It was a tragic sight. Jonah Lomu, once the man who struck fear into rugby defenders, shuffling to the stage with the aid of his wife. Six months after that appearance at the Halberg Awards in Christchurch, the transformation is breathtaking. The chiselled physique is back, and so is the glint in the eye.

Zurich officials pulled the plug on a joint Swiss bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics on Tuesday because the city will be unable to afford its portion. The bid was to be shared with the cantons of Graubuenden and Schwyz in eastern and central Switzerland, but Zurich’s withdrawal ended any possibility of making a submission.

New Zealand cricketers responded to pressure from ”an autograph industry” in England by charging some people for signing bats on their tour in June and July, officials confirmed on Tuesday. Only after discovering many of the objects they were signing were being sold commercially, the team formed a policy of charging for autographs on specific items, New Zealand Cricket said.

Vijay Singh and Mike Weir provided a preview of the Ryder Cup, even though neither will be playing at Oakland Hills this week. There was deafening noise, so loud that Weir had to force a yawn to pop his ears when he got to the tee. The pressure was so great that Weir felt the weight of a nation riding on his every shot at the Canadian Open, where about 40 000 fans were eager to celebrate one of their own claiming the championship for the first time in 50 years.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting is backing his four pace bowlers to blast a way through to the ICC Champions Trophy final. Ponting went into the opening group match with the quartet of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie and was rewarded with the nine-wicket demolition of the United States.