INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Chellsie Memmel, the 2005 world all-around gymnastics champion, will compete at the Good Luck Beijing Invitational later this month with hopes of a return for the 2008 Olympics.

Memmel and fellow American Bridget Sloan, a member of this year's world championship team, will compete in individual and all-around events. Six US men will be in team and individual disciplines in the November 28-December 3 meet.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - IndyCar Series officials have announced a 16-race programme for the 2008 season, one less than this year with the loss of an event at Michigan International Speedway oval.

Returning races in the US open-wheel series remain in their same order otherwise, with the only non-US race on April 19 in Japan at the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval.

The Japanese stop is the third in the season after a March 29 night oval opener at Miami and a street race the following week in St. Petersburg, Florida.

STUTTGART, Germany, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - The United States' bid to find a replacement for their Olympic silver medallists remains a work in progress as their men's gymnastics team fell off the podium at the world championships here on Thursday.

A year after their humiliating 13th position at worlds, the US men had hit back at their detractors by securing their place in the Beijing Olympics by finishing fourth in qualifiers earlier this week.

LENS, France, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - Teams for the World Cup Pool match between England and the United States at the Stade Felix-Bollaert here Saturday (1600GMT):

England (15-1)

Mark Cueto; Josh Lewsey, Jamie Noon, Mike Catt, Jason Robinson; Olly Barkley, Shaun Perry; Lawrence Dallaglio, Tom Rees, Joe Worsley; Simon Shaw, Ben Kay; Phil Vickery (capt), Mark Regan, Andrew Sheridan

Replacements: George Chuter, Matt Stevens, Martin Corry, Lewis Moody, Peter Richards, Andy Farrell, Mathew Tait

United States (from)

MADRID, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday vetoed a mooted friendly international between the eastern region of Catalonia and the United States, which had been slated for October 14.

The Catalan regional federation (FCF) had reached agreement for the game with US counterparts but the RFEF board rejected the idea by 18 votes to three, FCF sources said.

One of the reasons put forward was that Spain are themselves playing Denmark a day earlier in a Euro 2008 qualifier and then on the 17th a friendly against Finland.

ATHENS, Greece, Aug 21, 2007 (AFP) - Greek police have arrested a Greek-American investment fund swindler on the run from American police in a luxury hotel in Crete, the US embassy said Tuesday.

Angelos Haligiannis, 35, was convicted in 2005 for tricking investors about the real performance of his funds and became a fugitive after he did not appear in court for sentencing in 2006.

'We had sought his extradition and we appreciate the help the Greek authorities have given us,' US embassy spokeswoman Carol Kalin told AFP.

TEHRAN, Aug 21, 2007 (AFP) - Three female Iranian whitewater kayakers and their coach are in trouble after visiting arch enemy the United States without their federation's permission, the press reported on Tuesday.

The paddlers spent over a month training at the new whitewater slalom facility in McHenry, Maryland this summer, receiving instruction from US coaches in a rare sporting contact between the two foes.

WASHINGTON, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - US President and former pro baseball team owner George W. Bush congratulated Barry Bonds for smashing baseball's hallowed home-run mark, but avoided the controversy on Bonds' alleged use of steroids on his record hunt.

Bush told Fox television that he had 'politely waited until the appropriate time on the Pacific Coast' -- which is three hours behind Washington -- to call and offer his congratulations to the San Francisco Giants slugger.

WASHINGTON, Aug 8, 2007 (AFP) - US President and former pro baseball team owner George W. Bush did not appear Wednesday in a hurry to congratulate Barry Bonds after the San Francisco Giant smashed baseball's hallowed home-run record.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush, a longtime fan of the game who once was part owner of the Texas Rangers club, did not call Bonds after the slugger hit his 756th homer Tuesday, breaking the 33-year-old mark held by legendary player Hank Aaron.

Asked if Bush had plans to call Bonds, Snow said, 'I don't know.'

STANFORD, California, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Results here Friday from the fifth day of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament (x denotes seeding):

Quarter-finals

Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia x3) bt Olga Govortsova (BLR) 7-5, 6-3

Sybille Bammer (Austria x8) bt Lilia Osterloh (USA) 6-2, 6-1

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - The Philadelphia Phillies, expected to be without injured Chase Utley for up to four weeks, acquired second baseman Tadahito Iguchi from the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

Iguchi, 32, is batting .251 with six home runs and 31 RBI in 90 games with the White Sox this season. He is a career .273 hitter with 39 homers, 169 RBI and 216 runs scored in three seasons in Chicago.

LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - David Beckham will not play Saturday for the Los Angeles Galaxy in a Superliga match here against Chivas of Mexico because of his injured left ankle, the Major League Soccer club announced Friday.

The 32-year-old English superstar, who left Real Madrid for a 250 million-dollar Hollywood deal, only made his Galaxy debut last Saturday in the 78th minute as a substitute because of the nagging injury.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Outfielder Kenny Lofton returned to the Cleveland Indians for the third time in his Major League Baseball career here Friday when the Tribe obtained him in a trade with the Texas Rangers.

