Olympics: The inaugural meeting of the Olympic Athletes Forum will be held at the Citywest hotel in Dublin on Saturday at 11.0 a.m. The forum, which is strongly backed by canoeist Ian Wiley and rower Neville Maxwell, will be solely an athletes group, with no links to the recently-mooted Olympic Council of Ireland group.

It is proposed that the meeting will elect officers, whose term will be limited to a year, and any report or recommendations will be forwarded to all interested parties.

Motor Sport: German Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher will auction one of his red Ferrari outfits in aid of autism suffers next month. The auction will take place on December 18th, along with the sale of specialist motoring memorabilia in Paris.

Schumacher, who gave the Italian stable the double drivers' and constructors' title for the first time in 21 years last month, is hoping to raise far more than the outfits' estimated $15,000 value for a French charity that works with sufferers of the condition.

Sailing: The Vendee Globe round the world yacht race, scheduled to start in Les Sablesd-D'Olonne today, after being postponed from Sunday, has been pushed back again until Thursday, race organizer Philippe Jeantot said.

He blamed the weather for the rescheduling of the start of this non-stop, solo competition which does not allow assistance.

Boxing: World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis admits he will find it difficult to motivate himself to carry on boxing if a deal cannot be struck to allow him to fight Mike Tyson.

The Briton defends his WBC and IBF titles against New Zealander David Tua in Las Vegas on Saturday, but a bout with Tyson is clearly on his mind.

Boxing politics seem to be in the way of a mouthwatering clash between Lewis and the former undisputed champion, who is now ranked as the number one contender for the WBC crown.

The underlying problem is negotiating a deal between American cable network Home Box Office - which holds Lewis' contract - and Tyson's backers, Showtime, for what would be the richest fight in history.

Olympics: French president Jacques Chirac has thrown his weight behind Paris' bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

Chirac estimated that France's medal success in Sydney should prove highly encouraging for the French capital's bid to stage one of the world's premier sporting events.

Chirac was speaking during a medals ceremony at the Elysee Palace where French sports personalities were awarded the Legion of Honour, the country's highest distinction, and the Order of Merit.

"We all firmly believe in Paris being chosen next July for the organisation of the 2008 Olympic Games," said Chirac.

"The bid committee have put together a superb plan under the guiding and trustful hand of its president Claude Bebear. I, along with all the other civic powers across the country, give it my wholehearted support," added Chirac in the presence of prime minister Lionel Jospin.

Snooker: Anthony Hamilton has been passed fit to make his comeback in the UK Championship at Bournemouth later this month.

Nottingham's world number 11 missed both the British Open and Grand Prix last month after breaking his right wrist attempting to stop a pickpocket stealing his friend's wallet.

The 29-year-old - dubbed the Robin Hood of snooker - has paid a heavy price for his heroics, dropping to 20th in the latest world rankings.

His Cuemasters manager Ian Doyle confirmed yesterday that Hamilton will definitely take his place in the UK Championship, which runs from November 18th to December 3rd.