The lawyer for two Minnesota Vikings players who tested positive for a banned diuretic told a judge on Monday that the NFL's anti-doping rules are applied inconsistently. In opening statements in the state court trial involving Kevin and Pat Williams, lawyer Peter Ginsberg said the players' reputations have been tainted.

Cycling boss Pat McQuaid said Saturday he was not surprised by the French anti-doping agency's (AFLD) announcement they would not be cooperating with the International Cycling Union (UCI) at next week's Paris-Nice race. "For the UCI it's an accepted fact that the AFLD will not cooperate with us," said UCI chief McQuaid.

British hurdler Callum Priestley was Friday provisionally suspended from all competition and UK Athletics' World Class Performance Programme after testing positive for the banned drug clenbuterol. The suspension follows an out-of-competition test in South Africa in January and Priestley, 21, faces a two-year ban if found guilty of doping.

Vienna laboratory Humanplasma hit back on Tuesday at claims that it stood at the centre of a massive doping network, naming instead several well-known coaches for the first time. Banned Austrian biathlon and cross-country coach Walter Mayer, Stefan Matschiner, the former manager of disgraced cyclist Bernhard Kohl, and Martin Kessler, a rowing coach, were those at the heart of the doping network that used Humanplasma's facilities between 2003 and 2006, the laboratory said in a statement.

Yankees star Alex Rodriguez said Monday he will cooperate with US investigators probing a Canadian doctor accused of selling an unapproved drug. Rodriguez said he was waiting to hear further from authorities investigating doctor Anthony Galea. Galea is facing four charges in Canada related to the drug known as Actovegin, which is extracted from calf's blood and used for healing but is not approved for sale in the United States or Canada.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge hailed a largely drug-free Vancouver Games Sunday as Slovak ice hockey player Lubomir Visnovsky was reprimanded for breaching anti-doping rules. With the Olympics wrapping up, Rogge said it was encouraging that only two minor doping issues had come to light -- Visnovsky and Russian ice hockey player Svetlana Terenteva.

Slovak ice hockey player Lubomir Visnovsky was reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee Sunday for breaching anti-doping rules by taking medicine for flu-like symptoms. The IOC said a urine sample taken last Wednesday indicated the presence of pseudoephedrine in a concentration greater than World Anti-Doping Agency limits.

A rival athlete has accused Norway's triple cross-country gold medallist Marit Bjoergen of using asthma medication to help her win at the Vancouver Olympics. "Without the medication she would not have won," said her Polish rival Justyna Kowalczyk said on a Internet site in Poland that was seen here. "Marit knows very well that without this 'aid' she would not have much to show.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said Thursday it would take until 2018 before the IOC could fully assess the impact of any doping taking place at the 2010 Winter Games. The IOC warned before the Vancouver Olympics that urine and blood samples taken from athletes would be kept for eight years, and could be tested retroactively as methods able to detect unknown products become gradually available.

Romania captain Adrian Mutu's lawyer believes the Fiorentina player will be cleared of doping when he faces trial next week after twice testing positive for a banned substance. The 31-year-old's tests on January 10 and 20 showed the presence of the appetite suppressant sibutamine and he has been suspended ever since the results were made public.