Link fa olympic schedule.................Here
Athletics>>>>>>>>>> here

Position	Lane	Athlete	Country	Mark	.	React
1	4	Shelly-Ann Fraser	JAM	10.78	(PB)	0.190
2	2	Sherone Simpson	JAM	10.98	.	0.155
2	7	Kerron Stewart	JAM	10.98	.	0.232
4	8	Lauryn Williams	USA	11.03	.	0.149
5	5	Muna Lee	USA	11.07	.	0.234
6	9	Jeanette Kwakye	GBR	11.14	(PB)	0.161
7	3	Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie	BAH	11.19	.	0.167
8	6	Torri Edwards	USA	11.20	.	0.179

Saturday, September 13, 2008
Home			Visitor		Status	Stadium
	Liverpool	vs.	Manchester United		7:45 AM	Anfield Road
	Newcastle	vs.	Hull City		10:00 AM	St. James' Park
	Blackburn Rovers	vs.	Arsenal		10:00 AM	Ewood Park
	Fulham	vs.	Bolton Wanderers		10:00 AM	Craven Cottage
	West Bromwich Albion	vs.	West Ham		10:00 AM	The Hawthorns
	Portsmouth	vs.	Middlesbrough		10:00 AM	Fratton Park
	Wigan Athletic	vs.	Sunderland		10:00 AM	JJB Stadium
	Manchester City	vs.	Chelsea		12:30 PM	City Of Manchester

Sat Aug 16, 2008    By NBCOlympics.com

By: Getty Images Usain Bolt of Jamaica savors his first Olympic gold medal and a new world record in the 100 meters. Jamaican Usain Bolt continued his strong recent stretch of commanding runs, winning the gold medal in the men's 100m dash Saturday night while setting world and Olympic records at 9.69. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago finished second in 9.89 and American Walter Dix earned the bronze in 9.91. Both runners ran personal bests. Former world record holder Asafa Powell finished in 9.95. The other American in the final, Darvis Patton, finished eighth in 10.03. A self-titled 200m specialist, Bolt only recently started running the 100m. He begged his coach to try it and worked several months before this season on his start. When he originally took the world record in May with a 9.72 in New York, it was just his fifth time racing the event. The man missing from everyone's dream final was Tyson Gay of the United States, who finished fifth in his semifinal and did not qualify. For Gay, the Olympics was his first competition since falling injured in a 200m race at U.S. Trials. He said his leg was not injured in Beijing, but his fitness may not have been peaking. Bolt is the first Jamaican to win gold in the 100m. In previous Games, the country has captured silver three times: Herb McKenley in 1952, Lennox Miller in 1976 and Donald Quarrie in 1976. Bolt is also entered in the 200 meters. First round heats in the event begin Monday.

Usain Bolt of Jamaica finishes the Men's 100m semifinal in Beijing

Usain Bolt of Jamaica finishes the Men's 100m Semi Final 1 at the National Stadium on Day 8 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 16, 2008 in Beijing, China. Usain Bolt of Jamaica finished the event in first place with a time of 9.85. ( By Getty Images

Richest players

9 = Harry Kewell
9 = Didier Drogba
8 Damien Duff
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
6 John Terry
4 = Steven Gerrard
4 = Frank Lampard
3 Rio Ferdinand
2 Wayne Rooney
1 Michael Owen

Richest owners

10 Sir David Murray (Rangers)
9 The Walker family (Blackburn)
8 Michael Spencer (Ipswich)
7 Mike Ashley (Newcastle)
6 Dermot Desmond (Celtic)
5 Malcolm Glazer (Manchester United)
4 Joe Lewis (Tottenham)
3 Alisher Usmanov (Arsenal)
2 Roman Abramovich (Chelsea)
1 Lakshmi Mittal (Queens Park Rangers)

Frank Lampard has hit the headlines this week with the announcement that he has signed a lucrative new contract at Chelsea.

However, the Blues midfielder only places joint fourth in a list of the richest footballers in Britain.

Lampard is worth around £19million, the same amount as England colleague Steven Gerrard.

Many of the usual suspects make up the ten, including Cristiano Ronaldo, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney, who is second on £35million.

There are one or two less obvious names, with Harry Kewell and Damien Duff worth approximately £13million and £14million respectively despite recent injury problems.

Michael Owen is top of the list and is understood to be worth £41million, with a £100,000-a-week wage packet supplemented by several sponsorship deals.

Owen's £41million seems a paltry figure when stacked up against the sort of money made by club owners.

Guessing the wealthiest owner would seem straightforward but Roman Abramovich is no longer number one.

The Chelsea boss has an estimated fortune of £11.2billion but he has lost out to steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, a shareholder at Queens Park Rangers.

Mittal is worth around £27.7billion and with that type of money in the boardroom at Loftus Road it might be safe to assume that QPR have a bright future.

Alisher Usmanov of Arsenal and Manchester United's Malcolm Glazer both feature in the list, which starts at ten with Rangers owner Sir David Murray, who has a fortune of roughly £720million

AUSSIE water polo star Gemma Beadsworth suffers a swimsuit malfunction in a match against Hungary.

The 21-year-old tried to cover herself up yesterday and only just avoided doing the breast stroke.

-- Edited by postinor at 10:19, 2008-08-14

Mens 100m - PREVIEW

Rarely in Olympic history has the race to be crowned the worlds fastest man served up quite the range of debate and drama like it has so far this season. But should the three fastest men in history make it in one piece to Beijing we could be set for the greatest Olympic 100m final in history on the night of August 16.

Leading the contenders is Jamaicas Usain Bolt, who caused a major tremor in the sprinting world by powering his 6ft 5in frame down the track in 9.72 to shatter the world 100m record in New York in May.

Prior to that race the 21-year-old was previously better known as a 200m sprinter but since blitzing to that mark he has recorded 9.85 to win the Jamaican Championships and finished second in Stockholm, after a disastrous start, in 9.89.

The man who beat him that night, Asafa Powell, represents the second of the big three. Powell not only lost his world record mark to Bolt but also struggled early season with a shoulder injury. Yet he has bounced back. He not only claimed a morale boosting win over Bolt in Stockholm but he blitzed to victories in London (9.94) and Monaco (9.82) in his last two warm up races before Beijing.

However, as much as Powell has often looked imperious on the Grand Prix circuit, he has yet to convert that undoubted ability on the major championships stage. He finished a disappointing fifth in the Olympic final in Athens and won only bronze when many predicted gold in the 2007 World Championship 100m final.

The third, but by no means least, of the major contenders is Americas world 100m champion Tyson Gay. The Kentucky native was shellshocked to finish 0.13 behind Bolt as the Jamaican stormed to his world record in New York. However, he recovered his composure to blitz to the US title in the fastest ever recorded time of 9.68 albeit with an illegal wind for record purposes. But his preparations were stopped in their tracks when he pulled up lame with a hamstring injury in the 200m at the Olympic Trials. What was initially believed to be a relatively minor problem has sidelined Gay for much longer than he would have wanted and when he take to the start line in the 100m heats he will not have competed for almost six-weeks. Yet such is his fearsome competitive record few will underestimate his gold medal potential.

