EPL Queens Park Rangers Owner TONY FERNANDES said that he would be "keen to support a Southeast Asian club competition similar to the UEFA Champions League." The Malaysian, who also is principal of the Caterham F1 team, denied local media reports that he had interest in purchasing an Indonesian football club (AFP, 8/9). ... Manchester City FC Owner SHEIKH MANSOUR has spoken of the importance of the club securing back-to-back EPL titles. He said, "What is important is to preserve the achievement (winning the title) and maintain the good standards of last season" (Manchester City). ... A Twitter account "acting as a parody" of English cricketer KEVIN PIETERSEN has been removed from the site (BBC, 8/9). ... NBA Houston Rockets player JEREMY LIN, who is in Beijing after touring Taiwan, told Chinese media that "Chinese face a lot of pressure to perform, but he recommends that children take part in sports for passion and pleasure." Lin: "Fall in love with the game" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/9). ... Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL announced he has not fully recovered from the injury that kept him out of Wimbledon and will skip the Cincinnati Masters (ABC.es, 8/9). ... Nine-time wold champion VALENTINO ROSSI will reportedly leave the Ducati Racing team and return to his former employer Yamaha after "two frustrating years." The 33-year-old Italian won four world championship titles during his seven years with Yamaha from '04-10 (SID, 8/9).
OLYMPIC ROUNDUP: Former U.K. Sports Minister RICHARD CABORN has claimed that London Games heptathlon Gold Medalist JESSICA ENNIS "should be recognized by having Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium renamed after her." Ennis uses the stadium as a training venue (PA, 8/9). ... Australia Sports Minister KATE LUNDY Wednesday "promised to wear a Team GB shirt and row the Olympic course after losing a bet with her British counterpart." She assumes the loss as Australia will likely fail "to win more Medals" than Great Britain at the London Games (8/9, AFP). ... The Belgian Olympic Committee has sent 20-year-old track cyclist GIJS VAN HOECKE home from the London Games after pictures appeared in British newspapers of him "looking drunk and being carried into a taxi after a night out in the city" (REUTERS, 8/9).
