By Duncan Mackay February 18 - Michael Phelps (pictured), the most successful athlete in Olympic history, has clinched his first new multi-million dollar endorsement deal since the British tabloid News of the World photographed him taking drugs more than a year ago.

Zamora, who is on the verge of earning a call-up to England's squad for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa

February 16 - Dr Ian Brittain (pictured), an international Paralympic expert, has been appointed by Coventry University’s Centre for Peace and Reconciliation studies to support the work of the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games.

" Building on its work in China, the Middle East and Africa, the centre, and its partners, plan

February 12 - United States coach Al Caravelli has included two fomrer NFL players in his squad for the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Seven Series in Las Vegas this weekend, including Bennie Brazell (pictured).

year, representing the US in the opening events of the IRB World Seven Series in Dubai and South Africa

February 9 - Caster Semenya (pictured), South Africa's controversial world 800 metres champion, has avoided a new row with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) after dropping plans to run in the country's domestic circuit.

Ray Mali, the interim President of Athletics South Africa (ASA), said: "Caster is not going

The Greatest – Muhammad Ali knocking out the ogre that was George Foreman as dawn broke over Africa

By Duncan Mackay in London February 4 - Archbishop Desmond Tutu tonight predicted that London hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 will "leave the world a fantastic legacy".

Peace Prize in 1984 for his role as a unifying leader figure in the campaign to end apartheid in South Africa

By Duncan Mackay February 1 - Angola's Leonel da Rocha (pictured) has been elected as the new President of the African Sports Confederation of Disabled (ASCOD) at its General Assembly in Cairo.

has helped transform Nile-Dutch (NDS)  from a company with one ship into one of the biggest in Africa

January 28 - Planning for rugby sevens' debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro has started in earnest as the International Rugby Board (IRB) President Bernard Lapasset (pictured here with Jacques Rogge) and his team travelled to Lausanne for meetings with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

December 2009: Olympics will make rugby sevens bigger than 15's predicts Kirwan November 2009: South Africa

January 25 - The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has started to develop a long term strategy for rugby sevens in England at all levels by hosting a pivotal planning forum for over 70 key stakeholders in the game, looking ahead to the inclusion of the sport in the Olympics from 2016.

MaxwellDecember 2009: Olympics will make rugby sevens bigger than 15's predicts KirwanNovember 2009: South Africa

been tempted to dismiss the meeting, on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned by South Africa

First Africa, now Asia.

January 14 - Bruce Warner (pictured) will be South Africa's sole representative at the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) have announced.

after the world 800 metres champion announced today that she plans to resume her career in South Africa

Michael Seme, Semenya's coach, said at a press conference organised by Athletics South Africa (

January 12 - South Africa's athletics season will go ahead this year as planned after sponsor Yellow Pages today agreed to a new deal to continue to back an international circuit, it has been announced.

The season had been in jeopardy after numerous problems affecting Athletics South Africa (

Negotiations have also reopened with Nedbank, a major sponsor of road running in South Africa and

secretary escorted from building by police November 2009: Former ICC President to oversee Athletics South Africa

By Duncan Mackay January 12 - South Africa's Paralympic team, who are set to include superstars Oscar Pistorius and Natalie Du Toit (pictured), are to base themselves in Cardiff in the build-up to the London 2012 Games, it has been announced.

" South Africa are one of the world's strongest Paralympic nations and finished sixth overall