IN BRIEF (Page 24)
Tennis
Federer pulls out of Halle after French Open defeat
HALLE, Germany: Roger Federer withdrew from this week's ATP tournament in Halle on Monday, saying he wanted to avoid the risk of injury after his defeat by Rafael Nadal in Sunday's French Open final.
"In an attempt to prevent injury after the long final in Paris, I cannot defend my title at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle," the Swiss world No 1 wrote on his Web site, www.rogerfederer.com.
"I look forward to returning in 2008."
Federer had been due to play Olivier Rochus in the first round of the grass-court tournament.
He has won the German grasscourt event for the past four years before going on to claim the Wimbledon crown on each occasion.
Soccer
Denmark can play next matches at home: report
COPENHAGEN: European football's governing body UEFA will allow Denmark to play its next four matches at home, easing sanctions imposed after a fan attacked a referee in a game against Sweden, Danish news agency Ritzau reported on Monday.
UEFA last week awarded Sweden a 3-0 victory over Denmark for their June 2 Euro 2008 qualifier after the match had to be stopped just minutes from the end when a spectator assaulted German referee Herman Fander with the score at 3-3.
As part of the sanctions, UEFA ordered Denmark to play its next four home matches more than 250 kilometres from Copenhagen - effectively forcing it to play abroad due to the country's small area and the lack of suitable stadia at such a radius.
South Korea taking no risks with Asian Cup squad
SEOUL: South Korea will make do without their top three players at this summer's Asian Cup after leaving Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo and Seol Ki-hyeon out of the squad.
With all three recovering from recent surgery, assistant coach Hong Myung-bo said Korea could take no risks with the squad by travelling with players who were not fully fit.
Manchester United's Park was always unlikely to take part after having knee surgery in the United States in April but Tottenham Hotspur's Lee (knee) and Reading's Seol (ankle) were hoping to recover in time for the July 7-29 tournament.
Korea's fourth representative in England's Premier League, Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-guk, is also a major doubt after he said he still felt pain in his knee from an injury sustained in the last game of the season.
Motor racing
Hamilton success triggers Silverstone ticket rush
LONDON: Ticket sales for next month's British Formula One Grand Prix have rocketed since Lewis Hamilton's first win in Canada on Sunday, organisers said.
"The reaction to his win in Canada has been amazing," Silverstone Circuits managing director Richard Phillips said in a statement.
"We haven't seen this level of interest since Mansell-mania in the late 80s and early 90s," he added, referring to former British world champion Nigel Mansell.
Briton Hamilton is leading the championship by eight points just six races into his Formula One career after finishing every one on the podium.
The 22-year-old, who is also Formula One's first black driver, won from pole position in Montreal after finishing runner-up in his four previous races.
"Ticket sales have been selling steadily since the start of the season, but demand has gone through the roof in recent weeks," Phillips said of the July 6-8 event.
(China Daily 06/13/2007 page24)
