Alistair McMurran

New Zealand is struggling after two days of the Asia and Pacific championships and needs a quick reversal of form to reach the semifinals.

Chris Richards (Hill City-University) is the Otago senior men's decathlon champion after conquering the wild weather that hit Dunedin at the weekend.

The establishment of sports councils in Otago secondary schools was one of the highlights of Des Smith's time as regional director of the Otago Secondary Schools Sports Association.

The red flag is expected to scale the top of the flagpole as China seeks to retain its titles at the Asia-Pacific championships at Naseby starting tomorrow.

High Performance Sport New Zealand's decision to disestablish Raylene Bates' administrative and co-ordinating role for elite sport in Dunedin was criticised yesterday.

Double world champion Rob Creasy led from the start and comfortably won the Lake Hood half ironman near Ashburton on Sunday.

Kavanagh College schoolgirl Zoe McBride has made a dramatic start to her rowing career and has the potential to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games.

Jack Waddell and James McNicol led the young guns who dominated the 75th annual North End Rowing Regatta at Lake Waihola on Saturday.

Sam Bremer (Hill City-University) keeps knocking his old times for six as he prepares for next month's New Zealand secondary schools athletics championships.

It was a good start. A thousand tickets were snapped up yesterday for the rugby league match between the Warriors and the Broncos at Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 23.

Vicki Kestila has been appointed Dunedin manager for the New Zealand Masters Games.

Two Dunedin schools, Kaikorai Valley College and Queen's High School, have been included in a pilot project that will use sport as the catalyst to improve academic performance in the classroom.

The return of All Blacks Ben Smith and Tamati Ellison will add punch to the Otago backline for the ITM Cup game against North Harbour at the Forsyth Barr Stadium tonight.

Filipo Levi's last game for Otago was in the semifinal of the national championship against Waikato in Hamilton in 2006.

If Valerie Adams wins her third Olympic shot put gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, she will become one of the greats of New Zealand sport, and not just of athletics.

Olympian Sarah Cowley will be on familiar territory when she comes back to Dunedin as ambassador for the New Zealand secondary schools athletics championships next month.

Olympic shot put champion Valerie Adams and Raylene Bates are still friends, embracing each other when they met in Dunedin yesterday.