Olympic logo "racist"

Iran has protested against the already London's controversial logo for the 2012 Olympic Games, saying the emblem is racist and spells the word 'Zion'- Zion is a biblical term that often refers to the city Jerusalem - the ILNA news agency reported.

Iran's national Olympic committee have made an official complaint about the logo to the International Olympic Committee (IOC),and are threatening to boycott the Games.

Mohammad Aliabadi, head of the national Olympic committee in the Islamic republic, said the logo undermined the event and accused the British organisers of indulging in "racism".

"Unfortunately, we all are witnessing that the upcoming Olympics ... faces a serious challenge, definitely spawned out of some people's racist spirit", Aliabadi said in a letter to IOC president Jacques Rogge.

"The use of the word Zion by the designer of the Olympics logo ... in the emblem of the Olympics Games 2012 is a very revolting act".

London 2012 chiefs expressed surprise at the claims.

A London 2012 spokeswoman said, "The London 2012 logo represents the year 2012, nothing else. It was launched in 2007 following testing and consultation, we are surprised that this complaint has been made now".

The IOC have confirmed that they have received a letter from the Iranian national Olympic committee but have backed London's position on the logo.

Your Mate ... (28/02)

Ashley Cole

Surrey police will question staff from Chelsea football club over reports that Ashley Cole accidentally shot an intern at the club's training ground.

A spokesman for Surrey police said they would be "contacting the club in due course to establish whether any criminal offence has been committed".

The England left-back, who was previously married to pop star Cheryl Cole, fired a .22 air rifle at 21 year old Tom Cowan, thinking it was not loaded.

The sports sciences student then began to bleed profusely from a side wound which was treated by Chelsea medical staff.

A club statement read, "We have fully investigated the incident and we are taking appropriate action. We will not be commenting further as it is an internal matter".

Cowan was reportedly just a metre and a half away from Cole at the time of the incident.

The type of air gun involved in the incident doesn't require a licence in Britain and Surrey Police didn't attend the scene.


Bryan Carrasco

The childhood torture "Stop hitting yourself" took on a new meaning when Chilean Under 20 football star Bryan Carrasco was caught on camera trying to perpetrate a heinous crime against fair play.

With Chile trailing Ecuador 1-0 in the last quarter of an hour, Carrasco grabbed the arm of Edson Motano, then hit himself in the face with it before diving to the ground to try to get his opponent sent off.

Luckily for Motano, and for fans of sporting justice in general, the referee spotted Carrasco's attempted subterfuge, and gave the free kick against the men in red.

As karma would have it, Chile went on to lose the match and also any chance of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Your Mate ... (23/02)

Ricky Ponting

A furious Ricky Ponting took out his frustration at being run out in Australia's opening World Cup match by smashing a television set with his bat in the team's dressing room.

The incident during the Group A match against Zimbabwe was reported to the sport's governing body but an International Cricket Council source said "It was unlikely the matter would be taken any further".

On Monday, the Australian captain was found short of his crease at the non-striking end by a direct throw from the mid-wicket boundary by Chris Mpofu whilst attempting a second run.

Ponting was seen talking angrily to himself as he walked back to the pavilion and it appears his emotions spilled over once he was back in the dressing room, where he saw footage of his dismissal being replayed on TV.

Gujarat Cricket Association secretary Rajesh Patel confirmed the incident stating, "It's true. We have already informed the ICC and the Australian cricket authorities about the incident".

A Cricket Australia spokesman said Ponting had “accidentally” damaged the TV set soon after his dismissal in the 91-run victory.

Ponting has since apologised for damaging the television.

Carmelo's finally heading to Broadway

The Denver Nuggets have finally completed their long-awaited trade to send Carmelo Anthony to his preferred destination, the New York Knicks.

Amongst gaining Anthony, the Knicks will also receive Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter.

The Nuggets will be receiving Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, the Knicks’ 2014 first-round pick and two second-round picks New York acquired from the Golden State Warriors in the David Lee sign-and-trade.

The Knicks will also trade Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry’s expiring contract to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will send Corey Brewer to the Nuggets.

Anthony is expected to sign a three year, $65 million extension with the Knicks. If all the players involved in the trade report on time and pass physicals, Anthony’s first game with the Knicks is expected to be Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden.

“I’m extremely happy for Carmelo”, Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose said.

“We are very appreciative to the Denver Nuggets organisation for their efforts in assisting Carmelo get to New York. Carmelo is excited and looking forward to playing for the Knicks".

