Former Latvian hockey coach Kurts Lindstrems, whose contract ended in 2004, has returned to work, but hasn't signed with any particular team yet, the Latvian daily Diena reported. "There has so far only been speculation in the Swedish press," he said. "Nobody from the hockey federation has spoken with me yet." Latvian Hockey Federation president Kirovs Lipmans and his colleagues have only recently begun speaking with potential candidates. If chosen, the coaches will help lead Latvia's team during the 2006 World Championships this May.
Chelsea received a harsh welcome when arriving in Barcelona before their Champions League game on March 6. According to Kieren Startup, a cameraman on Chelsea TV: "It was intimidating, there was a lot of aggressive chanting at [coach Jose] Mourinho." The soccer team trails 2-1 after a first leg which saw Asier Del Horno sent off and led Mourinho (photo) to accuse Barca's Lionel Messi of acting. Mourinho, who was a coach at Barca earlier in his career, responded by smiling and applauding sarcastically.
Australia announced plans to invest $45 million in a bid to become a Winter Olympics powerhouse. The country hopes to build a state-of-the-art training center in the southern city of Melbourne, where temperatures this week exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. For a nation that doesn't see much snow, Australia was delighted with its two medals at the Winter Games in Turin 's a gold in the freestyle moguls and a bronze in the women's aerial skiing. The nation hopes to bring home even more medals at the Vancouver Games in 2010.
Tiger Woods overcame a faulty finish to claim his third victory of the year with a one-shot triumph at the Doral Championship on March 5. Two ahead overnight in his title defense at Doral's Blue Monster course, Woods bogeyed the last two holes for a three-under-par 69.
Lithuanian strongman Zydrunas Savickas won his fourth consecutive title at the Arnold's Strongman contest in Ohio, U.S.A.. This was the 16th consecutive victory by Savickas, who is both world and European champion. The Lithua-nian earned a total of 53 points in the six-event contest. Savickas also set two new world records in the 160-kilogram Appolon Axle event and the 450-kilogram free weight contest.