The second and third string US duo - Walter Dix and Darvis Patton - must also be respected as sub-10 second athletes.

Trinidad boast two sub-10 second sprinters this year in Richard Thompson (9.93) and Marc Burns (9.97) and the third string Jamaican Michael Frater is another class act.

The top European challenger is Francis Obikwelu, of Portugal, the Olympic silver medallist from 2004. Watch out, too, for 2007 World championship silver medallist Derrick Atkins, of Bahamas, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles and Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway.

Chelsea are set to swoop for AC Milan's Brazilian international Kaka, the player's personal assistant Diogo Kotscho claimed on Sunday.

Reports suggest a 100 million euro (150 million dollar) deal could be brokered before the closure of the transfer window at the end of the month.

And Kotscho told The Observer: 'I spoke with Kaka yesterday (Saturday). We know that the clubs are talking about the transfer, although they have not reached a conclusion yet.

'I think an August transfer is still a possibility, though Kaka will only talk about that when they do a deal.

'He is waiting for a deal and then he will start to negotiate with Chelsea.

'Normally, Milan do not sell their best players. We think they like the proposal, but it is not so easy for them to accept it.

'For now we must just wait and see.'

The Brazilian has been linked with the Premier League outfit following the appointment of compatriot Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager.

Kaka, who is under contract at the San Siro until 2012, is said to be unhappy over Milan's refusal to allow him to represent his country at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

MANCHESTER UNITED will kick off their Barclays Premier League title defence at home to Newcastle.

The same fixture produced a 6-0 masterclass by the champions last season, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a memorable hat-trick.

But doubts linger over whether the Portuguese star will still be at Old Trafford next season.

New boss Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari will start his reign at home to FA Cup holders Portsmouth.

Arsenal will look to get off to winning ways as they take on newly-promoted West Brom, while Liverpool are the only side who finished in the top four last season to start away at Sunderland.

Premier League debutants Stoke will travel to Bolton, while Hull host last seasons escape artists Fulham.

Tottenham will get the ball rolling with a trip to Middlesbrough, while West Ham host Steve Bruces Wigan side.

Mark Hughes Manchester City will travel to Aston Villa, with his old club Blackburn making the trip to Everton.

Last seasons title rivals United and Chelsea will first lock horns on September 20 at Stamford Bridge.

You can check out each club's fixtures by clicking on their name below.

• Opening fixtures, August 16, 17, 18

Arsenal v West Brom

Aston Villa v Manchester City

Bolton v Stoke

Chelsea v Portsmouth

Everton v Blackburn

Hull v Fulham

Manchester United v Newcastle

Middlesbrough v Tottenham

Sunderland v Liverpool

West Ham v Wigan

Madrid To Sue Ronaldo?

Reports from the English and Spanish media indicate that Real Madrid are seeking a massive pay-out from Cristiano Ronaldo following the winger's decision to stay at Manchester United...

Part 1

Part 2

Jamaica sprinter Asafa Powell believes drug testing has taken so much of his b****0d at the Beijing Olympics that it could hamper his 100m final run.

Former world record-holder Powell, who could be checked again on Wednesday, said the tests on himself and his team-mates at the Games had gone too far.

"They've tested me four times here; they're taking so much  b****0d I'll be weak for the final," Powell said.

Beijing aims to be dope-free with extra checks being used to avoid drug cheats.

"I'm almost sure I might be tested again. I don't know about anyone else but they're really doing it in my case and with my team-mates Michael Frater and Usain Bolt," he added.

"They're saying they're doing about 4000 tests. It's just very difficult to catch everyone but I hope they can do it and make this Olympics clean."

Athletes in China will be the most tested in history because of the stringent measures, with authorities paying particular attention to the sprinters after recent doping revelations.

Athens' winner Justin Gatlin of the US is currently serving a four-year ban for doping offences.

Compatriot Tim Montgomery, a winner in the 4x100m relay in Sydney, was a client of BALCO, the San Francisco laboratory which produced the designer steroid THG.

-- Edited by postinor at 18:00, 2008-08-12

Shelton, Reid on losing end against Liverpool

National striker Luton Shelton and defender Adrian Reid played the full 90 minutes for Norwegian club Valerenga's, but could not stop the European giants Liverpool from carving out an easy 4-1 in their pre-season friendly on Tuesday at the Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo.

In his debut appearance, the Portmore United defender Reid had a nervous moment, almost scoring an own-goal, when he made an awkward defensive header that hit his own post.

Shelton, who recently signed a £1m move from English club
Sheffield United, was ineffective against Liverpool's experienced back four of Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Alvaro Arbeloa and Andrea Dossena, as the hosts posed little threat in the first half.

Shelton's strike partner, Serb Boljan Zajic, twice came close from long range, before levelling the scores early into the second half.

Reid was then exposed by Torres' pace as the Spaniard grabbed the second goal for his team.

Xabi Alonso put the visitors in front, while strikes from Israeli Yossi Benayoun and substitute striker David Ngog of France, helped the Reds to extend their unbeaten run in pre-season to seven matches.

Manchester United added the Community Shield to their trophy cabinet after beating Portsmouth 3-1 on penalties following a goalless draw at Wembley.

The Premier League and Champions League winners had the best chances throughout, with Darren Fletcher scuffing a glaring opportunity in the first half while Sylvain Distin cleared from Nani under his own crossbar.

United remained in charge after the restart and the excellent David James tipped a Fletcher shot onto his crossbar in the 49th minute.

Man-of-the-match Carlos Tevez forced a fine full-stretch save by James with 20 minutes left before being denied a clear penalty after tangling with Herman Hreidarsson just inside the Pompey box.

United then claimed a richly-deserved victory in the shoot-out after Lassana Diarra, Arnold Mvuemba and Glen Johnson missing for Pompey, while Tevez, Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick converted for the Red Devils.

It was 26 minutes before either side forced a save, James beating away Giggs' near-post piledriver.

Tevez had seen his shot blocked, while Diarra volleyed wildly over at the other end but it was United who looked most likely to create a clear opening, which duly arrived at Fletcher's feet just past the half hour.

Purple patch
With Fabio Capello watching from the stands, Johnson would have been mildly embarra**ed to be robbed so easily by Nani.

The winger's cross caught the Portsmouth defence flat-footed. But instead of sliding the opener into an unguarded goal, Fletcher somehow managed to get the ball stuck under his body. The scoring chance gone, Fletcher attempted to scoop a pass to Tevez, only to meet with failure there as well.

It was the start of a purple patch for United. Nani was heavily involved, coming close himself on a couple of occasions and setting up Paul Scholes with an accurate corner to the edge of the area which his team-mate screwed wide.

As Cristiano Ronaldo - who watched from the stands alongside Wayne Rooney - is sidelined until the end of September following his ankle operation, Nani is going to be a major figure for United in the coming weeks.

It does not help that the Portugal international is suspended for two games following his dismissal against West Ham in May but his speed, skill and movement make him an opponent to be feared.

He even remonstrates in the same way as good friend Ronaldo, although it was Distin and Nemanja Vidic who showed scant regard for the FA's laudable 'Respect' the referee campaign, both booked for dissent as they questioned officials' decisions.