The Indians, who sent minor league catcher Max Ramirez to Texas in exchange, brought back the 40-year-old Lofton after prior Cleveland stints from 1992-1996 and 1998-2001.

Lofton is the Indians' career leader with 450 stolen bases and ranks third in runs scored with 951. He was a five-time all-star during his prior playing days at Cleveland.

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley had a pin inserted into his broken right hand Friday and is expected to miss up to four weeks of the Major League Baseball season.

The National League club announced the 20-minute surgery one day after Utley was hit by a pitch from Washington rookie John Lannan in the fifth inning of the Phillies' 7-6 loss to the Nationals on Thursday.

COOPERSTOWN, New York, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Major League Baseball legends Cal Ripken Jnr and Tony Gwynn will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame here Sunday, each being honored for 20 years of historic feats.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Ripken, who turns 47 next month, played in 2,632 consecutive games, breaking the US ironman streak of Lou Gehrig and the global mark of Japan's Sachio Kinugasa.

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Results and standings after the National League's Thursday baseball games:

THURSDAY, JULY 26TH RESULTS

PITTSBURGH 8, NY METS 4

CINCINNATI 6, MILWAUKEE 5 (10 INNINGS)

WASHINGTON 7, PHILADELPHIA 6

SAN FRANCISCO 4, ATLANTA 2

HOUSTON 7, SAN DIEGO 1

ST LOUIS 11, CHICAGO CUBS 1

FLORIDA AT ARIZONA

LA DODGERS AT COLORADO

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

TEAM WON LOST PCT GB

NY METS 57 44 .564 -

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Results and standings after the American League's Wednesday baseball games:

THURSDAY, JULY 26TH RESULTS

CHI WHITE SOX 4, DETROIT 3

BALTIMORE 10, TAMPA BAY 7

BOSTON 14, CLEVELAND 9

KANSAS CITY 7, NY YANKEES 0

OAKLAND 6, SEATTLE 2

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

TEAM WON LOST PCT GB

BOSTON 62 40 .608 -

BALTIMORE 47 53 .470 14

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

TEAM WON LOST PCT GB

STANFORD, California, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Results here Thursday from the fourth day of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament (x denotes seeding):

Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Shahar Peer (ISR x5) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2

Sania Mirza (India) bt Tatiana Golovin (France x6) 6-4 6-1

Patty Schnyder (SUI x4) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) 7-5, 6-2

Anna Chakvetadze (Russia x1) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 6-4, 6-1

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - James Blake reached his third quarter-final in his past four events on Thursday with an efficient 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ricardo Mello at the Indianapolis tennis championships.

Blake, seeded second behind American compatriot Andy Roddick, is defending the title he won here last year with a victory over Davis Cup teammate Roddick in the final.

Blake lost the title match last Sunday at Los Angeles to Czech Radek Stepanek, and is poised for a rise in form in the run-up to the US Open starting August 27.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Results here on Thursday from the fourth day of the 525,000-dollar ATP Indianapolis Championships (x denotes seeding):

Dmitry Tursunov (Russia x3) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (Russia) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2

Kei Nishikori (Japan) bt Michael Berrer (German) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1

James Blake (USA x2) bt Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-4, 6-2

STANFORD, California, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Results here Thursday from the fourth day of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament (x denotes seeding):

Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Shahar Peer (ISR x5) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2

Sania Mirza (India) bt Tatiana Golovin (France x6) 6-4 6-1

Patty Schnyder (SUI x4) bt Yaroslava Shvedova (Russia) 7-5, 6-2

STANFORD, California, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Olga Govortsova sent fifth-seeded Shahar Peer packing Thursday as she booked a quarter-final berth at the 600,000-dollar Bank of West Classic.

Govortsova, of Belarus, ousted Israel's Peer 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 to set up a meeting with third-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova.

STANFORD, California, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Results here Thursday from the fourth day of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament (x denotes seeding):

Sania Mirza (IND) bt Tatiana Golovin (FRA x6) 6-4 6-1

CINCINNATI, Ohio, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Pedro Lopez, struck in the face by a pitch in a bloody incident on Wednesday night, was placed on the disabled list by the Cincinnati Reds Thursday with a broken left cheekbone.

Lopez took a fastball from Milwaukee Brewers righthander Matt Wise in the face during the eighth inning of Wednesday night`s game and crashed to the ground. He lay on the ground for several minutes bleeding from the mouth and nose.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Sam Querrey toppled towering Croatian Ivo Karlovic 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) on Thursday as two of the tallest men in tennis met in the second round of the Indianapolis ATP hardcourt event.

Querrey, the world number 90, reached his third quarter-final of the season after Memphis and Las Vegas back-to-back in February and March.

The Californian teenager saved match points at this level for the first time in his career as he won the ace-fest in two hours, 20 minutes.

NEW YORK, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - The doping scandals wreaking havoc on the 2007 Tour de France should come as no surprise, three-time Tour champion Greg LeMond told AFP on Thursday.

In a dramatic few days on the crisis-hit race, long-time race leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark has been sensationally turfed out by his own Rabobank team.

France`s number one team Cofidis pulled out after it was revealed that Italian Cristian Moreni had tested positive for testosterone while Astana have also left the race following favourite Alexandre Vinokourov`s dope test failure.

