F1 world champion NICO ROSBERG "received the ADAC award as the motorsports athlete of the year." Rosberg, who retired after winning his maiden title, "became the fifth F1 driver to win the award" after MICHAEL SCHUMACHER ('92, '00), HEINZ-HARALD FRENTZEN ('03), SEBASTIAN VETTEL ('09) and NICO HÜLKENBERG ('15) (SID, 12/18). ... Paralyzed rugby player ALEX MCKINNON has "launched a multimillion-dollar law suit" against the National Rugby League and the Melbourne Storm player "whose tackle left him confined to a wheelchair for life." A letter from the former Newcastle Knights player arrived at NRL HQ last week to "instigate legal proceedings from the 2014 game in Melbourne." Storm player JORDAN MCLEAN, "who was given a seven-week ban for the dangerous throw that led to the injury, is being personally pursued" (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 12/18). ... British Gold Medal-winning cyclist VICTORIA PENDLETON "marked her equestrian debut with a clear showjumping round" at Olympia's London Int'l Horse Show. Pendleton, who received specialist tuition from Rio 2016 individual showjumping Gold Medalist NICK SKELTON "to prepare for the event, delivered a solid display in the Markel Champions Challlenge relay competition." Pendleton said, "I was the only one with a clear round -- I will take that!" (AAP, 12/17). ... Former Olympique de Marseille President PAPE DIOUF (’05-09) was indicted on Friday in a “vast file of OM management, notably linked to alleged fraudulent transfers.” The investigating judge’s inquiry “includes 18 transfer operations or extensions of player contracts made by OM” and has already led to the indictment of former Presidnet JEAN-CLAUDE DASSIER (’09-11), former General Dir ANTOINE VEYRAT (’08-11) and former Sporting Dir JOSÉ ANIGO (20 MINUTES, 12/17). ... RAFAEL NADAL added former French Open champion and fellow Spaniard CARLOS MOYA to his coaching team. Moya, 40, will join TONI NADAL and FRANCIS ROIG "in working with the 14-time Grand Slam champion." Moya will also work at the Rafa Nadal Academy (BBC, 12/17). ... Argentine rugby player BRUNO ANDRES DOGLIOLI was "banned for three years after tackling a female referee during an Italian league match." Doglioli "violently barged over" referee MARIA BEATRICE BENVENUTI from behind during the Dec. 11 game between Vicenza and Valsugana. The three-year ban is the "heaviest punishment" handed out by the Italian Rugby Federation in the last 20 years (BBC, 12/16). ... Jockey REBECCA BLACK "died in a race fall at Gore in New Zealand." New Zealand Racing said that the Riverton-based Black "was riding Point Proven in the eighth race when the horse knuckled and fell near the 700m mark." Black, a mother of three, "rode 108 winners during her career" (AAP, 12/18). ... A super heavyweight title fight between Russian boxer ALEXANDER POVETKIN and Haitian-born Canadian BERMANE STIVERNE that was scheduled for Saturday "has been cancelled after Povetkin failed a drug test." Povetkin's promoter ANDREI RYABINSKY wrote on Twitter that the Russian boxer "had tested positive for the banned muscle-building substance ostarine" (REUTERS, 12/18).
