18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup : London Olympics 2012

18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup : London Olympics 2012

18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup : London Olympics 2012

18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup : London Olympics 2012

18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup : London Olympics 2012

18th FINA Visa Diving World Cup : London Olympics 2012

Roger Federer pulls out of Japan Open, Shanghai Masters

Roger Federer withdrew from the Japan Open and Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 on Friday, citing the need to rest after a physically challenging year.

The Japan Tennis Association said the top-ranked Federer was withdrawing from the Oct. 5-11 Japan Open, along with the Shanghai tournament the following week.

"After consultation with my team and doctors, I decided to take the difficult decision to withdraw from both tournaments," Federer said in a statement. "This will allow me a chance to give my body a chance to rest, rehabilitate and recover from a physically challenging year."

Federer reached the final of all four Grand Slams this year, winning the French Open for the first time in his career, then breaking Pete Sampras' record with his 15th major title at Wimbledon.

He also earned two points for Switzerland last weekend during a 3-2 victory over Italy in the playoffs to remain in the top-tier World Group of the Davis Cup.

It is the second time Federer has pulled out of the Japan Open just before the start of the tournament. He also cited fatigue as his reason for withdrawing from the 2007 event.

"I'm disappointed that I have to withdraw from Tokyo and Shanghai as they are two of my favorite cities," Federer said. "The fans have been great to me over the years."

U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and third-ranked Andy Murray are scheduled to take part in the Japan Open.

Ronaldo careful to avoid Fergie "hair-dryer" in Japan

Cristiano Ronaldo studiously avoided talk of Real Madrid after Manchester United booked their place in Sunday's Club World Cup final.

Spanish media reports claiming United had agreed to sell Ronaldo to Real prompted a furious response from Alex Ferguson after his side's 5-3 win over Gamba Osaka on Thursday.

While the United manager insisted he "wouldn't sell a virus" to Real, Ronaldo kept his own counsel, perhaps mindful of Ferguson's famous "hair-dryer" treatment.

"I don't want to talk about Real Madrid," the Portuguese winger told reporters after scoring one of United's five goals in their semi-final win in Yokohama. "I am happy here."

Ronaldo admitted that United would need to play better against Ecuador's LDU in order to become the first British side to win the Club World Cup.

"LDU are a great side and the final will be much more difficult," said the Ballon d'Or winner. "The second game is always harder. It would be amazing to be world champions.

"The lads want the treble (English, European and world champions) and we're delighted to be in the final. But we know we have to play better on Sunday."

LIME GREEN

Ronaldo, wearing lime green boots, gave United a 2-0 lead with a header on the stroke of halftime but was overshadowed by substitute Wayne Rooney's late double strike.

"Wayne did brilliantly tonight," said Ronaldo, who dazzled the crowd of 67,000 with his trademark stepovers. "He was hungry to score and got two fantastic goals."

Ferguson's side won the Club World Cup's forerunner, a one-off match between the champions of Europe and South America, with a 1-0 victory over Brazil's Palmeiras in 1999.

United were beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Argentine side Estudiantes in 1968 when the Intercontinental Cup was played over two legs.

Ferguson was still fuming after the game about the latest rumours from Madrid, which came after last weekend's 2-0 defeat by arch-rivals Barcelona.

"Real Madrid will blame anybody but themselves for their problems," said the Scot. "I said to (chief executive) David Gill last summer, when we sold Gabriel Heinze, you can bet your life in January it will all start up with Ronaldo again.

"We know their game. We've just got to ignore it. If we keep worrying about what Real are going to say then we're not going to concentrate on our own programme of difficult games coming up."

Ferguson says Ronaldo can emulate Pele and Maradona

Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo has the potential to become as great a player as Pele or Diego Maradona, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Saturday.

"The expectations are always so high with Cristiano because of his rise in the last two or three years since we got him as a young kid," Ferguson told a news conference on the eve of his side's Club World Cup final against Ecuador's LDU .

"He scored 42 goals last season -- his goal-scoring is the one area which for a wide player Cristiano is absolutely superb.