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Results and standings after the National League`s Wednesday baseball games:

PHILADELPHIA 7, WASHINGTON 5 (14 INNINGS)

WASHINGTON, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - Results and standings after the American League`s Wednesday baseball games:

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Alex Rodriguez belted his 499th career home run here Wednesday, to help lift the New York Yankees to a 7-1 win over Kansas City and move a step closer to the 500 homer plateau.

'This is just a stopoff for him,' Torre said of Rodriguez, who pounded his 35th homer of the season. 'Considering his age, and in a few years he`s going to be going for 600. That`s crazy at his age.'

STANFORD, California, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli of France crashed out of the 600,000-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament here Wednesday, falling in three sets to Lilia Osterloh.

The unheralded American downed the second-seeded French woman 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the second-round clash.

STANFORD, California, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Results here Wednesday from the third day of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament (x denotes seeding):

Daniela Hantuchova (SVK x3) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-4, 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik (SLO x7) bt Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 6-0, 7-6 (7/5)

Lilia Osterloh (USA) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA x2) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3

---------------------------------------

SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Barry Bonds took the night off from his pursuit of Hank Aaron`s home run record on Wednesday, but the San Francisco slugger reportedly took a swing at the latest doping insinuations against him.

MLB.com reported that Bonds, speaking in the Giants locker room before San Francisco`s game against Atlanta on Wednesday, shrugged off chemist Patrick Arnold`s claim that it was 'implausible' that Bonds took performance-enhancing drugs without knowing it.

CINCINNATI, Ohio, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Cincinnati Reds shortstop Pedro Lopez was struck in the face by a pitch Wednesday, and left the game against Milwaukee bloodied but conscious.

Lopez took a fastball from Milwaukee Brewers righthander Matt Wise in the face in the eighth inning and crashed to the ground.

After being attended to by the trainer, Lopez was taken off the field sitting up in a cart while holding a bloody towel to his mouth and nose.

'I got there and blood was spewing from his mouth,' Cincinnati`s interim manager Pete Mackanin said.

NEW YORK, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Tom Glavine put himself on the brink of a slice of baseball history Wednesday, pitching six effective innings to earn his 299th career victory as the New York Mets defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3.

Glavine, 41, Glavine will try to become just the 23rd pitcher to reach the coveted 300-win plateau, and what amounts to an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Andy Roddick advanced to the quarter-finals of the Indianapolis tennis championships on Wednesday while boyhood friend Mardy Fish bowed out after one set with a knee injury.

Top seed Roddick, bidding to lift a third title in five editions at the US Open tune-up, rolled over Russian Evgeny Korolev 6-3, 6-2.

'I hit the ball cleanly,' said Roddick, ranked fifth in the world. 'My serve was off, but I had a rock-solid return game.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Results here on Wednesday from the third day of the 525,000-dollar ATP Indianapolis Championships (x denotes seeding):

Frank Dancevic (CAN) bt Juan del Potro (ARG) 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) bt Mardy Fish (USA x4) 6-4, retired (existing knee injury)

Andy Roddick (USA x1) bt Evgeny Korolev (RUS) 6-3, 6-2

WASHINGTON, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Tibet independence groups announced plans to stage protests at Major League Baseball ballparks next week, objecting to next year`s Beijing Olympics ahead of the one-year-out date on August 8.

Tibet freedom groups want to focus upon China`s human rights record much the way Darfur protesters try to cast light upon Chinese weapons deals that impact the Sudan region, all against a backdrop of China`s upcoming sport showcase.

STANFORD, California, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Slovakian third seed Daniela Hantuchova and Austrian eighth seed Sybille Bammer advanced Wednesday to the quarter-finals of a 600,000-dollar WTA event with straight-set triumphs.

Hantuchova, who received a first-round bye as a top-four seed, eliminated China's Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-2 while Bammer ousted American Meilen Tu by the exact same score at the US Open hardcourt tuneup event.

LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Los Angeles Galaxy coach Frank Yallop wants to keep England football icon David Beckham on the bench until his sore left ankle is healed and the midfielder is 100 percent fit.

The 32-year-old did not play in the Major League Soccer (MLS) team`s 2-1 victory over Mexican club Pachuca on Tuesday and might not appear in Saturday`s next Superliga match here on Saturday against Chivas Guadalajara.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Results here on Tuesday from the second day of the 525,000-dollar ATP Indianapolis Championships (x denotes seeding):

Paul Goldstein (USA) bt Robert Kendrick (USA) 6-4, 6-4

Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) bt Rajeev Ram (USA) 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) bt Santiago Giraldo (COL) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5

Mardy Fish (USA x4) bt Vince Spadea (USA) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5

Lee Hyung-taik (KOR x6) bt Donald Young (USA) 6-2, 6-4

Ricardo Mello (BRA) bt Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-4, 6-4

STANFORD, California, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Results here Tuesday from the second day of a 600,000-dollar WTA tournament (x denotes seed):

Olga Govortsova (BLR) bt Catalina Castano (COL) 6-4, 6-2

Yaroslava Shvedova (RUS) bt Julia Vakulenko (UKR) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2