Superb
After spurning the earlier golden opportunity, Fletcher came agonisingly close to giving United the lead they deserved with a superb chip that was heading in until James touched it onto the bar.

The rebound came at Tevez pretty quickly, leaving him no time to do anything other than nod it straight to the Portsmouth keeper.

Neville signalled his well-being on his first domestic appearance since March 2007, thundering into John Utaka to earn a booking after enjoying a relatively quiet hour.

The chances started to mount for United as James denied both Giggs and Nani before producing a full-length fingertip save to touch round a Tevez effort that was heading for the corner.

Both sides had good penalty appeals turned down, Hreidarsson pulling Tevez down with a firm grip of the ankle, before prospective England skipper Rio Ferdinand smashed a shot into the side-netting.

It was the prelude to a niggly last few minutes as Fraizer Campbell was buffeted around and Paul Scholes caught Papa Bouba Diop. Amid the fraying tempers, Tevez's shot flew over after flicking off Distin.

But in the end, it went down to penalties, with United holding their nerve and Pompey off target.

Day 12	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		WEDESDAY:(20/8)
	WEDNESDAY AM	Session AT11	Start: 19:00	End: 23:10	National Stadium
	06:00-06:56	19:00-19:56	Men's 800m Round 1
	06:20-07:40	19:20-20:40	Women's Hammer Throw Final
	07:15-08:15	20:15-21:15	Men's 5000m Round 1
	07:40-10:10	20:40-23:10	Men's Pole Vault Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	08:30-08:50	21:30-21:50	Men's 110m Hurdles Semifinals
	08:55-09:11	21:55-22:11	Women's 200m Semifinals
	09:20-09:30	22:20-22:30	Men's 200m Final
	09:35-09:47	22:35-22:47	Women's 400m Hurdles Final
	WEDNESDAY PM	Session AT12	Start: 09:00	End: 13:16	National Stadium
	08:00-09:50	09:00-10:50	Women's 20km Walk Final
	08:10-09:15	09:10-10:15	Men's Javelin Throw Qualifying Round - Group A
	08:20-08:48	09:20-09:48	Men's Decathlon 100m
	08:50-10:50	09:50-11:50	Women's High Jump Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	09:30-10:50	10:30-11:50	Men's Decathlon Long Jump - Group A/B
	09:40-10:45	10:40-11:45	Men's Javelin Throw Qualifying Round - Group B
	11:20-12:16	12:20-13:16	Men's Decathlon Shot Put - Group A/B
Day 13	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		THURSDAY:(21/8)
	THURSDAY AM	Session AT13	Start: 19:00	End: 22:23	National Stadium
	06:00-06:20	19:00-19:20	Women's 1500m Semifinals
	06:10-08:30	19:10-21:30	Men's Decathlon High Jump - Group A/B
Day 13	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		THURSDAY:(21/8)
	06:20-07:40	19:20-20:40	Women's Javelin Throw Final
	06:30-06:57	19:30-19:57	Men's 800m Semifinals
	07:00-07:20	20:00-20:20	Women's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1
	07:20-09:07	20:20-22:07	Men's Triple Jump Final
	07:25-07:43	20:25-20:43	Men's 4 x 100m Relay Round 1
	07:55-08:05	20:55-21:05	Men's 400m Final
	08:10-08:20	21:10-21:20	Women's 200m Final
	08:35-08:45	21:35-21:45	Men's 110m Hurdles Final
	08:55-09:23	21:55-22:23	Men's Decathlon 400m
	THURSDAY PM	Session AT14	Start: 07:30	End: 15:55	National Stadium
	06:30-11:00	07:30-12:00	Men's 50km Walk Final
	08:00-08:32	09:00-09:32	Men's Decathlon 110m Hurdles
	09:05-10:05	10:05-11:05	Men's Decathlon Discus Throw - Group A
	10:25-11:25	11:25-12:25	Men's Decathlon Discus Throw - Group B
	11:55-02:55	12:55-15:55	Men's Decathlon Pole Vault - Group A/B
Day 14	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		FRIDAY:(22/8)
	FRIDAY AM	Session AT15	Start: 19:00	End: 22:20	National Stadium
	06:00-06:50	19:00-19:50	Men's Decathlon Javelin Throw - Group A
	06:20-08:20	19:20-21:20	Women's Long Jump Final
	06:40-07:00	19:40-20:00	Women's 4 x 400m Relay Round 1
	06:55-09:15	19:55-22:15	Men's Pole Vault Final
	07:10-07:30	20:10-20:30	Men's 4 x 400m Relay Round 1
Day 14	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		FRIDAY:(22/8)
	07:15-08:05	20:15-21:05	Men's Decathlon Javelin Throw - Group B
	07:40-08:02	20:40-21:02	Women's 5000m Final
	08:15-08:25	21:15-21:25	Women's 4 x 100m Relay Final
	08:40-09:00	21:40-22:00	Men's Decathlon 1500m
	09:10-09:20	22:10-22:20	Men's 4x100m Relay Final
Day 15	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		SATURDAY:(23/8)
	SATURDAY AM	Session AT16	Start: 19:00	End: 21:17	National Stadium
	06:00-07:30	19:00-20:30	Men's Javelin Throw Final
	06:10-08:10	19:10-21:10	Women's High Jump Final
	06:30-06:40	19:30-19:40	Men's 800m Final
	06:50-07:02	19:50-20:02	Women's 1500m Final
	07:10-07:30	20:10-20:30	Men's 5000m Final
	07:40-07:52	20:40-20:52	Women's 4 x 400m Relay Final
	08:05-08:17	21:05-21:17	Men's 4 x 400m Relay Final
	SATURDAY PM	Session AT17	Start: 07:30	End: 10:40	National Stadium
	06:30-09:40	07:30-10:40	Men's Marathon Final

Day 10	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		MONDAY:(18/8)
	MONDAY AM	Session AT08	Start: 19:00	End: 22:10	National Stadium
	06:00-07:20	19:00-20:20	Women's Discus Throw Final
	06:20-08:50	19:20-21:50	Women's Pole Vault Final
	06:40-06:55	19:40-19:55	Women's 100m Hurdles Semifinals
Day 10	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		MONDAY:(18/8)
	07:05-07:33	20:05-20:33	Men's 200m Round 2
	07:10-08:50	20:10-21:50	Men's Long Jump Final
	07:45-08:03	20:45-21:03	Women's 400m Hurdles Semifinals
	08:10-08:25	21:10-21:25	Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final
	08:35-08:45	21:35-21:45	Women's 800m Final
	09:00-09:10	22:00-22:10	Men's 400m Hurdles Final
	MONDAY PM	Session AT09	Start: 09:00	End: 11:30	National Stadium
	08:00-09:00	09:00-10:00	Women's Javelin Throw Qualifying Round - Group A
	08:40-10:14	09:40-11:14	Women's Long Jump Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	09:00-09:30	10:00-10:30	Women's 1500m Round 1
	09:30-10:30	10:30-11:30	Women's Javelin Throw Qualifying Round - Group B
	09:40-10:28	10:40-11:28	Women's 200m Round 1
Day 11	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		TUESDAY:(19/8)
	TUESDAY AM	Session AT10	Start: 19:00	End: 23:00	National Stadium
	06:00-06:28	19:00-19:28	Women's 200m Round 2
	06:10-08:00	19:10-21:00	Men's High Jump Final
	06:35-07:41	19:35-20:41	Women's 5000m Round 1
	07:45-08:21	20:45-21:20	Men's 110m Hurdles Round 2
	08:00-09:30	21:00-22:30	Men's Discus Throw Final
	08:25-08:40	21:25-21:40	Men's 200m Semifinals
	08:45-09:06	21:45-22:06	Men's 400m Semifinals
	09:10-09:20	22:10-22:20	Women's 400m Final
	09:30-09:40	22:30-22:40	Women's 100m Hurdles Final
Day 11	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		TUESDAY:(19/8)
	09:50-10:00	22:50-23:00	Men's 1500m Final

