LONDON (Reuters) – Anyone involved in the proposed heavyweight fight between David Haye and Dereck Chisora at West Ham United’s Upton Park stadium on July 14 will be stripped of their licence, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) said on Wednesday.

The pair were involved in a brawl at a news conference following Chisora’s defeat by WBC title holder Vitali Klitschko in February and neither holds a British licence so the bout is being sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation.

“For the avoidance of doubt, any member of the British Boxing Board of Control who participates in any way in such a promotion will be deemed to have terminated his/her membership of the British Boxing Board of Control and his/her licence therewith,” the BBBC said in a statement (www.bbbofc.com/notices/09-05-12).

“Those behind this proposal are not concerned with the interests of the sport of professional boxing.

“Any member who participates in such a promotion would bring the sport of boxing into disrepute and would wholly undermine the authority of the British Boxing Board of Control.

“This is nothing more than an attempt to circumvent the decision of the Stewards of the British Boxing Board of Control, in respect of Dereck Chisora, for monetary gain,” it added.

Zimbabwe-born Chisora, who is managed by Frank Warren, had his licence withdrawn by the BBBC in March following the brawl although he is appealing the decision.

LONDON (Reuters) – Wilson Kipsang and Mary Keitany completed a Kenyan double at the London marathon on Sunday as the East African country once again dominated the races by taking five of the six podium places.

Kipsang, second fastest man in the world over the distance, won in two hours four minutes and 44 seconds, just four seconds off the course record set last year by Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai.

Keitany became the third fastest woman in the marathon as she retained her title in 2:18.37 ahead of world champion Edna Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo.

Florence Kiplagat and Lucy Kabuu completed a Kenyan sweep of the top five women’s places.

London was the final chance for the athletes to impress the Kenyan selectors with the Kenyan Olympic marathon team due to be announced at the end of the month.

Kipsang, whose personal best of 2:03.42 is three seconds off the world record, surged to the front of the men’s race just after the halfway stage.

He was joined by Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa at around 25 km and twice world champion Abel Kirui then came though strongly to reach them at 30 km.

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) – Wilson Kipsang and Mary Keitany completed a Kenyan double at the London marathon on Sunday as the East African country once again dominated the races by taking five of the six podium places.

Kipsang, second fastest man in the world over the distance, won in two hours four minutes and 44 seconds, just four seconds off the course record set last year by Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai.

Keitany became the third fastest woman in the marathon as she retained her title in 2:18.37 ahead of world champion Edna Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo.

Florence Kiplagat and Lucy Kabuu completed a Kenyan sweep of the top five women’s places.

London was the final chance for the athletes to impress the Kenyan selectors with the Kenyan Olympic marathon team due to be announced at the end of the month.

Kipsang, whose personal best of 2:03.42 is three seconds off the world record, surged to the front of the men’s race just after the halfway stage.

He was joined by Ethiopia’s Feyisa Lilesa at around 25 km and twice world champion Abel Kirui then came though strongly to reach them at 30 km.

LONDON (Reuters) – Champion Emmanuel Mutai does not expect a tactical race at this year’s London Marathon even though he is among six Kenyans hoping to impress the national selectors ahead of the Olympics.

Mutai heads a top-class field for Sunday’s race which includes his compatriots world champion Abel Kirui, three-times London winner Martin Lel and world record holder Patrick Makau.

London is the final chance to win a place on the Kenyan Olympic marathon team with the selectors announcing their final three at the end of the month.

“You cannot say we’ll be watching each other. You have to run your own race because you use your own knowledge to say ‘how am I going to do the race’, Mutai told Reuters on Wednesday.

Mutai, who set a course record of two hours four minutes and 40 seconds for victory last year and has never finished lower than fourth in London, believes his previous experience of the race could be a help.

“For me it’s an advantage but what matters is how the body will respond on that day,” said the 27-year-old, who suffered a bout of typhoid last month and missed some training.

“I cannot say I want to run this time… the most important thing is that when the race starts and you’ve reached halfway you can feel then what time you might do.”

LONDON, April 18 (Reuters) – Champion Emmanuel Mutai does not expect a tactical race at this year’s London Marathon even though he is among six Kenyans hoping to impress the national selectors ahead of the Olympics.

Mutai heads a top-class field for Sunday’s race which includes his compatriots world champion Abel Kirui, three-times London winner Martin Lel and world record holder Patrick Makau.

London is the final chance to win a place on the Kenyan Olympic marathon team with the selectors announcing their final three at the end of the month.

“You cannot say we’ll be watching each other. You have to run your own race because you use your own knowledge to say ‘how am I going to do the race’, Mutai told Reuters on Wednesday.

Mutai, who set a course record of two hours four minutes and 40 seconds for victory last year and has never finished lower than fourth in London, believes his previous experience of the race could be a help.

“For me it’s an advantage but what matters is how the body will respond on that day,” said the 27-year-old, who suffered a bout of typhoid last month and missed some training.

“I cannot say I want to run this time… the most important thing is that when the race starts and you’ve reached halfway you can feel then what time you might do.”

LONDON (Reuters) – Kenya’s 800 metres world record holder David Rudisha plans to run no more than three races before the London Olympics, starting with the opening Diamond League meeting in Doha next month.

