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Details of the killing were initially murky with Pistorius charged for murder after the death was first cast as accidental in media reports.

“My word, if these reports on @SkyNewsBreak are true, this story regarding Oscar Pistorius accidentally killing his girlfriend is horrific,” tweeted English footballer Michael Owen who was among those who reacted with disbelief.

The tragedy exploded across social networking site Twitter and dominated headlines worldwide.

“Woken up to the horrendous news about Oscar Pistorius mistakenly shooting his girlfriend. What an awful tragedy,” reacted British athlete Jessica Ennis who took heptathlon gold at the 2012 Olympics where Pistorius also competed.

Oscar Pistorius

Sporting bodies chose to issue tight-lipped statements on their websites.

“The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will not be passing any comment on the case at this time,” said the governing body.

“This is a police matter, with a formal investigation currently underway. Therefore it would be inappropriate for the IPC to comment on this incident until the official police process has concluded.”

“The IPC would like to offer its deepest sympathy and condolences to all families involved in this case.”

The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), the country’s main sporting body, also acknowledged the shooting but would not comment further.

“SASCOC, like the rest of the public, knows no more than what is in the public domain,” it said in a statement, saying it had been inundated with enquiries.

“It would be irresponsible and inappropriate to comment on the alleged incident until the official investigative process has been completed.”

AFP

The American was stripped of his seven-time Tour de France titles after the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) accused him of being at the centre of “the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme” the sport has ever seen.

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Armstrong has stayed publicly silent on the accusations since their findings were revealed last year.

However, the announcement that he was to conduct an interview with Winfrey, which was filmed last night and will be aired at 2am GMT this Friday, led to speculation he would finally come clean.

An unnamed source in America close to the interview has told the New York Times, USA Today and the Associated Press news agency that he admitted to doping during the interview.

Lance Armstrong

Before taping the interview, which was conducted at his home in Texas, Armstrong apologised to around 100 staff at his Livestrong cancer foundation. The cyclist was said to have choked up as he spoke to members of the charity, during which he said: “I’m sorry”.

It is understood he did not make a direct confession about drugs to the Livestrong team. Instead, he is said to have apologised for letting them down, and for putting the foundation, which he chaired until last year, at risk.

A confession from Armstrong would mark a major reversal, who in the past has repeatedly denied the allegations.

It remains unclear how far Armstrong will go in his confession, although the cyclist sent a text message to the AP stating: “I told her [Winfrey] to go wherever she wants and I’ll answer the questions directly, honestly and candidly. That’s all I can say.”

Armstrong will be aware that revealing details of his doping could have consequences. For more than a decade, Armstrong dared anybody who challenged his version of events to prove it, including in court. He scolded some in public and didn’t hesitate to punish outspoken riders during the race itself. He waged legal battles against others in court.

At least one of his opponents, the London-based Sunday Times, has already filed a lawsuit to recover about $500,000 it paid him to settle a libel case, and Dallas-based SCA Promotions, which tried to deny Armstrong a promised bonus for a Tour de France win, has threatened to bring another lawsuit seeking to recover more than $7.5million awarded by an arbitration panel.

Reports have suggested Armstrong’s decision to finally come clean is to pave the way to compete in triathlons, which his current ban excludes him from doing.

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Hatton, 34, had not fought since 2009, but his return to the ring on Saturday ended with a ninth-round stoppage.

“I needed one more fight to see if I had still got it – and I haven’t,” he said. “I couldn’t have done any better.

“A fighter knows and I know it isn’t there any more. I have got to be a man and say it is the end of Ricky Hatton.”

Hatton announced his return to the ring in September, 14 months after initially calling time on his career.

Ricky Hatton

His opponent Senchenko, while a year older, had only one defeat on his record and proved more than a match for Hatton in front of 20,000 fans at the Manchester Arena.

Hatton started brightly and fought aggressively, but his defences weakened as he tired. A body shot to his ribs in the ninth ended the fight, and Hatton left the ring in tears.

“I got in the best shape I possibly could but if I hadn’t been hit with that body shot I would have just scraped over the line,” he admitted.

“It’s too many hard fights, I’ve burned the candle at both ends, I’ve put my body through the mire in and out of the ring.”

Hatton suffered a painful knockout in his previous fight in Las Vegas in 2009 against Manny Pacquiao.

