MUMBAI – Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has been named a United Nations Environment Programme Goodwill Ambassador.

The appointment, made by UNEP Executive Director Mr. Achim Steiner in Mumbai, allows one of the world’s greatest cricketers the opportunity to use his legendary popularity to raise public awareness and harness support for environmental action in India and the world.

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CHENNAI -Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited (MHRIL), India’s leading leisure hospitality provider, announced its commitment to sponsor India’s budding tennis star – Yuki Bhambri. As per the arrangement, MHRIL will sponsor Yuki for a period of five years.

Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan, Managing Director, MHRIL, said, “Our brand experiences and Holiday services revolve around delighting the family. To the world Yuki is World’s No. 1 Junior player; to us he represents the children in families who are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the holiday experiences that we create. We believe that he has the potential to dominate the Pro circuit, too. We are proud to be the first Indian corporate to have come forward to sponsor him in his journey forward.”

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MIAMI (Reuters) – Media reports that Tiger Woods is working with his swing coach Hank Haney have leading golfers talking of a possible return to action for the world number one.

The websites of the Golf Channel and Golf Digest have both reported that Woods was seen working with Haney on a driving range in Florida over the weekend, which has led to speculation that his return could be on the horizon.

“It’s certainly going to be interesting to see not just how he plays but just how he handles the whole situation,” Britain’s Rory McIlroy said on Tuesday at the Doral course in Miami, where the WGC-CA Championship will take place this week.

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MUMBAI -GP2 driver Karun Chandhok yesterday became the second Indian Formula One driver after Narain Karthikeyan, signing a deal with Hispania Racing Team (HRT) to driver in the 2010 season.

“I’m pleased to announce our official car livery today,” team principal Colin Kolles told reporters in Murcia, Spain.

“We also complete the driver’s team line-up with the Indian Karun Chandhok at the wheel of the car for our first ever season,” Kolles told the press conference there.
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Lagardère Unlimited announced they have signed ATP World Tour Singles Player Somdev Devarrman of India who is currently ranked #141 in the world. Devarrman, who attended the University of  Virginia from 2005-2008, was the back-to-back NCAA Division I Singles Champion in 2007 (defeating University of Georgia’s John Isner) and 2008 (defeating University of Tennessee’s J.P. Smith) receiving All-American Honors both seasons. Devarrman turned pro in the summer of 2008, and will be represented by Lagardere Unlimited President, Ken Meyerson, and Client Manager, Kevin Obletz.

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MUMBAI – Hero Honda signed up three of India’s most upcoming golfers – Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Anirban Lahiri – here today.

“Signing on the three promising Indian golfers is yet another example of our commitment to promote multi-discipline sports in India,” managing director and chief executive officer of the two-wheeler giant Pawan Munjal said here today.
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LONDON (Reuters) – Motorcycling world champion Valentino Rossi has said a switch to more powerful engines in 2012 could persuade him to stay in MotoGP.

The Italian added in an interview conducted by his Yamaha team ahead of the first test of the season in Malaysia that he was unlikely to switch to Formula One, despite recently testing again for Ferrari.

“Theoretically I am very happy to go back to the 1,000cc (bikes) because I like it more than 800cc and it is more fun,” the 30-year-old said of the proposed rule change for the top category.

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NEW YORK -(BUSINESS WIRE) Tiger Woods, LeBron James, and Phil Mickelson top the Bloomberg BusinessWeek 2010 Power 100 ranking of the most powerful athletes in sports. To determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on- and off-the-field, Bloomberg BusinessWeek teamed with CSE, formerly known as Career Sports & Entertainment, an integrated sports and entertainment company that connects brands with fans, as well as host of The $ports Take and BusinessWeek.com columnist Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek, both of Horrow Sports Ventures and co-authors of the soon-to-be-released book, Beyond the Box Score, to create the 2010 version of the Power 100.

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BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – The new U.S. F1 team announced Argentina’s Jose Maria Lopez as their first driver on Monday.

“Securing ‘Pechito’ Lopez for our debut season has been a goal of ours for a long time,” said US F1 executive vice president Peter Windsor in a statement.

“We’ve been following his career since he dominated the Renault V6 Championship in 2003 and we’re thrilled to have him on board as we return America to Formula One.”

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CHICAGO (Reuters) – Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc said on Thursday it will introduce the next version of its Tiger Woods console video game in June despite the star golfer’s public relations nightmare and decline in popularity following his adultery scandal.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 introduction will follow an online version launched on Thursday. The console game will be available on the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation3 and iPhone platforms, the company said.

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