Spain's Sete Gibernau has been given the all clear to ride in Germany this weekend after breaking his collarbone last month and missing three races, his Ducati MotoGP team said. The championship runner-up in 2003 and 2004 with Honda picked up the injury when he was involved in a multiple rider collision at the first corner of the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona on June 18.

Athletics

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has not ratified the indoor 4x400m relay world record set by the US in February. The time of 3:01.96 seconds was not approved because no analysis for the banned substance erythropoietin (EPO) was performed, the IAAF said. The quartet of Kerron Clement, Wallace Spearmon, Darold Williamson and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner ran the time at a meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas on February 11. The previous mark of 3:02.83, set by the US in 1999, will remain the world record.

Olympics

The mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni, said yesterday the Italian capital would not bid to host the 2016 Olympics due to the country's political division between left and right. Rome was the only Italian city that had been considering competing to host the Games.

Cricket

Australia's selectors are mulling over the best strategy for getting leading fast bowler Glenn McGrath fit for the Ashes series starting in November. The 36-year-old missed tours of South Africa and Bangladesh this year to help his wife Jane recover from cancer, but with her health improving he is now ready to step up his bid to face England. One of the key areas of discussion will be whether to send McGrath, test cricket's third highest wicket taker with 542 victims in 119 matches, to India in October for the one-day Champions Trophy.