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Pentathlon: The 2015 World Championship modern pentathlon silver medalist Alexander Kukarin (picture, right) has died after suffering a heart attack. The 22-year-old Russian passed away on Thursday while staying at a Moscow hotel, according to the Russian Modern Pentathlon Federation. “We did not find any signs that he had been attacked, while there were no suspicious signs,” the federation’s press service stated, as cited by the R-Sport news agency. “The athletes have finished their season and Alexander was not at a training camp.”
Horse Racing: Officials at Aintree insist reports of Crabbie’s ending its sponsorship of the Grand National after next year’s renewal are premature. Crabbie’s signed a three-year deal to sponsor the world’s most famous steeplechase in 2013. The deal will come to an end next April and it has been suggested the Aintree spectacular will require a new financial backer from 2017. However, John Baker, who runs Aintree as North West Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “We are discussing the future sponsorship of the Grand National with Halewood International and no decisions have been made at this stage.”
Rugby Union: The Rugby Football Union has announced record revenue of £207.9m for 2014/15 and a retained profit of £7.7m. It is the first time the annual accounts for the English game’s governing body has exceeded £200m, a figure made possible by the high number of Twickenham matches, broadcasting and other match-day revenues. Investment in rugby increased two per cent over the previous year to £76.8m, with investment in professional rugby broadly flat with 2013/14 at £44.3m. RFU chief financial officer Stephen Brown said: “The RFU has delivered a fifth consecutive year of rugby investment growth, which now exceeds plan projections by £14m over the past three years.”
Cricket: Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns has been cleared of perjury and perverting the course of justice. Cairns, 45, faced trial after he successfully sued Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi for accusing him of match-fixing in 2010. The libel case netted Cairns £90,000, but he was alleged to have lied to the court when he said he had “never, ever cheated at cricket”. The retired all-rounder was said to have perverted the course of justice by inducing fellow cricketer Lou Vincent to provide a false witness statement during a Skype call. But following a nine-week trial in London, Cairns was found not guilty.
Snooker: Snooker’s Players Championship will be staged at Event City in Manchester for the first time next year. The ranking event will run from March 22 to 27 and will feature many of the top players. It was previously staged in Ireland and Preston, and last season took place in Thailand, where Joe Perry claimed the title by beating Mark Williams in the final. The Players Championship is the culmination of the season’s European Tour and Asian Tour, with 32 players to qualify for the showpiece and chase a top prize of £100,000.