ANDY MURRAY was named the Sports Personality of the Year on Sunday night at the BBC Sports Personality Awards in London. Cricket player LEIGH HALFPENNY was the runner up and jockey A.P. McCOY finished third. The Lions rugby union team was named the BBC's team of the year, and its coach WARREN GATLAND won top coach honors (LONDON TIMES, 12/16).
TEAM TIME INDUCTION: The Int'l Cricket Council on Friday inducted Australia wicketkeeper-batsman ADAM GILCHRIST into its Hall of Fame "during the tea interval of the ongoing third Ashes Test at the WACA." Gilchrist has become the 71st male member of the Hall of Fame, and is the second '13-14 inductee to be announced alongside WAQAR YOUNIS (PTI, 12/13). ... Iran world champion wrestler AMIR AZIZ ALI AKBARI, who won the 120kg-weight class title in September in Hungary, "has been banned for life after a second doping offence." The athlete "tested positive for anabolic steroids during the world championships in Budapest in September" (REUTERS, 12/14). ... Spanish state of Catalan-based football side Mataro President ALBERT GILBERT died on Sunday at the age of 53 "after suffering a heart attack" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 12/15). ... Former ManU Manager ALEX FERGUSON will be honored with a Diamond Award at Sunday's 60th BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. Ferguson led ManU to a 13th EPL title in May (ManU).
