Briefs | Vancouver introduces 2010 Games mascots

Olympics

Meet the mascots: Organizers of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver have turned to British Columbia's myths and legends for a trio of mascots.

Quatchi is a sasquatch who dreams of becoming a famous hockey goaltender. Miga is a snowboarding sea-bear. Sumi is a spirit animal who flies with the wings of a thunderbird and runs on a black bear's legs.

The mascots have a sidekick named Mukmuk, a marmot who reportedly loves to eat. The characters were designed by Meomi Design of Vancouver and Los Angeles.

Sailing

BMW Oracle Racing gets favorable ruling: BMW Oracle Racing won its court case against America's Cup champion Alinghi, giving the American syndicate the right to race the Swiss team in a head-to-head series for the title in July.

Golden Gate Yacht Club, the home of BMW Oracle Racing, sued because of a dispute with Alinghi's Societe Nautique de Geneve over the rules for the next race.

The GGYC argued that Desafio Espanol's status of official challenger — which allowed it to negotiate the disputed format of the next America's Cup — is illegal. The ruling means the Americans have the right to sail in a head-to-head series against Alinghi in July, but they appear to prefer that the competition is open to more challengers.

Horse racing

Hartack, who rode five Kentucky Derby winners, dies: Bill Hartack, a Hall of Fame jockey who rode five Kentucky Derby winners, died Monday near Freer, Texas, of natural causes due to heart disease. He was 74.

Hartack and Hall of Famer Eddie Arcaro share the Derby record of five victories.

Hartack won the Kentucky Derby aboard Iron Liege (1957), Venetian Way (1960), Decidedly (1962), Northern Dancer (1964) and Majestic Prince (1969).

Hartack won 4,272 races in North America, including the 1955 Longacres Mile aboard Quality Quest in Renton.

Soccer

Four teams advance in UEFA Champions League: Two Italian teams (Inter of Milan and AS Roma) and two Spanish teams (Sevilla and Barcelona) advanced to the 16-team second round of the UEFA Champions League.

Inter beat Fenerbahce of Turkey 3-0, AS Roma won 4-1 at Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine, Sevilla beat Arsenal of England 3-1 and Barcelona tied Lyon of France 2-2.

Beckham scores: Sydney FC beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 5-3 in an exhibition in Australia. David Beckham connected on a free kick for the Galaxy before an appreciative crowd of 80,295.

Track and field

Ohuruogu wins appeal against lifetime Olympic ban: Britain's Christine Ohuruogu, 23, the world champion in the 400 meters, won her appeal against a lifetime Olympic ban for missing doping tests. She was cleared to compete in next year's Beijing Olympics.

Cycling

Telekom cuts ties with the sport: A top company ended its sponsorship because doping scandals have put the sport in peril. Deutsche Telekom AG, recently known as T-Mobile, has sponsored a team since 1991.

Skiing

Svindal injured: Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, last season's World Cup overall champion, crashed during downhill training in Beaver Creek, Colo., breaking bones in his face and suffering a 6-inch cut on his left buttock.

Obituary

Cade dies of kidney failure: Dr. J. Robert Cade, who invented the sports drink Gatorade and launched a multibillion-dollar industry the beverage continues to dominate, died of kidney failure. He was 80.

Cade and other researchers at the University of Florida created Gatorade in 1965.

Seattle Times news services