Motorcycling: Moto2 rider Alex Marinelarena awoke from a medically-induced coma yesterday – a week after suf-fering head injuries in a pre-season testing crash in France. The 21-year-old Spaniard, due to contest the 2014 season with the Tech3 Racing Team, suffered a heavy fall last week which initially knocked him unconscious. Although Marinelarena regained con-sciousness and was able to communicate with the circuit’s medical staff, he was placed into an induced coma on his arrival at Saint-Anne hospital in Toulon.
Snooker: Ding Junhui got off to a winning start at the Dongguan Open with a 4-2 defeat of Wang Qianwei yesterday and said he hopes the Asian Tour events will continue to thrive. “The tour is world class, all the facilities are to a very high standard,” said Ding, whose top break was 79. “I hope there will be more top players in the Asian Tour next season and I also hope there will be more snooker events in Dongguan.”
Athletics: Ukraine’s athletes will contest this weekend’s World Indoor Championships in Poland despite the ongoing crisis in their country. The president of the Ukrainian Athletic Federation, Ihor Hotsul, believes there is a “real threat to the territorial integrity” of his country but said Ukraine’s 20-strong team would compete in Sopot, starting today.
Tennis:Australian prosecutors have withdrawn a ‘courtsiding’ charge brought against a British man at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, local media reported yesterday. Melbourne police arrested Daniel Thomas Dobson, 22, at the tournament in January and charged him with one count of “engaging in conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome”. Dobson, the first person charged under new legislation in Australia’s southern state of Victoria, was not at the Melbourne Magistrates court yesterday, having returned to Britain, the Australian Associated Press said. His lawyer had applied for costs, the agency said.
Six Nations: France manager Philippe Saint-Andre has made seven changes to the team that put in a dismal display against Wales as Les Bleus seek to put their Six Nations challenge back on track when they face Scotland at Murrayfield tomorrow. Saint-Andre has remained loyal to Jules Plisson at flyhalf for the fourth match in a row, pairing the Stade Francais player with Maxime Machenaud and relegating Jean-Marc Doussain to the bench. The entire third row has changed with Damien Chouly, Alexandre Lapandry and Sebastien Vahaamahina forming a combination that provides more power than pace.