Michael Phelps for Rio

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Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympian in history, has given further indication of a comeback by re-registering with the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

The 28-year-old American retired from competition after winning his 18th Olympic gold medal during London 2012.

But Phelps has returned to training under Bob Bowman at North Baltimore.

Having completed doping tests, he will be eligible to compete in trials for the 2015 World Championships.

Rumours have circulated for some time that Phelps is keen to compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

It would be his fifth Games where, in addition to his 18 golds, he has also won two silver and two bronze medals.

Responding to the speculation about a return he said: "Nothing is set in stone. If I decide to keep going and swim again, then I'll compete.

"If I don't, I guess I'll re-retire. Just don't compare me to [American football quarterback] Brett Favre [who made several comebacks]."

Coach Bowman was also non-committal on the subject of Rio 2016. "I just think he's in a place where he's feeling good about swimming,'' he said.

"If he chooses to compete, he's got some time. To be perfectly honest, he's not anywhere near being able to compete in a meet or anything like that. We're just getting started on improving his fitness. We'll see where that goes."

Injured High School Player Dies

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Missouri high school football player who had been hospitalised with a brain injury since an October playoff game died Thursday, according to the school district's superintendent.

Chad Stover, a junior at Tipton High School, had been hospitalised in critical condition since October 31, when he was taken off the football field near the end of the game and taken by ambulance to the hospital. He died at a hospital in Columbia, said Scott Jarvis, superintendent of the Tipton School District.

Officials have not said how Stover was injured. Jarvis said last week he couldn't discuss details of the injury but described it as "very serious."

Jason West, spokesman for the Missouri State High School Activities Association, said the association had been made aware of Stover's injury and death, but he was uncertain how Stover was injured.

"We do know the game was halted at that time," West said.

He said the MSHSAA would review how the injury was dealt with at the field in Sedalia where the game was played. The association recommends having some type of medical service available at football games, but requires only that each school have an action plan in place to deal with medical emergencies. He said preliminary information indicates the school did follow its action plan.

Stover's death is the seventh involving a high school football player this year.

The school and family have received outpourings of support since Stover was hospitalised. Schools around Missouri displayed red ribbons in honour of Tipton's school colours or displayed Stover's No. 18 on their fields. Residents also covered his central Missouri town of Tipton in red ribbons.

Stover's mother, Amy, had been posting updates on her son's hospitalisation on the Caring Bridge website. In her last post on Tuesday, she said he seemed "to slip backwards a little more everyday."

"He has so many different injuries going on in that beautiful head of his," her entry said.

Chad was a very popular, intelligent student, and the Stovers are active members of the Tipton school community, Jarvis said last week.

"If you wanted to pick a kid to be your son, that'd be the one you'd pick," Jarvis said.

#ChadStoverRIP

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Manny Fights for the People

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Manny Pacquiao believes the best way to bring inspiration and hope to the victims of the devastating Typhoon Haiyan in his native Philippines is to win his comeback fight against Brandon Rios.

To do that, he has to limit the distractions before the 24 November fight in Macau. So that rules out a visit to the areas most devastated by the deadly typhoon to the north of where he's in a training camp at General Santos, in the southern Philippines.

It's a heart-wrenching decision but his handlers, including the veteran trainer Freddie Roach, have insisted it is for the best. Instead, the Filipino congressman is dedicating the fight against Rios to the people. In what he called a "statement to his people," the 34-year-old Pacquiao said: "I really want to visit the area and personally do what I can to help our countrymen who have suffered so much in this terrible tragedy. But I'm in deep training for a crucial fight so I regret I cannot go."

"I will send help to those who need it the most," he added, "and I enjoin all of you to pray for our country and people in these trying times."

Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz told the Associated Press in a telephone interview on Wednesday that the former pound-for-pound champion was hoping to visit devastated parts of the Philippines after his fight at the Venetian Casino's Cotai Arena in Macau, and wants to cheer them up with a victory.

