A blessing in disguise for Aussie Pomersbach

A boozy night provided an unexpected dividend for Luke Pomersbach when he was called up to make his international debut for Australia in Tuesday's Twenty20 match against New Zealand at the WACA in Perth.

The 23-year-old is currently banned from playing in the Australian domestic first-class competition after breaching his team's strict rules on late-night drinking, but the suspension proved a blessing in disguise.

While his Western Australian team-mates were preparing for their next match, Pomersbach decided to fill in his spare time by watching Tuesday's Twenty20 international from the ground.

But when he arrived at the WACA with his girlfriend, he received a surprise call from the Australian team management asking him if he could play because middle-order batsman Brad Hodge had suffered a bizarre back injury in the changing room.

"The Australian manager rang me just as I was parking my car, and I thought it was one of my mates having a joke," Pomersbach told reporters.

"I asked him whether he was joking, and he said 'no mate get yourself to the rooms as quick as you can'."

Athletes can take Chinese medicine

Athletes will be able to use traditional Chinese medicines at next year's Olympics without risking positive dope tests if they take basic precautions, a Beijing organising committee (BOCOG) official said on Tuesday.

Dr Dai Jianping, who state media quoted last week as saying traditional medicines would not be used, said all Chinese drugs were subject to the same regulatory standards as those from the West.

"There is no direct relation between Chinese traditional herbal medicine and doping," Dai, who is responsible for medical services at the Games, told reporters.

"It has been around for several thousand years and is very healthy for the body. Like Western medicines it can protect the body.

It would be like saying vitamin C is a kind of doping."

Dai said China's drug administration had to approve all traditional medicines and, as in other countries, the ingredients were analysed and listed on packaging. "After the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces the banned list, we select those that can be used and those that can't," he said.

Schumacher turns taxi driver

Michael Schumacher can add the unofficial title of Germany's fastest taxi driver to his other achievements after taking over behind the wheel to get his family to the airport on time.

The retired Formula One champion drove the cab back to the airport himself after a trip out to the village of Gehuelz, near Coburg in southern Germany, left the family short of time to make their flight home, the Muenchner Abendzeitung newspaper reported.

"It was crazy having Schumi driving, with me in the passenger seat," the taxi driver was quoted as saying.
The seven-times world champion, who stopped racing last year but is still involved in the sport as an occasional tester for Ferrari, gave the driver a 100 euro ($146.6) tip on top of the 60 euro fare, the newspaper said.

Danish fan jailed for attack on referee

The Danish fan who attacked a referee during a Euro 2008 qualifier between Denmark and Sweden in June was sentenced to 20 days in jail by an appeals court on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old man, who remained unnamed, was convicted of attempted assault and trespassing by the Eastern Court of Appeals, overturning an earlier suspended sentence of 30 days plus 40-hours' community service. 

The man attacked Herbert Fandel when the German referee sent off Denmark's Christian Poulsen and awarded Sweden a penalty in the closing minutes of the match on June 2.

"The assault was only prevented because Michael Gravgaard physically stepped in and it is apparent from video footage that the defendant was very determined in his actions," the court said in a statement.