Soccer-Zambia cancel friendly to rest before Nations Cup defence

Jan 11 (Reuters) - African Nations Cup holders Zambia have cancelled plans for a last friendly before the tournament starts next week in order to rest.Zambia, who have had a steady diet of warm-up games in preparation for the defence of their title, called off a friendly with Namibia in Nelspruit on Tuesday."They have cited a strenuous schedule as the reason for the cancellation," Namibia Football...

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Soccer-West Ham fill boots with Wellington signing

LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - West Ham United further swelled their attacking options on Friday by signing Brazilian striker Wellington Paulista on a six-month loan deal from Cruzeiro.The mid-table Premier League side said in a statement that the 29-year-old holds a European Union passport and therefore does not require a work permit."I think I can do my best here and I am coming to England to prove...

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UPDATE 2-Soccer-Crowd favourite Sahin back at Dortmund on loan

* Sahin played in Dortmund from 2000-2011* Turkey international had spells at Real Madrid, Liverpool (Updates with more details, quotes, Schmelzer contract extension)BERLIN, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Playmaker and crowd favourite Nuri Sahin returned to Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund on a loan deal after unsuccessful spells at Real Madrid and Liverpool over the past 18 months.Dortmund said in a hastily...

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NHL owners to vote on contract Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) — NHL owners will vote Wednesday on the tentative labor agreement reached with the players' union.If a majority approves, as expected, the NHL will move one step closer toward the official end of the long lockout that began Sept. 16.As of Tuesday afternoon, a memorandum of understanding of the deal hadn't been completed, so the union has yet to schedule a vote for its more than 700...

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NHL owners, players move closer to votes

NEW YORK (AP) — All that is left of the NHL lockout are a pair of votes by owners and players.If both sides approve the tentative deal reached over the weekend — as expected — training camps will be open by Sunday.The league's board of governors will meet on Wednesday in New York, and the 30 club owners will vote on the agreement that was reached in the early morning hours of Sunday after a 16-hour...

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Bruins on ice at BU as they wait for NHL season

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg drove by the TD Garden on Tuesday morning on his way to Boston University, where a handful of his teammates have been skating to keep in shape while waiting for the NHL season to start."I got a really good feeling imagining going out on the ice and getting excited about being able to play again," he said. "I'm so excited to be here."After spending...

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Tennis-Sharapova looks back on banner year

BRISBANE, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Maria Sharapova said 2012 had been the most memorable year of her career after her victory at the French Open and carrying Russia's flag at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics."A lot of things came together," she said in Brisbane on Monday. "It was the grand slam that was going to take a little bit longer than the others for me."I knew that physically I needed...

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Tennis-Early Auckland exits for Zheng, Kuznetsova

Dec 31 (Reuters) - Defending champion Zheng Jie and former world number two Svetlana Kuznetsova were knocked out of the Auckland Classic in the first round on Monday.Zheng raced to a 3-0 lead before losing 13 of the next 16 games to go down 7-5 6-1 to American Jamie Hampton.The Chinese fourth seed followed in the footsteps of Hungarian Greta Arn, who crashed out in the first round last year after...

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Tennis-No magic answer for Stosur's problem on home courts

BRISBANE, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur conceded there was no magic solution to her problems on home courts after a shock loss to Sofia Arvidsson in the opening round of the Brisbane International on Monday.The world number nine, who has failed to match expectations in Australian tournaments, lost 7-6 7-5 to the Swede five weeks after ankle surgery and only a fortnight...

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