		COMPETITION SCHEDULE BY EVENT PREVIEW
Day 6	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		THURSDAY:(14/8)
	THURSDAY PM	Session AT01	Start: 09:00	End: 13:25	National Stadium
	08:00-08:32	09:00-09:32	Women's Heptathlon 100m Hurdles
	08:05-09:05	09:05-10:05	Men's Shot Put Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	08:45-10:05	09:45-11:05	Men's 100m Round 1
	09:30-12:25	10:30-13:25	Women's Heptathlon High Jump - Group A/B
	09:40-10:40	10:40-11:40	Men's Hammer Throw Qualifying Round - Group A
	10:10-10:58	11:10-11:58	Women's 800m Round 1
	11:10-12:10	12:10-13:10	Men's Hammer Throw Qualifying Round - Group B
Day 7	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		FRIDAY:(15/8)
	FRIDAY AM	Session AT02	Start: 19:00	End: 23:20	National Stadium
	06:00-06:56	19:00-19:56	Women's Heptathlon Shot Put - Group A/B
	06:10-06:35	19:10-19:35	Men's 1500m Round 1
	06:45-07:45	19:45-20:20	Men's 100m Round 2
	06:55-07:20	19:55-20:45	Women's Discus Throw Qualifying Round - Group A
	07:25-08:10	20:25-21:10	Women's 3000m Steeplechase Round 1
	08:00-09:10	21:00-22:10	Men's Shot Put Final
	08:15-08:43	21:15-21:43	Women's Heptathlon 200m
	08:20-09:10	21:20-22:10	Women's Discus Throw Qualifying Round - Group B
	08:40-10:14	21:40-23:14	Women's Triple Jump Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	08:55-09:35	21:55-22:35	Men's 400m Hurdles Round 1
	09:45-10:30	22:45-23:20	Women's 10000m Final
Day 7	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		FRIDAY:(15/8)
	FRIDAY PM	Session AT03	Start: 09:00	End: 13:10	National Stadium
	08:00-09:40	09:00-10:40	Men's 20km Walk Final
	08:10-09:10	09:10-10:10	Women's Shot Put Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	08:20-09:00	09:20-10:00	Men's 3000m Steeplechase Round 1
	08:50-10:32	09:50-11:32	Women's Heptathlon Long Jump - Group A/B
	09:10-11:30	10:10-12:30	Women's Pole Vault Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	09:40-10:35	10:40-11:35	Men's Discus Throw Qualifying Round - Group A
	09:50-10:53	10:50-11:53	Women's 100m Round 1
	11:05-12:10	12:05-13:10	Men's Discus Throw Qualifying Round - Group B
	11:10-12:00	12:10-13:00	Women's 400m Round 1
Day 8	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		SATURDAY:(16/8)
	SATURDAY AM	Session AT04	Start: 19:00	End: 22:40	National Stadium
	06:00-06:50	19:00-19:50	Women's Heptathlon Javelin Throw - Group A
	06:30-06:57	19:30-19:57	Women's 800m Semifinals
	07:00-08:10	20:00-21:10	Men's Long Jump Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	07:05-07:21	20:05-20:21	Men's 100m Semifinals
	07:10-07:50	20:10-20:50	Women's Heptathlon Javelin Throw - Group B
	07:35-08:03	20:35-21:03	Women's 100m Round 2
	08:15-08:33	21:15-21:33	Men's 400m Hurdles Semifinals
	08:20-09:30	21:20-22:30	Women's Shot Put Final
	08:45-09:21	21:45-22:21	Women's Heptathlon 800m
	09:30-09:40	22:30-22:40	Men's 100m Final
	SATURDAY PM	Session AT05	Start: 07:30	End: 11:20	National Stadium
	06:30-10:20	07:30-11:20	Women's Marathon Final
Day 9	JA.TIME	BEIJING TIME		SUNDAY:(17/8)
	SUNDAY AM	Session AT06	Start: 19:00	End: 23:20	National Stadium
	06:00-06:40	19:00-19:40	Women's 100m Hurdles Round 1
	06:10-07:40	19:10-20:40	Men's Hammer Throw Final
	06:45-07:01	19:45-20:01	Women's 100m Semifinals
	07:10-07:50	20:10-20:50	Women's 400m Hurdles Round 1
	07:20-09:10	20:20-22:10	Men's High Jump Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	08:00-08:25	21:00-21:25	Women's 400m Semifinals
	08:30-08:46	21:30-21:46	Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final
	08:35-10:10	21:35-23:10	Women's Triple Jump Final
	08:55-09:15	21:55-22:15	Men's 1500m Semifinals
	09:25-09:35	22:25-22:35	Women's 100m Final
	09:45-10:20	22:45-23:20	Men's 10000m Final
	SUNDAY PM	Session AT07	Start: 09:00	End: 11:58	National Stadium
	08:00-08:56	09:00-09:56	Men's 400m Round 1
	08:10-09:20	09:10-10:20	Women's Hammer Throw Qualifying Round - Group A
	09:00-10:15	10:00-11:15	Men's Triple Jump Qualifying Round - Group A/B
	09:05-10:01	10:05-11:01	Men's 200m Round 1
	09:40-10:50	10:40-11:50	Women's Hammer Throw Qualifying Round - Group B
	10:10-10:58	11:10-11:58	Men's 110m Hurdles Round 1

ROBINHO last night started his Real Madrid rebellion and declared: I want to join Chelsea to become the worlds best player.

The Brazilian striker, 24, was ready to revolt in order to force a move to Stamford Bridge.

And his agent Wagner Ribeiro launched a devastating attack on Real saying Robinho was furious with them.

Chelsea confirmed they have made a formal £19.75million offer but Real want closer to £24m.

And Ribeiro also revealed Stamford Bridge boss Phil Scolari is speaking to the player every day.

He said: Chelsea have made a formal offer for Robinho but I dont know the amount.

Robinho is very angry because of the way Reals directors are behaving.

He calls me every day to find out if someone has informed me something about his future and I am forced to tell him they are not answering the phone.

I have been trying to talk to a Madrid director for three days and they have disappeared.

Robinho cant understand anything. He has a project to be the best player in the world but at Real Madrid he wont be able to be because he is treated like a normal player.

