A roundup of today's other sports news in brief
Bolt's sponsorship deal the biggest in athletics history
ATHLETICS: Usain Bolt has signed the biggest sponsorship deal in athletics history, extending his contract with Puma to 2013 and catapulting the triple world record holder into the kind of financial terrain usually reserved for star footballers.
The exact figure has not been disclosed, but a source close to the deal said the sum is comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo’s four-year contract with Nike, worth €25 million.
The 24-year-old Jamaican has consistently stated that he wants to be a legend in his sport, but the kind of marketing push – which includes a full clothing range – going with this latest deal will take him into a new stratosphere of earnings.
Bolt says he turned down interest from rival sports manufacturing companies in favour of Puma who have supported him since he was 15.
“Puma is the number one in my book. We’ve been together for years now, they are my family so I don’t want to start with a new family.”
Guardian Service
Win helps Ireland to fifth-place finish
HOCKEY: A 3-1 victory over South Africa yesterday gave the Irish under-17 team a fifth-place finish at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
Two goals from Katie Mullan in the first 15 minutes put Ireland in control of the game and, although they conceded a score before half-time, Leah Ewart all but sealed the win when she converted a rebound from a short corner in the second half.
HOCKEY: Paul Revington, the national men’s coach yesterday announced the 18 players (including one non-travelling reserve) selected to compete in a five-nations tournament in Paris from today until Sunday. The selection comes just two days after Ireland finished a four-match series against Malaysia.
Ireland will compete against Poland, France, Malaysia and Scotland over the five-day period.
Olympic silver medallist banned
ICE SKATING: Vancouver Olympics silver medallist Yevgeny Plushenko was banned indefinitely yesterday by the International Skating Union (ISU) as he competed without permission in exhibitions earlier this year.
The Russian showman, who won Olympic gold at the 2006 Turin Games and also silver four years earlier in Salt Lake City, pulled out of the World Championships in Italy in March, citing an injury.
But he went on to perform at figure skating exhibitions in March and April, the ISU said, without asking for permission.
The ISU said yesterday Plushenko had not filed an appeal to their initial decision to ban him in June and so his ban was now upheld and takes effect.
“The ineligibility is ongoing with no specific term. Requests for reinstatements may be made in line with ISU regulations . . . and are subject to a review and decision by the ISU Council,” said an ISU official.
Plushenko had 21 days to lodge an appeal.
Seven Pakistani athletes banned
ATHLETICS: Seven Pakistan track and field athletes have been banned for two years each after failing dope tests in the national championships in Islamabad last month.
The secretary of the Pakistan Amateur Athletics Federation, Khalid Mehmood, said the athletes could still appeal against their bans.
He said eight athletes had failed the tests but women’s 1,500 metres runner Samira Zahoor had not attended a hearing held by Pakistan’s anti-doping commission.
Men’s javelin thrower Muhammad Imran, who is due to compete in the Delhi Commonwealth Games next month, is one of the banned athletes.
The others are: Rozina Shafqat (women’s high jump), Nadia Nazir (women’s 400 metres hurdles), Shagufta Naureen (women’s 5,000 metres), Zahra Razzak (women’s pole vault), Asif Javed (men’s 200 metres) and Mohammad Waseem (men’s shot putt).
Hamilton fined for poor driving
FORMULA ONE: McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton has been fined A$500 (€349) but avoided conviction for reckless driving outside Melbourne’s Australian Grand Prix circuit in March.
Hamilton, who finished sixth in the race, was booked and had his Mercedes car impounded for spinning his wheels in view of police in a street near the Albert Park circuit.
The 25-year-old did not appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
Burnett bids for gold in Singapore
BOXING: Irish coach Jim Moore is expressing quite confidence that Ryan Burnett can win gold for Ireland in today’s inaugral Youth Olympic final at the International Convention Centre in Singapore, reports Bernard O’Neill.
Burnett, from the Holy Family BC in Belfast, meets AIBA World Youth light-flyweight champ Salman Alizida of Azerbaijain in today’s 48kg decider.
The clash is a repeat of last May’s World Youth final in Baku, Azerbaijan which Alizida won 9-4 in his own backyard.
He also controversially beat 18-year-old Burnett on a count-back in the President’s Cup in Baku last December following a 3-3 draw.
Burnett was 3-1 up in the final round of that encounter but ceded two points after receiving a harsh public warning for dropping his head.
That tied the scores at 3-3 and Alizida was fortunate to have his hand raised on a count-back victory despite scoring just one point in the three-rounder.
Kilmacud launch annual sevens
GAELIC GAMES: Former Kilkenny greats Charlie Carter and John Henderson and ex-Tipperary stars Tommy Dunne and John Leahy joined GAA president Christy Cooney at yesterday’s official launch of the 38th annual Kilmacud-Crokes All-Ireland hurling sevens tournament.
The 2010 Meteor Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland Sevens will take place on Saturday, September 4th, the eve of the All-Ireland hurling final, at the usual venues – Glenalbyn in Stillorgan, Co Dublin and surrounding local pitches.
Forty senior clubs from 10 counties will compete in the senior competition and 16 teams will do battle in the Shield competition.
The 2009 champions Moycarkey Borris of Tipperary will be out to defend the title, a feat last achieved by Middleton of Cork in 1981/82.