Koncz, who is in camp with the boxer in General Santos, said he is declining interview requests for Pacquiao in a bid to lock out any distractions. He said Pacquiao's camp had been watching developments and getting frequent updates in the wake of the typhoon, and it was difficult for the former champion not to go out and help.

"Manny's desire was to go to that area and to visit them and lift the spirits," Koncz said. "But we have the most important fight of his career. His heart and prayers go out to the survivors and the victim's families. Absolutely, he is dedicating this fight to the victims of this."

Pacquiao and his entourage leave for Macau on Monday. "It's been one of the best camps I can remember. No tensions within everyone dedicated to our jobs and working hard," Konzc said. "Manny's in the best physical condition he can be in. His mindset is on showing the world he can still compete to the highest level."

Pacquiao has said the Rios fight, his first of the year, will be the start of his intended return to his peak form and to show that consecutive losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Márquez are not the start of a decline. "The fans are going to be in for a fight, for a treat," Koncz said. "If Manny sticks to the game plan, I truly don't believe the fight is going to go more than four or five rounds. He's determined to show the world nothing has declined in his skills and abilities. He's very motivated for this fight."

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Final Innings for Tendulkar

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Sachin Tendulkar failed to make a century on what could be his final innings for India in his 200th and final Test match in Mumbai.

Tendulkar scored 74 on the second day of the second Test against West Indies at a sold-out Wankhede Stadium.

With India in a strong position at 221-3 when Tendulkar departed the home side had already established a lead of 39 and a big first innings advantage could see them not needing to bat again.

Tendulkar had begun the day on 38 and and quickly added nine runs, taking a single from the first over of the day off Tino Best before hitting successive fours off Shane Shillingford.

Tendulkar survived a scare off the fifth ball of Best's second over when he failed to get anything on a rising delivery and umpire Richard Kettleborough gave him not out despite committed appeals from the West Indies players.

A straight driven four off Best's next over gave Tendulkar his 68th Test fifty as he moved on to 52 not out as India replied to West Indies first innings total of 182.

The 40-year-old, whose impending retirement has sparked an outpouring of emotion in his homeland, is bidding for one last hurrah before bringing the curtain down on his 24-year international career.

An enthusiastic welcome from the 32,000-strong crowd set the scene for the Little Master on Friday and he did not disappoint. Having reached his half-century Tendulkar set his sights on the next landmark and a 101st career century at international level.

But there was to be no century as he perished for 74 when he was caught by Darren Sammy attempting to cut Narsingh Deonarine.

Tendulkar's tally of 100 centuries is just one of many records he has amassed since making his debut for the national side on 15 November 1989.

Tendulkar holds dozens of batting records, including most runs and centuries in both Tests and one-day internationals.

He has amassed nearly 16,000 runs in his Tests career - a total that comprises just part of his 34,000-plus runs across all forms of the game at international level.

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Klinsmann Sets England Goal

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Jurgen Klinsmann says England must make the last eight of the 2014 World Cup to justify their status as one of football's "powerhouses".

Klinsmann, who currently coaches the United States, spent two seasons at Tottenham during his playing career.

"It's a must to go in to at least the quarter-final. It's as simple as that," he told Football Focus.

"They are definitely one of the powerhouses still in the world of football but they've got to prove it."

The USA, who have also qualified for the finals under the 49-year-old's leadership,play Scotland in a friendly at Hampden Park on Friday.

Klinsmann won 108 international caps and was part of the West Germany team that beat England in the 1990 World Cup semi-finals on their way to lifting the trophy.

While England have not matched that performance since at a World Cup, Germany have reached the semi-finals on another three occasions, finishing as runners-up in 2006.

Klinsmann believes that their historical record, combined with a current squad containing Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil and Bayern Munich duo Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze, has raised expectations among the German public.

"The way you put expectations on the German team is 'at least the final'," Klinsmann added.

"That's the expectations now because of that golden generation they're bringing through."

Germany will play England in a friendly at Wembley on Tuesday. The two sides have won three meetings apiece in their six matches since the turn of the millennium.

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