Sport shorts.

Olympics: Ivan Slavkov, the Bulgarian Olympic chief at the centre of allegations of misconduct made in the BBC's Panorama programme, is to sue the makers of the documentary. Slavkov was suspended by the International Olympic Committee on Saturday and has had his accreditation to the Athens Olympics rescinded after he was secretly filmed in a documentary on the bidding process for the 2012 Olympics. His spokesman said: "Slavkov will talk to his lawyers and start a lawsuit against the people that discredited him."

RUGBY Union: England star Jason Robinson last night repaid Sale Sharks for teaching him the union game by signing a new long-term contract at Edgeley Park. Robinson, 30 last month, intends to see out his playing days with the Sharks. He joined them four years ago after enjoying a lucrative rugby league career with Wigan Warriors, and quickly developed into one of the 15-a-side code's hottest properties. Robinson said: "Sale Sharks were the club who took a gamble on me four years ago. I feel that by agreeing to end my playing days with them I will be able to repay their faith in me."

Motor Racing: Justin Wilson claimed a suspension problem denied him a maiden Champ Car podium at Elkhart Lake. The Yorkshireman's pit strategy put him in control of the race early on but he gradually dropped away from the battle for victory and had to settle for seventh place. The Mi-Jack Conquest Racing driver, who took his first top-10 finish since June, said: "We were having a good race, but then encountered a suspension issue that hurt us." Smith's team-mate Alex Tagliani scored his first Champ Car win as Sebastien Bourdais extended his championship lead.

RUGBY Union: Gloucester have signed New Zealand centre Nathan Mauger. The 26-year-old, whose brother Aaron is also a Kiwi international, joins the Kingsholm club from Super 12 side the Crusaders.

OLYMPICS: A giant statue of the goddess Athena will form the centrepiece of Friday's Olympic Games opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium. The field area surrounded by the athletics track is to be flooded with water and turned into lake with mythological figures sailing through the water. As well as the statue of Athena, the ceremony set is also reported to feature a mountain with an olive branch resting on it and a replica of the Trojan horse.

Motor Racing: Jarno Trulli has warned Michael Schumacher to expect his toughest challenge of the season this weekend in Hungary. Trulli is the only man to have beaten Schumacher this season ( in Monaco ( and the Italian hopes to push for his second win of the season. He suffered a disappointing race in Germany just hours after announcing he is to leave Renault at the end of the season and wants to put that right at the Hungaroring. He said: "I certainly hope we can perform as well as we did in Monaco. I was unlucky in Germany to be slowed by a very unusual problem, but I was very quick during the first part of the race and I am happy with our competitiveness. We will have a new engine spec in Hungary, new aero parts and the track suits our car."