Robinho has decided to quit the Bernabeu and join Chelsea as he feels undervalued at Madrid.

Real aimed to use him as a makeweight in their bid to lure Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United.

And Ribeiro blew the lid on the Spaniards efforts to nab Valencias David Villa.

Ribeiro said: Madrid wanted to sign Ronaldo. The second choice was Rafael van der Vaart. The third is David Villa Robinho is the fourth.

At Real Madrid he is not finding the love and the support he needs Scolari is giving him this love.

And Blues owner Roman Abramovich got both barrels from Bayern Munich last night over the price of petrol.

The Germans accused the billionaire of being part of an oil Mafia.

Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness said: I get annoyed every week when I go to fill my car up.

The oil Mafia is taking money out of my pocket to invest in footballers.

This stinks to high heaven, and applies to Mr Abramovich among others. He is no friend of mine.

This Mafia controls the world and manipulates the price of oil.

What can we do? We must defeat teams like Chelsea on the pitch. That would give us great satisfaction.

ROY KEANE is on the brink of completing an £8.5million swoop for Manchester United striker Louis Saha.

Sunderland boss Keano will make the out-of-favour Old Trafford star the biggest earner in the clubs history on £50,000 a week.

Saha, 30, was at the Stadium of Light to see the Black Cats 1-0 pre-season defeat by Ajax.

Keane is desperate to add firepower to his squad after last seasons brush with relegation.

He has splashed £20m on six summer signings already but admitted: Hopefully there will be two or three players coming on board before the transfer window closes.

At the end of last season I thought we needed another top striker at the club and Ive not changed that view because youve got to put the ball in the back of the net.

New hitman El-Hadji Diouf signed from Bolton also stressed the need for the frontline to toughen up.

He said: Ive told the lads we need to be more aggressive and play more attacking football and go at teams.

We dont have to fear anyone or have respect for anyone we need to believe in ourselves.

Keane is also trying to hijack defender Nicky Shoreys move to Portsmouth. He was poised to become Pompeys fourth summer signing if a fee was agreed with Reading.

Fratton Park manager Harry Redknapp has already had one bid rejected and if the deal collapses Keane is ready to pounce with a £3m offer for the England left-back.

Reading chief Steve Coppell warned: We do not need to sell anyone so I am not going to give anyone away.

The offer we have had is not one that we find acceptable. I have spoken to Nicky and he accepts the situation.

ROOKIE striker Franco Di Santo will wear Chelsea's No9 shirt next season.

The Argentina ace has yet to make his debut for the Blues but he has played a big part during pre-season.

And boss Phil Scolari appears to have given the youngster a huge chance by handing him the number.

Di Santo, 19, takes over the shirt from Steve Sidwell, who moved to Aston Villa this summer.

New signings Deco and Jose Bosingwa have taken the No20 and No17 shirts respectively.

 

Former world-record holder Asafa Powell says he is confident he be will wearing a golden medallion after the finals of the 100 metres is run in Beijing on Saturday, August 16.

Powell looked extremely sharp in training on Thursday and admitted that he had missed opportunities to snare athletics' most prestigious gong in the past. With a beaming smile and a tremendous boost of confidence, he declared that 2008 would be his year, as he has a date with destiny.

Write new history

"This time, I am going do it. I am feeling very confident. My training is going very well, and I have only one aim in mind. While I am not focusing on what happened in the past, I can't erase it. It's part of my history, but now I have a chance to write a new history. I am going out there to win the race."

Powell, who remains one of the fastest men of all times, having the most sub-10 clockings over 100 metres among the current crop of competing athletes, said he was very excited about the Games and was looking forward to the start of the track events.

"Just being in Beijing is great. It's such a wonderful feeling being at the Olympic Games, even if you are not competing. This is special and it's an experience to cherish."

Series of routines

Powell looked quick on the track at the Tianjin University of Finance and Economics as he went through a series of routines under the keen eyes of his personal coach, Stephen Francis.

Francis attended the Jamaican team training session on Thursday. He was able to take charge of the athletes who are members of his MVP track club, among them Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Michael Frater, Nesta Carter, Markino Buckley and Shelly-Ann Fraser.

Other athletes at the 7 a.m. training session were hurdlers Maurice Wignall and Isa Phillips, triple-jumper Trecia Smith, Shereefa Lloyd and Dorian Scott.

Batsman Chris Gayle has withdrawn his letter of resignation as West Indies captain, and appears to be seeking a return to the head of the beleaguered team, a West Indies Cricket Board source confirmed yesterday.

In a letter dated July 22, Gayle had served notice of his decision to step down as West Indies captain with immediate effect.

His letter came after being summoned to a disciplinary meeting by chief executive Donald Peters, but it was later revealed this had been done without the board's knowledge.

Word of Gayle's change of heart has been communicated to the WICB, with Gayle explaining that he reconsidered his decision after meaningful discussions with board presi-dent, Dr Julian Hunte, on the issues raised in the resignation letter.

Frank exchanges

According to the source, Gayle revealed that his decision was also influenced following frank exchanges with several of his teammates and some dedicated supporters of West Indies cricket.

The 28-year-old Jamaican said he was looking forward to working with the board in whatever capacity he was asked to serve, in order to help return West Indies to the pinnacle of world cricket.

Argentina's defiant fight to play Lionel Messi in their opening Olympic men's football match paid dividends when the Barcelona superstar scored the opening goal in a narrow 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast on Thursday.

Messi's magic also set up the winner, four minutes from full-time in a match the defending champions were expected to win with ease against a side playing in their first Olympics.

But instead they came up against a c****ative team prepared to attack at every opportunity and after Argentina led 1-0 at half-time, thanks to Messi, Ivory Coast levelled the score immediately after the interval.

As the game counted down to the final whistle Messi again showed why he is such a phenomenal talent when he weaved through the defence to place the ball squarely in front of Lautaro Acosta who fired in the winner.

Messi, who was adamant he wanted to take part in the Games, took the field despite Barcelona winning an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport giving the club the right to stop him playing.

But with Argentina determined the start 21-year-old regardless, backed by pressure from both the IOC and FIFA, Barcelona lifted their ban at the 11th hour.

After tormenting the Ivory Coast through the first half his class paid off just before the break when he took the ball behind the Ivory Coast defence and wrong-footed hapless goalkeeper Vincent Angban.

However, it was short-lived glory for a side packed with names from some of the biggest clubs in Europe and who went through the Athens Olympics without conceding a goal.

Two minutes into the second half Sekou Cisse brought the Africans back into the game when he beat Pablo Zabaleta in the air to head home the equaliser.

Ivory Coast went close to taking the lead in the 77th minute but captain Gervinho's shot went just wide of the right-hand post.

It was then left to Messi to feed Acosta who broke the deadlock and ruin what was a busy night for Ivory Coast 'keeper Angban who had held off repeated raids set up by Messi and his Atletico Madrid strike partner Sergio Aguero.

Argentina next play Australia on Sunday while Ivory Coast play Serbia. Australia and Serbia earlier drew 1-1.

