Kurt Angle

The U.S. and Canada have a tentative deal to settle a dispute over charter flights that threatened to disrupt the upcoming professional hockey and basketball seasons, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday. "We think we're very close to resolving that," Harper said after meeting with President Obama . He said officials were working to finish details. The U.S. has insisted that Air Canada cancel all its season-long sports charters, which would make it difficult for Canadian teams to play back-to-back games in the United States.

The U.S. and Canada have a tentative deal to settle a dispute over charter flights that threatened to disrupt the upcoming professional hockey and basketball seasons, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday. "We think we're very close to resolving that," Harper said after meeting with President Obama . He said officials were working to finish details. The U.S. has insisted that Air Canada cancel all its season-long sports charters, which would make it difficult for Canadian teams to play back-to-back games in the United States.

Andy Murray took the court to face Juan Martin Del Potro knowing no matter what the result of the Rogers Cup final at Montreal, he would be soon be ranked No. 2 in the world. Not satisfied having reached that goal, Murray withstood his toughest test of the tournament and defeated Del Potro, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-1, Sunday. "I love winning tournaments; it's great, and every player will tell you the same thing," Murray said. "But it's tough because I've never been to No. 2 in the world before, so that's new to me. I've won a couple of Masters Series [events]

The match ended, the ugliness stalked out the back of the Georgia World Congress Center, and the Iranian wrestling advisor stood in a corridor trying to explain. "They have deprived him of his rights," said Hussein Harasin of his 220-pound crybaby, Abbas Jadidi. The advisor was asked if this was ample reason for Jadidi to have behaved so badly after losing the gold-medal match to Kurt Angle of the United States on an officials' decision.

Kurt Angle turned down a chance to attend the Academy Awards because "I couldn't let it interfere with my training," he said. Not that he didn't want to go. Make that not that he doesn't want to go. He has acting aspirations and figures that a good performance with the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team will help.

Andy Murray took the court to face Juan Martin Del Potro knowing no matter what the result of the Rogers Cup final at Montreal, he would be soon be ranked No. 2 in the world. Not satisfied having reached that goal, Murray withstood his toughest test of the tournament and defeated Del Potro, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-1, Sunday. "I love winning tournaments; it's great, and every player will tell you the same thing," Murray said. "But it's tough because I've never been to No. 2 in the world before, so that's new to me. I've won a couple of Masters Series [events]

It was a long night of grappling--with opponents, with judges, with emotions--but Kurt Angle finally came through in the clutches, oh so narrowly, to pay final homage to a friend, and to a friend's widow. It was a long night for Iran, for diplomatic relations, for Olympic organizers who wondered whether Abbas Jadidi would step to the stand and accept his Olympic silver medal as Americans in the World Congress Center jeered and hooted. Dave Schultz would have loved it.

The sight of gold medal wrestler Kurt Angle dropping to his knees on the mat, tears drenching his face from joy and relief, was one of the indelible images of the Atlanta Olympics. So, it's probably no wonder that amateur wrestling purists are troubled by this coming-soon-to-an-arena-near-you view: a bleeding Angle in a steel cage, trading fake body blows with an oversized opponent bearing a ridiculous stage name and laughable costume.

What some of this country's angriest wrestlers wouldn't do Friday to set up grudge matches for today's final rounds of the Olympic freestyle wrestling trials in Spokane, Wash. Terry Brands, an embarrassed world champion at 125.5 pounds, butted heads and crunched noses and even threw one of his three opponents off the stage.

The sight of gold medal wrestler Kurt Angle dropping to his knees on the mat, tears drenching his face from joy and relief, was one of the indelible images of the Atlanta Olympics. So, it's probably no wonder that amateur wrestling purists are troubled by this coming-soon-to-an-arena-near-you view: a bleeding Angle in a steel cage, trading fake body blows with an oversized opponent bearing a ridiculous stage name and laughable costume.

It was a long night of grappling--with opponents, with judges, with emotions--but Kurt Angle finally came through in the clutches, oh so narrowly, to pay final homage to a friend, and to a friend's widow. It was a long night for Iran, for diplomatic relations, for Olympic organizers who wondered whether Abbas Jadidi would step to the stand and accept his Olympic silver medal as Americans in the World Congress Center jeered and hooted. Dave Schultz would have loved it.

The match ended, the ugliness stalked out the back of the Georgia World Congress Center, and the Iranian wrestling advisor stood in a corridor trying to explain. "They have deprived him of his rights," said Hussein Harasin of his 220-pound crybaby, Abbas Jadidi. The advisor was asked if this was ample reason for Jadidi to have behaved so badly after losing the gold-medal match to Kurt Angle of the United States on an officials' decision.

Kurt Angle turned down a chance to attend the Academy Awards because "I couldn't let it interfere with my training," he said. Not that he didn't want to go. Make that not that he doesn't want to go. He has acting aspirations and figures that a good performance with the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team will help.

Maurice Greene's sixth-place finish in the 100 meters at Friday's Golden League finale is sure to fuel speculation that the world-record holder is past his prime. Greene slowed near the end and was clocked in 10.20 seconds in the ISTAF meet at Berlin. Winner Dwain Chambers finished in 10.02. It was the fifth time Chambers, the European champion, had beaten Greene this season. Last week, Greene was sixth, at 10.11 seconds, in the Memorial Van Damme meet at Brussels, won by U.S.

The Harlem Globetrotters will donate to the New York relief effort up to $100,000, $1 for every mile they travel on tour next year in new red, white and blue buses. "We hope that, as people see these buses, they are viewed as symbolic of a nation pulling together during trying times," Globetrotter owner Mannie Jackson said. The team's 200-city tour begins Dec. 27 in Columbus, Ohio. A highlight of the schedule will be the visit Nov.