"Pele scored in a World Cup final as a 17-year-old and Maradona played for his country at 17. Cristiano was 18 so the signs are the same."

Ferguson's lavish praise comes during the latest war of words between United and Spanish giants Real Madrid over the future of the Ballon d'Or winner.

"His ability with two feet is tremendous," purred Ferguson. "You would never associate it with a Portuguese winger but he is absolutely magnificent in the air.

"He's 23 now and still a very young lad but there's a lot of things in his favour to go on and prove himself as a legend."

Ronaldo was among the scorers in United's 5-3 win over Japan's Gamba Osaka in Thursday's Club World Cup semi-final but was overshadowed by two goals from substitute Wayne Rooney.

Honda drops Formula One, blames auto industry slowdown

Even as U.S. automobile industry leaders were going hat in hand to Congress, Japan's second-largest automobile manufacturer rocked the motor sports world by dropping its decades-long association with Formula One racing.

Japanese media reported that Honda had been spending about $500 million annually on its Formula One program.

Takeo Fukui, president and chief executive of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., on Friday blamed the "quickly deteriorating operating environment facing the global auto industry, brought on by the subprime problem in the United States, the deepening credit crisis and the sudden contraction of the world economies."

Honda's abrupt abandonment of Formula One has sports marketing industry observers wondering what's next in a motor sports arena where even NASCAR is being pummeled by the global financial crisis that has caused automobile and truck sales to plummet.

"I think it spells big trouble," said William Chipps, senior editor of the Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship Report newsletter. "Auto companies are the lifeblood of motor sports, and their financial troubles will have a profound impact on nearly every motor sports property, both in the U.S. and internationally."

"Honda pulling out of Formula One could portend larger problems at NASCAR as the Big Three put more focus on surviving and less on marketing," Chipps said.

The abrupt departure prompted the Paris-based Federation Internationale de l'Automobile -- the motor sports world's governing body -- to reiterate its concern that "the cost of competing in the World Championship is unsustainable.... In the FIA's view, the global economic downturn has only exacerbated an already critical situation."

The 2009 Formula One season opens March 29 with the Australian Grand Prix. If the Honda racing squad can't find new investors, the circuit would have just eight teams remaining in competition. Teams such as Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes spend $200 million annually on their technologically advanced race cars.

American Honda Motor Co. in Torrance on Friday said in a statement that the Formula One decision should have no impact on its U.S.-based motor sports operations, including the racing operations at its Honda Performance Development subsidiary in Santa Clarita, which has 125 employees:

It is unfortunate that current global economic challenges have necessitated the cessation of Honda’s participation in Formula One racing. However, Honda’s U.S.-based motor sports activities are expected to continue in 2009.

Racing has played an essential role in Honda’s history as a company, and the competition that racing provides has always been a cornerstone of Honda’s corporate values. We race to learn, and we race to win. We plan to continue both of those traditions in 2009 and beyond.

Honda plans to sell its Brackley, England-based Honda Racing F1 Team.

Nick Fry, president of the Honda Racing F1 Team, said in a statement that "we do understand that this decision was one which they felt they had to take in light of the global economic situation." Fry said that the team, which has been preparing a new car for the 2009 season, has a "steely determination" to race "if a new owner can be found."

Honda has had a long but bumpy relationship with Formula One racing. Company founder Soichiro Honda created the first team in 1964. The company subsequently abandoned F1 racing, but began to supply engines to teams during the 1980s and formed its most recent Formula One venture in 2005.

Lisa Dobriskey slams 'Russian seven'

British 1500m star Lisa Dobriskey has backed her sport's move to give longer bans to the seven Russians caught cheating before the Beijing Games.

World athletics' governing body has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the bans handed to the seven by their national federation.

The Russian federation backdated the bans to get their athletes back for next year's world championships.

"I would definitely be angry if they were able to run," said Dobriskey.

"I'd feel cheated if I had to line up against any of them in Berlin next year.

