Sporting Briefs

HRISTOV: Levski Sofia striker Georgi Hristov has joined Polish champions Wilsa Krakow on a year-long loan, the Sofia-based Bulgarian champions said. The 25-yeear-old Hristov was the Bulgarian league's top scorer in the 2007-08 season and is expected to make his debut on Saturday when Polish league leaders Wisla visit Belchatow.

BORDEAUX: Girondins Bordeaux's game at Le Mans scheduled for today has been postponed due to an adverse weather forecast, the Ligue 1 leaders said yesterday. "The Sarthe prefecture called us to say the game could not take place on Sunday," Bordeaux's spokeswoman Aurelie Carrey said. High winds and heavy rain are expected in most parts of France today.

IN CHINA: Hangzhou and Chongqing have been restored to the Chinese Super League (CSL) in place of the two clubs relegated this week for match-fixing. The move, announced by the Chinese Football Association (CFA) late on Friday, brings the CSL back to 16 teams after Guangzhou and Chengdu were demoted for their part in the ongoing scandal.

ECUADOR: Ecuador's champions Deportivo Quito paid their debts and had a suspension lifted on Friday in time to play their first division match against Manta, the Ecuadorean Football Federation (FEF) said. The club were suspended indefinitely in midweek over a debt of $207,517 with the FEF and two of the club's former players and were told they would lose the points from their match with Manta if they did not settle it by Friday.

CRICKET: Former test captain Waqar Younis accepted an offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board to take over as national team coach yesterday, a day after the PCB had offered him the position. Waqar who played 87 tests and 262 one-day internationals between 1989 and 2003 said the PCB had given him a contract that runs through the 2011 World Cup.

TENNIS: Reigning Olympic champion Elena Dementieva is set to claim another singles title at the Malaysian Open after a 6-1, 6-3 win in the semi-finals yesterday over Austria's Sybille Bammer. The top seeded Russian will take on Alisa Kleybanova in today's final after her compatriot defeated Japan's Ayumi Morita 6-4, 6-1 in 76 minutes.

RUGBY: France have retained the squad that beat Wales 26-20 on Friday at the Millennium Stadium for their next Six Nations match against Italy at the Stade de France on March 14. With wins over Scotland, Ireland and Wales, France are in contention to win their first Six Nations championship since 2007. If they defeat Italy, they will host England on March 20 in the last round with their first grand slam since 2004 in sight.

BASKETBALL:Hall of Famer Michael Jordan has agreed to buy a controlling interest in the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, majority owner Bob Johnson said yesterday. Jordan was already an investor and the head of basketball operations for the team, which has lost tens of millions since Johnson was granted the expansion franchise in 2003, The Charlotte Observer reported.

GOLF: American Mark Wilson birdied his last four holes to grab a share of the lead with Camilo Villegas after the second round of the Phoenix Open yesterday. Wilson capped his brilliant run with a 24-foot birdie putt to finish with a five-under 66 and join overnight leader Villegas on 11-under for a total 131 after the Colombian stumbled with a bogey on the last hole to card a 69.

BIATHLON: Ageless biathlon virtuoso Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is leaving Vancouver already planning his assault on the Winter Games' all-time medal record. The 36-year-old Norwegian won a gold and a silver at the Vancouver Games, boosting his career haul to 11 medals, one shy of the record by cross country skier Bjorn Daehlie. "I don't know so much about Sochi," he said. He then issued a not-so-subtle warning to those wanting to topple the king: "I will prepare the next four years and do my best and I will be in shape in Sochi."