Basket, NBA: The Minnesota Timberwolves said that Spanish guard Ricky Rubio, battling back from a knee injury that cut short his NBA rookie season, has been cleared to take part in full-contact training. Timberwolves president David Kahn said that the timetable on Rubio’s return to game action was still to be determined. When he does return to the court, his minutes per game will be monitored as he regains full fitness.
London 2012: The 2012 Olympic media centre will become a broadcasting hub for a new British sports TV channel next year. The centre, in London’s Olympic Park, will serve as the production base for BT’s new channel broadcasting English Premier League matches from next season. BT has agreed a 10-year lease for the centre. But the deal is still subject to approval from the board of the London Legacy Development Cor-poration, charged with securing the future use of facilities, including the Olympic Stadium.
Canoeing: Triple Olympic canoeing champion Tony Estanguet (picture) of France announced his retirement from the sport yesterday, four months after winning the third Games gold of his career in London. The 34-year-old, who also triumphed in the C1 category at Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004), added that he was at peace with his decision, saying: “It was a superb Olympiad, I revel in every moment, but now it’s time (to retire). I’m not leaving worn-out, in conflict with my sport.”
Cricket: The Indian government is to issue a record 3,000 visas to Pakistani cricket fans attending a series of limited over matches beginning next month, an official in the interior ministry told AFP yesterday. “We will happily host 3,000 Pakistani cricket lovers for the matches. This is the first time that we have decided to issue so many visas in one go,” the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Boxing: Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff is contemplating more boxing bouts if his professional debut against Richard Dawson of the US today is a success. ‘Freddie’, as he is known to cricket lovers around the world, will break new ground when the 34-year-old squares up to Dawson in a four-round heavyweight contest in Manchester for his first professional bout. Flintoff has been trained for the past five months by former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan and his son Shane.