He retired following that defeat, but suffered personal problems outside of the ring and Hatton said his return was a chance of redemption and an opportunity to make his friends and supporters “proud”.

Despite the loss on Saturday, he insisted he had achieved his goal: “I’m a happy man tonight. I don’t feel like putting a knife to my wrists.

“I have got the answers I needed. I can look at myself in the mirror and tell myself I did my best.”

Former European middleweight champion Matthew Macklin was ringside for Hatton’s comeback fight and believes ‘The Hitman’ made the right decision.

“It is the right thing to do,” Macklin told BBC Sport. “He was a shadow of his former self on Saturday night.

“However, we shouldn’t mourn that defeat – instead we should celebrate what has been an amazing career.

“We should talk about how good he was. He is one of the greatest British fighters, certainly one of the most exciting.

“It is hard to compare him with fighters from different eras but he is certainly the most popular British fighter ever.”

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis said he was confident Hatton was in a better place, mentally, to cope with retirement this time.

He told BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportsweek programme: “I hope that he came away with some good things because it’s very important we have to improve upon ourselves all the time and think positively.

“Hopefully he’s learned from all those bad things that happened and he can go forward and lead a better life. I think he should be all right.”

bbc.co.uk

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Steward was hospitalized in September and underwent surgery for what his sister, Diane Steward Jones, described as diverticulitis, a disorder of the digestive system. Many associates, though, said it was cancer. Victoria Kirton, Steward’s executive assistant, confirmed his death at a Chicago area hospital to The Associated Press afternoon.

A former national bantamweight champion as an amateur boxer, Steward was working for Detroit Edison as an electrician when he became a part-time boxing coach at the Kronk Gym in 1971. Lightweight Hilmer Kenty became Steward’s first world champion in 1980, but he rocketed to prominence as the cornerman for welterweight Thomas (Hitman) Hearns on the way to a legendary fight with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1981.

Emanuel Steward

“I remember him training with Tommy right up to the day before the fight,” said Main Events promoter Kathy Duva, who handled public relations for that fight while working with her late husband Dan. “It was unconventional. We were worried about an injury. Dan was holding his breath.”
Hearns lost that fight but went on to a great career in which he won titles all the way up to light-heavyweight. Along with fellow Kronk champions Mike McCallum and Milton McCrory, the gym’s red and yellow jackets with blue lettering became a fixture on the fight scene and attracted many other fighters to work with Steward.

Known as a clever strategist, Steward worked with a long list of champions rated among the best of their time, including Oscar De La Hoya, Julio Cesar Chavez, Wilfred Benitez, Miguel Cotto and Michael Moorer, but he also enjoyed some of his greatest success with heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and Evander Holyfield.

“I will miss our time together,” Klitschko said in a statement. “The long talks about boxing, the world, and life itself. Most of all I will miss our friendship.”

One of the most accessible major figures in boxing, Steward was enormously popular with the media. As Duva said, “He was a nice, positive spirit. To have a personality like that was an asset. When you asked him to do all those interviews, it was always, ‘Whatever you need.’ He did a good job of explaining the sport on HBO and making it accessible.”

Steward was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997, and while he continued to train, his television career with HBO was launched in 2001.

“There are no adequate words to describe the enormous degree of sadness and loss we feel at HBO Sports with the tragic passing of Manny Steward,” Ken Hershman, president of HBO Sports, said in a statement. “Manny was a respected colleague who taught us so much, not only about the sweet science, but also about friendship and loyalty. His energy, enthusiasm and bright smile were a constant presence. Ten bells do not seem enough to mourn his passing.”

newsday.com

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Sheffield Wednesday’s Chris Kirkland, 31, required treatment after being struck in the face during Friday’s game against Leeds United at Hillsborough.

Leeds fan Aaron Cawley, 21, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court to assault and entering the field.

He was given a 16-week jail sentence and a six-year football banning order.

Leeds United said the club intended to ban him from its Elland Road stadium for life.

Chris Kirkland

‘So drunk’

Kirkland, who has played once for England, was shoved in the face and fell to the ground moments after conceding an equaliser in the 76th minute of the match at Hillsborough, which finished in a 1-1 draw.

The court was told that Kirkland made a victim impact statement which said: “I feel shocked, upset and angry.

“I think the man is a thug and should be caught and put in jail. Anyone who supports what he’s done is just as bad.”

