Sports round-up

Motor Racing: Proposals for a F1 circuit in and around the London Olympic Stadium are now under consideration as one of four proposals for the post 2012 future of the venue. The scheme is one of several being reviewed by the London Legacy Development Corporation, who will decide what happens to the stadium after the Games. Intelligent Transport Solutions Ltd have already held preliminary talks with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Any potential race would form a second British round of the F1 championship to run alongside the existing British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Tennis: American wild card Jack Sock defeated seventh seed Alex Bogomolov 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the opening round of the ATP Tour’s Atlanta Open. The 19-year-old Sock converted two of his three break points while saving six of the seven chances he faced on serve in the two hour, 15 minute match. Russia’s Bogomolov has now lost five consecutive matches and falls to 9-21 on the season.

Rugby Union: Former All Blacks great John Kirwan was appointed head coach of the Auckland Blues yesterday, replacing Pat Lam at the helm of the underperforming Super 15 franchise. Kirwan, a 63-Test veteran who has also coached Italy and Japan at Rugby World Cups, said he was thrilled to be returning to New Zealand to coach in Auckland, where be began his career. But the 47-year-old also acknowledged he faced a difficult task in turning around the Blues, who finished 12th on the ladder this year with 12 losses and four wins.

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2020 Olympics: Swimming legend Mark Spitz (picture) has given his backing to Istanbul’s bid to host the 2020 Summer Games. The 62-year-old – a winner of nine Olympic gold medals in all and with seven coming at the 1972 edition in Munich – was speaking after he had braved racing 6.5km across the Bosphorous. “Considering how much work will be required to host the 2020 Games, the organisational ability shown during this race highlights the promise of Istanbul. I am here to lend my support to Turkey.”

Opinion poll: Nearly half of the British population believe their country is poorly prepared for the London Olympics while many have concerns over security at the Games, a poll has suggested. Last-minute plans for the armed forces to fill a shortage of security guards have raised public fears about safety at Olympic venues, according to a Comres opinion poll published late Monday, 11 days before the Games open on July 27. Of the 2,000 people questioned, 45 per cent said they felt that Britain seemed poorly prepared for the Olympics.

Basketball: Lithuania’s Olympic captain Robertas Javtokas will miss his first Games since 2004 with a foot injury. “It is a huge loss. It’s difficult to describe how much we will miss him, not only on the court but also off it,” team coach Kestutis Kemzura said in a statement. Basketball is Lithuania’s top sport and there are high hopes that the team could add to the haul of Olympic medals won by previous squads. Lithuania have ranked among the top four in the five Olympic Games since the country’s independence from the former Soviet Union.