Sports

Hull City football club has appointed Iain Dowie as manager until the end of the season.

The 45-year-old, who has previously managed Crystal Palace and Coventry, replaces Phil Brown who was sacked on Monday.

Hull had been linked with a number of other managers, including Steve Coppell, Gary Megson, Mark Hughes and Paul Jewell, since Phil Brown's dismissal on Monday.

The former Northern Ireland international has been given a contract until the end of the season.

Plymouth Argyle’s fight for survival in the Championship was given a dramatic boost last night when they beat Westcountry rivals Bristol City 3-2 at Home Park.

Argyle were leading 2-0 at the break with goals from Chris Clarke and ex-Man City player Bradley Wright-Phillips. Phillips with a superb overhead kick just before half-time.

In the space of 20 minutes the Robins were soon level - pulling it back to 2-2 after City striker Nicky Maynard struck twice to upset the Home Park faithful.

Formula One has released details of the 2010 tracks. The season will contain 19 circuits, including a new South Korean one. Canada will also return after taking a year's break. 

The new South Korean track is 300km from the capital Seoul in the South Cholla province. 

Other highlights include the first day-to-night race in Abu Dhabi’s new billion dollar Yas Marina development. 

The British leg of the tour is the same day as the World Cup final on the 11th of July. 
 

England manager Fabio Capello has blamed the amount of money footballers are paid for the recent scandals regarding players’ private lives. 

“It is not only here. In Italy, in Germany, in Spain, in every country where football is so important it is the same problem," he said. 

Capello admitted that fame and riches at such a young age can be difficult to deal with. He added that he hoped his players would make sacrifices for the good of their careers. 

Irish hooker Jerry Flannery has received a six week ban for kicking France’s Alexis Palisson in last Saturday’s match.

The ban means the Munster player will miss the rest of the Six Nations tournament.

Flannery received the ban after attending an independent disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Wednesday.

During Saturday’s match, referee Wayne Barnes only awarded a penalty following the incident. Touch judge Stuart Terheege believed the challenge to be a shoulder charge, allowing the hooker to escape a red card.

Britain’s men’s curling team suffered defeat at the hands of Sweden in the opening match of the round robins. European Champions Sweden made the most of Britain’s lack of accuracy to claim the 6-4 victory.

The team still have nine round robin matches to play starting with France tonight. Captain David Murdoch said they must raise their game, but was not too concerned by the opening defeat.

Manchester United have claimed a vital 3-2 win in the Champions League clash against AC Milan at the San Siro.

The victory gives them the advantage ahead of the second leg of the last sixteen game next month.

Milan largely outplayed the visitors in the first half, but failed to build on Cristiano Ronaldinho's third-minute opener. Paul Scholes scored a lucky equaliser before Wayne Rooney produced two headers in the second half to secure victory.

Canadian Maelle Ricker has won a second gold medal for her host nation in the Winter Olympics women’s snowboard cross.

The 31-year old flew out of the gate to take an early lead in the final run and maintained her position to clinch the title.

The Vancouver resident, who finished fourth in Turin in 2006, came into the games at the top of the world cup standings.

It was an eventful final run with world champion Helen Olafsen of Norway and Olivia Nobs of Switzerland both crashing out half-way through.

Britain's winter Olympic hopefuls are aiming to bring home bobsleigh medals.

Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke, Britain's world champion bobsleighers in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics, are determined to put in their best performances.

Minichiello and Cooke became Great Britain’s first female bobsleigh world champions in Lake Placid last year.

Both athletes have represented their country in other disciplines; Minichiello as a heptathlete and Cook in the pole vault and long jump.

Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand has withdrawn his second appeal against match bans following charges of violent conduct.

Defender Ferdinand had received a three-match suspension following an incident where he appeared to swing an elbow in the face of Hull City Striker Craig Fagan in their clash at Old Trafford.

The charge was initially denied by 31-year-old Ferdinand and he was given an additional one-game ban for a "frivolous appeal".