London Bid for 2012 completes management team

London's 2012 Olympic Bid committee yesterday signed up three more executives to complete its management team.

Debbie Jevans, a former general secretary of the International Tennis Federation, was appointed as the director of sport, Neil Wood as finance director and Charles Wijeratna as commercial director.

Jevans, a former junior Wimbledon champion, will also work as an adviser to the ITF. Wood joins the bid committee from the accountancy firm Deloitte Touche. Wijeratna will be responsible for negotiating commercial arrangements for the bid. The International Olympic Committee will select the host city in Singapore in July 2005.

* The seven-times Olympic canoeing champion, Birgit Fischer, of Germany, has decided to come out of retirement for next year's Olympics in Athens. The 41-year-old, who retired more than two years ago, won seven gold medals at five Olympic Games as well as 27 world titles.