Rudisha is favourite to add the Olympic title to his world crown won in Daegu last year, However, he told reporters on Wednesday his style of running from the front made it difficult to sustain his form.

“It’s hard to maintain and always to win races especially with my way of running,” the 23-year-old said in a conference call from his training base in Iten, Kenya.

“I know it’s going to be tough and that’s why I want to race in Doha and see how it goes and from there I can discuss and see if I want to try another one.

“But probably I don’t think I can do more than three (races) before the Olympics,” added Rudisha, who started as a 400 metres runner before switching to the two-lap race and has not discounted running the relay in London.

“I think I can do that,” he said when asked about taking part in the 4×400 metres.

The London Olympics, which open on July 27, will the first Games for Rudisha after he missed out on Beijing four years ago when he suffered an injury before the Kenyan trials.

LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) – Kenya’s 800 metres world record holder David Rudisha plans to run no more than three races before the London Olympics, starting with the opening Diamond League meeting in Doha next month.

Rudisha is favourite to add the Olympic title to his world crown won in Daegu last year, However, he told reporters on Wednesday his style of running from the front made it difficult to sustain his form.

“It’s hard to maintain and always to win races especially with my way of running,” the 23-year-old said in a conference call from his training base in Iten, Kenya.

“I know it’s going to be tough and that’s why I want to race in Doha and see how it goes and from there I can discuss and see if I want to try another one.

“But probably I don’t think I can do more than three (races) before the Olympics,” added Rudisha, who started as a 400 metres runner before switching to the two-lap race and has not discounted running the relay in London.

“I think I can do that,” he said when asked about taking part in the 4×400 metres.

The London Olympics, which open on July 27, will the first Games for Rudisha after he missed out on Beijing four years ago when he suffered an injury before the Kenyan trials.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – ‘Watch out London – the Americans are coming’ was the message after the U.S. team recorded their best showing at the world indoor championships with 10 gold medals in Istanbul.

Men’s team coach John Moon was in buoyant mood as the athletes, fresh from their record success, now turn their attention to the year’s main event, the Olympics.

“Going into the championships I gave the team a challenge of 17 medals,” Moon told Reuters.

“Some people might have thought that was foolish with such a young team. But we came here and got 18 medals. We sent a message that we are ready for London. I’m proud of this team and it was a team effort.

“Of all of the big stars here, to come out with that many medals is great. They came to the challenge. A lot of these kids will be in London,” he added.

One of the younger team members was 24-year-old Ashton Eaton, who was a class apart in the heptathlon and is seemingly able to break the world record at will after setting his third for the event in two years with 6,645 points.

The U.S. also have the Olympic gold medallist Bryan Clay and world champion Trey Hardee in their ranks.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – There were twists, turns and a back flip at the world indoor championships on Sunday but no world records, despite pole vault winner Yelena Isinbayeva’s best efforts.

Four-times champion Meseret Defar lost her 3,000 metres title to Kenyan Hellen Obiri and American hurdler Aries Merritt pulled off a surprise victory over China’s Liu Xiang as the U.S. dominated proceedings to finish top of the medal table with 10 golds for their best showing at the three-day championships.

Bernard Lagat gained some revenge for his defeat in last year’s world outdoors 5,000 final by beating Mo Farah in the men’s 3,000.

Briton Farah, one of the host nation’s best hopes for gold in this year’s London Olympics, finished fourth and was then promoted to bronze after Kenya’s Edwin Soi was disqualified for obstruction only to have the medal taken away again on appeal.

Two jumps – clearances at 4.70 metres and 4.80 – were enough to secure the title for Isinbayeva as she asserted her superiority in the pole vault to claim a fourth world indoor title.

The Olympic champion failed at an indoor world record of 5.01 but still got the crowd to raise the roof when she ended her competition with a celebratory back flip on the mat.

France’s Vanessa Boslak was second on countback from Britain’s Holly Bleasdale after both cleared 4.70.

ISTANBUL, March 11 (Reuters) – British sprinter Dwain Chambers should not be allowed to compete in the Olympics, London Games chairman Sebastian Coe said the day before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) meets to determine whether the British Olympic Association’s (BOA) ban is legal.

Chambers served a two-year suspension for doping and is therefore ineligible to compete at any Games under a BOA byelaw.

Britain is the only country to have such a ban, which has Coe’s support.

“For me this is not anti-Dwain Chambers… I do believe this is actually about the autonomy of sporting organisations to make judgements and byelaws that they think are in the best interest of their sports,” Coe told a small group of reporters at a hotel in Istanbul on Sunday.

“I have a problem if individual sports, individual organisations are not able to set those parameters because I think it is really important they are responding to what they think is the right (thing).

“I do think a NOC (National Olympic Committee), i.e. the BOA, must have the right to agree that sanction if they think it is in the common interest of the sport,” the twice Olympic 1,500 metres champion added.

Chambers won a bronze medal in the 60 metres at the world indoor championships in Istanbul this weekend behind American winner Justin Gatlin, who returned from a four-year doping ban in 2010 and is now focusing on making the U.S. Olympic team.