Lord Coe says public trust in athletics may not return until "way beyond" his four-year term as IAAF president.

Last Thursday, a World Anti-Doping Agency independent report said "corruption was embedded" within the governing body.

Its author, Dick Pound, said some athletes from Russia and Turkey who failed drugs tests then paid bribes.

"If there are athletes out there and they think they have been subject to extortion, come and speak to me," Coe told BBC

"We need to understand how far and how wide this thing goes. If it's the tip of the iceberg, then come forward and make those claims."

Leicester City are in talks with FC Copenhagen over the signing of Ghana international Daniel Amartey.

The Danish club has confirmed that the 21-year-old, capable of playing in defence and midfield, could move to the Premier League side in January.

It has been reported by BBC Radio Leicester that he could join Leicester for a fee of up to £6m.

Andre Ayew returned from the African Football Awards and walked straight into the starting line-up against Sunderland after being voted the third best African footballer, behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Yaya Toure.

The Black Stars midfielder scored a brilliant goal against Sunderland last Wednesday night when his side suffered a 4-2 defeat in the hands on the away team

Manchester United dropped two points last Tuesday as Newcastle battled back to level the clash in the final minute of normal time.

But Smalling insists United's record against Liverpool will see them bounce back at Anfield next Sunday.

"In recent times, we've done very well against them - obviously this year at Old Trafford and last season we've got very good results, so we're very confident of going there and causing them a problem," Smalling said.

Jurgen Klopp has praised Roberto Firmino in the wake of his fine performance in Liverpool's 3-3 Premier League draw with Arsenal last Wednesday.

The Brazil international netted twice to take his tally for 2015-16 to three goals in 18 league outings and Klopp was pleased to see the forward show what he can really do.

Oscar Pistorius' lawyer said the South African Supreme Court of Appeal ignored the double-amputee's vulnerability when it overturned a manslaughter conviction, declaring him guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

In a request to South Africa's Constitutional Court to hear an appeal of the murder conviction, lawyer Andrew Fawcett said Pistorius was on his stumps, which made him anxious, when he fired. He said the appeals court ignored the trial court's finding that Pistorius believed his life was in danger.

Amir Khan could opt for a chance at redemption and revenge over a fight with Kell Brook after being named as the mandatory challenger for Floyd Mayweather's old belt.

The vacant WBC title will be on the line when Danny Garcia faces Robert Guerrero in Los Angeles on January 23.

And if Garcia wins, Khan could jump at the chance to avenge his loss to the Philadelphian in 2012.

Barcelona forward Neymar has been ordered to appear in a Spanish court next month as one of the defendants in a fraud case brought by Brazilian investment fund, DIS.

The firm alleges it was the victim when Barca signed the player, third in the latest world football player of the year poll, from Brazilian club, Santos.

A judge in Madrid, acting on a request from the state prosecutor, ordered Neymar, his parents, former Barca president Sandro Rosell, incumbent Josep Maria Bartomeu and two former Santos officials to present themselves on February 1 and 2.

The fund, which owned 40 percent of Neymar's rights when he was at Santos, alleges it was paid far less than it was entitled to when the player agreed to join the Spanish and European champions in 2013.

Bartomeu, Rosell, who resigned over the allegations, and the club have been accused of defrauding the tax office of some 13 million euros ($14.1 million). All three have denied any wrongdoing.

Th

The year 2015 could best be described as a difficult year for the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) in relation to sports development and promotion mainly due to financial and logistics challenges.  That notwithstanding, the association managed to make some strides both locally and internationally with the help of corporate organisations and philanthropies.

Earlier in March, the NPC successfully organised its 2nd National Delegates and Electoral Congress in Accra, where the Bishop Cornelius Adjah Cofie-led administration was elected and sworn into office to oversee the day-to-day administration of the association.

Regarding national and international events, the NPC organised a nationwide trial and selection exercise which was conducted between the months of June and July 2015, as part of efforts to select athletes towards the 2015 All Africa Games (AAG).

