South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Friday "more than doubled" Paralympic champion OSCAR PISTORIUS' sentence for murdering his girlfriend, REEVA STEENKAMP, bringing it up to 13 years and five months (SPORT24, 11/24). ... Former All Black DAN CARTER confirmed Saturday he will join Top League side Kobe Kobelco Steelers on a two-year contract at the end of the current Northern Hemisphere season. He said, "Rugby is going crazy in Japan and this is a very exciting challenge" (KYODO, 11/25). ... Brazilian footballer ZÉ ROBERTO "will play his last competitive football match on Monday and retire at the age of 43." He appeared in 85 games for Brazil and was part of the Real Madrid squad which won the Champions League in '98 (AP, 11/25). ... Brazilian footballer ROBINHO was sentenced to nine years in prison for "taking part in the gang rape of a woman in Milan" in '13. An Italian court ruled the 33-year-old and five other Brazilians assaulted the Albanian woman, who was 22, "after plying her with alcohol in a nightclub" (BBC, 11/23). ... The Lawn Tennis Association apologized "for not protecting children after a Wrexham coach sexually abused a girl." DANIEL SANDERS, a former professional player, was jailed for six years in July after admitting eight counts of sexual activity with a child (BBC, 11/23).
