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■ BOXING
Ex-champ Toney banned
US heavyweight fighter James Toney was suspended for one year on Wednesday by the California State Athletic Association after failing a steroid test following a bout on May 24. It was the second positive test in three years for the 38-year-old who was suspended in 2005 after a victory over John Ruiz briefly made him the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion. Toney's triumph was voided and his title forfeited in May of 2005 after the New York State Athletic Commission found he tested positive for nandrolone. Toney's camp claimed medical treatment after arm muscle surgery caused the positive result. Toney defeated Danny Batchelder on May 24 in San Jose.

■ GYMNASTICS
Gymnast left paralyzed
Chinese gymnast Wang Yan will likely be paralyzed for life following a horrific fall from the uneven bars at the national championships, a key warmup for next year's Beijing Olympic Games, a newspaper reported yesterday. Wang fell from the bars headfirst during Sunday's final in Shanghai, breaking her neck and losing consciousness. Doctors said she was fortunate to have survived at all given the severity of her injury, the Shanghai Daily reported. Reports said gymnasts at the games had been eager to impress by significantly increasing the difficulty -- and potential danger -- of their routines in hopes of winning an Olympic berth. Wang, whose age was given as 15 or 16, was second in the Chinese national all-around competition in 2005.

■ SOCCER
Star never wanted to leave
Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos admitted on Wednesday that he never wanted to leave Real Madrid, who he will quit at the end of the season to join Turkish side Fenerbahce. The 34-year-old has enjoyed a glittering career since arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu from Inter Milan in 1996. But he admitted he was bitter about the manner in which his career in Spain has come to an end. "I have many friends here and I didn't want to leave Real Madrid," Roberto Carlos said. "I could never imagine myself at another club. But we didn't manage to come to an agreement and that's it. I don't want to point fingers ... The circumstances have given me the opportunity to join another team who offered me what I asked from Real Madrid. Fenerbahce made me feel important again," he said.

■ SOCCER
Accept ref decisions: Vieira
Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira said on Wednesday the relationship between players, referees and fans needs to change because referees are becoming too scared to make crucial decisions in matches. The French international told the Web site www.feelfootball.com: "Referees are quite isolated in comparison to players. There is pressure they receive from the fans, the public and the players, so the job of the referee is becoming really hard. There should be more interaction off the pitch between referees and players, players and fans, fans and referees, so that everybody feels more comfortable and we understand each other." "I feel now as if the referee is going on to the pitch afraid to make a decision -- afraid even to be a referee," he said. "There is negative pressure on them and I really get the feeling that they don't get any help from players or from the football authorities. The referee is under too much negative pressure."


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