Tibet at the back of Baldini’s mind

Stefano Baldini's preparations for his Olympic marathon title defence at the Beijing Games have been disrupted by the pressure on him to speak out on Tibet, the Italian said.

The 36-year-old said that although he had so far kept his counsel, that should not lead people to think he did not care about last month's deadly riots in western China.

"It is a distraction," he said. "I've had a lot of pressure to do interviews or to make statements. It becomes tiring to deal with all this stuff and I need to focus on my event. That does not mean we are not concerned about what is happening in Tibet," he added. "I don't like what I see in Tibet, as I don't like to see similar situations in other parts of the world."

Koeman proud  of his work

Ronald Koeman has said he was proud of what he achieved at Valencia, after being sacked by the Primera Liga club six months into a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The former Dutch international was given his notice late on Monday night, 24 hours after the side suffered a 5-1 mauling against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. "I am going, proud of having won a title as important as the King's Cup and want to point out I have gained an experience but have lost something I was very enthusiastic about," Koeman said in a statement.

Staying high to remain on top

Japan's Mizuki Noguchi will ignore health fears and return to the mountains of China to prepare for the defence of her Olympic marathon title.

The 29-year-old, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Games, abandoned high altitude training in the mountains of Kunming last month after contracting a mystery rash.

But Noguchi has decided that the potential rewards and the opportunity to become the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic marathon titles outweigh the risks.

"I can't let a rash put me off going," she said on Thursday. "I'm glad that my speed has returned. I almost feel like I could run track events."

The Olympic champion returned from China last month to undergo blood tests, but the results have proved inconclusive.

Ferrari not keen to sign Alonso

Bringing Fernando Alonso to Ferrari to partner world champion Kimi Raikkonen would not be desirable, team president Luca di Montezemolo has said.

Alonso denied this month he had an escape clause in his contract with struggling Renault that might allow him to leave for Ferrari at the end of the Formula One season. Felipe Massa's shaky start for world champions Ferrari this season increased the speculation. However, Massa won in Bahrain and now Montezemolo has said Alonso would not be the ideal driver.

Sally won’t row in Beijing

Controversial Australian oarswoman Sally Robbins has missed selection for the Beijing Olympics after Rowing Australia announced their squads on Tuesday.

Robbins, dubbed ‘Lay Down Sally’ after she stopped rowing towards the end of the eights final at the 2004 Games, had been training mainly in the double sculls in an attempt to qualify for the Games. “I’m disappointed that I won’t have the chance to represent my country in the double sculls and have the opportunity to compete at my third Olympics,” Robbins said.