"And I speak for the majority of women's 1500m runners because it has caused quite a big stir, and not only in our event but in athletics in general."

The seven women, who include double world 1500m champion Tatyana Tomashova and 1500m indoor world record-holder Yelena Soboleva, were provisionally suspended in July, shortly before this summer's Olympics, after being found guilty of tampering with their urine samples.

The suspensions followed a year-long investigation by the sport's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), after it had grown suspicious they were being tipped off ahead of "no-notice, out-of-competition" tests and then manipulating their samples.

A trap was sprung at last year's world championships in Osaka when DNA in samples taken from the seven did not match the DNA in their earlier samples. Five of the women were in Russia's team for Beijing.

Having denied claims of systematic doping, the All Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) caused consternation last month when it finally announced details of the bans it was dishing out.

The athletes were given the mandatory two-year bans but those suspensions were backdated to the time of those first out-of-competition tests, April and May of 2007. This meant they would be eligible to compete in Berlin in August.

The IAAF, however, wants those sanctions to start no earlier than the day the athletes were provisionally suspended. It also wants the Lausanne-based arbitration body to extend the bans beyond the mandatory two-year minimum.

"It is unacceptable that these athletes, who have committed serious and deliberate breaches of our anti-doping rules, would receive an effective ban of approximately nine to 10 months and see them eligible to compete in the summer of 2009," said IAAF president Lamine Diack.

"What is more, I consider the circumstances surrounding these cases warrants the IAAF to seek extended bans."

The 25-year-old Dobriskey, who finished fourth in the women's 1500m Olympic final in Beijing, supports Diack's stance entirely.

"It would be very damaging to the sport if they are allowed to get away with this, simply because they've obviously cheated," she said.

"They need to be punished and be seen to be punished. We need to set an example and show people who are cheating, or who are thinking about cheating, that they can't get away with it."

The Loughborough-based star said she was particularly disappointed with Tomashova, one of the favourites for Olympic gold in Beijing and an athlete she had admired for many years.

"As it stands they will have missed only one season," Dobriskey added.

"OK, I know it was an Olympic season but people miss the Olympics through injury, when they haven't done anything wrong. So I think it would be very damaging if the Russians are allowed to compete next year, and very unfair."

The other athletes in question are middle-distance runners Svetlana Cherkasova, Yulia Fomenko and Olga Yegorova, former world champion hammer thrower Gulfiya Khanafeyeva and European discus champion Darya Pischalnikova.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland finish seventh at International Chiba Ekiden Relay

Charlotte Purdue (AFD) helped the AVIVA GB&NI team to seventh place in the team standings at this year’s International Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan, clocking 15.32 for her 5k leg of the race.



On her senior GB&NI debut Purdue, who currently sits in tenth place on the McCain Power of Ten UK Rankings for 5k, showed great form ahead of the European Cross Country Championships to be held in Brussels, Belgium on Sunday 14 December.



Her time is faster than the U20 5k record of 15.42 held by Sian Edwards however due to the downhill gradient it may not be ratified.



Purdue's coach Mick Woods said: "Charlie had an outstanding run. Training has been going well which was a good indication that she was in great shape.



"Although the downhill course makes it hard to know how good it actually was, it was the third fastest run of the day so I'm over the moon.



"I told her to run as she normally does in relay's and run positively. Despite being young she shows alot of maturity, especially being able to cope with a senior debut."



The AVIVA GB&NI team finished with an overall time of 2:10:12, helped particularly by Scott Overall (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC) who clocked the fastest lap of the team with 13.44.



Team members Ian Boneham (Notts AC), who completed his 10k in 29.44, Freya Murray (Chester le Street & District), who finished the fourth leg with 16.08, Ian Hudspith (Morpeth Harriers), clocking 30.29 as he crossed the line and anchor leg Caroline Hoyte (Arena 80 AC) who finished the 7.195k distance in 24.55, returning to the international fold after last representing GB & NI at this event in 2001 made the trip a successful individual and team affair.



For the second year running Ethiopian men’s and women’s teams took both victories, once again confirming their international dominance of endurance running.



