Other sports news...

Australia were criticised for rude behaviour yesterday after members of their triumphant squad pushed aside the Indian board president on the Champions Trophy victory podium.

Television pictures showed batsman Damien Martyn placing a hand on Board of Control for Cricket in India president Sharad Pawar to move him as the players posed for pictures with the trophy at Mumbai's Brabourne stadium.

Leading Indian newspapers carried pictures of the incident.

"This is how champions behave when they get the trophy," read the caption of a front page article in the Indian Express.

World champions Australia defeated West Indies by eight wickets in the rain-hit final to claim their maiden Champions Trophy, the second most important one-day tournament in world cricket.

Figure skating - Slutskaya retires

Former world and European champion Irina Slutskaya has announced her retirement from competitive figure skating, saying "she has had enough".

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do in the next five minutes but one thing is certain - I'm done with competitive skating," the 27-year-old Russian said. Slutskaya said she wanted to become a television talk-show host.

The decision was not unexpected as Slutskaya has not competed since February's Turin Olympics, where she was favourite to win the women's figure skating gold but finished a disappointing third.

Slutskaya has won plenty of honours. She became the first Russian to win the European women's crown in 1996 and then overcame serious illness to increase that tally to a record seven titles.

Golf - Woods to design courses

The world's no.1 golfer, Tiger Woods, is taking aim at a new business - designing golf courses.

Woods, who has won the US Masters, the US and British Opens, said in a statement that he was forming a new company to design golf courses.

"There are golfers that may never get a chance to play a links course in Scotland, a tree-lined course in America or the sand belts of Australia. Hopefully I can bring some of those elements into their backyards," said Woods.

Woods, 30, will be the chairman of Tiger Woods Design, based in Windermere, Florida. The new company is planning projects around the world although it gave no details on where the courses would be located.

Woods said he sought the advice of friends and experts in the industry like former champion golfer Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus, 18-times major champion, has designed 250 courses that are open for play worldwide.

Volleyball - Re-elected Acosta to serve out final four-year term

Long-serving world volleyball chief Ruben Acosta will agree to step down as FIVB president in 2010 after 26 years at the helm.

Acosta, who has been in the hot-seat since 1984 and last month won another four-year term, told Reuters he would abide by FIVB rules, which prevent candidates older than 75 seeking office.

"These are the rules, I will be 75 in 2009 and my intention is that after that I will step down," said the Mexican, who has been credited with raising the profile of both volleyball and beach volleyball as television spectacles.