Cycling: Lance Armstrong defended his relationship with disgraced Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari, suspected of doping, on a Tour de France rest day in Pau yesterday.

The 29-year-old US Postal team leader was asked to explain why he has linked up with Ferrari, who could stand trial in September in Italy for sports fraud and administering dangerous substances. Ferrari, an alleged doping pioneer and equally respected trainer, is the former protΘgΘ and later competitor of Francesco Conconi, who is also under investigation by Italian magistrates.

"He's a clean man in my opinion, let there be a trial," said Armstrong. "Let the man prove himself innocent. If there's a conviction we will re-evaulate the relationship but until then, my friend, I see him as innocent." Athletics: Germany's Olympic high-jump finalist Amewu Mensah revealed yesterday she had tested positive for the anabolic steroid oxandrolone. The 24-year-old, who is currently featured on a poster campaign denouncing drugs in sport, said she would be contesting the discovery of the drug, for which she faces a two-year ban, which is commonly used for treating boys whose puberty has been retarded.

Mensah, who is the former girlfriend of Germany's 800-metre Olympic champion Nils Schumann, tested positive following the meeting at Rehlingen on June 4th.

And track coach Ma Junren, whose runners were axed from China's Sydney Olympics team because of doping concerns, will coach at the World athletics championships next month, state media reported yesterday.

Ma will make his "re-emergence" as deputy head of China's team at the meeting in Edmonton, Canada from August 3rd to 12th, the China Daily said.

EPO: The world governing athletics body will test for the blood-boosting drug EPO (erythropoietin) for the first time at the Edmonton World championships opening next Friday. "Over 350 tests are planned with around 15-20 per cent of these concerning EPO," the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) said in a statement yesterday.

However, swimming's world governing body FINA has come under fire for not using a new test for EPO at the current world championships in Japan.

Swimming trialled the tests at a World Cup meeting in Australia last year but has decided not to use blood tests in Fukuoka.

FINA's decision has surprised some members of the swimming community, coming at a time when the sport is trying to clean up its image.