Washington - Disgraced former sprint star Tim Montgomery has admitted to doping ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and appears ready to return his gold medal he won there in the 4x100 metres relay.

However, it remains unclear whether the IOC can strip the whole relay team of the gold which would mean that doping would have cost the US all three relay golds from Sydney.

The former world record holder Montgomery, 33, admitted to using the steroid testosterone and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) ahead of the Millennium Games in an interview with the HBO television network to be broadcast on Tuesday.

Madrid - Former Tour de France champion Alberto Contador underwent surgery to relieve a blockage in his nasal passage and to remove a polyp on his vocal cord on Monday.

Contador said the operation would force him to miss a December training camp of his Astana team in Tenerife even though he will travel to the island for light training in the gym.

"The moment to take the bike again will depend of how I evolve, but I have thought to use the stage in Tenerife to make a specific work in the gym," he said on his website.

Bangalore, Nov. 24: England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen has urged his players to keep their chins up and give the Indians a run for their money in the remaining three one-day internationals and the two Test matches.

Munich - Frustrated Germany forward Lukas Podolski has told his club Bayern Munich that he wants to leave the Bundesliga champions during the upcoming winter break, the Bild daily reported on Monday.

Bild said that Podolski, 23, made this move even though Munich manager Uli Hoeness on the weekend ruled out any departure during the January transfer window.

"I have told those responsible that I want to leave in winter," Podolski was quoted as telling Bild. "I have reached the decision that I want to leave the club in winter."

Frankfurt - SV Hamburg are under investigation by the German football federation DFB after a player from visiting Werder Bremen was hit by a battery thrown from the stands in the teams' Bundesliga match on Sunday.

The DFB said in a statement that Hamburg have been asked for a report, on which further action will be based.

Werder captain Frank Baumann needed treatment after being struck in the face by a mobile phone battery thrown from the crowd while joining team-mates to celebrate Bremen's goal in the 2-1 defeat near the corner flag.

"It hit me on just above the left eyebrow. It was a shock and painful. There was a little bit of blood but it didn't hinder me," Baumann said.

Hamburg - This week's European Champions league matches could be a further indication that German top clubs Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen are heading in opposite directions.

Bayern are unbeaten in the Champions League and require only a draw at home to Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday to qualify prematurely for the knockout stages.

They lie third in the Bundesliga within striking distance of surprise leaders Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, whom the both play over the next fortnight.

Bremen, by contrast, face a Champions League exit on Wednesday when they visit Anothorsis Famagusta with no win in the first four games.