Digest

VOLLEYBALL
National team launches search for new coach
The Chinese women's volleyball team is on the hunt for a new head coach, the country's top sports authority announced on Monday.
According to a notification published by the volleyball management center of the General Administration of Sport of China, interested candidates should submit their applications before Jan 15.
A group of experts, including the team's former coaches Lang Ping and Chen Zhonghe, will review the applicants and present a shortlist of candidates, with the final decision to be made by the Chinese sports authority.
Since Lang stepped down as head coach on Sept 1 last year, the team has not nominated her successor.
Lang took charge of the team in 2013, and led her side to the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as well as the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles.
However, at last summer's Tokyo Olympics, China failed to retain its crown after unexpectedly failing to progress through the group stage.
OLYMPICS
IOC mourns death of former director general
Francois Carrard
The International Olympic Committee paid tribute Monday to its former director general Francois Carrard, who has died at the age of 83.
The Swiss lawyer, who headed the IOC administration from 1989 until 2003, died in his home city of Lausanne on Sunday, said the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). Carrard was the group's lawyer.
Carrard served IOC presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch and Jacques Rogge during his 14-year term.
"Francois Carrard was a brilliant man with immense analytic skills and a very wide horizon," IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement. "He was always a great guide and trustful adviser, and became a personal friend. This is why I am so grateful that the entire Olympic Movement and I could count on him until his very last days."
A doctor of law from the University of Lausanne, Carrard specialized in sports law before becoming the IOC's director general.
He reshaped the IOC's administration and played a key role in setting up the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 1999 and the anti-doping code.
Denmark in women's hockey first at Games
The Danish Sports Confederation (DIF) on Monday confirmed it will send a women's ice hockey team to the Winter Olympics for the first time.
"We're still reeling from the fact that we're sending two national ice hockey teams, both men's and women's, to the Winter Olympics," said Mikkel Sansone Ohrgaard, chef de mission for the Danish Winter Olympic team.
"Our efforts have paid off, and we look forward to following the two teams in China."
Denmark will compete at Beijing 2022 with its largest ever Winter Olympics delegation.
The women's ice hockey team has been drawn in a group with Japan, the Czech Republic, Sweden and China, with three teams advancing to the knockout stage.
Denmark, ranked 11th by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), opens its campaign on Feb 4 against China, ranked 20th.
SOCCER
Italy's Chiesa a doubt for World Cup playoffs
Federico Chiesa
Juventus winger Federico Chiesa will undergo surgery after damaging the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the club said Monday, potentially ruling him out of the World Cup playoffs for Italy in March.
Chiesa was hurt in Juventus' 4-3 win over Roma in the Italian league on Sunday.
He felt a "blunt trauma sprain" in his knee, Juventus said, and had tests on Monday.
"It will be necessary for the player to undergo surgery in the next few days," Juventus said.
Italy, which won the European Championship last year, hosts North Macedonia in the playoffs on March 24. Portugal is also in their four-team bracket.
MOTOR SPORTS
Loeb gains on Dakar Rally leader Al-Attiyah
Sebastien Loeb chipped another seven minutes from the Dakar Rally lead of Nasser Al-Attiyah, who finally struck mechanical trouble on Monday in stage eight in the Saudi desert.
Al-Attiyah, leading for a 10th straight day, was still up by 38 minutes on Loeb, but the Qatari has lost 12 minutes to the chasing Frenchman since the rest day on Saturday, and was starting to feel nervous.
Loeb opened the way and punctured just 28 kilometers into the 395-km special stage from Al Dawadimi south to Wadi Ad Dawasir. Loeb then also lost his only other spare wheel, forcing him to drive carefully, and yet he pushed hard enough to be third on the stage.
Mattias Ekstrom of Sweden earned his first stage win in his Dakar debut, winning by 49 seconds from Audi teammate Stephane Peterhansel, whose bonnet came off after one dune jump and who lost his bearings at the very end of the stage. Loeb's ProDrive was third, three minutes later, and three seconds ahead of Carlos Sainz's Audi. Al-Attiyah's Toyota was 10 minutes down in 11th.
Sam Sunderland won the motorbike stage in dominant fashion and regained the overall lead with four stages to go.
Xinhua - Agencies
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