Mikel has knee surgerys

CHELSEA and Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel has undergone minor knee surgery with just over a month to go until the start of the World Cup.

The operation means the 23-year-old holding midfielder, who has been sidelined for the last three weeks with the injury, will miss Chelsea’s match with Wigan on Sunday, where victory will secure the Premier League title, and the FA Cup final against Portsmouth on May 15.

RISING American golf star

RISING American golf star Anthony Kim, who finished third at last month’s Masters, will miss the US Open and possibly the British Open after undergoing left thumb surgery.

Kim pulled out of The Players Championship on Wednesday, a day after having the operation in Baltimore, Maryland, for a partial ligament tear suffered months ago that was causing shoulder problems due to overcompensation.

Mourinho takes a swipe at Chelsea

INTER Milan boss Jose Mourinho couldn’t resist taking a swipe at his former club Chelsea despite trying his best to insist he won’t be motivated by revenge in Tuesday’s Champions League showdown.

Mourinho is back at Stamford Bridge for the first time since being sacked in Sept 2007 after losing a power struggle with owner Roman Abramovich and his host of advisors.

Djokovic, Nadal advance

SECOND-SEEDED Novak Djokovic survived a scare, but it was smooth sailing for defending champion Rafael Nadal Monday as both moved into the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open.

Serbia’s Djokovic saved three match points en route to a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber and said he’d have to do better to add a second Indian Wells title to the one he captured in 2008.

Canada wins 1st ice dance gold

VANCOUVER – TESSA Virtue and Scott Moir danced their way to Canada’s first ever Olympic figure skating ice dancing gold on Monday.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States won silver with world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia claiming bronze after the free dance final at the Pacific Coliseum.

Barry denies City rifts

MANCHESTER – MANCHESTER City midfielder Gareth Barry has dismissed reports that manager Roberto Mancini has ‘lost’ the dressing room as the Italian gears up for his biggest week since taking charge at Eastlands.

Valencia's home run extended

BARCELONA (Spain) – SPANISH international striker David Villa scored twice to keep Valencia on course for a Champions League place as they beat Getafe 2-1 on Monday despite being reduced to ten men.

China end 12-year wait for win

VANCOUVER – CHINA won their first Olympic women’s ice hockey match in 12 years on Monday when a 3-1 victory over Slovakia gave them a seventh place finish at the Vancouver Games.

Wang Linuo scored two goals and Sun Rui added another in a game where both sides desperately needed a boost after Slovakia had lost three group matches by a combined score of 29-4. For their part, China had scored just three goals in three games.

Phelps is YOG ambassador

OLYMPIC swimming legend Michael Phelps today became the first official Ambassador of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that will be held in Singapore in August.

The 16-time Olympic medallist, who is visiting Vancouver to catch some of the Olympic Winter Games action, will support the YOG by encouraging the involvement of young people around the world, the International Olympic Committee announced in a press statement.

No credible threats: India

NEW DELHI – A TOP Indian security official said on Monday there were ‘no credible threats’ to a series of international sporting events including the Commonwealth Games scheduled to take place in the country in the coming months.

Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said that the government had taken extensive precautions to protect athletes and spectators planning to come to India for cricket’s Indian Premier League, the field hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in October.