■ Boxing
Fenech attacked with bottle
Former triple world boxing champion Jeff Fenech underwent plastic surgery yesterday after being attacked and slashed in the face during an altercation with four men Sunday. The 39-year-old Fenech was standing on the sidewalk in the southern Sydney suburb of Brighton-Le Sands after dining with his family when a car pulled up, police said. He began speaking to four men inside the car, who jumped out and attacked him. "I saw a guy with a bottle that he just cracked me with on the side of my face," Fenech told Channel Nine television. "A part of my face is still just hanging off. It's quite severe." Fenech was placed under a general anesthetic for the one-hour operation yesterday, an official at Sydney's Prince of Wales hospital said.
■ Tennis
Clijsters stands by decision
Belgium's Kim Clijsters said yesterday she stands by her decision not to play in this year's Athens Games and questions whether tennis should be played at the Olympics. Clijsters, ranked second in the world, said she would not play at Athens in August because of a conflict between her clothing company and that of the Belgian team's Olympic sponsor. "I think it is great that tennis is an Olympic sport, but to me it does not feel like an Olympic sport," Clijsters said at the Hopman Cup in Perth, where she helped Belgium to a win over Slovakia yesterday. Clijsters said the 2000 Sydney Olympics had shown her that tennis at the Games was not held in as high a regard as at Grand Slam tournaments. "Watching tennis in Sydney four years ago I don't think they got the publicity and the crowds they get at Grand Slams so that was a little bit disappointing as well."
■ Rallying
Finn wins Dakar stage
Ari Vatanen of Finland won the fourth stage of the Dakar Rally on Sunday, but Stephane Peterhansel of France retained the overall lead. Vatanen, driving a Nissan, won the stage in 40 minutes, 40 seconds. The 75km fourth stage started in Tangiers and ended in Er Rachidia. Peterhansel, who finished 10 seconds behind Vatanen in a Mitsubishi, holds the overall lead at 1:12:20. Miki Biasion of Italy, also driving a Mitsubishi, was third Sunday, 33 seconds behind the winner. Biasion trails Peterhansel in the overall standings by 1:07. Gregoire de Mevius of Belgium is third overall, 1:28 behind in a BMW. This year's Dakar rally spans seven countries and 11,090.5km. It ends Jan. 18 in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. On the motorcycles, Fabrizio Meoni of Italy won the stage in 41:53, edging Alfie Cox of South Africa by 43 seconds and Isidre Esteve Pujol of Spain by 1:13.
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