Sports Digest/ATHLETICS: World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chairman Richard Pound says his organisation will appeal the acquittal of Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou on doping charges if the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) do not.
"I am convinced the IAAF will appeal against the decision and we will support the move," Pound said yesterday. "But if they accept the Greek federation's ruling, we will go ourselves before the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport)."
Former Olympic 200 metres champion Kenteris and Thanou were cleared by the Greek athletics federation on Friday of all charges related to missing three doping tests, including one on the eve of last year's Athens Games. A disciplinary commission ruled the athletes were victims of incorrect procedures but banned their former coach Christos Tzekos for four years.
The IAAF, world athletics' ruling body, suspended the two athletes in December "pending the resolution of their cases".
CRICKET: Captain Brian Lara has been left out of the West Indies squad for the first Test against South Africa after failing to reach agreement with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) over personal endorsement contracts.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul will lead the team in Lara's absence.
Lara and six other senior players were initially not invited to play in the home series against South Africa and Pakistandue to the dispute which centres on a potential clash between the West Indies' main sponsor Digicel and the players' personal deals with Cable & Wireless.
On Friday the WICB invited Lara alone to make himself available for the first Test after a resolution to the problem with his contract and he said he would respond within 24 hours. However, his reply did not satisfy the WICB.
"Brian Lara gave a non-committal response to the West Indies Cricket Board's invitation to make himself available for the match, in which he neither accepted nor rejected the invitation," the WICB said.
"In his response, Lara put a proposition to the Board that could not have been entertained because it would require players to be selected on the team who were ineligible due to the nature of their personal endorsement contracts."
The first Test against South Africa starts on March 31st.
SWIMMING: The Irish schools' swimming squad operating in the Four Nations championship in Swansea at the weekend finished second, reports Pat Roche. England were challenged bravely by an Irish side that left Scotland and Wales in its wake.
Lorra McDonnell of Dublin's Mercy Convent won the 100 metres butterfly, breaking her own championship record with a time of 1:03.61 seconds. Alongside that performance was Amy Cadden's (Portmarnock) in the 100 metres freestyle.
High-quality swims from Clare-based Ellena Chan, Ciara Kelleher of Cork's St Peter's and Ruth Bennett (Alexandra College) denied Scotland the runner's-up spot.