Create your Dream Team

http://www.manchesterunitedpremiercup.com/Dream-Team/

http://www.sbs6.nl/web/show/id=134637/langid=43


It's only with Dutch commentairy...sorry..
But jou kan see the whole match live...

-- Edited by babyblue81 at 14:51, 2008-08-08

-- Edited by babyblue81 at 15:18, 2008-08-08

Chelsea have issued a bid thought to be in the region of 25m (£19.7m) for Real Madrid star Robinho. The Brazilian admitted earlier this week that he'd had talks with the London club, who now appear to have made their interest concrete...

Chelsea have made real their interest in the 24-year-old ace despite the fact that Madrid have proved unable to land Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Received wisdom had it that Robinho was to leave for England when the Portuguese winger came the other way, but with the Ronaldo deal failing to pan out such plans were called into question.

However Robinho, who signed up at the Bernabéu from Santos in 2005, apparently has other ideas. The Brazilian international was said to be tremendously upset at his potentially being used as a bargaining chip in the Ronaldo deal and began to plot his exit from there.

His being refused permission to travel to the Beijing Olympics, ostensibly due to injury, upset him further, with his agent relating that the player was reduced to tears by this development.

In the aftermath of such dramas the mercurial forward told the press that he had spoken to Chelsea and could not rule out a move, even in the wake of media reports that he was to pen a new deal with the blancos.

Further newspaper mumblings today indicate that Madrid coach Bernd Schuster may be willing to part with Robinho, and as such he and sporting director Predrag 'Pedja' Mijatovic will have some serious thinking to do.

The Blues, for their part, are thought to have their heart set on the São Vicente-born ace as their final signing of the summer.

Jamaica Big Ova China....Bolt a lead di way...A day in Bolt's Life in Beijin Olympics

http://www.pumarunning.com/#EN/running/content/main/chasingBOLT

-- Edited by ANDRE_DESIGNZ at 01:27, 2008-08-08

FC Barcelona won the match handily despite playing without star forward Lionel Messi.

The match came several hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Barcelona could keep Messi from playing for his native Argentina in the upcoming Olympics in Beijing.

During a news conference after the match, Guardiola did not want to comment on what the club planned to do next or what Messi intended to do about the ruling, saying he wanted to first discuss the matter with his player.

"After I talk to him, then I'll talk to (the media)," Guardiola said. "I have my opinion on it, but I want to talk to him first, then I will tell the world. I won't say anything about it until I speak with him."

When asked if he tried to reach out to Messi, who has already joined the Argentine national team in China, Guardiola said, "Right now, he's sleeping."

FC Barcelona took command early, scoring twice during a 20-second stretch and jumping out to a 4-1 lead at the half.

"It's not normal for us to score so many goals," Guardiola said. "We have to be careful because we created so many chances and, if we try to continue to prepare that way, we could be in a little bit of trouble. We just want to get a good mentality as a group."

Hernandez opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he beat Red Bulls goalie Jon Conway with a header off a cross from Daniel Alves.

Twenty seconds later, Eto'o got his first goal of the match when he got past the Red Bulls defense, took a pass from Hernandez on stride and beat Conway.

The lead grew to 3-0 when Rafael Alverz Marquez deflected a cross from Hernandez with his head, and the misdirected shot sailed past Conway in the 24th minute.

New York got on the board in the 30th minute, when Seth Stammler scored an unassisted goal. But Barcelona answered in the 43rd minute when Eto'o took a give-and-go from Alexander Hleb, then maneuvered his way past two defenders and beat Conway.

Barcelona's offensive output bothered Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio.

"This was a very difficult game for us to handle against one of the best teams in the world," he said. "It was impossible for us to control the game, never mind trying to dominate. This was an example of the best players playing at their best. We tried to control the game and it was impossible."

Barcelona replaced six of its 11 starters as the second half began, but the Red Bulls did not fare much better against the replacements.

New York narrowed the lead to 4-2 when Jorge Rojas scored on a rebound off a crossing shot by Jeff Parke in the 60th minute.

Barcelona closed out the scoring with goals by Jeffren Suarez in the 80th minute and Pedro in the 86th minute against Red Bulls backup goalie Caleb Patterson-Sewell.

"In general, we played pretty good," Guardiola said. "We can go back home happy with the way we played. We created scoring chances and we didn't have any injuries."

Osorio, whose team plays DC United in Major League Soccer on Sunday, said he would try to take some positives from the matchup with Barcelona.

"I'm sure there will be positives, but it's very difficult to find them right now," Osorio said.

"I just hope our players can grow from this." he added. "It hurts me very much, but we couldn't do anything differently - we played a very strong team. I still think it was a great opportunity to play them and I want our young players to get a chance to play in games like this."

Barcelona's Argentine striker Lionel Messi will take over the number 10 shirt that was last worn by Brazil's Ronaldinho, who was transfered to AC Milan, the club said Sunday.

The number 10 shirt is usually the privilege of the club's star player.

Messi, 21, has until now worn the number 19, which has not been assigned to any other player for next season.

Brazilian Daniel Alves, a pre-season signing, was given the number 20, formerly worn by Portugal's Deco, who has gone to Chelsea.

Messi has joined the Argentina national squad for the Olympics in Beijing and will miss the Catalan club's US tour.

The Argentina international has been at the centre of a tug of war between club and country with Barcelona trying to retain him for their Champions League qualifier tie in August.