Team results were:


1st - ETH 2:05.27
2nd - JPN 2:06:39
3rd - RUS 2:08:04
4th - JUT 2:08:47
5th - AUS 2:09:6
6th - CHIBA 2:10:00
7th - GBR 2:10:12
8th - USA 2:11:54
9th - CAN 2:11:56
10th - CHN 2:12:11
11th - SWE 2:12:16
12th - BRA 2:14:15
13th - ROU 2:15:37

Prayad Marksaeng clinches Japan victory

Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng carded a final round level par 71 to hang on to his two-shot overnight lead and win the Dunlop Phoenix title in Japan.

Marksaeng double-bogeyed the 11th, but also sunk five birdies to finish one clear of 17-year-old Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa on eight under par.

Britain's defending champion Ian Poulter hit a two-under-par 69 to finish five off the lead in eighth.

South Africa's pre-tournament favourite Ernie Els finished in a tie for 15th.

Wakamatsu becomes first Asian-American manager

The Seattle Mariners named Don Wakamatsu as their manager on Wednesday, making the 45-year-old former catcher the first Asian-American to manage in Major League Baseball.

"This is something I've looked forward to for a long time," Wakamatsu told the official major league website mlb.com.

Wakamatsu, who played 18 games for the 1991 Chicago White Sox, takes the helm of a team that lost 101 games last season after serving as bench coach for the 2008 Oakland Athletics.

He replaces interim manager Jim Riggleman.

Before joining Oakland, Wakamatsu coached the Texas Rangers from 2003-07, including four seasons as bench coach for manager Buck Showalter.

Wakamatsu's professional playing career covered 12 years and seven different teams starting in 1985.

A fourth-generation Japanese-American whose father was born in a World War II internment camp, Wakamatsu knows only a few words of Japanese but is proud to have broken a barrier for Asian-Americans.

"I'm honored to have a history and to carry it on," Wakamatsu told a news conference.

"My parents and grandparents have a long history here in the Northwest, and I'm proud to represent what they went through in their lifetimes.

"If I can be a stepping stone for future Japanese-Americans and for equality in baseball, I'm glad to wear that burden."

Seattle features two Japanese players in its starting lineup in outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and catcher Kenji Johjima.

"We wanted energy, a passion and the skills to translate that passion to the players," general manager Jack Zduriencik said.

"We wanted leadership, a presence that could help us as we define the 'Mariners Way' to win. We wanted someone that both the community and the players could embrace.

"Don embodies all of those traits."

Martina Navratilova leads jungle line-up

Ex-tennis star Martina Navratilova and George Takei - Star Trek's Mr Sulu - are among contestants in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

They will be joined in the jungle in the ITV1 show by MEP Robert Kilroy-Silk and TV presenter Esther Rantzen, as well as ex-EastEnder Joe Swash.

Others include ex-Blue singer Simon Webbe, TV presenter Dani Behr and former police chief Brian Paddick.

Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly again front the show which starts on Sunday.

The line-up is completed by models Nicola McLean and Carly Zucker.

'Champions adjust'

Navratilova, 52, said she "was flying very blind" having never seen the show before.

"So I'm sort of going in on trusting in my ability to adjust - as Billie Jean King says, 'champions adjust'. So we'll see if I can adjust."

The Czechoslovakian-born star, now a US citizen, said her "biggest worry" would be contact with snakes and spiders.

Takei, who married long-term partner and business manager Brad Altman in September, is also new to the I'm A Celebrity concept.

The 71-year-old said he had eaten live fish - a Japanese delicacy - and hoped this would stand him in good stead for the bushtucker trials.

"I've even had live fish that's had a bamboo spit driven through its gill attached to a radish and a bamboo spit through its tail so that it can't flop around," he said.

"You can't get fish any fresher than that."

Executive producer Richard Cowles hailed this year's "magnificent cast of celebrities".

"But their trip to the jungle promises to be anything but a walk in the park," he added.

"Each year, in a bid to test the celebrities, we develop new ways of pushing the boundaries and this series will push them further than ever before.

