Global Sport

Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, chairman of the committee, said from Lahore that Sharjah’s Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) had “agreed to a 40 per cent increase, in the shape of cricket development in Pakistan.” Pakistan had threatened to withdraw its team complaining that it would get only $ 225,000 from the $ 25 million deal covering the October 13-22 tournament.

ITTF rejects

EINDHOVEN: Table tennis’ world governing body narrowly rejected a proposal to make the sport more spectator friendly by introducing bigger balls. However, it now seems inevitable that the bigger ball will be approved at the ITTF’s next biannual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur in February as the vote of 124 federation members only fell two short of the required 75 per cent majority needed to secure therule change.

Canadian Adham Sharara was elected president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) at an executive committee meeting on Wednesday.

Graf confesses

CARLSBAD: French Open winner and Wimbledon finalist Steffi Graf called her vow not to play again at either Grand Slam tournament a “mistake” in a newspaper interview published on Tuesday.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Graf, a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, was having second thoughts about post-final pronouncements at both events indicating she would never play either again. “That is the way I felt and that was my immediate response,” she said.

Tyson-Douglas WASHINGTON: Mike Tyson will fight James `Buster’ Douglas on October 2 in Las Vegas in a rematch of a stunning 1990 heavyweight boxing upset in Tokyo, a newspaper reported here.

The Washington Times, citing unnamed sources, said final details are being worked out for the bout and could be completed by the end of the week with Tyson beingpaid $ 10 million and Douglas receiving $ 1 million.

Fifa, AFC hopeful

MEXICO CITY: Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Peter Velappan, head of the Asia football Confederation (AFC), said they were optimistic that an Asian boycott of the 2002 World Cup would be avoided. The AFC has threatened to boycott the World Cup qualifying tournament if Fifa does not meet its demand for an extra berth in the championship jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea.

Agent sues

LONDON: Soccer agent Rachel Anderson represents dozens of British professionals but was barred from the player union’s all-male awards dinner. Now she’s suing. Anderson’s sexual discrimination lawsuit being heard at the central London county court hinges on whether the Professional Football Association (PFA) annual dinners in 1997 and 1998 were public or private events.

Ben optimism

MONTE CARLO: Disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson met top officials from athletics’ world governing body in a last-ditch bid for reinstatement beforehis fate is decided at the end of the month. The International Amateur Athletics Federation sub committee will recommend to the body’s council whether or not to allow the runner back into competition.

—Agencies