After 14 years and 272 games in the National Rugby League, St. George Illawarra halfback NATHAN FIEN "announced his retirement." Fien, 34, "will play in the Illawarra local competition next year," but his days in the NRL will end with a round 26 match against the Warrior at WIN Stadium with the joint venture out of finals contention (AAP, 8/15). ... Bayern Munich Manager PEP GUARDIOLA is adidas' new ambassador. Guardiola will become the face of this season's Champions League campaign for adidas (adidas). ... A leading sports association said world boxing champion and key Ukrainian opposition leader VITALI KLITSCHKO "plans to run for his country's presidency" in '15 (AP, 8/14). ... League Championship Derby County has "honoured the club's longest-serving member of staff" by renaming the southwest corner of Pride Park the "GORDON GUTHRIE Stand." Guthrie started as a reserve-team player with the Rams, and during his six decades with the club "he has filled just about every position, including physiotherapist and trainer, and currently continues to work as the kit manager" (PA, 8/15). ... Former England test cricketer IAN BOTHAM's latest charity walk is to take him 160km from the north to the south of Sri Lanka, and "will be his toughest to date." The eight-day walk, "arranged to raise funds for those affected by the 30-year war in Sri Lanka," begins at Killinochchi on Nov. 1 and is due to end at Seenigama (REUTERS, 8/15).
BUBKA PROFILED: The N.Y. TIMES' Christopher Clarey profiles IOC Exec Board member SERGEI BUBKA as he runs for the position of IOC president. Bubka is "by far the youngest" of the six candidates. Bubka said, "The most important is not age. The most important is experience. I have big and huge experience now." Bubka is "focused on strengthening the Olympics' ties to the screen-centric younger generation." He is "worried that the average age of global Summer Olympic viewers, according to his data, is 50." His campaign platform "includes a proposal to create a global youth council" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/15).
'WAR' ON DOPING: Former U.S. hurdler EDWIN MOSES, speaking about the topic of doping in athletics, said, "When we talk of doping, we have to make it clear that we find ourselves in a war. I think that an athlete that knowingly dopes and is surprised by all the drug tests should receive the treatment of any other criminal; they should end up in jail. It is incalculable the damage that these type of people have done to the sport, to the athletes and to the public" (AS, 8/14).
