Sports digest: The London 2012 Olympics will make a profit, the city's mayor predicted yesterday, a day after the British government raised its estimate for the cost of building the Games' centrepiece complex by 40 per cent.
Ken Livingstone insisted that plans for the London Olympics remained on course despite a rash of headlines saying costs could eventually soar to £10 billion.
"Nothing's a mess. Everything is going exactly according to plan," he told BBC radio yesterday.
British sports minister Tessa Jowell blamed higher steel prices and transport costs on Tuesday for a rise to £3.3 billion in the predicted cost of building the Olympic Park, which will include the main Olympic stadium, other sports facilities and a media centre, in east London.
Pakistan fight back strongly
Half centuries from Imran Farhat, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf inspired a strong fight back by Pakistan to save the second Test after Brian Lara had hit his ninth double hundred to put West Indies in control yesterday.
Farhat (70 not out) shared substantial partnerships with Younis (56) and Yousuf (56 not out) to steer Pakistan to a comfortable 213 for two at the close on the fourth day, just 21 runs short of making West Indies bat again.
West Indies, enjoying a first innings lead of 234 thanks to Lara's brilliant 216, dismissed Mohammad Hafeez for 18 in the second session and removed the dangerous Younis in the second over after tea. "This match is not over as yet," said Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Heras still looking for answers
Spanish cyclist Roberto Heras said he has been denied access to the details of his positive doping test during last year's Tour of Spain that he needs for his appeal against a two-year ban.
"I've been accused of testing positive for EPO (erythropoietin) but I don't have the details of the analysis I need," Heras said yesterday.
"They gave me 20 pages of details of the analysis of the 'A' sample, but not for the 'B' analysis and I feel defenceless as a result."
The 32-year-old, who rode for Manolo Saiz's former Liberty Seguros team, tested positive for the banned blood-booster in the penultimate stage of last year's Tour of Spain when he was on his way to a record fourth triumph in the three-week race.
SA relay team get late golds
South Africa's 4x100m relay team at the 2001 World Championships have been belatedly awarded the gold medal after initial winners the United States were disqualified, Athletics South Africa (ASA) said yesterday.
South Africa's quartet of Morne Nagel, Corne du Plessis, Lee-Roy Newton and Mathew Quinn were surprise silver medallists in Edmonton, Canada, behind the Americans who were disqualified following Tim Montgomery's doping infringement.
Montgomery was stripped of his medal by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) last year having been handed a two-year ban when the Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted evidence that he had taken the designer steroid THG.
