Wed, Nov 01, 2006 page18

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
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  ■ Soccer
  Davis improving after stroke

  Luton defender Sol Davis was making a "steady improvement" on Monday after suffering a stroke while traveling to a Football League Championship match. The 27-year-old was undergoing further tests on his heart and brain at a hospital in Cambridge, which is en route to Ipswich. Davis was taken ill on Saturday on the team bus -- a day before Luton's 5-0 defeat at Ipswich. Doctors expect Davis to make a full recovery, Luton manager Mike Newell told the club's Web site. "The early indications that they've given us were that it could be anything between three and six months, but they did also say it could be less than that," Newell said. Newell said the MRI scan showed the stroke was caused by a blockage to the brain. "The most important thing is that he makes a full recovery," Newell said.

  ■ Boxing

  Berbick suspect's mom held

  The mother of a 20-year-old suspect is being questioned in connection with the brutal murder of former world heavyweight boxing champ Trevor Berbick, police said. The woman has been involved in a running land dispute with Berbick, Radio Jamaica reported on Monday. Both were being held on "reasonable suspicion" Jamaican police said. No one has been charged. Earlier news reports said that police may have found the murder weapon. Berbick's body was found in a pool of blood early on Saturday morning outside a church next to his home in the Norwich District, 64km northeast of Kingston. Berbick finished his boxing career with a record of 50 wins, 11 losses and one drawn.

  ■ Olympics

  EBU protests finals decision

  The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has formally protested the IOC's decision to hold some Olympic swimming and gymnastic finals in the morning during the 2008 Beijing Games. The International Olympic Committee announced the changes last week in a concession to US broadcaster NBC, but the EBU said the timing of the finals will put them in the middle of the night in Europe. "With this decision the IOC ends the tradition of staging these finals in the evening," said the EBU, which represents public service broadcasters in Europe and neighboring regions. The EBU said it told the IOC that the decision meant "viewers in Europe as well as the vast majority of the global TV audience will be disadvantaged." The events will be staged during prime viewing hours in the US.

  ■ Basketball

  Yao out of China squad

  Houston Rockets superstar Yao Ming has not been included in China's Asian Games basketball squad, which is led by former Miami Heat player Wang Zhizhi. Yao is committed to the Rockets and his multimillion dollar endorsement deals with the regular season starting this week, leaving 2.14m center Wang as their key player. Sun Yue, Liu Wei, Yi Jianlian, Du Feng, Zhu Fangyu, Wang Shipeng, Li Nan, Zhang Jinsong and Mo Ke form the core of their 16-man squad, which won last year's Asian Championships. Wang is back in the fold after refusing to play for China as he pursued a four-year NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat, which meant he missed the last Asian Games in Busan in 2002. A public apology in April this year saw him return to national duty as China seek to regain the Asian title they lost four years ago in a thrilling final won by South Korea 102-100 in overtime.
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