At the end of it all, 30 athletes were identified and invited to final trial and selection in Kumasi, f

About 30 taekwondo referees /judges, including the president of the Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF), Federick Otu Lartey, has been appointed by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) to officiate in the forthcoming European Olympic Taekwondo Qualification tournament to be held this weekend in Istanbul, Turkey.

The tournament, which is a prelude to the Olympic Games in Rio, de Janeiro Brazil, in August this year, will see two finalist athletes qualify for the games.

Speaking to the Graphic Sports yesterday, Mr Lartey Otu expressed delight about his appointment and said it was not only an honour to him but to the entire taekwondo sport in Ghana.

Former Black Bombers coach, Ofori Asare, has been awarded the International Amateur Boxing Association Association (AIBA) instructors certificate.

This follows his successful completion of the AIBA-organised Level Three Instructors Course for 51 AIBA coaches in Ordu-Turkey last year.

The 52-year-old told the Graphic Sports he was delighted about his new position and would use it effectively in the interest of the nation.

“This is an opportunity for me to help other amateur boxing coaches in Ghana and Africa as a whole and I will not relent on that”, he stressed.

The veteran coach, who has been key to the development of boxing talents such as Joseph Agbeko, Emmanuel GameBoy Tagoe, Rafael Mensah and Maxwell Awuku, has pledged his readiness to do more.

Former chairman of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), J.Y. Appiah, a key actor in the raging hostility against the incumbent chairman, Alhaji Ali Raji, says he will remain neutral in the politics of the chairmanship race of the association ahead of the elections.

Appiah’s working colleague at the GHALCA, Kudjoe Fianoo, last Wednesday announced his intention to contest the chairmanship position with a mission to restore the lost glory of the association and many keen observers expect him (Appiah) to support Fianoo’s candidature.

But Appiah told the Graphic Sports yesterday that he was unamused at the issues relating to the forthcoming elections tentatively fixed for March this year.

“For some good reasons, I don’t want to throw my support behind anybody at the moment.

Hearts of Oak’s expatriate coach, Kenich Yatsuhashi, will continue in his job contrary to speculations that he was on the firing line following the team’s string of unimpressive shows since taking up the technical reins at the Phobians, writes Andy Quao.

At a Strategic Committee meeting of Hearts in Accra yesterday, which was highly speculated to deal a blow to the Americo-Japanese coach, such an action was hardly considered as the beefing up of the playing squad was what dominated the agenda.

According to inside sources at the meeting, what was paramount was the launch of a strong bid for some Premier League players to augment their squad at this stage of their off-season preparations.

The source told the Graphic Sports yesterday that the meeting did not take a decision on the coach, but rather completed the signing of some top Premier League players and launched the bid for others.

The technical team of the Black Starlets (National Under 17) will from today embark on a tour of the 10 regional capitals to scout for players born on or after January 1, 2000 and groom them for selection into the team.

The exercise, which is expected to end on January 31, will begin in Tamale today and tomorrow and will continue in Bolgatanga on Sunday, Wa, Sunyani and Kumasi on January 25, 2016.

It will then proceed to Takoradi on January 26, with stop-overs at Cape Coast, Koforidua, Ho and end in Accra on January 31.

During the tour, a mini tournament will be organised for the players with the able support of the Regional Sports Development Officers (R.S.D.O)’s and coaches.

The biggest sporting event, this year, takes place in Brazil, where the Olympic Games will be staged.

Already qualified for that great showpiece, are the Black Queens, the national senior women's football team, that in spite of official discouragement, are not afflicted by expiration of inspiration.

Since February last year, the Black Queens have not been paid their bonuses, in a typical Master-servant relationship, condemned to living on shoestring budget while sports ministry hierarchy live it up with lavish lifestyles.

Yet, an even worse fate could befall their male compatriots, Black Bombers, the national amateur boxing team.

It has a chance to qualify for the Brazil 2016 Olympics, and join the Black Queens to raise the flag of Ghana, in a quest to mark a new territory and win for the nation her first gold medal at the senior Olympics.

In a preemptive strike to avert non-qualification, the president of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association,