Carlos Tevez has been left out of Argentina’s squad for the friendly with Portugal on February 9 in Switzerland but national team boss Sergio Batista does not want the Manchester City striker to be worried by his omission.

MARATHON man Martin Fagan believes he can land a medal at the European Championships if he is selected for the showpiece event.

THE OFF-SEASON has been tough for some of the world’s leading race walking women – many of whom are already eyeing the final event of the IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Beijing next September when a $30,000 cheque will await the winner.

European Athletics have announced that Ireland’s David Gillick and Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey have been voted as the European Athletes of the Month for February.

Willie McLaughlin and Ken Egan are just one bout away from at least a bronze medal apiece at the AIBA World Championships in Milan following last 16 wins this afternoon.

World domination has eventually proved to be child’s play for the Irish in Beijing after a handy Belfast man took home a gold medal.

In the doubled handed men’s 470 class Ireland’s Gerald Owens and Phil Lawton lies 9th overall after scoring a 22nd in Race 1 and 1st in Race 3 in their first day of competition.

Darren Sutherland and Paddy Barnes both received byes into the last sixteen of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing at this morning's draw at the Asia Hotel in the Chinese capitol.

FIFA will conduct a review of Olympic football regulations to ensure the London Games in 2012 are not hit by more club-versus-country rows.

The Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Martin Cullen TD, has hailed the achievement of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association in getting five boxers qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games.

The Irish lightweight four of Paul Griffin, Richard Archibald, Gearoid Towey, and Eugene Coakley finished sixth in today's final at the Rowing World Cup in Lucerne.

An Irish rowing team of seven boats has been announced to compete in the opening regatta of the FISA World Cup series next week at the 1972 Olympic regatta course in Munich, Germany.

Black Eyed Peas rapper Will.I.Am has rubbished claims the band won't play a gig in China - despite calls for artists to boycott the country over its terrible human rights record.

Ireland have finished in second spot in a league table of 39 nations based on the points achieved at the final Olympic qualifier for European boxers which concluded in Athens, Greece, yesterday.

The World Championships of the Star sailing class commenced in Miami, Florida on Friday.

Mia Farrow has praised Steven Spielberg's decision to leave his position as artistic director for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

The 2008 National Senior Championships will begin on Tuesday, January 8 and run over four days before concluding on Friday, January 11, at the National Stadium in Dublin.

THE fact that Liverpool was not selected as one of the two European qualifying tournaments for next year’s Olympic Games did not come a great disappointment to Irish boxing’s high performance director, Gary Keegan.

IRELAND’S medal winners at last months European Union Boxing Championships at the National Stadium in Dublin have all moved up places in the world rankings just released for June.

Key players in the Darfur crisis are meeting in Paris today in a bid to build a unified international response to violence in the troubled region of Sudan - although Sudan itself has not been invited.

CHINA plans to build a highway on the side of Mount Everest to ease the Olympic torch’s journey to the peak of the world’s tallest mountain before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, state media reported yesterday.

THE Olympic Games have displaced more than two million people in the last 20 years, mostly minorities such as the homeless and poor, a rights group said yesterday.

Hong Kongers today planned to remember the anniversary of the bloody crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing 18 years ago at a candlelight vigil in the former British colony.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) has announced that Irish hockey will benefit from a special one-off grant of $85,000 (€65,000) aimed at helping qualification for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) are hoping to celebrate their centenary year by staging the 2011 World Senior Championships in Dublin.

The Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue has responded positively to plans by the Sports Council to develop a new high-performance sports institute.

IRELAND’S flag bearers in next week’s European Show Jumping Championships gave themselves a timely fillip yesterday with a win and second place in the Netherlands.

Paula Radcliffe has revealed her determination to run at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing – and again at the age of 38 in London in 2012.

A Chinese government audit has uncovered misuse of 1.4bn yuan (€140m) in state funds, including money earmarked for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, state media reported today.

China is eager to learn from Northern Ireland’s business community and work in partnership with it, a senior Chinese government official told a trade delegation from the North.

China's President Jiang Zemin has arrived in Russia on a visit intended to cement the "strategic partnership" between the former Communist rivals with a pivotal friendship treaty.

Jon Ridgeon felt sorry for Toronto after Beijing got the nod to host the 2008 Olympic Games.

Beijing was today awarded the 2008 Olympic Games in the most controversial choice of a host city for decades.

Irish human rights groups have joined in on the concern being expressed around the world following the announcement that the 2008 Olympic Games will be hosted by Bejing.

Beijing has been selected to host the 2008 Olympic Games.