England cricketer BEN STOKES will "finally face a cricket disciplinary hearing" on Dec. 5, four months after he was cleared of affray at Bristol Crown Court. Stokes and teammate ALEX HALES will appear before the England & Wales Cricket Board’s cricket discipline commission in the six weeks between England’s tours to Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Two days have been set aside for the hearing. Both are "likely to face charges of bringing the game into disrepute and could be handed lengthy bans" (London TELEGRAPH, 9/8). ... Former senior Kenyan athletics official DAVID OKEYO, who was last week banned from the sport for life for "siphoning sponsorship funds," was cleared of extorting money from athletes "in exchange for lighter sentences in doping cases." Okeyo, a former secretary-general and VP of Athletics Kenya as well as a member of the IAAF Council, and former AK CEO ISAAC MWANGI were both cleared of extortion charges by an IAAF Ethics Board on Thursday in a 62-page judgment (REUTERS, 9/6). ... Former Northern Mystics coach DEBBIE FULLER was confirmed as the new Silver Ferns assistant. She will work alongside new head coach NOELINE TAURUA "and take New Zealand's Fast5 team later in the year" (STUFF, 9/8). ... Tour de France champion GERAINT THOMAS signed a new, three-year contract with Team Sky. The 32-year-old Welshman, whose deal was due to expire at the end of '18, "had offers from other teams" (BBC, 9/9).
LEAVE OF ABSENCE: USAIN BOLT will take a week's hiatus from his A-League trial to fulfill a pre-arranged commercial commitment in Europe. Bolt will leave Gosford on Sunday "bound for France" for an event organized more than six months ago. Bolt is involved in "numerous lucrative commercial deals" including Puma, Gatorade and Hublot. While his management was "keen to keep details of the event under wraps," his destination suggests it could be related to his role as CEO -- "chief entertainment officer" -- for Mumm Champagne (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 9/7).
