Gagan Ajit to return for World Series Hockey
Former India player Gagan Ajit Singh will return to competitive hockey after being picked in the second players' draft for the US $2 million World Series Hockey, which commences on February 29. The former India forward was picked by the Sher-e-Punjab franchise during the second round of the player draft in which 27 Indian players, from a pool of 42, were chosen by various franchises.

Henry's loan at Arsenal cannot be extended: Wenger
Thierry Henry, Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, will return to New York Red Bulls next week as his loan spell cannot be extended past the agreed date, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.

Give me England job so I can relegate them: Ferguson
If England want a new manager with a glittering record they need look no further than Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who would love to take the job just so he could sabotage the team.

Hijab ban driving women away from soccer
Muslim women are being driven away from soccer by FIFA's ban of the hijab, with more likely to follow if rulemakers fail to reverse the decision at a meeting next month, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan said.

Tour winner Ullrich found guilty of doping by CAS
Retired former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has been found guilty of doping in relation to a blood-doping scandal that engulfed his sport six years ago and has been banned for two years.

Giggs extends Man United contract for another year
Ryan Giggs, who made his United debut in March 1991, has made a club record 898 appearances, scoring 162 goals.

Pattaya: Sania ousted in singles, enters doubles SF
Sania Mirza's singles campaign at the Pattaya Open ended on Friday with a 5-7, 3-6 quarter-final defeat to Chinese Taipei qualifier Su-Wei Hsieh. The Indian ace, however, stayed in contention in the doubles by entering the semi-finals.

Every corner is blind for devoted French fan
How a corner sounds matters more to the 29-year-old French Formula One fan Charaf-Eddine Ait Taleb, who lost his sight 10 years ago due to a genetic condition, than any controversy over the new "ugly" noses on the 2012 cars.

Schumacher plays down title chances
Mercedes have decided not to run their 2012 car until the second pre-season test in Barcelona later this month to give them as much development time as possible.

THE TOP SPORTS PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Canada's new Olympic Hall of Fame and Museum glows during dusk in Calgary, Alberta.

NBA: 'Linsanity' has the New York Knicks riding high
Jeremy Lin's sudden rise from obscure reserve to the toast of Broadway could not have come at a better time for the New York Knicks.

Nadal slams French 'campaign' to discredit Spain
Rafa Nadal has hit out at what he called a "general campaign" in France to discredit Spanish athletes by implying their success is due to the use of illegal drugs.

NBA: Lakers cool red-hot Celtics in overtime
Pau Gasol came up big for the Los Angeles Lakers as they beat the red-hot Boston Celtics 88-87 in overtime for a rare road win on Thursday.

Rice would have ditched season but for Olympics
Triple Olympic champion Stephanie Rice would have ditched this season out of sheer frustration at her shoulder injury were it not for the London Games, the Australian said after her first race of the year on Friday.

Formula One: Vettel ticking all the boxes for Red Bull
Formula One World champion Sebastian Vettel drove his new Red Bull for the first time on Thursday with the team saying they were on course to tick all the right boxes in pre-season testing at Jerez.

Lee, Johnson, Wi set Pebble Beach pace
New Zealander Danny Lee recorded two eagles in near-perfect scoring conditions to soar into a tie for the first-round lead at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Thursday as Tiger Woods made an encouraging start.

Pearce takes charge as England mull over successor
Stuart Pearce will take temporary charge of England for this month's friendly against the Netherlands while the search for Fabio Capello's permanent successor as boss gets underway ahead of June's European Championship.

Khan - Peterson rematch set for May 19
Amir Khan will fight Lamont Peterson on May 19 in Las Vegas after the Briton was granted his wish for a rematch after his controversial loss to the American last December, his promoter said on Thursday.

African Nations Cup: Under-rated Zambia reach final
Zambia, a team currently without a national stadium, have emerged from the shadows at the African Nations Cup to grab an unexpected place in Sunday's final against the Ivory Coast.

Jeev shoots flawless 67 on perfect day at Dubai Classic
Jeev Milkha Singh making his 14th appearance at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic shot a superb bogey-free five-under 67 that put him inside the top-10 on the opening day of the last event on Middle East Swing of the European Tour.

Pattaya Open: Sania in singles and doubles quarter-finals
Sania Mirza dug deep into her reserves to overcome a fighting Anne Keothavong 6-4, 7-5 and progress to the singles quarter-finals of the $ 220,000 Pattaya Open, on Thursday.

THE TOP SPORTS PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Denver Nuggets' Chris Andersen (left) kicks the ball from Delonte West (right) of Dallas Mavericks during their NBA Basketball game in Denver, Colorado.

FA Cup: Sunderland's Sessegnon sinks Middlesbrough
Stephane Sessegnon struck deep into extra-time as Sunderland booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 2-1 replay win over second-tier rivals Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

African Nations Cup: Ivory Coast to meet Zambia in final
Top-ranked Ivory Coast lived up to their billing by reaching the African Nations Cup final as the tournament delivered yet another surprise on Wednesday when Zambia also reached Sunday's deciding match.

NBA: Parker scores 37 as Spurs top 76ers
San Antonio's Tony Parker scored 37 points to continue his hot scoring stretch and lead the Spurs to a 100-90 road win over the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday for their sixth successive victory.