Hamburg  - If expectations were weighing heavily on the shoulders of Luis Aragones, he was not showing it. Stepping before the assembled press on the eve of the European Championship final, the coach of Spain knew it was time his country delivered.

Spain had reached the Euro 2008 final undefeated, but failure had defined the country's national football team for decades.

Not since winning the 1964 European title had Spain won a major tournament, and the national team had suffered defeat to France in the 1984 European final, the last time it had gone so far.

Now Aragones and Spain were up against the tournament team par excellence: Germany, winners of three World Cups and three European Championships.

Hamburg  - Although Tiger Woods took yet another step towards immortality by winning his 14th major, it was Irishman Pedraig Harrington who grabbed the headlines when he became the first European to win the PGA Championship in 78 years.

Harrington added the Open to take two of the four majors on offer in 2008, but could do little to prevent Europe from relinquishing their hold on the Ryder Cup with a 16.5 to
11.5 defeat against the US at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

Trevor Immelman managed to beat Tiger Woods by three shots in The Masters played at Augusta in April to win the first major on offer for the year.

Hamburg  - Honda's decision to quit Formula One has come as a shock and signalled that the world economic crisis has hit the world of sports for good.

The troubled carmakers are not only aiming to cut costs in their motorsport engagement, but like others are also scaling down their general sports involvement and endorsements amid the grim realities.

Even the International Olympic Committee is cautious. The IOC has postponed the bidding process for the US television rights of the 2014 and 2016, hoping for a more favourable economic climate next year.

The IOC makes almost 1 billion dollars from Olympic TV rights.

Hamburg - Former German swim star Michael Gross has entered the debate on new suits which have led to a flood of world records by calling on his sport to return to its basic equipment.

"It has become a technology battle which even overshadows the doping debate. That is a wrong turn for the sport," Gross told Deutsche Presse-Angentur dpa.

"Swimming is risking manoeuvring itself on to the sidelines."

Gross called for a return to "swim shorts and suits" or at least for a standard suit to be used by all athletes.

Hamburg - Two-time winners Sevilla and fellow Spanish side Racing Santander both crashed out of the UEFA Cup, while England's Tottenham Hotspur were among teams to advance to the last 32 Thursday

Sevilla, winners of the competition in 2006 and 2007, slipped to a 1-0 Group C defeat at Sampdoria who earn a place in the knockout stage.

Germany's VfB Stuttgart clinched the third spot in the group by downing group winners Standard Liege 3-0 to bag one of the six remaining places at stake on the night.

Hamburg  - Williams will unveil its car for the 2009 Formula One season on January 19 in Portugal, the British team said on Thursday.

The rollout of the FW31 car with drivers Nico Rosberg of Germany and Kazuki Nakajima of Japan will take place on the Algarve Motor Park Circuit near the town of Portimao.

But the 2009 colours won't be unveiled until February 27, Williams said. The January rollout will see a car with a winter test painting.

The 2009 season starts on March 29 with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.