Olympics: A judge yesterday ordered prosecutors to charge India’s former Olympics chief and five other sports officials with fraud relating to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Suresh Kalmadi, who headed the Games organising committee, his deputy Lalit Bhanot and four others were accused of favouring a particular company while awarding contracts for installing a timing system for the Games. Judge Talwant Singh ordered the prosecution to frame charges of “cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and for other offences under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act” by January 10.
Ice Hockey: The National Hockey League wiped out two more weeks of scheduled regular-season games on Thursday due to the ongoing lockout in a money dispute with players, having now lost 625 games through January 14. The missed games from when the NHL season should have started amount to 50.8 per cent of the regular season and take the league to the brink of missing a second full campaign in eight years over financial issues. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told a Canadian radio station earlier this week that he thinks the sides have until mid-January to strike a deal to be able to salvage even a shortened season.
Rugby Union: Australia captain David Pocock has signed a new three-year contract with the Aus-tralian Rugby Union to ensure he will remain until at least the next World Cup. Acting ARU Chief executive officer Matt Carroll claimed it had been a “smooth and straightforward process” to re-sign the Wallabies’ openside flanker. The an-nouncement means Pocock, who has represented Australia on 45 occasions, will be available to play for the Wallabies when the British and Irish Lions tour next year. He is also now likely to be the man to skipper Australia at the 2015 World Cup.
Formula One: Circuit de Catalunya officials have made it clear they have no intention of alternating the Spanish Grand Prix with Valencia. The Valencia Street Circuit played host to the European Grand Prix for five years, from 2008 to 2012, only to drop off the calendar for next season. It was suggested earlier this year Barcelona and Valencia would take it in turns to stage the Spanish Grand Prix, starting with the former for 2013. But Vincente Aguilera, president of the Consortium of the Circuit de Catalunya, has indicated that will not be the case. “We have a contract to host the GP of Spain until 2016 and we want to keep it,” he said.
Tennis: Former world number two Vera Zvonareva (picture), of Russia, has pulled out of the Australian Open with a shoulder injury, organisers of the opening grand slam of the season said. “Sorry to report that Vera Zvonareva has withdrawn from the AO due to a continuing right shoulder injury,” organisers of the Jan. 14-27 event said on their Twitter account. The injury-prone 28-year-old 2010 Wimbledon and US Open finalist will also miss the Auckland Classic starting on Dec. 31. Zheng Jie, of China, will be defending her title in Auckland.