Fixing now poses the biggest threat to the integrity of the Olympics, the British minister for the 2012 London Games told The Sunday Times newspaper, citing illegal Asian betting rings.

Olympics minister Hugh Robertson said fixing had overtaken drugs cheats in terms of the threat posed to the reputation of the Games.

New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire was benched for Saturday's NBA game at Sacramento with a left ankle sprain suffered in a loss two days earlier.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said the playmaker's availability will be decided on a day-to-day basis after he was hurt in a 99-82 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Stoudemire did not take part in a team workout on Friday.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum powered the Los Angeles Lakers past Denver 92-89 on Saturday, a victory sealed when Denver's Danilo Gallinari botched a game-tying layup in the closing seconds.

Bynum scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while Bryant added 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who improved to 3-2 while the Nuggets fell to 2-2.

Manchester United missed the chance to start the New Year on top of the Premier League after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Blackburn as Arsenal went fourth after Chelsea crashed 3-1 at home to Aston Villa.

With Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson celebrating his 70th birthday at Old Trafford, the stage was set for United to open up a three-point lead against crisis-hit bottom club Rovers.

When Big Ben strikes 12 to ring in the New Year, no one will feel the level of anticipation — and pressure — more than organizers of the London Olympics.

With the arrival of 2012, the preparations will no longer be for "next year's games."

U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur faces a difficult road in her first tournament of 2012, with Serena Williams, Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic on her side of the Brisbane International draw.

Hometown favorite Stosur opens play Monday at Pat Rafter Arena against Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus.

Patrick Head, co-founder of Williams F1 in 1977 with Frank Williams and currently director of engineering, has stepped down from the stable's board of directors.

Head will continue, however, in his role as a board director of Williams Hybrid Power Limited, a subsidiary of the company that develops and produces hybrid technologies.

Chinese star Li Na asserted she is back in form after beating world number nine Marion Bartoli in three sets in the singles opening match at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tournament.

This year's French Open champion put a poor finish in her 2011 campaign behind her to beat Bartoli 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 on New Year's Eve.

David Ferrer stunned fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in straight sets on Friday to set up a final showdown with world number one Novak Djokovic at the $250,000 three-day exhibition tournament here.

Ferrer took advantage of a below-par Nadal, winning 6-3, 6-2, after Djokovic had earlier demolished Swiss Roger Federer 6-2, 6-1 at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.

Former France coach Raymond Domenech has donated 150,000 euros he earned as a bonus in the 2010 World Cup to two amateur football clubs and a charity, it was reported Friday.

Le Parisien newspaper said that Domenech had given 70,000 euros to the Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt (ACBB), with the remaining 80,000 euros split between an inner-city football club and a charity.