Drugs In Sport: Finland's disgraced Nordic skiers used illegal drugs on the orders of the team's head coach and with the prior knowledge of team doctors and the Finnish ski federation during the World Championships in Lahti, a government-led commission revealed in Helsinki yesterday.
At the February championships six of the host country's skiers were caught using hydroxyethyl (HES), a plasma-expanding compound which may have been used to hide erythropoetin (EPO).
Squash: World champion Peter Nicol opens the defence of his Nivea for Men Irish Squash Open title at Fitzwilliam LTC this evening with his prospects enhanced by the absence of world number one Jonathon Power, writes Mary Hannigan. The Canadian, beaten in last year's final by Nicol, missed the deadline for entries.
The tournament can still boast nine of the world's top 10, including Australian Paul Price, who meets Irish champion Derek Ryan, the sole home representative, in the first round.
Today's first session gets under way at 6 p.m. and the final is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available from Fitzwilliam LTC (01 2310606).
Sailing: At the Spa Eurolymp Regatta at Medemblicjk, the Netherlands, yesterday, Maria Coleman restarted her Olympic ambitions with two fourth places and a 10th in the 65-boat Europe class. The Baltimore single hander lies 11th in the series that continues until Sunday.
In the 49er fleet Waterford brothers Barry and Rob McConnell were best of the Irish with 25th, 11th and 23rd, placing them 18th in a fleet of 34 boats. Tom Fitzpatrick and Frazier Browne were in joint 22nd place.
Golf: Connacht and Ulster champion Harry McKinney (The European) won the Munster Seniors Amateur Open Championship played over Castletroy and Adare Manor by eight shots. Yesterday at Castletroy he had a one over par round of 72 and at the shorter Adare course on the previous day, he finished with a four under par 65.
Tennis: Monica Seles had her comeback from a serious foot injury stopped short yesterday as she was handed a 75 2-6 6-4 defeat by Rossana de los Rios in the second round of the Spanish Open.
Seles, who only returned to full training last week after suffering the injury in early March, had been hoping for a good run in Madrid in preparation for the French Open, but complained afterwards that she felt out of touch.
Olympics: Budapest plans to make a bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said yesterday.
