TEHRAN, Dec. 12--Iran’s Gymnastics Federation is set to hire a North Korean coach to train the country’s national team.
“Following talks with the cultural consultant of North Korea’s Embassy in Tehran, eight trainers are to visit Iran next week. We want one of them for the national team and the rest will be considered for the provinces“, IRNA quoted Jamshid Asgari, the federation’s secretary, as saying.
Speaking about preparations for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Asgari said that two athletes are already lined up for the Olympics’ exhibition and trampoline events.
“The national team is practicing now but the gymnastics committees are bound to introduce talented gymnasts to the federation,“ he said in a statement.

Andranik Teymourian

LONDON, Dec. 12--Bolton Wanderers’ Andranik Teymourian is hoping to extend his contract with the English club despite offers from other clubs.
According to Goal.com, the 24-year-old Iranian has struggled

to make the starting eleven this season but after a good performance in Bolton’s 1-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade last week, the midfielder is hopeful of more Premier League time on the pitch.
“I did not know I’d be in the lineup in this fixture,“ Teymourian told Iranian media after the Belgrade game.
“I was told on the day of the fixture. The goal of the match was scored through my corner kick. After a long spell on the bench, I had a lot of motivation for this game. I ran almost 14 km in this match, which made them test me for doping after the match!“
Teymourian joined the Trotters on a two-year deal in the summer of 2006 and is due to meet the club soon to discuss the contract extension.
“I have a meeting with Bolton officials next month regarding this matter,“ he said.
“I have offers from Spanish and German league teams. If I do not reach a deal with Bolton officials, based on UEFA regulations, I can negotiate with interested parties in January.“

TEHRAN, Dec. 12--Petroshimi-e Tabriz cycling team, as Iran’s representative, will embark on an Asian tour starting December 16 in Thailand.
The fiver-member team topped Iran’s league championship last year and succeeded in qualifying for the tour, said Mehr News Agency.
Information Dissemination Committee of the event has not yet announced the number of participating teams. However, all top Asian teams have been invited to the six-day event.
Petroshimi-e Tabriz will leave Tehran on Friday.

TEHRAN, Dec. 12--Iran’s Football Federation canceled the meeting with Philippe Troussier who had voiced interest in steering the country’s national team.
“Iranian Football Federation’s (IFF) Transitory Committee was scheduled to negotiate with Troussier in Abu Dhabi, but the meeting has been canceled,“ an IFF official told ISNA.
He said the Frenchman had set new terms for accepting the offer which made it impossible for the IFF to sign a contract with him.
However, the official did not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement with the former Japan coach, who has had a successful career in African clubs and national teams.
The IFF elections--cancelled twice so far--and the fact that the team remains without a coach have raised concerns over the future of Iran’s national soccer team. It is scheduled to play in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in less than two months.

NEW YORK, Dec. 12--LeBron James returned from injury to score 17 points and help the Cleveland Cavaliers end a six-game losing streak on Tuesday with a 118-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
According to Reuters, James, who played 22 minutes off the bench, missed five games with a sprained left index finger. Cleveland lost all five games.
“It felt like we were in a good groove,“ said James, who wore a protective glove. “Everyone knows each other. We know what we like and dislike, so it felt like it did last year when we were playing our best basketball.“
Larry Hughes also came off the Cleveland bench in his second game back after injury and recorded a season-high 36 points, while Anderson Varejao made his season debut, also off the bench, after ending a contract holdout.
Mike Dunleavy led the Pacers with 23 points while Jermaine O’Neil had 18 and Troy Murphy posted 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Philadelphia Flyers winger Joffrey Lupul (l) scores a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Dany Sabourin during the first period of their NHL game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.

PHILADELPHIA,
USA, Dec. 12--Joffrey Lupul and R.J. Umberger both scored hat-tricks to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to an 8-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Lupul registered three goals and three assists and Umberger three goals and two assists as the Flyers ended a five-game losing streak at home. The match was also characterized by several fights, the first of which began after just 20 seconds, Reuters said.
Lupul’s effort was the first six-point game by a Flyer since Eric Lindros accomplished the feat in 1997.
The game was actually tied 2-2 after the first period after the Flyers failed to hold a 2-0 lead that had been built on Lupul’s first two goals.
Umberger then struck twice within two minutes midway through the second period to put the Flyers ahead for good.
Mike Richards added three assists, including his 100th NHL point, and Mike Knuble and Braydon Coburn each had a goal and an assist.
The win gave Philadelphia a 3-0 season series record over their state rivals. Last year, Pittsburgh won all eight games against the Flyers.
Philadelphia goaltender Martin Biron stopped 20 of 22 shots.

LONDON, Dec. 12--Former world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor is the latest name to show interest in facing Joe Calzaghe, the world super-middleweight champion.
According to BBC, Taylor lost his WBO and WBC belts to Kelly Pavlik in September, but has a non-title rematch at super-middleweight in Las Vegas in February.
His promoter Lou DiBella says the Welshman would be next on his wishlist.
“It’s hard to look past this fight but, knowing Jermain, if he wins, Joe would be the fight he wants,“ said DiBella.
“If he succeeds in this rematch I would be very surprised if he didn’t say ’Go pursue Calzaghe’,“ said the promoter.
“At this point in time I think anyone who knows boxing knows that the second best fighter in the world is Calzaghe and that’s only because Floyd Mayweather is out there.
“I think Calzaghe has had a tremendous year and has stamped his status as one of the great super-middleweights of all time.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Dec. 12--The International Olympic Committee on Wednesday stripped American sprinter Marion Jones of her five Sydney 2000 Olympics medals after she admitted in a US court in October to taking banned substances.
According to Reuters, Jones, who became the first woman to win five medals in a single Olympics after winning gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x400 meters relay and taking bronze in the long jump and 4x100m relay, could go to jail for lying to federal investigators.