The court heard Cawley had been drinking heavily and had already breached two previous banning orders.

Prosecutor Paul Macauley said Cawley told police he had drunk a number of cans of lager and three-quarters of a litre of vodka before arriving in Sheffield and then had a further seven to 10 pints of cider.

Mr Macauley said he was “so drunk” he did not remember what happened, and only realised after seeing the footage.

District Judge Redhouse heard that Cawley emailed the police to say sorry and also emailed Sky Sports, which broadcast the match, in the hope his apology would be passed on to the two clubs and Kirkland.

A spokesman for Leeds United said: “We are pleased to see the matter dealt with by the courts so quickly.

“The club will also ban the individual for life from Elland Road when this banning order expires.

“While we are pleased to see justice brought so quickly, our one disappointment is that we feel the sentence could, and should, have been considerably longer.”

Writing on Twitter, Angela Smith, the Labour MP for Penistone and Stockbridge, also criticised the sentence.

The MP, a Sheffield Wednesday fan, wrote: “16wks prison sentence for assaulting a goalkeeper & breaching a banning order? I am quite frankly astonished! #justicenotdone.”

bbc.co.uk

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The Chelsea captain, who will miss the club’s next four domestic matches, said: “I want to apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game.”

An independent Football Association panel found Terry guilty of racially abusing the QPR defender during a game at Loftus Road on 23 October, 2011.

Terry has been disciplined by Chelsea.

However the club is keeping the details of its action confidential.

John Terry

In a statement, the club added: “John Terry has made the correct decision by not appealing against the FA judgment.

“Chelsea also appreciates, and supports, John’s full apology for the language he used. The club firmly believes such language is not acceptable and fell below the standards expected of John as a Chelsea player.”

In his apology statement, 31-year-old Terry, who was also fined £220,000, said: “Although I’m disappointed with the FA judgment, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.

“As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position. My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again.”

Terry will miss Chelsea’s Premier League fixtures against Tottenham, Manchester United and Swansea as well as a League Cup fourth-round tie against Manchester United.

But the centre-half will be available for next week’s Champions League group game against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Following Terry’s guilty verdict, the FA described his defence as “improbable, implausible and contrived” and said it was “satisfied” his comments were used as an insult.

However, the panel’s report stressed that he was “not a racist”.

Terry was charged by the FA despite being cleared by Westminster Magistrates’ Court of racially abusing Ferdinand.

Terry argued that he had only been repeating words he thought the Rangers defender had accused him of saying.

But the independent panel’s report said a “more plausible” explanation was that Terry was “angry” at both the way the game was going as well as Ferdinand’s taunts about an affair Terry was reported to have had with the ex-partner of former team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Terry added: “I will continue to do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory behaviour from football. I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family.”

Terry ended his England career as a direct result of the FA’s decision to charge him, claiming the move had made his position “untenable”.

bbc.co.uk

Joe Hart

Wayne Rooney had given Roy Hodgson’s men a half-time lead but Kamil Glik headed the hosts level on 70 minutes when Hart failed to collect a corner.

‘It’s my fault. That’s cost us three points,’ said the goalkeeper.

In truth, England deserved no more than a draw on a night when they were careless in possession and rarely at their best in attack.

A sodden pitch – the legacy of the downpour which saw the game postponed on Tuesday night – was only partly to blame.

Captain Steven Gerrard added: ‘It was difficult conditions and a difficult pitch but we can’t use that as an excuse.’

The draw leaves England top of Group H and Gerrard said: ‘It’s a decent point but we know we can play better than that.

‘I believe this point will be a good one at the end of the day, I don’t think any team will get maximum points here.’

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The news comes a week after the USADA released a 1,000 page dossier detailing allegations of widespread doping by Armstrong and his team-mates at US Postal and Discovery Channel between 1999 and 2005 during which time he won seven consecutive Tours de France.

The document highlighted the USADA’s charges following testimonies from 26 witnesses, including 11 former team-mates, that led the agency to ban him from cycling and strip him of his titles.

Lance Armstrong

Nike had previously stood by Armstrong despite mounting pressure from the cycling world after the US agency stripped him of his titles and handed him a lifetime ban from the sport.

The day after the USADA’s report was published and sent to the International Cycling Union (UCI), Nike said: “We are saddened that Armstrong may no longer be able to participate in certain competitions and his titles appear to be impacted.

“Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position. Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that Lance created to serve cancer survivors.”

However, on Wednesday the sportswear manufacture confirmed that they had performed a massive U-turn and would terminate Armstrong’s lucrative contract.

“Due to the seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade, it is with great sadness that we have terminated our contract with him,” the statement said on Wednesday.

“Nike does not condone the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in any manner. Nike plans to continue support of the Livestrong initiatives created to unite, inspire and empower people affected by cancer.”

Earlier in the day Armstrong had announced that he would step down as chairman of his Livestrong charity.

Armstrong, who was not paid a salary as chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, will remain on its 15-member board.

“This organisation, its mission and its supporters are incredibly dear to my heart,” Armstrong said in a statement. “Today therefore, to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career, I will conclude my chairmanship.”

telegraph.co.uk

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The left-back is believed to have turned down Chelsea’s one-year contract offer, which falls in line with the club’s new policy of not handing players over the age of 30 more than a 12-month deal.

Cole, who has become a crowd favourite at Stamford Bridge, is now likely to be free to talk to other clubs in January, with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United all thought to be interested in making a move for the England international.

Ashley Cole

The 31-year-old joined the Blues in 2006 from London rivals Arsenal and was a key figure in Chelsea’s Champions League success last season.
But club owner Roman Abramovich is set to stand firm over his new contract policy, as he seeks to reduce the age of the squad.

Midfield stalwart Frank Lampard is another player likely to be affected by the new outlook, with his current deal also expiring at the end of the campaign.

The policy also seemingly put paid to long-serving striker Didier Drogba’s Chelsea career, after he departed Stamford Bridge over the summer following an ongoing contract dispute.

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But the match did produce one of the best contests of the year, and it hinged on the most influential ‘tweener’ ever seen in tennis.

The definition of a ‘tweener’ is a shot played between the legs when you have your back to the net. There have been more spectacular examples than the one Djokovic produced on Sunday, when Murray served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. But none can have come at such a critical moment.

The score in the game was already 30-0, so if Djokovic had hit the net, or the stands, or his own intimate areas — as is always a risk with this shot — then Murray would have had three championship points on his own serve, and the result would surely have been different.

Andy Murray

But Djokovic, who was running back to deal with an accurate Murray lob, got good purchase and length on the ball. Then, as a surprised Murray bunted it back into the court, he dashed forward again and produced an equally outrageous flourish: a perfect sliced drop shot that flew barely an inch over the net cord. And all this, remember, when he was just two points from defeat.

We have seen before how Djokovic finds strength when he is taken to the brink. What is remarkable, though, is how loose he becomes at these moments. There was a playfulness about his tennis on that remarkable point, which recalled the breathtaking service return that he produced on match point down against Roger Federer in last year’s US Open.

Federer saw that forehand winner as disrespectful, a point played without due care for the situation. But it is the fact that Djokovic somehow manages to relax, when others would be panicking, which makes him so dangerous at the sharp end of matches.

On Sunday he took advantage of Murray’s momentary shock at his flamboyant winner to break back, and then won a punishing tie-break by 13 points to 11.

Murray did have match points in that second set, five in all, but Djokovic had not given him much of a look-in on any of them. Three had been saved by clean forehand winners, and one by a strong serve that fizzed off the service line. On the last one, Murray netted with an attempted forehand retrieval shot after being pushed wide and deep.

The deciding set started evenly, but the match was now extending past three hours, and it soon became clear that Murray was tiring the faster of the two. Seeing match points go past can suck the air from your lungs, and he was no longer achieving his normal leg-drive on the serve.
He was also winding up plenty of big — some might say desperate — forehands to keep the points as short as possible. And this strategy hurt him at 3-4 down, when he missed with three attempted piledrivers to give Djokovic the decisive break.

“It was a thrilling match [and] very long,” said Djokovic aftewards. But I have got used to it. Whenever I play Andy, I know it’s going to be a gruelling fight with a lot of long rallies. I could have easily been a runner-up today but I’m very proud of my fight.”

As for Murray he can at least take heart from the fact that he beat Djokovic in their highest-profile meeting this season — the US Open final.

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“It was a top-quality match,” he said. “Both of us played some unbelievable tennis at times. It was literally the difference of one, two centimetres [between] winning the match and losing it.”

telegraph.co.uk