis (UCD), K Treacy (DCU), R McCandless (UU); E Bane (DCU), D Bane (DCU, capt), K Twomey (UCC); J Quigley (UU), I McKeown (UU), T Parsons (DCU). Sub: R Leonard (UCC). Subs not used: G Creamer (UL), P Balbirnie (Trinity), C Staunton (Trinity). Coach: T Parsons.

IRISH UNIVERSITIES (women): C Ronan (UL); S Mc Master (UCD), K Fraser (UCD), A Carroll (UCC), A Barry (Trinity); R Ross (Queen's), S Heron (UU), A Mitchell (Trinity); O Fitzgibbon (NUIG), K Wallis (Trinity, capt), C Rowan (Trinity). Subs: A Flinn (Trinity), C Larkin (UCC), A O'Brien (UCC), K Whelan (UCD). Coach: F Butler.