"We have bundles of surprises up our sleeves and some of the most gruelling bushtucker trials ever seen."

Last year's series was won by actor Christopher Biggins.

US ex-model Janice Dickinson finished in second place while former pop star Jason "J" Brown was third.

Gamba crowned club kings of Asia after easy win

Japanese club Gamba Osaka won the Asian Champions League when they beat Adelaide United 2-0 in Adelaide on Wednesday to take the title 5-0 on aggregate.

The Australian side's hopes were effectively over after Brazilian striker Lucas scored twice within the opening 15 minutes.

Adelaide were rocked after four minutes when winger Hayato Sasaki fired a powerful long-range shot, which 17-year-old goalkeeper Mark Birighitti parried straight to the feet of Lucas, who was left with a simple tap-in.

The Adelaide defence was badly exposed 10 minutes later when some slick passing put Lucas in the clear on the left and the Brazilian calmly slotted the ball past Birighitti.

Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar said there had been no chance of coming back after conceding the early goals.

"That was the one thing that we didn't want to happen," Vidmar said.

"But unfortunately it did -- and it happened twice. From then on it was just backs to the wall."

The win gives Gamba their first Asian Champions League title and ensured Japan back-to-back wins following Urawa Red Diamonds' 2007 triumph.

Jeev Milkha Singh wins Singapore Open golf in tight finish

Jeev Milkha Singh rode his luck and pluck before laying his hands on the Singapore Open title and the cool $ 795,500 winner's cheque, which virtually assured him of the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.

Stealthily climbing up the leaderboard, Jeev began the day five shots off the lead but went on to blast a final round of two-under 69 and his aggregate of seven-under 277 was good enough to lift his third title of the year, following the Bank Austria Golf Open on European Tour and the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup on Japan Tour.

Both Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington needed to birdie the final hole to force a play-off but Harrington could not sink the five foot putt while Els' 15-footer curled round the lip, much to Jeev's relief.

"Padraig and Ernie put a good effort in out there but the golfing gods were on my side," a beaming Jeev later said.

"To be honest, I haven't played that well in the last two weeks so, like I said, the golfing gods have been great to me and things worked really well," said the in-form Indian.

For Jeev, morning showed the day and for the second day on the trot, the Indian got off to a perfect birdie-birdie start.

He picked up one more shot on the seventh in an impeccable front nine and was in fact going four-under following the 11th hole birdie before bogeys on the 13th and 16th threatened to provide that twist in the tale.

Two par shots to end the round, and some luck in the process, and Jeev finished with a wafer-thin one shot lead over Els and Harrington, who share six Majors between them.

Another feather in Jeev Milkha Singh's cap

Jeev Milkha Singh, the most successful Indian golfer on the international circuit for quite some time now, won his sixth Asian Tour title and the 11th on an official Tour here on Sunday.

It also gave him rare accolade of winning titles on three different Tours in the same year for the second time. The first was in 2006.

This year Jeev has won the Bank Austria Golf Open on the European Tour, the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup on the Japan Tour and now the Barclay's Singapore Open in the Asian Tour.

Jeev has now sealed the 2008 Asian Tour Order of Merit. He had earlier won the title in 2006.

Following are Jeev's title wins on International Tours outside India:

Asian Tour wins (6)*
2008 (1) Singapore Open
2006 (1) Volvo China Open*
1999 (1) Lexus International
1996 (1) Philip Morris Asia Cup
1995 (2) Philippines Classic, Asian Matchplay Championship

European Tour wins (3)
2008 (1) Bank Austria Golf Open
2006 (2) Volvo China Open*, Volvo Masters

Japan Golf Tour wins (3)
2008 (1) Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup
2006 (2) Casio World Open, Golf Nippon Series JT Cup

Other International wins (4)
1995 (2) Thailand PGA Championship, Toyota Crown Open (Thailand)
1994 (1) Shinhan Donghae Open (South Korea - not an Asian Tour event)
1993 (1) Bukit Kaira Golf Championship (Malaysia)

Note:
* Volvo China Open in 2006 was co-sanctioned by Asian and European Tours

India's Jeev Milka Singh pips big names in Singapore

India's Jeev Milka Singh outplayed major winners Padraig Harrington and Ernie Els to win the Singapore Open with a final round 69.

