Names In The News

China is playing host to several NBA players. Following the Olympics, KOBE BRYANT flew from London to Shanghai to attend a charity event on Tuesday night. The next day he appeared at a camp in Jinan to coach young players and meet fans. Thursday he set off for Wuhan and Guangzhou, before returning back to Shanghai that weekend. JEREMY LIN visited a primary school for children of migrant workers in a suburban district of Beijing and made an appearance on the TV show "China's Got Talent" in Shanghai. Over the weekend, Lin will head to Dongguan to join a youth training camp. In addition, METTA WORLD PEACE (formerly known as Ron Artest) will lead a team of NCAA players against the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in Weifang on Friday (CHINA DAILY, 8/16). ... French tennis player GAËL MONFILS will miss the U.S. Open due to a lingering injury to his right knee. This year, Monfils has already missed the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics (L'EQUIPE.fr, 8/16). ... South African Rugby World Cup-winning captain FRANCOIS PIENAAR is the latest name to be added to the list of  "team of sporting greats" who will be speaking at the Doha GOALS Forum Dec. 10-12. Other speakers will include multi-Olympic Gold Medalist CARL LEWIS, the first Paralympian to compete at an Olympic Games OSCAR PISTORIUS and swimmer MARK SPITZ (Doha GOALS Forum). ... Indian shooter RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE will head up a 15-member committee to select the recipients for this year’s Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Award. The committee includes BAICHUNG BHUTIA, KHAJAN SINGH, RAVI SHASTRI, AKHIL KUMAR, APARNA POPAT and ASHWINI NACHAPPA. Awards will be presented by the nation's President PRANAB MUKHERJEE at Rashtrapati Bhawan on Aug. 29, the National Sports Day (THE HINDU, 8/15). ... The U.K.'s "most-decorated Olympic competitor" CHRIS HOY is among four Gold Medalists from the London Games expected to compete under the British Cycling banner in Glasgow. Fellow winners JASON KENNY, LAURA TROTT and DANI KING "are due at the prestigious competition," the debut of Glasgow 2014's velodrome on the int'l cycling stage (HERALD SCOTLAND, 8/16).