It has been said that Nuggets coach George Karl pushed team officials to make the deal with the Knicks, over a straight trade with the New Jersey Nets because it would better position the Nuggets to contend for the playoffs this season.

Opinion: 'Sepoy' certainly not invincible

'Sepoy' the $1.60 favourite for Saturday's feature race, the Group 1 Blue Diamond, may look to be unbeatable, but as in all 2 year old racing this is far from the truth.

'Sepoy' has demolished his rivals at his last two starts, and has looked as professional as any juvenile in recent history, hence starting a heavy favourite for the race. But betting on 2 year old racing is fraught with danger, as often punters get carried away with the media hype surrounding one individual horse – and take their eye off the ball with the problems surrounding these youngsters.

Because these young horses run on fear and adrenalin, it is nearly impossible to predict how they will react to certain situations in big races. Whether it be running through a small opening, or coming off of opponents heels in the final metres, uncertainty certainly play's it's role, and the jockey becomes of vital importance in these tight situation.

Keep in mind the affect a new jockey, Kerrin McEvoy, will have on the horse. Mark Zahra has ridden the horse at every start and knows all of the quirks the colt may or may not have. Come Saturday when McEvoy asks for one final effort of Sepoy, will the colt notice a difference in his hands, in his riding style? It is impossible to know.

One major factor in the performance of these juveniles is shin soreness, as it has no boundaries and can pull up the heavily backed favourite or the despised outsider of the field.

Whilst it regularly affects horses as old as four or five, shin soreness is far more prevalent in a 2 year old horse, as that young horse’s bones are still developing.

When shin sore, a youngster will run like a Camel.

Shin soreness is, in reality, a hairline fracture of the cannon bone, so it’s quite a serious injury – yet it is a regular occurrence in the 2 year old – and some of the best 2 year old’s in the country have been beaten at long odds on, simply through shin soreness.

Punters need to be aware that this problem exists – as it’s a silent murderer of your money, as there is no visible way for the poor hapless punter to know the horse is shin sore before it enters the barrier.

One final thought before departing with your hard-earned on Saturday. Remember the Blue Diamond two years ago and a colt by the name of 'Real Saga'.

The most bombproof juvenile in the country appeared to be Real Saga, the horse who had it all; a turn of foot, composure under pressure and courage. After dominating the lead up races in Melbourne and Sydney, Real Saga didn't win either the Blue Diamond or the Golden Slipper. He was clearly the best racehorse, but problems in both races lead to him losing, and the money of the nation washed away.

I'm not saying it is impossible for Sepoy to win the Blue Diamond on Saturday, as he may prove to be the superstar of this year. But taking the short odds of $1.60 come race day seems imprudent.

Remember, no matter what the media say, there is no such thing as a certainty in racing.

Free Kick training needed for French team

French amateur club FC Mulhouse have reportedly been having a few communication problems of late, particularly, whose job it is to shoot at goal from a free kick.

The "three-striker" deception play, which would have taken hours to perfect on the practice pitch, resulted in pure embarrassment for all involved.

Your Mate ... (15/02)

Tiger Woods

Former world number one Tiger Woods will be fined after spitting at the hole during the Dubai Desert Classic at the weekend.

The European Tour said in a statement on Monday, "Tournament director Mike Stewart has reviewed the incident and feels there has been a breach of the tour code of conduct and consequently Tiger Woods will be fined".

Officials will now write to the 35-year-old American's management team but are unlikely to publicly disclose the amount of the fine.

A 14-times major winner, Woods was caught spitting several times by television cameras in the final round, after returning a three-over-par 75 to finish seven strokes behind winner Alvaro Quiros of Spain.

Former tour professional Ewen Murray, now a commentator with Sky Sports, voiced his displeasure with the former world number one.

"You look at his work ethics and he is a credit to the game and an inspiration to all of those who are trying to become professional golfers but there are some parts of him that are just arrogant and petulant",

"Somebody now has to come behind him and maybe putt over his spit. It does not get much lower than that".

Murray's Sky colleague Robert Lee is on the European Tour's board of directors and he was equally appalled at Woods's behaviour in Dubai.

"Could you imagine Jack Nicklaus looking down at a four or five-foot putt and then turning to the side and (spitting)? It would never happen", said former tour professional Lee.

"It's a lack of class, appalling",

"He needs to have a bit more class about him and think about what he is doing".

Woods later apologised for his spitting incident on Twitter, stating that he "just wasn't thinking".

