Sports Briefs

■ Baseball
Tejada joins Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles signed free agent shortstop Miguel Tejada to a six-year contract on Sunday. Reports estimate the value of the deal to be at least US$51 million. Tejada was among the premier free agents available and the target of a number of teams looking for a potent bat in the middle of their lineup. The 2002 American League Most Valuable Player, Tejada has been a key component of an Oakland Athletics squad that has reached the playoffs in each of the last four seasons.

■ Swimming
Dutchman breaks record
Double Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband returned to record-breaking ways on the last day of the European short-course championships on Sunday. Van den Hoogenband, who had come within 0.07 seconds of Alexander Popov's 100 freestyle short-course world record on Saturday, eclipsed his own European mark in the 200 freestyle. He then anchored the Dutch 4x50 freestyle relay squad to a world best time in the final event of the night. Briton Ian Edmond, in the 200 breaststroke, and Germany's Antje Buschschulte (200 backstroke) also broke European records.

■ Rugby
Wilkinson lands BBC award
England flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday after his drop goal against Australia won the rugby World Cup for England. Wilkinson's kick clinched a 20-17 extra time victory in the final in Sydney last month as England became the first northern hemisphere side to win the World Cup. The 24-year-old, who last month was named the International Rugby Board's (IRB) player of the year, was chosen ahead of England captain and team mate Martin Johnson and world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe, who won the award last year.

■ Soccer
Rangers on the ropes
Scottish champions Rangers face an uphill struggle to retain their premier league title after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Dunfermline Athletic on Sunday. The loss leaves Rangers trailing Celtic by eight points in the standings. Celtic have 46 points after Saturday's 3-2 home win over Dundee while Rangers remain on 38 from 16 games. Scotland striker Steve Crawford's early strike and a late Paolo Vanoli own goal gave the home side their first victory over Rangers in 15 years. It was also Dunfermline's first league win against Rangers since a 4-3 triumph at Ibrox in 1972.

■ Sea Games
Megawati shamed by haul
President Megawati Sukarnoputri said she was ashamed by Indonesia's third place finish in last week's Southeast Asian Games. "My country is very, very big, but in sport we lose," Megawati was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying in Pakistan, where she is on an official visit. Indonesia finished third in the medals standings at the games behind winners Vietnam, which hosted the biannual event, and Thailand. Its performance has been widely criticized at home. Despite having a population of 210 million people, Indonesia has only excelled on the world stage in archery and badminton, and even its prize-winning shuttlers have faltered lately. "Am I ashamed? Of course I am ashamed, but what can I say," Megawati told a gathering of Indonesians living in Pakistan late Sunday.