Singh finished one stroke clear of the pair with a seven-under-par total of 277 at the Sentosa Club.

A double bogey at 16 cost Harrington and both he and Els missed birdie putts at the last to miss out on a play-off.

Harrington carded a 70, Els had a 71 and Rory McIlroy and Australia's David Gleeson shared fourth place after 69s.

Thailand's Chapchai Nirat headed the field by three at the start of the final round but his hopes faded with a series of dropped shots as he struggled to a 78.

And it was 36-year-old Singh, also a winner in Europe and Japan this year, who seized the initiative with three birdies on the front nine.

He took the outright lead with a five-foot birdie at 11, only to fall back into a tie with Harrington when he missed from 10 feet for his par two holes later.

But the Irishman was out of luck at 16 where his pitch landed eight feet from the flag but ran off the green into the water and he could do no better than a double bogey.

Singh dropped a shot at the same hole, but pars at the last two were enough as both Harrington, after a magnificent fairway wood to five feet, and Els saw their birdie attempts fail to drop.

"I couldn't have asked for better. I'm a very fortunate man to win," said Singh.

"That was a good effort out there by Ernie and Padraig but I think that the golfing gods were on my side so I'm breathing much better now."

Harrington was left to reflect on his unlucky breaks, but insisted he had no complaints about a year which saw him win both the Open Championship and USPGA title.

"I hit a lovely shot into 16 that resulted in a double bogey and a lovely shot at the last that was about six inches away from being a short putt for eagle , but that's the way golf goes," he commented.

"I holed the right putts at the right time this year and I may not feel good about this for a few hours but I am still delighted with my year."

Toro Rosso to assess 2009 drivers

Toro Rosso will evaluate three drivers at next week's first post-season Formula One test as they seek to finalise their line-up for 2009.

Sebastien Bourdais, who raced for the team in 2008, will be joined by Red Bull tester Sebastian Buemi and former Jordan and Honda driver Takuma Sato.

The drivers will be evaluated over three days at Spain's Circuit de Catalunya, starting on Monday.

Both Toro Rosso seats are up for grabs after Sebastian Vettel joined Red Bull.

Frenchman Bourdais, a four-time winner of the US-based Champ Car series, is battling to convince the team he is worthy of a second season in F1 after an up and down debut year.

Buemi, from Switzerland, is a member of the Red Bull junior team while Japanese Sato is aiming to revive his career following the collapse of the Super Aguri team early in the 2008 season.

Brazilians Rubens Barrichello and Bruno Senna are also believed to be contenders for a Toro Rosso seat.

Veteran Barrichello is also in with a chance of staying at Honda next season alongside Jenson Button.

Senna, the nephew of the late three-time champion Ayrton Senna, is also in the frame at Honda - he is testing for the Anglo-Japanese team at Catalunya next week.

The former Minardi team, bought by Red Bull in 2006, won their first race last season, with Vettel taking the chequered flag in Monza.

They outstripped senior team Red Bull in the second half of 2008, when they were often battling to be best of the rest behind title contenders Ferrari and McLaren.

They use the same car as Red Bull, but fitted with a Ferrari engine rather than the Renault used by the senior team.

Asian Champions League

ADELAIDE United skipper Travis Dodd has left the door open for a possible move to Japan as cashed-up J-League clubs impressed by the Reds' Asian heroics start circling the Australia talent.

A change to the J-League import rules from next season will give all clubs the option to sign one extra import from Asian Football Confederation nations.

That, and Adelaide's march to the Asian Champions League final against Japan's Gamba Osaka, has reportedly landed Dodd and some of his Adelaide teammates on Japanese club shopping lists.

