Athletics: Retiring track legend Michael Johnson has revealed he will not be competing in this year's World Championships.

The American 200 metres and 400m master has won five Olympic and nine world championship gold medals in a decade-long reign and anchored the US 4x400m relay team to victory in the final track event of the Sydney Games.

But the 33-year-old will not be taking part in next autumn's championships in Edmonton - and is already planning a career away from the track.

He said: "This year will be my last - I'm tired.

"I'm doing TV for NBC and I'll be working on both the winter and summer Olympics. I'll be doing lots of other things as well."

Rugby: The 2003 World Cup will not be moved to the United Kingdom after the International Rugby Board confirmed Australia are still set to co-host the tournament along with New Zealand.

The announcement follows a war of words Down Under in the wake of the Australian government's decision to refuse entry visas to the Fiji team for the Brisbane World Sevens Series next month.

The IRB stripped the tournament of its official status following the government's controversial move, sparking fears that they might also take action over the World Cup.

Olympics: Police detained five political dissidents yesterday for calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take China's human rights record into account when considering Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympics.

"I was questioned by police for three hours this morning," said Hu Jiangxia, wife of jailed dissident and founding member of the outlawed China Democracy Party (CDP) Wang Youcai. "The police warned me against networking with others (dissidents) and told me to give up hopes that the international community can bring pressure on China," she said.

Hu and Chen Guangmin were released after police interrogation while the three others remain in custody.

Jan Zelezny, winner of three Olympic javelin gold medals and one of a dozen active athletes who are members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), also warned against awarding the 2008 Games to Beijing.

Hockey: After the preliminary examination at Belfield earlier this month, the National coach John Clarke has named a 22-man training panel, from which 18 will be selected on the weekend of February 18th-19th for the Bangladesh tournament from March 10th-20th.