Belgian F1 driver JEROME D'AMBROSIO "will replace suspended Lotus driver ROMAIN GROSJEAN at this week's Italian Grand Prix." Grosjean was suspended for one race "after causing a multiple car accident in the first corner of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday" (SID, 9/4). ... Serbian tennis player DAVID SAVIC's life-long ban for match-fixing "was upheld by the Int'l Sports Court (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland." The court rejected the appeal of the 27-year-old Serb but overturned the $100,000 fine of the previous court ruling" (SPORT1.de, 9/6). ... ManU defender RIO FERDINAND is "in the clear over the controversial choc-ice comment he made on Twitter." The 33-year-old will not face any criminal charges over the Twitter comment where he claimed Chelsea's ASHLEY COLE was a ‘choc-ice’ for backing his teammate JOHN TERRY after the former England captain was acquitted in a race trial (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 9/6). ... Four South Korean badminton players "sent home in disgrace" from the London Games for deliberately throwing matches have had their six-month domestic bans lifted by the Korean Olympic Committee. However, JUNG KYUNG-EUN, KIM HA-NA, HA JUNG-EUN and KIM MIN-JUNG remain suspended from the Korean national team for one year, but they are now free to compete in domestic tournaments (REUTERS, 9/6). ... The top court in int'l sports "expects to take about four months" to rule on Japanese hammer thrower KOJI MUROFUSHI's disputed bid to become and IOC member (AP, 9/6).
CRICKET NEWS: Former England off-spinner ROBERT CROFT will “retire from first-class cricket” after he plays for Glamorgan in next week’s County Championship match against Kent in Cardiff. The 42-year old “is expected to stay” with Glamorgan in a coaching and marketing role (London TELEGRAPH, 9/5). ... Pakistan off-spinner SAEED AJMAL has moved up two places to replace teammate MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ as the number-one ranked bowler in the Reliance Int'l Cricket Council Player Rankings for One Day Int'l bowlers (ICC).
