LONDON (Reuters) – English referee Mark Clattenburg was cleared by the Football Association on Thursday of using racist language towards a Chelsea player, causing more embarrassment for the European champions in a difficult week.

Chelsea went public and lodged a complaint with the FA last month over “inappropriate language” allegedly directed at their Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel by Clattenburg during the home Premier League defeat by Manchester United.

LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) – English referee Mark Clattenburg was cleared by the Football Association on Thursday of using racist language towards a Chelsea player, causing more embarrassment for the European champions in a difficult week.

Chelsea went public and lodged a complaint with the FA last month over “inappropriate language” allegedly directed at their Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel by Clattenburg during the home Premier League defeat by Manchester United.

LONDON (Reuters) – Twice Olympic 1,500 meters champion Sebastian Coe was elected unopposed as chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) on Wednesday after masterminding the highly successful 2012 London Games.

Coe, 56, played a key role in bringing the Games to London for the third time and was then the driving force behind its success as chairman of the organizing committee.

LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Twice Olympic 1,500 metres champion Sebastian Coe was elected unopposed as chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) on Wednesday after masterminding the highly successful 2012 London Games.

Coe, 56, played a key role in bringing the Games to London for the third time and was then the driving force behind its success as chairman of the organising committee.

LONDON, Nov 7 (Reuters) – A debate familiar to generations of Welsh rugby fans was resolved this week in favour of Scarlets’ flyhalf Rhys Priestland following the national team’s annual training camp in Poland.

Priestland sparkled at last year’s World Cup with a series of commanding displays after he had been installed as the first choice in a position holding a special status in Welsh rugby lore.

LONDON (Reuters) – Eighteen days of international one-day cricket will provide an aperitif for next year’s Ashes series in England with the world governing body hoping to capitalise on West Indies’ success in the Twenty20 World Cup.

The Champions Trophy, a 50-overs tournament involving the world’s top eight one-day sides, has been a poor relation of the four-yearly World Cup and next year’s edition will be the last in this format.

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Eighteen days of international one-day cricket will provide an aperitif for next year’s Ashes series in England with the world governing body hoping to capitalise on West Indies’ success in the Twenty20 World Cup.

The Champions Trophy, a 50-overs tournament involving the world’s top eight one-day sides, has been a poor relation of the four-yearly World Cup and next year’s edition will be the last in this format.

LONDON (Reuters) – Competitive fires that appeared to be flickering and fading, burst into glorious flame on Thursday when Michael Phelps finally won his first individual gold medal of the London Olympics.

Phelps convincingly defeated fellow-American Ryan Lochte, the pretender to his 200 meters individual medley title, leading all the way through each of the four strokes.

LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Competitive fires that appeared to
be flickering and fading, burst into glorious flame on Thursday
when Michael Phelps finally won his first individual gold medal
of the London Olympics.

Phelps convincingly defeated fellow-American Ryan Lochte,
the pretender to his 200 metres individual medley title, leading
all the way through each of the four strokes.

LONDON (Reuters) – Eight women badminton players disqualified from the London Olympics on Wednesday for deliberately trying to lose their doubles matches have been punished for infringing the spirit of their sport but not the rules.

The distinction is important after comments this year from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge that manipulating results for financial gain was now a bigger threat to the Games than drugs.