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Spurs re-sign Argentine center Oberto

NEW YORK: The San Antonio Spurs have re-signed center Fabricio Oberto, the NBA champions said on Wednesday, although terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 6-foot-10 (2.08 m) Oberto, a member of the 2004 Olympic champion Argentina team, played 79 games for San Antonio last season, making 33 starts, and averaged 4.4 points and 4.7 rebounds.

He appeared in all 20 playoff games in the post-season, averaging 5.6 points and 4.9 assists in 20.8 minutes per game while shooting an impressive .625 (50-80) from the field.

In the Western Conference Finals against Utah, Oberto averaged 10.2 points and 7.8 rebounds on .700 (21-30) shooting.

The 32-year-old was originally signed by the Spurs in August 2005.

Bulls re-sign Nocioni and add free agent Joe Smith

NEW YORK: The Chicago Bulls re-signed Argentine forward Andres Nocioni to a multi-year extension and added free agent Joe Smith to the roster, the NBA club said on Wednesday.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The 27-year-old Nocioni, who averaged 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds and shot .467 from the field, is preparing for his fourth season with the Bulls.

In three seasons with Chicago, Nocioni, a member of Argentina's 2004 Olympic gold medal-winning team, has averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game.

Smith, who was the number one overall pick out of Maryland in the 1995 NBA draft, split last season between Denver and Philadelphia after being part of the four-player trade that sent Allen Iverson to Denver.

Gibilisco to appeal against doping ban

ROME: Former pole vault world champion Giuseppe Gibilisco is to appeal against a two-year doping ban handed to him by the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) on Wednesday.

"We're definitely going to appeal. They have to give us the reasons behind this sentence," Gibilisco was quoted as saying on La Gazzetta dello Sport's website.

In a statement, FIDAL said the sentence reflected "the request put forward by the Italian Olympic Committee's Anti-Doping Prosecutor".

Last week Gibilisco appeared in front of CONI's anti-doping prosecutor to explain how his name had become involved in the "Oil for Drugs" investigation by Italian police into doping in sport.

The probe, which began in 2004, has focused on the relationship between sportsmen - including athletes and cyclists - and doctor Carlo Santuccione, who is alleged to have supplied them with banned substances.

(China Daily 07/20/2007 page23)