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ATHLETICS: IRVINE (CALIFORNIA): World 100m record holder Maurice Greene is not likely to run again until next month's Athens meeting after injuring his left leg in training, his coach has said. Greene, who is also the Olympic and world 100m champion, was a late withdrawal from the Doha Grand Prix after his coach, John Smith, noticed the American favouring his left leg. Greene, who missed several meetings last year with leg injuries, strained a calf muscle in the leg earlier this week and Smith said he did not want to take a chance by running Greene. Smith said Greene now is likely to begin his season on June 10 in Athens, where he set his world record of 9.79 seconds in 1997.

CRICKET: JOHANNESBURG: Omar Henry, South Africa's first black Test cricketer, will head the National team's new panel of selectors, the United Cricket Board (UCB) has announced. The UCB said it hoped the 50-year-old's appointment as convenor of the committee would help ``take South African cricket forward'' after the majority of the former panel were sacked following the team's capitulation to Australia last season. Haroon Lorgat is the only member to retain his seat on the panel, which also includes Pat Symcox, Hugh Page and Douglas Maku. Henry has resigned from his job as Boland coach to take up his new position. ``I believe my cricket thinking is in line with most people who have played international cricket and I look forward to serving the sport I love in this position,'' Henry was quoted as saying in a UCB statement.

FOOTBALL: LONDON: Members of the England squad were seen dancing into the small hours of Wednesday morning in a Dubai nightclub shortly after their arrival in the Gulf state to train for the World Cup, the Daily Mail reported. Nicky Butt, Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge, Emile Heskey, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and several others had left the luxurious Jumeirah beach club resort for Pharoahs nightclub less than 24 hours after arriving, the newspaper said. A bouncer told the Mail the England players had almost been refused entry, as they were wearing sandals, in contravention of the club's dress code. ``I was a bit surprised to see them here to say the least,'' the bouncer said.

GOLF: PRINCETON (NEW JERSEY): Gary Player says he is disappointed about Augusta National's decision to set an age limit for play in the Masters. The new rule revokes the lifetime exemption that had been in place for past champions, replacing it with a maximum age of 65. That means next year will be the last trip to Augusta National for Player, a three-time Masters champion. Player already is 66 but was granted one more invitation. Player said he probably would not return to Augusta National after next year, even though past champions will be invited back for the week's festivities, including the champions' dinner. ``You cannot be bitter in life. I learned that from my great ex-president, Nelson Mandela,'' Player, a native of South Africa, said. ``But they made a promise to us that we could play as long as we wanted to, using our discretion."

TENNIS: ZURICH: Former world number one Martina Hingis may be forced to quit tennis due to a serious foot injury, the doctor treating her indicated. ``We have to see how far the inflammation in the joints has already led to arthrosis,'' Dr Heinz Buhlmann told the private Swiss station Radio 24. ``We cannot yet say how sensible it would be for her to continue her career or whether to end it would be advisable on medical grounds. Arthrosis is another name for osteoarthritis. Buhlmann, who is treating 21-year-old Hingis in a Zurich clinic, said she is suffering from pain in the joints of her left foot, left knee and left hip. Buhlmann, who has yet to make a firm diagnosis, warned that long-term inflammation could have led to joint damage, which would force Hingis to end her career. Melanie Molitor, Hingis' mother, confirmed that her daughter is undergoing tests in Zurich and speculated that any joint damage may have been caused by the shoes she wore from the age of 11 until three years ago.

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