US & Japan may host Bledisloe Cup

Australia and New Zealand are considering playing the Bledisloe Cup in the United States and Japan over the next two years.

The two great rivals face each other in Hong Kong this weekend with the match expected to be a sell-out.

Australia rugby boss John O'Neill said: "We have got a formal proposal from Denver to host the Cup next year.

"We are also talking to the Japanese about the possibility of holding the game in 2010 in Tokyo."

Saturday's Hong Kong Test will be the first time the pair have met in the Bledisloe Cup outside of either Australia or New Zealand.

The fixture, that is understood to have generated just over £5.5m in revenue, will be their fourth encounter in 2008 with the other three taking place in the Tri-Nations.

O'Neill and New Zealand chief Steve Tew said they were open to the idea of taking fixtures between the pair around the globe.

"We've got several opportunities in front of us for 2009 and 2010, not necessarily Bledisloe Cup games but for additional games for the All Blacks," Tew said.

"We're working through those quite seriously. The Denver game has been mentioned in the media.

"It's fair to say both Australia and New Zealand have ticked the box that we should explore that further and we will have discussions on that this week."

If the 2008 Bledisloe Cup series is level after the Hong Kong match, New Zealand - as the current holders - will retain the trophy.

It was first awarded to the winning team in matches between the two antipodean rivals in 1932. The All Blacks have held it since 2003.

Hamilton expects a fair fight in Brazil

Lewis Hamilton has dismissed fears that his bid to become Formula One's youngest world champion could be wrecked by underhand tactics in Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix.

"We're here to race, I believe every driver that's here is a great sportsman and we're all very competitive," the 23-year-old McLaren driver told a news conference at the Interlagos circuit on Thursday.

"So I just have to trust and believe in everybody and hope that we can have a fair, straight race.

"That's what motor racing is all about and that's why I race, that's what makes it so exciting."

Hamilton leads Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa by seven points, meaning that the Briton need only finish fifth to take the title even if his Brazilian rival wins the race.

The two collided in Japan this month, with Hamilton failing to score points after being penalised for a wild start and then having to fight back from last position following the Massa incident.

Massa denied deliberately colliding with his rival and said at Fuji: "I have a good relationship with Lewis and would not do anything to destroy someone on purpose."

However, Formula One has been plunged into controversy in title-deciding races in the past, notably between Michael Schumacher and Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 and Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989 and 1990.

NO ASSISTANCE

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, whose Honda team have been so far off the pace this season that he is unlikely to be in any position to assist his compatriot, predicted a straight fight and urged local fans to show their sense of fair play.

"I don't think I can help him (Massa) much, unfortunately," said the former Ferrari driver. "I would be willing to get some help from him.

"All I would ask of the guys who come here to cheer Felipe on is to respect Lewis.

"Imagine me doing something against Lewis -- would Felipe be happy with that? Would he be a worthy champion? I don't think so," added Barrichello.

"I think the guys have fought the whole championship by themselves and that's the way it has to be. I would not get in the way."

While Massa must aim to win and hope for the best, Hamilton is under pressure to make up for his failure last year to become the first rookie champion.

The Briton drew a blank in China and then allowed Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to make up a seven point deficit and win the title at Interlagos in 2007 and he has vowed not to let that happen again.

"Last year we came here and I'd had one bad race, so it was all a bit hectic and the pressure of being at the last race was upon me and perhaps it got to me," said Hamilton, who this time arrived in Sao Paulo on the back of a dominant win in Shanghai.

"But this year I feel it's just another race. We've come from a great race in China and I know here that we will be just as strong if not a little bit stronger.

"It looks positive and again, my approach is the same as in the last race," added the Briton, who would be McLaren's first champion since Mika Hakkinen in 1999 and his country's first since Damon Hill in 1996.

"We are just here to do the best job we can and we're not looking at it and saying that we have to do anything again."

Montreal mayor hopeful Canada F1 GP can be saved

Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay said he was hopeful the axed Canadian Formula One Grand Prix could be reinstated next year after meeting the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone on Thursday.

"We've had a constructive meeting, we have a better understanding of the issues," he told reporters.