TOKYO, Dec. 12--Midfielder Neri Cardozo scored in the first half Wednesday to lead Argentina’s Boca Juniors to the final of the Club World Cup after beating Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive du Sahel 1-0.
Boca forward Rodrigo Palacio made a quick move around an Etoile defender and threaded a pass to Cardozo, who beat goalkeeper Aymen Balbouli with a left-foot shot in the 37th minute, AP wrote.
“It was not an easy match to win,“ Boca coach Miguel Russo said. “But we dominated the game, made chances and took advantage of our opportunities.“
The Dec. 7-16 tournament features the club champions of FIFA’s continental club competitions. European champions AC Milan will face Japan’s Urawa Reds in the other semifinal on Thursday in Yokohama.
Boca was reduced to 10 men in the second half when Fabian Vargas was sent off in the 65th minute after a second yellow card for a high tackle and will miss the final.

Liverpool's forward Fernando Torres (r) celebrates after scoring a goal against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League at Velodrome Stadium on Tuesday.

PARIS, Dec. 12-- English giants Liverpool’s habit of leaving it to the last to qualify for important stages of big tournaments was repeated yesterday as they inflicted a record 4-0 home defeat on Marseille to make the knockout stage of the Champions League.
The 2005 Champions League winners’ victory probably also ensured that manager Rafael Benitez keeps his job after a series of reports that he was unhappy with the American owners of the club, AFP reported.
Liverpool were joined somewhat surprisingly in the last 16 by Greek side Olympiakos, whose 3-0 win over Werder Bremen was enough to see them move through.
Midfielder Ieroklis Stoltidis’ double was the inspiration for the Greek side’s victory which sees them one step away from emulating their team-mates achievement of the 1998-99 season when they reached the last eight.
Bremen’s disappointment was not mirrored by Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04, who are now the sole German side in the knockout stage after they beat Rosenborg 3-1.
An early strike from Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was followed by a superb solo effort from Fernando Torres, a Dirk Kuyt goal early in the second half and a stoppage time effort from substitute Ryan Babel as Liverpool became the first English club to win at the home of France’s best-supported club.
From the fourth minute, when Gerrard knocked in the rebound from his own penalty, there was little doubt that Liverpool would complete a remarkable turnaround in their fortunes in group A.
Since then however they have beaten Besiktas 8-0 and FC Porto 4-1 at home and the equally comfortable nature of this win will send them into the last 16- and Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester United- in confident mood.
“It was a fantastic performance by the players,“ said Benitez, who remained tight-lipped about his dispute with the club’s owners.
“The players were up for the game and I am now just thinking about the match with United and that we are in the knockout stages and now I want to be with the players.“

ATLANTA, USA, Dec. 12--Bobby Petrino resigned as Atlanta Falcons coach on Tuesday with the team mired in last place in the NFC South Division with a 3-10 record.
The 46-year-old Petrino stepped aside after less than one year at the helm to take the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas, Reuters reported.
He had signed a 10-year, $25 million contract extension with the University of Louisville before agreeing a five-year $24 million deal with the Falcons.
The Falcons’ plans for the season were thrown into disarray in July when three-times All-Pro quarterback Michael Vick was indicted on charges of operating a dog-fighting venture at his home in rural Virginia.
Vick did not play this season and was sentenced to 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to bankrolling the dog-fighting enterprise.
The Falcons confirmed Petrino’s departure but declined further comment until officials meet with the media on Wednesday.

NEW YORK, Dec. 12-- Southpaw Randy Wolf has agreed to a one-year, $4.75 million contract with the San Diego Padres, the team said.
According to Reuters, the deal could reach $9 million if the 31-year-old Wolf reaches all of the incentives in the agreement, the Padres said.
Wolf played for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, but was unable to pitch after July 3 due to shoulder problems and had shoulder surgery in September.
“I have every expectation to be 100 percent and make every start,“ Wolf said on Monday during a conference call. “I fully expect to get 200 innings. I expect to make 30 to 32 starts and pitch 200 innings.“
Wolf, who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, was 9-6 last season with a 4.73 earned run average.
Over his nine-year career, Wolf has a 78-66 record with a 4.25 ERA.

LONDON, Dec. 12--Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has added his voice to calls for Fabio Capello to become the next England manager, saying “he is the kind of big personality we need in charge of the national team“.
According to AFP, the 61-year-old Italian has emerged as favourite to succeed Steve McClaren following Jose Mourinho’s decision to rule himself out of contention.
England international Lampard, who played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, has no doubts about Capello’s suitability for the England post.
“Capello has the kind of personality I think England needs,“ said Lampard. “I have a lot of respect for him as a manager, he has a great record.
“I think it is very important that the next manager we pick has a big personality with a big history and Capello certainly has that with the titles that he has won at all levels of football,“ he added after Chelsea’s goalless Champions League draw with Valencia on Tuesday.