Athen - Greece's former 400 metres hurdles Olympic champion Fani Halkia was Friday suspended for two years by the Greek athletics federation SEGAS.

Halkia was tested positive for banned steroids at the Beijing Olympics and barred from competing.

The Athens 2004 Olympic champion, her coach and two more athletes have already been charged by Athens prosecutors with doping violations before and during the Beijing Games.

Halkia, 400m runner Dimitris Regas, 200m sprinter Tassos Gousis and coach Giorgos Panagiotopoulos face prison sentences of up to two years.

Johannesburg - Football's controlling body FIFA on Friday said that the global economic crisis has not caused a problem for the organization.

"We are glad that the crisis has not touched FIFA. We are not Swiss for nothing. We are still a safe company," general secretary Jerome Valcke said.

Addressing a press conference in Johannesburg a day before the Confederations Cup draw Valcke said that any unplanned changes that the FIFA expected to be implemented by the local organizing committee (LOC) that placed a financial burden on the LOC would be discussed between the parties.

Johannesburg - This weekend's Confederations Cup draw in Johannesburg will draw on the input of some of the world's most beautiful women, world football body FIFA announced Friday.

Eight contestants in the Miss World competition that takes place in South Africa in December will assist FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke in the draw to determine two groups for the eight-team championship.

"Hosting as prestigious an event as the Miss World competition again underlines South Africa's ability to stage major global events. And as for the beautiful contestants assisting me on Saturday, it's certainly a draw I will be looking forward to more than most," Valcke said in a statement.

Johannesburg - South Africa football fans are eagerly awaiting Saturday's draw for next year's Confederations Cup as they know that the draw will favour the hosts.

Bafana Bafana have been placed into Group A, but as one of four seeded teams, will face just one of either Italy or Spain and they can't be drawn into a group with Brazil.

South Africa's two other two opponents will be drawn from Iraq, New Zealand and the US.

The other group will see Egypt, Brazil and then either Italy or Spain and one of Iraq, New Zealand or the US competing in the June

Lahore, Nov 21 : PCB has reportedly slapped a whopping bill on suspended Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif for the legal costs incurred for his release from detention in Dubai earlier this year.

Asif was detained at the Dubai airport for 19 days for carrying a drug-like substance.

Following his detention, the Board had hired the legal firm “Afridi and Angel” to represent him in the case contested with the Dubai police.

Dubai, Nov. 21: Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim has been officially reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the first Test against South Africa at Bloemfontein.

Mushfiqur was found guilty of showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees at a hearing that took place after play concluded in Bloemfontein on Thursday.

The 20-year-old was found to have breached Level 1.3 of the code which relates to “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision”.