Former F1 and German Touring Car (DTM) driver DAVID COULTHARD "will take part in the Race of Champions 2012 in Bangkok." At the RoC he will compete against seven-time world champion MICHAEL SCHUMACHER (SPEED-MAGAZINE.de, 11/7). ... German national basketball team player TIM OHLBRECHT, who was selected 14th overall by the Springfield Armor in the 2012 NBA Development League Draft, "has been traded to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the farm team of the NBA Houston Rockets" (SID, 11/6). ... Championship side Bristol City Manager DEREK MCINNES "helped out 17 stranded fans" who had their tires slashed after Tuesday's game at Birmingham by giving them £300 ($480) in cash. The Scotsman and his players chipped in to help supporters fix their minibus, which was vandalized outside St. Andrews following City's 2-0 loss (BBC.com, 11/7).
MAKING A HOUSE CALL: UEFA's House of European Football has welcomed the new Football Federation of Ukraine President ANATOLIY KONKOV, who was visiting UEFA's headquarters for talks with senior UEFA management. Discussions with UEFA President MICHEL PLATINI and UEFA officials centered on UEFA's assistance to Ukraine, and the further development of the country's football in the wake of the successful UEFA Euro 2012, co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland this summer (UEFA). .. Brit BEN AINSLIE and Chinese LIJIA XU "were named the male and female winners of the 2012 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards." It is the fourth time that Ainslie "has been named ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year." Lijia Xu, Laser Radial Gold Medalist at the London Games, became "only the second Asian athlete to be crowned ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year" (YACHTINGWORLD.com, 11/7). ... England Rugby 2015 Ambassador MAGGIE ALPHONSI, one of the stars of the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010, was a guest at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to collect an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) from QUEEN ELIZABETH (Rugby World Cup). ... The IOC announced that it has disqualified Uzbek wrestler SOSLAN TIGIEV from the men’s 74kg freestyle wrestling event during the Games of the 30th Olympiad in London, where he placed third. Tigiev tested positive for the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine. Third place will be reallocated to GABOR HATOS of Hungary (IOC).
