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Singapore's Ng Ser Miang is expected to announce a bid for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency on Thursday, a source close to the Olympic movement told Reuters on Tuesday. The IOC Vice President is set to become the second candidate for one of the top jobs in world sport after German Thomas Bach, also an IOC Vice President, announced his bid last week.   The 64-year-old businessman has been an IOC member since 1998 and becomes the first Asian to throw his hat into the ring for the election on September 10 in Buenos Aires at the IOC session. Singapore's Ambassador to Hungary and a former nominated member of parliament, Ng has seen his international sports profile considerably improved after he staged successful inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010, the brainchild of outgoing president Jacques Rogge. Rogge, who succeeded Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2001, sees his two-term presidency come to a mandatory end in September. Asia will host the 2018 win

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is likely to miss the rest of the La Liga season after tests showed he had aggravated a hamstring injury but he should have recovered in time to captain Argentina in two World Cup qualifiers next month. _0"> The lingering injury, sustained in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Paris St Germain on April 2, has kept the World Player of the Year out of several key games and he was forced off on Sunday during a league match at Atletico Madrid.   "The period of absence will be two to three weeks," Barca said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.es). Messi is likely to miss Barca's remaining three La Liga matches, including Sunday's game at home to Real Valladolid - the club's first at their Nou Camp stadium since they wrapped up a fourth title in five years at the weekend. The 25-year-old will also miss out on a chance to equal or break his record for league goals of 50 set last season. He currently has 46 from 3

The United States, Iran and Russia may be at odds over issues including Syria's civil war and Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but on Tuesday their wrestling teams formed an unlikely coalition at the United Nations to keep their sport in the Olympics. _0"> The International Olympic Committee's 15-member executive board sparked outcry in February when it voted to recommend that wrestling be dropped from the 2020 Olympic program in a bid to modernize the event. The committee will make a final decision in Buenos Aires in September on which sport will get the final spot in a revamped line-up for 2020. Wrestling is battling against baseball and softball, karate, rollersports, wushu martial arts, wakeboarding, squash and climbing. Wrestlers from Russia , Iran and the United States held a news conference at U.N. headquarters and weighed in ahead of a competition at New York's Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday designed to draw attention to a global "Keep Olympi

Assistant coach David Platt has left Manchester City following the sacking of manager Roberto Mancini on Monday, the Premier League club said on their website (www.mcfc.co.uk). _0"> "David was offered the opportunity to continue his work with us but has declined the invitation. He has decided to leave his role with his close friend Roberto Mancini," City said. "David has made a significant contribution to the club's success since joining in 2010 and we wish him well with his career wherever that now takes him." Platt, 46, and Italian Mancini were team mates in Serie A at Sampdoria, then managed by Sven-Goran Eriksson, in the 1990s after the England midfielder had spells at Bari and Juventus.   Platt, who also played for Aston Villa and Arsenal, returned to Sampdoria as manager before taking charge of Nottingham Forest and then the England Under-21s from 2001 to 2004. (Writing by Ken Ferris; editing by Robert Woodward)

Antti Pihlstrom's overtime winner completed Finland's comeback from a goal down against Latvia, allowing them to snatch a 3-2 victory in their group at the world ice hockey championships in Helsinki on Tuesday. The victory lifted the Finns above Russia in the Helsinki group and set them up for a quarter-final meeting at home to Slovakia on Thursday.   Beaten finalists in 2012, Slovakia left it late to progress from their group, booking their quarter-final spot by beating the United States 4-1 in their final pool match in Helsinki. That result means the United States, who finished third in the Helsinki group, will face a tough quarter-final test against defending champions Russia, who suffered two surprising defeats en route to second place in the Helsinki group. In Stockholm, Martin Bieber had one goal and one assist as Switzerland beat Belarus 4-1 to round off their best performance in the group stages at the world championships. The Swiss fired 40 shots at the Belaru

World number one Serena Williams inflicted swift revenge on behalf of her older sister when she beat Britain's Laura Robson 6-2 6-2 in the Rome Masters on Tuesday. _0"> Venus Williams was despatched in straight sets by Robson in Monday's first round but Serena, fresh from her defeat of Maria Sharapova in the Madrid Open final at the weekend, was a different proposition once she had warmed up.   Robson broke serve in the opening game but the American quickly hit her stride to take the first set. Robson battled hard early in the second to reach 2-2 but then folded in the face of Williams' power and placement. Robson's second service was picked apart by Williams and the Briton did her chances no good with eight double faults. "It was a good match - she played really well and really smart," said Wiliams. "She's just a great player and I think she has such a big future... "I've played lots of matches, but I'm the kind of player

The America's Cup sailing regatta will go ahead, organizers said on Tuesday, following concerns about safety due to the death of a sailor in a training accident last week. Regatta organizers said they hope within two weeks to complete an investigation of last Thursday's accident that led to the death of British champion sailor Andrew Simpson, a two-time Olympic medalist. Simpson was trapped underwater after the Artemis Racing team's 72-foot catamaran capsized and broke apart in a training run. "The America's Cup remains on track and racing will take place this summer," Tom Ehman, vice commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club, told reporters. "We have every reason to believe all four teams will be continuing." Artemis' accident followed numerous warnings about the safety of the sleek, high-tech catamarans, called AC72s, and it marked the second time that one of the boats, estimated to cost around $8 million each, foundered amid the heavy wind