"We still have a lot of work to do to evaluate all the options, but it is still possible to hold the grand prix in Montreal in 2009 and subsequent years."

Tremblay was accompanied by Quebec economic development minister Raymond Bachand and federal international trade minister Michael Fortier.

The race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was dropped from a revised calendar this month, leaving North America without a grand prix for the first time in 50 years.

Ecclestone told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend that there was no way back for Canada next year, despite France subsequently dropping off the calendar for financial reasons.

"They want 17 races, the teams, and that's what they've got," he said.

Canadian Grand Prix organisers denied at the weekend that they had defaulted on payments owed to Ecclestone for past hosting rights.

"It is true that we have a commercial disagreement regarding our monetary obligations, but only for 2008," said Canada Grand Prix marketing vice-president Paul Wilson in a statement.

"This is the result of an historical difference within the contractual understanding between the two parties.

"We were working hard to resolve the matter in order to meet our 2008 obligations when Mr. Ecclestone, without notice, surprised everyone by unilaterally dropping the Canadian Grand Prix from the 2009 FIA schedule last October 7."

The decision dismayed the teams, with Canada and the United States being important markets for the manufacturers that dominate the sport.

"It's the opposite of what we want to see," BMW-Sauber team boss Mario Theissen, whose team took their first win in Canada this season, said at this month's Japanese Grand Prix.

"The intention should be not to step out of this market but just the opposite -- to use Montreal as door opener for a future U.S. race as well."

Reds arrive home to Hero’s Reception

Adelaide United FC’s weary squad touched down in Adelaide this morning to a rousing welcome after their successful journey to Tashkent, where they progressed to the AFC Champions League Final.

Visibly fatigued after the trip, The Reds were swamped by family, friends and loyal fans that turned up to show their support and acknowledge the team’s achievements.

United Coach Aurelio Vidmar said it was a privilege to be greeted by such a reception, which included South Australian Premier, the Honourable Mike Rann and Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, the Honourable Michael Wright.

“It’s unbelievable. We heard that there might be a few supporters turning up here, but to walk out and see so many fans, it shows us the fantastic support that we’ve got and it’s just tremendous,” Vidmar said.

“Certainly it is a fantastic moment for the club and everyone is really rapt to get into any Final, let alone an Asian Champions League Final so we’re really pleased and we’d like to go another step further if we can.”

As remarkable as the achievement is, Vidmar said the result is all the more significant considering what the Reds have been up against in terms of the money and resources of the clubs they have come up against.

“With all the restraints in terms of the resources and what we were up against, especially on this trip, to go there and look pretty comfortable for most of the game, it was probably the best 1-nil loss we’ve ever had so it was really pleasing,” Vidmar said.

“We were up against it but I was really proud with the way they rolled up their sleeves and put all the little problems that they had aside to focus and get the job done so it was just a heroic effort from our players.”

Captain Travis Dodd described Wednesday night’s historic Semi Final win (on aggregate) over Bunyodkor/Kuruvchi as a dream come true, but admitted the extent of what they had accomplished had not yet sunk in.

“So far it is a dream, and it’s a dream come true. The guys did fantastically well on Wednesday and to come home and get this reception has been fantastic,” Dodd said.

“It’s hard because you don’t really get a chance to think about it with all of the travelling and then we’ve got another game tomorrow in the A-League so we’re always on the go. Maybe in a week or so we’ll realise where we’re going.”

As well as jet lag, The Reds will carry a number of sore bodies home as they attempt to recover for tomorrow’s important Hyundai A-League match against Perth Glory at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Despite the short turnaround, Dodd says the players know what is required against the Glory.

“The boys are professional enough to know that we’ve got a job to do tomorrow and I’m sure they will go out and do it properly,” Dodd said.

United defeated Bunyodkor/Kuruvchi 3-1 on aggregate to reach the AFC Champions League Final, where they will come up against Japan’s Gamba Osaka. The two legs will be played on November 5 in Japan and November 12 at Hindmarsh Stadium.