Cycling - Police raid cyclists

linked to Dr Ferrari

Italian police have carried out a series of raids on cyclists linked to banned physician Michele Ferrari. The cyclists targeted include Michele Scarponi - a title contender for this year’s Giro d’Italia - and Lampre teammate Leonardo Bertagnolli, as well as five current and past Russian riders with the Katusha team. The teams confirmed that police inspected the riders’ biological passports and confiscated anti-inflammatories, powdered milk and energy bars. The raids were carried out on Thursday in Sicily and northern Italy. No arrests were made. In 2006, Ferrari was cleared of charges of sports fraud, pharmacological doping and abuse of his profession as a pharmacist. But he was banned for life by the Italian Olympic Committee and riders that visit with him risk bans of three to six months. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong formerly used Ferrari as his training adviser.

Olympics - 2012 Gold medallists

will hear London Philharmonic 

Gold medallists at the 2012 Olympics will hear their national anthems played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. London organisers say the Philharmonic will record the anthems of all 205 teams expected to compete at the games. The anthems will be played at the medal ceremonies. Orchestra officials say it will take about 50 hours of work at Abbey Road studios to complete the project.

Tennis - Zvonareva leads

Russia against Italy in semifinals 

Vera Zvonareva will play Sara Errani in the opening singles match today when Russia host two-time defending champions Italy in the Fed Cup semifinals. Two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was drawn to face Roberta Vinci in the second singles match. In tomorrow’s reverse singles, Zvonareva will play Vinci, while Kuznetsova will take on Errani. In the doubles match, the Russian pair of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Ekaterina Makarova will face Alberta Brianti and Maria Elena Camerin. The reverse singles and doubles nominations can be changed depending on the results of the previous matches. The winner will play either Belgium of the Czech Republic in the final on 5-6 November.

Motor-Racing - Ferrari president

puts doubt on team’s F1 future 

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has threatened to withdraw Formula One’s biggest team from the circuit unless the sport changes direction. Di Montezemolo says in an interview with German magazine AutoBild that the sport had become “too artificial,” saying “a steering wheel is now a computer covered in buttons and the fans no longer understand.” FIA is intent on using four-cylinder engines from 2013, something alien to Ferrari’s race team and road cars. Di Montezemolo says Ferrari will stay in Formula One “so long as the sport gives us back something for the development of technology of our production cars. Otherwise not.”

Football - Beckham to serve

one-game suspension for yellows 

David Beckham’s latest yellow card has resulted in an automatic one-game suspension for the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder. Beckham received the booking for a reckless tackle during the first half of Wednesday’s scoreless draw against Toronto FC. It was his league-high fifth yellow card through six games. Beckham must sit out tomorrow’s Major League Soccer match against the Chicago Fire. Galaxy forward Juninho will also miss the game after earning a pair of yellow cards on Wednesday. Beckham is playing in the fifth and final year of his original contract, but recently said he’d be open to returning to MLS after this season.

Rally - 2013 Dakar Rally

will end in Chile 

The head of the Dakar Rally organising committee says the 2013 off-road race will finish in Chile. Etienne Lavigne says on Thursday that Chile President Sebastian Pinera asked for the 2013 finish line to be in his country during this year’s race in January. Lavigne says “Chile convinced us with good arguments and we are happy we’ve achieved this goal.” Since the Dakar was moved from Africa to South America in 2009 for security reasons, it has started in Argentina, crossed the Andes to Chile and returned to Buenos Aires. Organisers have already announced changes for 2012, including sections in Peru and a finish in Lima. It has not been decided which Chilean city will host the finish in 2013.