Briefs | Leopard named Zakumi is 2010 World Cup mascot

Soccer

Mascot for 2010 World Cup in South Africa makes appearance for media: A cuddly leopard named Zakumi will be the mascot of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The mascot entered through a beaded curtain Monday in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a media appearance. The first two letters of Zakumi are the country's initials in Afrikaans — one of South Africa's 11 official languages. "Kumi" means 10 — for the year of the tournament — in many African languages, World Cup organizers said.

Tim Modise, spokesman for the South African organizing committee, said zakumi also can be understood as "come here" in southern African languages.

Auto racing

Time penalty cost Hamilton a victory in Belgium: Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren bosses made their case at a hearing in Paris in an effort to get back the driver's apparent victory in the Sept. 7 Belgian Grand Prix.

"It's now up to the International Court of Appeal," McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh said after the daylong hearing at Formula One headquarters. "But I think they're confident of our facts."

There might be a decision today.

The hearing came after the McLaren team's appeal of a 25-second time penalty given to Hamilton when the British driver was judged to have gained an advantage by cutting a chicane. After the penalty, the victory was awarded to Hamilton's main F1 championship rival, Felipe Massa of Ferrari, while Hamilton was bumped to third place.

Keselowski will be entered in two NASCAR Sprint Cup events: Hendrick Motorsports will enter driver Brad Keselowski in two Sprint Cup Series races this season to test him for NASCAR's top level.

The 24-year-old will try to qualify a fifth Hendrick entry at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., next month and at Texas Motor Speedway in November.

NBA

Abdur-Rahim retires: Sacramento Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, 31, retired because of a persistent right-knee injury. Knee problems limited the former All-Star to six games last season.

Abdur-Rahim played for four teams in his 12 pro seasons, averaging 18.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Wizards pick up option on coach Jordan's contract: The Washington Wizards picked up a one-year option for coach Eddie Jordan, 53, keeping him under contract through the 2009-10 season. He has two seasons left on a three-year, $12 million deal.

The Wizards signed forwards DerMarr Johnson, Linton Johnson and Taj McCullough.

College basketball

Devendorf gets extra season: Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf, who missed 25 of the team's 35 games last season because of a knee injury, has been given an additional season of athletic eligibility. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Minnesota coach Smith's nephew is killed: A nephew of Minnesota coach Tubby Smith was stabbed to death during a fight at an off-campus apartment. Police said 19-year-old William L. Smith, a Becker College student who lived in Scotland, Md., was killed early Sunday.

No arrests have been made.

NHL

Canucks win exhibition opener: Jason Krog's shootout goal proved to be the winner and the Vancouver Canucks beat the host Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in the opening exhibition game for both teams.

Equestrian

U.S. dressage team is disqualified: The United States was disqualified from its fourth-place finish in last month's Olympic team-dressage event for a positive drug test.

The International Equestrian Federation said rider Courtney King-Dye's horse Mythilus tested positive for the banned substance Felbinac. The medication is used as an anti-inflammatory pain reliever. King-Dye's teammates were Steffen Peters and Debbie McDonald. King-Dye also lost her 13th-place finish in the individual-dressage class.

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