Sports round-up

Snooker: Four-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan was given a suspended fine and a warning by snooker’s governing body yesterday after being found guilty of failing to attend tournaments. O’Sullivan, who won the world title in 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2012, was charged with not having a reasonable excuse for withdrawing from 11 events between August 2010 and March 2012. The 36-year-old presented medical advice at a hearing with the World Professional Snooker and Billiards Association that showed he was within his rights to miss three of those events, but he was punished in relation to eight late withdrawals in 2010.

Rugby Union: Wallaby lock Dan Vickerman announced his retirement from all forms of the game after being sidelined with injury for much of the year. The Cape Town-born 33-year-old appeared 63 times for Australia, making his debut against France in 2002 after switching allegiance from South Africa, who he represented at the under-19 level. He spent almost three years out of international rugby when studying in England but returned to Australia last year and forced his way back into the Wallabies squad, adding eight more caps to his tally.

Golf: The Asian Tour is in talks to set up an “iconic” golf event to rival the majors as early as 2015, its new chief executive has revealed. Mike Kerr, who took the helm in March, made the statement as he laid out an ambitious vision which sees the circuit expanding to match the current size of the European Tour in the next 10 years. “Yes, I think we can have an iconic golf event in Asia. There are some plans that we have that we’re already in the market talking about,” he said. “We’re seriously working on it... let’s say definitely within the next three to five years.”

Marathon: The trophy won by the marathon winner at the 1896 Olympics has gone on display for the first time in Greece yesterday. The Breal’s Silver Cup, which stands just 15 cm tall, has been described as one of the most important pieces of memorabilia associated with the Games. When it was sold in April by the grandson of the victor, Greek athlete Spyros Louis, it smashed the previous auction record for an Olympic artifact. The Athens-based Stavros Niarchos Foundation paid more than €650,000 to acquire the cup. The organisation said it wanted to keep it in Greece, which won it 116 years ago.

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Boxing: A Bollywood film-maker is working on a movie about Indian boxing star and mother-of-two Mary Kom (picture), whose bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics cemented her status as a national hero. Sanjay Leela Bhansali said he was moved by the story of Kom, a poor farmer’s daughter from the remote northeast of India who overcame the odds to become a five-times world champion and Olympic medallist. “Here’s a person so splendid, so inspiring, so wonderful,” Bhansali said. “Her story needs to be told to the world. It’s a wonderful story of a fighter in life.”