The Good, The Bad and The...(14/02)

The Good – D.A Points

American D.A. Points clinched his first PGA Tour title with a two-shot victory at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday, after covering his last five holes in a stunning three under par.

Two strokes behind the leaders going into the final round, Points spectacularly holed out from 100 yards to eagle the par-five 14th on the way to a five-under 67 on the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

With his scorching run in bright sunshine after the turn, the 34 year old Points, charged past overnight leader Steve Marino and U.S. Ryder Cup player Hunter Mahan to post a winning total of 15 under.

"Pebble Beach may be the most iconic place in America to play golf and to win here is just a dream come true", a beaming Points said greenside after earning the winner's cheque for US$1.116 million.

"I'm so grateful to have this opportunity".

Points was able celebrate to a double victory on Sunday as he also triumphed in the pro-am competition with his playing partner Bill Murray, the U.S. actor and comedian.

The Bad – DeMarcus Cousins

While the Sacramento Kings played in Phoenix today, rookie centre DeMarcus Cousins was waiting to learn his fate after being involved in a post-game altercation with a team-mate the previous night.

Cousins started the altercation with Kings forward Donte Greene in the team’s locker room because he was upset Greene passed the ball to point guard Tyreke Evans instead of Cousins for the final shot in a 99-97 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After Cousins boarded the Kings’ plane for their scheduled flight to Phoenix late Saturday, Coach Paul Westphal told the 20-year-old centre he would not be accompanying the team, per orders from general manager Geoff Petrie.

Cousins was listed as inactive for Sunday’s game, but has yet to be officially suspended because Kings officials are still reviewing the situation.

While Cousins’ team-mates get along well with him and hang out with him away from the court, they’re often frustrated by his moodiness and immaturity when things aren’t going his way, sources have said.

Concerns about Cousins’ maturity and character helped drop him to the fifth pick in last year’s draft. The Kings even hired Cousins’ former high school coach to help ease his transition to the NBA, but that hasn’t stopped the young centre from being involved in other incidents.

In other similar episodes, Cousins and Kings assistant coach Truck Robinson have had numerous heated exchanges during preseason practice and Cousins was also fined $5,000 by the Kings in October after responding to some trash talking from strength and conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro, by saying he was going to hurt him.

The … Legend – Jerry Sloan

Jerry Sloan, the NBA's longest serving coach at one club, has stepped down from the Utah Jazz after 23 seasons in charge.

Sloan, who turns 69 next month, ranks third for the most wins for a coach in NBA history with a 1,221, which includes a stint as coach of the Chicago Bulls.

Only Don Nelson with 1,335 wins and Lenny Wilkens with 1,332, rank above Sloan on the all-time NBA victory list.

"My time is up", Sloan said. "It's time to move on…this will be tougher than I thought".

Despite Sloan's lengthy time on the bench, he never won an NBA title, coming closest when the Jazz lost to the Bulls in 1997 and 1998, but Sloan never let his failure to claim the ultimate prize diminish his love of the pursuit.

Sloan's years in the same job rank fourth on the all-time US sport list among managers and coaches of professional teams, trailing Connie Mack's 50 in baseball and 29-year NFL stints by Curly Lambeau at Green Bay and Tom Landry at Dallas.

During Sloan's time with Jazz, there were 245 coaching changes among other NBA clubs. When Sloan's tenure began, NBA franchises in Memphis, Toronto, Orlando, Minnesota and Charlotte had not yet been created.

Cavaliers in a league of their own

Forget the Cleveland Cavaliers current horrendous NBA record; they are now officially as bad as any team in any professional sport.

Cleveland’s losing streak has now reached 26, and has matched the 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record for consecutive ineptitude today with a 103-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons, who were apparently a beatable opponent for the cellar dwelling Cavs.

Instead, Cleveland’s season slipped further into shame.

The Cavs, with a record of 8-45, remain winless since December 18th and they have now lost 36 out of their last 37.

The Cavs fell 99-96 on Tuesday in Dallas, but only when they failed to execute in the closing seconds, it seemed as though they had forgotten how to win.

Including the loss to Dallas, Cleveland had played well in its previous three games, losing by a combined 21 points and actually came into the match-up against Detroit as favourites.

Coach Byron Scott has been heartened by his young team’s efforts in recent times, and with eight straight home games ahead, the time seems right for Cleveland to get back in the win column.