Adebayor begins building bridges Updated: August 3, 2008, 6:40 PM UK Comment Email Print Arsenal 1-0 Real Madrid Emmanuel Adebayor went some way to winning back the hearts and minds of all Arsenal fans with the goal which beat Spanish giants Real Madrid in the Emirates Cup on Sunday afternoon. The Togo striker - who was Arsenal's top scorer with 30 goals last season - had been the subject of fevered transfer speculation during the summer, only to dismiss it all as pure conjecture when announcing he would sign a new contract extension with the Gunners. Adebayor keen to win over fans Before on Saturday's opening game against Juventus, some sections of the Emirates Stadium faithful had let their frustrations be known, which manager Arsene Wenger later described as 'disappointed love'. However, the 6ft 3ins striker was all smiles again as he converted a penalty five minutes into the second half - and kissed the badge in celebration with the fans behind the goal. In Arsenal's opening game against Juventus on Saturday, which was lost 1-0, Wenger had opted for a youthful starting XI. However, Sunday's team was much more familiar - led by captain William Gallas, as Robin van Persie and Adebayor also came in, and there was a full home debut for summer signing Samri Nasri on the left of midfield. Euro 2008 winner Cesc Fabregas was given some more rest, and centre-back Kolo Toure, recovering from a mild bout of malaria, was another first-team absentee. Before kick-off, injured Arsenal striker Eduardo - who broke his leg at Birmingham in February - was given a rousing reception as he walked onto the pitch unaided to salute the Emirates Stadium crowd, and the Croatian international could be back in contention by October. Real had the likes of Chelsea target Robinho, Guti, captain Raul, one-time Arsenal forward Julio Baptista, former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze and former Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek in their team. Arsenal started brightly with Adebayor and Van Persie working the ball well on the edge of the penalty area before Theo Walcott's low, angled drive was well held by Dudek. Then, a swift counter-attack set up Denilson 20 yards out, but the young Brazilian's strike was blocked. Adebayor should have put the home side in front on 32 minutes when Van Persie floated over a cross from the left - only for the Togo frontman to plant his header wide from six yards. Javier Garcia then came within inches of giving Real the lead when he whipped a 25-yard effort just over Manuel Almunia's crossbar. Dudek scrambled an angled volley from Denilson behind and then tipped over Adebayor's looping header as Arsenal looked to get themselves ahead before the break. The Gunners did take the lead four minutes after the restart when referee Mark Clattenburg ruled Michel Salgado had barged over Van Persie in the penalty box and pointed to the spot. Adebayor made no mistake from 12 yards - and ran straight to the Arsenal fans behind the goal, kissing the club badge on his shirt. There was an injury worry for Real when, on the hour mark, Holland international Wesley Sneijder had to be carried off on a stretcher after appearing to twist his knee in an awkward fall after a tackle. Young Mexican Carlos Vela and Emmanuel Eboue were sent on, for Van Persie and Walcott, as Wenger freshened up his frontline. Adebayor came close to making it 2-0 when he charged through the Real defence and into the box - only to slide the ball wide from six yards. The Togo striker was, though, now back on side with the home faithful, who were chanting his name once more. Arsenal's victory saw them finish third in the final Emirates Cup table, with Hamburg - now managed by former Tottenham boss Martin Jol - securing the trophy after they beat Juventus 3-0 in the day's other match. Adebayor keen to win over fans Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is determined to win over any remaining doubters in the Emirates crowd after pledging himself to the club. He insists he is as committed as ever to Arsene Wenger's side but admits that the rumours have not helped his relationship with the fans. While he has been cheered by the majority of the club's supporters in the ongoing Emirates Cup, there have been some dissenting voices. Now Adebayor intends to win them over. 'I'm very happy. As a footballer a lot of clubs will look for you but this club is one of the biggest in the world, there are lots of young players and I have a big chance to have a good career at this club,' he told Sky Sports. 'When there is a lot of speculation they (the fans) believe what they read in the newspapers. The most important thing is to keep on enjoying your football. 'Some of the fans will love you and some will hate you but I'm in a good position and most fans love me. For me, what happened this summer is over. 'You have to come on the pitch, enjoy your football and show them you have desire to play for their team. 'Today I am where I am because they gave me a lot of chances.' Another Arsenal forward, Croatian striker Eduardo, earned an unequivocal ovation from the crowd when he was paraded ahead of tonight's glamour tie against Real Madrid. He has not played since suffering a sickening leg break against Birmingham last season but is already targeting a first-team return before the end of the year. He said: 'I was in Brazil for my rehabilitation and for four months I have worked hard every day for six or seven hours. 'For me it is hard because I like playing and five, six, seven or eight months without playing is very hard for a player.' Asked when he would be match-fit, he said: 'I would like to play tomorrow but I don't know. Before Christmas maybe.'

Rosemarie Whyte and her coach Maurice Wilson relaxing after a recent training session at GC Foster College. The two are now in Tianjin, China preparing for the start of the Beijing Olympics. - Contributed

ONE of the biggest perfor-mances at the 2008 National Track and Field Championship came from former Holmwood Technical athlete, Rosemarie Whyte.

She created a major upset by defeating a strong field to win the women's 400 metres final in a career best 50.05 seconds. The win earned her a place on Jamaica's team to the Beijing Olympics.

The 21-year-old Whyte, a second-year student at GC Foster College, who concentrated on the long and triple jumps while in high school, gained her major triumph in her first 400m competition for the season. In the final she defeated former national champions Shericka Williams and Novlene Williams-Mills, the 2007 World 400 metres bronze medallist.

Whyte's winning time made her the fastest Jamaican woman over 400m this year and she will go into the Games with the seventh-fastest time in the world for 2008. Before the National Championships, her personal best was a modest 51.74.

The GC Foster student admitted that she was very nervous going into the National Championships.

"This was my first competition against such a quality field as those athletes were very experienced, but I was very confident as I knew that my training had gone very well.

"After completing the first round running against Shericka Williams, I became even more confident as I was shocked to see that I had lowered my personal best to 51.13 and I was running very easy," she continued.

Whyte stated that she became even more confident after running the semi-finals. "Once again, I came up against Shericka and I knew I could have beaten her, but I followed my coach's instructions by staying relaxed and to finish in the top two so I could get a good lane in the final."

Whyte ran the perfect race in the final. She kept her composure as Williams-Mills and Williams along with Shereefa Lloyd were well ahead coming into the final 100m.

"During the race I was focused on what my coach told me," she said.

Showing superior speed and better endurance, Whyte made her move at the right time as with the front runners slowing down, she went by them with ease to win the event going away.

Her first national title and an Olympic berth have both made her very happy.

"I am extremely happy to know that I will be representing the country at the Olympic Games and to know that I am going as the national champion. I would like to thank God first because without Him this would not have been possible. Also, I would like to thank my coach Maurice Wilson, my teammates at GC Foster, staff of GC Foster and Holmwood Technical. Also, Dr Paul Auden and Pat Anderson of Windalco who have given me full support for many years," Whyte said.

Her coach Maurice Wilson heaped praises on the new star.

"This is one young lady who trains extremely hard and follows instructions," said Wilson who is now in Beijing with the Jamaican track and field team.

"Rosemarie was prepared for this because in high school she did the hard events like the heptathlon and because she did not do the 400 metres in high school, she was not stale," Wilson said.

The pressure is now on both coach and athlete with the Beijing track and field events just over a week away.

"I am very confident that I can get her back to peak again at the Games and once she reaches the final, she could pull off another big surprise," he concluded.

KINGSTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Jamaican 4x100m relay team member Julien Dunkley said he had been told that he had tested positive for a banned substance and would not be competing for the Caribbean country in the Beijing Olympics.

Dunkley, 32, was told he tested positive for an undisclosed substance at Jamaicas national championships in late June. Media reports have named the substance as the anabolic steroid boldenone.

Dunkley told local radio from his home base in North Carolina that the Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association had told him of the positive test of an A sample after he called them.

I will request that the B sample gets tested as I have never taken drugs in my life and I dont know about this drug, Dunkley said. (Reporting by Horace Helps, Editing by Michael Christie)

Robinho agent reveals Chelsea offer

Ruud van Nistelrooy retires from Netherlands team

ALTHOUGH JAMAICAN-BORN sprinter Merlene Ottey, who is now a citizen of Slovenia, will not be competing in this year's summer Olympic Games in China, her home community of Pondside in Hanover still has a great interest in the event.

Ottey did not meet the qualifying time to be on the team because she finished 28th hundredths of a second outside the qualifying mark in the 100-metre race.

Merlene's mother, Joan Bowen-Ottey, says she would be watching the Games because she is "first and foremost a Jamaican and a sports fan".

Bowen-Ottey tells The Sunday Gleaner that when her daughter switched allegiance, she understood and accepted the decision without any reservations, as she felt that Jamaica had disrespected an athlete who was passionate about representing her country.

