Football - Montpellier coach Rene Girard signs new contract
Montpellier coach Rene Girard has signed a new contract with the French club until 2013.
Girard guided Montpellier to fifth place in the first division last season. The team is in sixth place this season and has also reached the League Cup final, where it will play Marseille on 23 April.
Skiing - Alpine skiers pledge World Cup prize money to Japan
Alpine racers are donating some of their prize money at the World Cup finals to relief efforts in Japan. United States racer Julia Mancuso launched the fundraiser by pledging half her race earnings this week to the www.skiershelpingjapan.com campaign website. Mancuso, Japanese skier Akira Sasaki and former Olympian Kazuko Ikeda have written to World Cup teams seeking support. Sasaki, a three-time runner-up in World Cup races, points out that the 1993 world championships venue Morioka is in the Tohoku region which was badly affected by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
Sasaki says money raised by his "World Cup brothers and sisters" will inspire skiers in Japan. World Cup races carry prize money of 100,000 Swiss francs (€78,000).
Rugby - Ireland scrumhalf O'Leary to miss England clash
The Irish Rugby Football Union says scrumhalf Tomas O'Leary has been ruled out of Saturday's Six Nations clash with England after picking up a freak eye injury in training.
The IRFU says yesterday he will be sidelined for up to three weeks. O'Leary was speed training with a sled when one of the straps broke and recoiled, hitting him in the left eye.
The IRFU says "this caused a bleed within the eye which affected his vision." It added that the bleeding had stabilized and the situation will be reviewed on Friday. O'Leary missed the last two matches because of a back injury, but was in line for a recall with Eoin Reddan concussed against Wales last weekend.
Equestrian - Hurricane Fly wins Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham
Hurricane Fly gave jockey Ruby Walsh his first win in the Champion Hurdle on yesterday, beating Peddlers Cross in the showcase race of the opening day at Cheltenham. The 11-4 favorite powered in front after the final hurdle to beat Peddlers Cross (9-2) by a length and a quarter. Oscar Whisky was third.
The Willie Mullins-trained Hurricane Fly missed the Cheltenham Festival the last two years with injuries. Mullins said he was happy just to get the horse into the race this time, and that "the relief even when he left the parade ring was enormous." Mullins said "today was the day. I am just delighted he got the chance to show what he can do." Walsh also won the first race of the day, when Al Ferof took the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
Football - Lyon winger Bastos to undergo knee surgery
Lyon winger Michel Bastos will undergo knee surgery and is expected to be out of action for several weeks. Bastos picked up the injury during Saturday's 2-0 win at Sochaux in the French league and Lyon said it hopes he will be back "for the last matches of the season."
Lyon said in a statement that Bastos will travel to his native Brazil where national team doctor Edilson Thiele will operate on his knee. Bastos was suspended for today's Champions League last-16 second leg match against Real Madrid.
Tennis - Nadal and Federer to play at Monte Carlo Masters
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will all play at next month's Monte Carlo Masters.
Tournament director Zeljko Franulovic says the top three players in the world will be at the clay-court event from April 9-17 after Federer decided to take part in the tournament to prepare for the French Open.
Federer had initially planned to skip the tournament and limit his clay-court appearances to Madrid and Rome. Federer is a three-time finalist in Monaco while Djokovic lost to six-time defending champion Nadal in the 2009 final.
Football - Sweden quartet replaces Mellberg, Majstorovic
A quartet of center backs were chosen by Sweden coach Erik Hamren to replace injured Celtic defender Daniel Majstorovic and suspended Olof Mellberg against Moldova in 2012 European Championship qualifying.
Hamren picked Michael Almeback, Mikael Antonsson, Andreas Granqvist and Jonas Olsson in a 20-man squad yesterday for the March 29 game in Solna. AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who returned from self-imposed exile from international football in July, was also included. Sweden started its qualifying campaign last year with home victories against San Marino and Hungary then lost 4-1 to the Netherlands. Hamren said Moldova was better than its ranking and had a strong defense, but said Sweden was set on performing well.
Football - Liverpool's Agger expected to play against Norway
Denmark coach Morten Olsen expects injured Liverpool defender Daniel Agger to be ready for this month's European Championship qualifier against Norway. Agger scored Denmark's goal last month in a 2-1 loss against England in a friendly at home, but has been dealing with a knee injury.
Olsen yesterday also tapped midfielder Jakob Poulsen who hasn't played an international since the World Cup in South Africa.
Christian Eriksen, Dennis Rommedahl and Nicklas Bendtner were among the 21 players selected for the 26 March game in Oslo.
Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and Manchester United's Anders Lindegaard were selected along with backup Stephan Andersen. Norway leads Group H, followed by Portugal, Denmark, Cyprus and Iceland.