Cleveland's next chance to end the unimaginable slide will be on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

If the Cavaliers can’t end their streak against Los Angeles on Saturday, the Cavs then host the Washington Wizards, who have their own horrendous winless streak.

It is sure to be one hell of an emotional game, and LeBron James will certainly keep watching.

Your Mate ... (09/02)

Christina Aguilera

With millions of eyes on her on one of the biggest days on the American sporting calendar, pop singer Christina Aguilera used Wikipedia for the lyrics to the US national anthem in a highly embarrassing gaffe.

Known for her emotional and powerful performances, Aguilera seemed to perform an incorrect version of ‘Star Spangled Banner’ which appears on the aforementioned website.

Aguilera sang, "What so proudly we watched at the twilight’s last gleaming", a line she had already sung earlier with a slight variation.

The second time she sung the line, she replaced the word "hailed" with "watched".

The actual line she was meant to sing was "O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?”

We’ve all been known to use Wikipedia as a source from time to time, but in front of an estimated one billion people, it’s probably not the smartest idea.

The Western Bulldogs

A number of Western Bulldogs players have been caught behaving badly outside a Hong Kong nightclub after a video of the drunken players was posted on YouTube.

The footage shows the players holding up traffic and stopping vehicles outside ‘Bar George’ in Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong.

In the video, players prevent a van from moving while Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney opens the side door of the vehicle.

A taxi is then stopped as former Bulldog's player Tim Callan sits on the bonnet of the vehicle drinking.

"We are extremely frustrated and disappointed by what has occurred”, Bulldogs management said after the incident, and have put all players under notice.

"On the video several players can be seen acting in a manner deemed to be completely in contrast to the expected behaviours of Western Bulldog players".

In an era where video phones and hand-held cameras are common items, it seems drunken escapades such as this are going to be caught more readily.

This serves as just another reminder to any professional sportsman that they are going to be under constant scrutiny in public whether it be in Melbourne, or overseas.

Soccer player trains with bullet in his brain

Former Club America striker Salvador Cabanas returned to the pitch to train with Paraguayan champions Libertad a year after getting shot in the head in a Mexico City bar and less than a month after the alleged shooter was finally caught.

The 30-year-old still has a ways to go in his recovery, but the fact that he's even out there at all, kicking the ball and jogging around, is pretty amazing. And all with the bullet still lodged in his brain.

Courtesy of Reuters:

"It's an honour to have him with us. We want to do everything we can to help him in his recovery", Libertad's Uruguayan coach Gregorio Perez said, adding it would also be a motivating factor for his squad.

"We're prepared to have him with us daily... It's important for his recovery to participate", Perez told Primero de Marzo radio.

Perez can definitely use this as motivation for his team mates at Salvador. If the players aren't trying hard enough, or they're sick or running laps? Just point out that the guy who took a bullet to the head is doing more than they are.

The Headlines ... that weren't

A new segment to 'The Sports Hub', "The Headlines ... that weren't" will take a look at the big news in sports ... if things had happened just a little differently.

The Headlines ... that weren’t

CHOKE-OVIC LOSES IN FIVE

A normally composed Novak Djokovic lost the Australian Open final on Sunday, with Andy Murray pulling off a stunning comeback winning in five sets.

Murray, who is widely renowned for his lack of mental fortitude, finally put it all together and pushed the demons of finals-past away, over-powering Djokovic around the court.

The doubters that circled the Murray camp have certainly been silenced, and the weight of a nation lifted off of Murray's shoulders.

ST KILDA PLAYERS LAUDED BY DEMETRIOU

At a press conference held yesterday, AFL Boss Andrew Demetriou has praised the St Kilda Football club for going a day without making the Herald Sun front page.

After a summer of St Kilda players acting like ‘Motley Crue’, Demetriou said it was great to see them finally settling down, and embracing a life of sobriety and abstinence.

St Kilda past greats have also gathered in support around the club and have pleaded with fans to open their hearts (and wallets) in a show of solidity.

Ross Lyon and Nick Riewoldt refused to comment on the matter.

LIVERPOOL HAVE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IN SIGHTS

Liverpool fans have gathered at Anfield to show their support of the board and the players, after years and years of heartbreak and anger.

Whilst sitting a mediocre seventh on the table, the transfer of Fernando Torres to Chelsea has given fans hope, and the future is looking much brighter.

Mid-table mediocrity is now a figment of the imagination, and the Champions League is now well and truly in their sights.

The decade of Liverpool silverware has just begun.