'Ole gal'

"I heard somebody said 'This ole gal must go siddung and lef' it give young people', so she has left it to the young people," Bowen-Ottey relates.

"She wanted to run and Jamaica didn't want her; her team didn't want her and somebody else wanted her. Go run! Yes, that didn't bother me."

However, despite the feeling of betrayal, Bowen-Ottey says Merlene has always supported the Jamaican team and wants young athletes to succeed.

She also believes that Merlene was robbed of several gold medals in the early years of her career because of the doping practices of other athletes and would have liked to watch her child compete in another Olympics.

"It would be nice to watch her again, but I know she would not be able to get a gold there because it's not just one straight race, it's rounds."

"Sometimes I was very disappointed when I watched her. I know that it is not because she didn't train or didn't try her best, but no one had to tell me that drugs were in the making at that time."

Though all of Bowen-Ottey's seven children were athletes at school, Merlene was the only child who pursued the sport full time and made a success of it. She says she would support her daughter even if she chose to run beyond age of 50, as she knows that it is Merlene's passion.

Claudette McCalla, who knew Merlene growing up in Pondside, says she is proud of the athlete and will miss her from the Olympics. Nevertheless, she believes that the new batch of athletes has given the country enough reasons to stay close to the TV.

"She is good because at 48 years old and still be able to beat young people means she still fit," McCalla notes. "We still miss her."

vory Coast international striker Didier Drogba said Sunday he was ready to sign a new contract at Chelsea.

Drogba has been in contact with new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari and seems likely to sign a big-money deal that will see him remain at Stamford Bridge until 2012.

'I am confident talks with Chelsea will lead to a positive resolve about my future,' Drogba told the Sunday Mirror.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon last week revealed his confidence that their big name stars, including Drogba and captain Frank Lampard, would remain at the club.

Drogba has two years remaining on his current contract but insists a move for more money is not his top priority.

'Chelsea want to speak and I am open to talk,' he said. 'Things have not changed but I am a Blues player.

'Money is not the main factor and if Chelsea show they want me it is possible to accept a proposition.'

AC Milan, Barcelona and Inter Milan are all reported to be interested in signing the 30-year-old, who joined the London club four years ago

Dutch international midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid, said Sunday a transfer to the Spanish giants would be a dream come true.

'For me to play at Real Madrid is a dream, and if this agreement is eventually sealed I will be a happy man,' the midfielder told Sports daily As.

The 25-year-old said that Real's Dutch star Wesley Sneijder had told him 'it was a very good club who are waiting for me'.

On Friday Van der Vaart, under contract with German side Hamburg until 2010, was the subject of a nine million euros (14 million dollars) swoop by Real.

That was an improved offer after an earlier bid was batted back by Hamburg boss Dietmar Beiersdorfer, who wants to keep the playmaker as the club challenge for a Champions League berth.

'For the moment I'm still a Hamburg player, but I hope things can be settled soon and that the two clubs can find an agreement,' Van der Vaart said.

Van der Vaart, who has won over 50 caps for his country and scored 12 goals, joined Hamburg in 2005.

Real Madrid's Dutch international Wesley Sneijder suffered serious knee damage during a heavy tackle by Arsenal's Abou Diaby in Sunday's match in London, the Spanish club said.

Midfielder Sneijder was stretchered off in the second half of the Emirates Cup match which Arsenal won 1-0.

'Initial tests show serious damage to his knee ligaments, but the player will undergo complementary exams including an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury,' Real said on their website.

The 24-year-old was about to start his second season with Real after joining the club from Ajax last year.

His absence from the squad for the start of the season would be a hard blow for the Spanish champions.

But Real Madrid have set their sights on another Dutch midfielder, Rafael van der Vaart of Hamburg, and have made a nine million-euros (14 million-dollars) swoop for the player.

Jamaican 100m world record holder Usain Bolt will run in both the 100m and 200m at the Beijing Olympics.

It sets up an intriguing showdown with Bolt's compatriot and former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell, along with American world champion Tyson Gay.

Bolt, 21, took the 100m record from Powell when he ran a stunning 9.72 seconds in New York on 31 May.

But Powell, 25, returned from injury to defeat Bolt last month in Stockholm in their final meeting before the Games.

Bolt had always said he wanted to run both sprint races at the Olympics but his coach Glen Mills had been hesitant to allow the world 200m silver medallist to double up with the short sprint in the Chinese capital.

But Mills has now confirmed: "He will run both."

Bolt underlined his Olympic 200m credentials with a stunning victory in at last month's London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

Powell clocked 9.94 seconds ahead of Trinidad's Marc Burns to win the 100m at the same meeting.

Afterwards, Bolt said: "Looking to Beijing, I think I have a good chance in the 200m and 100m - I'd love to do both but it's up to my coach."

-- Edited by postinor at 10:40, 2008-08-03

Anelka hits four as Blues batter Milanby RivalsDM Updated: August 3, 2008, 8:18 AM EST 8 comments add this RSS blog email print Four goals from Nicolas Anelka helped Chelsea claim 3rd place in the Railways Cup tournament in Moscow after AC Milan were thrashed 5-0. Milan's Brazilian star and Chelsea target Kaka did not feature as his team put in a miserable display, typified by some comically inept goalkeeping by Zeljko Kalac. Barclays Premier LeagueSat., Aug. 16 Arsenal vs. West Brom Aston Villa vs. Man City Bolton vs. Stoke City Chelsea vs. Portsmouth Everton vs. Blackburn* Hull City vs. Fulham Man Utd vs. Newcastle* Middlesbrough vs. Tottenham* Sunderland vs. Liverpool* West Ham vs. Wigan *Airs on FSC or Watch on demand VIDEO: Highlights of every game. Premier League Fantasy Challenge A strong Chelsea line-up saw Michael Ballack make his first appearance of the Blues' pre-season following his late return to the squad after Euro 2008 duty with Germany. But it was his central midfield partner Frank Lampard who put Luiz Felipe Scolari's side ahead in the second minute when his curling free-kick was missed by everyone and the ball flew in through Milan keeper Kalac's legs. It was two in the eighth minute when Anelka latched on to a poor defensive header to fire home low from the edge of the area. The Frenchman added a third 10 minutes later when Kalac's day went from bad to worse. Attempting to clear a routine backpass, the Australian kicked nothing but air, allowing Anelka to steal in and tap into an empty net. Chelsea were utterly dominant and Shaun Wright-Phillips very nearly headed a fourth soon afterwards as they sought to make amends for their shoot-out defeat to Lokomotiv Moscow two days ago. A Milan side with no recognised strikers, but featuring former Arsenal star Mathieu Flamini in midfield, were providing little resistance and Anelka completed his hat-trick six minutes after the restart. Deco played in Florent Malouda down the left and the winger's cross found his countryman, who headed accurately into the corner of the net. Remarkably if was four for Anelka and five for Chelsea in the 58th minute when another flowing move down the left ended with Malouda centring once more for the former Bolton striker to volley home. The Premier League runners-up took their foot off the gas in the last quarter but still dominated and the lively Malouda fired narrowly over with a good long-range effort.