Olympics: The French team at last year's Sydney Olympics took 18 banned medicines to Australia, the French newspaper Liberation revealed yesterday.
But France's national Olympic committee (CNOSF) said they were carried in case of an emergency. The newspaper, which obtained a list of the 580 products taken to the Games by CNOSF doctor Maurice Vrillac, said the 18 banned medicines included corticoids and ventoline.
Liberation said 57 of the products were on the International Olympic Committee's list of banned substances.
Vrillac said he took the products to Sydney in case of emergencies and they were not meant for use by the 341 athletes but other members of the 602-strong delegation.
Tennis: Martina Hingis, in singles action for the first time since her opening-round defeat at Wimbledon five weeks ago, crushed American Lilia Osterloh 6-1 6-4 at the $750,000 Acura Classic in California on Tuesday.
But Russian Anna Kournikova, in singles action for the first time in six months following surgery on a foot stress fracture, was beaten 6-7 6-1 6-3 by Australian Nicole Pratt in her second round match. The number nine seed never looked comfortable against Pratt, frequently hitting forehands outside the lines.
Athletics: World indoor 3,000 metres champion Olga Yegorova is facing suspension after becoming the first athlete to give an in-competition positive test for the illegal blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).
The Russian, who has still travelled to Canada for the World Championships while she awaits the results of the B sample, tested positive at the Golden League meeting in Paris last month.
Every medallist in Edmonton will be tested for EPO which increases the levels of oxygen-carrying red blood cells and is seen as a major aid to performance in distance events.
