Sailing: Leading yacht Shockwave was among 12 boats to pull out of the Sydney-Hobart race yesterday as the fleet sailed into gale-force winds and rough conditions, officials said.
The state-of-the-art carbon fibre maxi had led since the race started on Tuesday and was five nautical miles ahead after covering more than 170 miles of the 630-mile race down Australia's south-east coast.
While the list of retirements grew steadily through yesterday, Swedish maxi Nicorette was within sight of Australian rival Wild Thing as they broke clear and battled across Bass Strait between mainland Australia and the island state of Tasmania.
"It's nice to have them side-by-side to keep us on our toes," Wild Thing captain Grant Wharington told race officials from the deck of his boat.
Shockwave skipper Neville Crichton withdrew late yesterday morning because he felt his untested boat could not cope with winds of more than 30 knots and rough seas in Bass Strait.
"He was apprehensive about the forecast and how they might fare," race spokesman Peter Campbell said in a statement.
Cycling: Cycling's world governing body the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the French Cycling Federation (FFC) have launched an appeal over a court's accusations that they failed to tackle doping in the sport.
The UCI and FFC said yesterday they planned to protest against remarks made during the conclusion of the Festina doping trial earlier this month.
The court accused the cycling bodies of "prolonged quasi-inaction" towards drug use in the sport.
The remarks were made as French cycling star Richard Virenque was cleared of helping to supply doping products to his former Festina team during the 1998 Tour de France.
Olympics: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced yesterday that Internet journalists will be allowed greater access to the Olympic Games.
The IOC said that for the first time a limited number of Internet organisations would be accredited for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
"The first experience will be evaluated following the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in the context of the impact on future Olympic Games," The IOC said.
Cricket: Disgraced former cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin will legally challenge a life ban slapped by India's cricket board after he admitted to fixing three one-day international matches, his lawyer said yesterday.
He and another cricketer Ajay Sharma were handed a life ban earlier this month by the cricket authorities.
