IN BRIEF

TENNIS

Injury forces Roddick to early Shanghai exit

Andy Roddick was forced to retire with left knee pain while leading Stanislas Wawrinka 4-3 Tuesday in the second round of the Shanghai Masters in Shanghai, China.

Roddick, who limped into the postmatch news conference, quit after wasting a break point.

"I just felt I pushed off, and then Michael (Novotny, ATP trainer) came on court and did some tests and advised that it probably wasn't worth the risk," Roddick said.

Roddick is vying for one of the final three spots at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London next month. But the sixth-ranked Roddick said he's more concerned about taking care of his health than qualifying for the eight-man event.

Also: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal plan to open the 2010 season in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Organizers said Federer and Nadal have committed to play in the three-day event starting Dec. 31. The tournament, which is not part of the ATP Tour, offers a winner-take-all prize of $250,000.

OLYMPICS

IOC official not sold on Hiroshima-Nagasaki bid

A high-ranking International Olympic Committee official has cast doubt on a proposal by Hiroshima and Nagasaki to co-host the 2020 Olympics, saying only one city can host the games.

"The Olympic Charter clearly states only one city can host the Olympics. It does not allow two cities to co-host the games. At the moment, the answer is no," Gilbert Felli, executive director for the Olympic Games, told Kyodo News agency.

On Sunday, a week after Tokyo failed in its bid to host the 2016 Olympics, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said the two cities, site of atomic bombings at the end of World War II, wanted to set up a joint committee to vie for the 2020 Games, emphasizing world peace.

Also: Former IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch underwent hospital exams after feeling ill at a sports conference in Monaco.

The 89-year-old Spaniard, who headed the IOC from 1980 to 2001, was attending the Sportel international sports television festival. He was treated at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre.

Palermo joined the list of Italian cities interested in bidding for the 2020 Olympics.

Rome and Venice already announced their desire to host the Games, setting off a round of bickering over which city would be a better candidate. Officials in the Sicilian capital will unveil their plans Thursday in Rome.

The Italian Olympic Committee will decide next year which bid to put forward. The IOC will select the 2020 host in 2013.

HORSE RACING

Sea The Stars retired, ending Breeders' hype

Sea The Stars was retired after becoming the first horse to complete a sweep of three top European races in the same season.

The 3-year-old Irish colt's victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this month followed triumphs in the English 2000 Guineas and Derby to make it six Group One wins in a row.

During two years on the track, Sea The Stars lost just one of his nine races -- in his debut -- and made about $7 million in prize money.

The retirement was made after discussions with owner Christopher Tsui. It denies Sea The Stars the chance for a final triumph at the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7.

MISCELLANEOUS

UNLV men's golf takes third in Jerry Pate event

The UNLV men's golf team tied for third in the abbreviated Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Vestavia Hills, Ala.

The 13th-ranked Rebels shot par 280, tying East Tennessee State in an event trimmed from three rounds to one due to rain. Host Alabama won at 7-under 273, and Texas was second at 276.

Derek Ernst paced UNLV, shooting 3-under 67 to finish third, two strokes behind winner Hunter Hamrick of Alabama.

Also: NASCAR suspended a Nationwide Series crew member for violating its toughened substance abuse policy.

Robert Good, a crew member for the No. 26 Dodge team owned by Dusty Whitney, was suspended indefinitely. He committed the violation Oct. 9. Driver Michael McDowell piloted the No. 26 to a 32nd-place finish Saturday in Fontana, Calif.

French prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation to examine syringes found in medical waste containers during the Tour de France.

The case was opened after the discovery of several suspicious syringes in a container given by organizers to all the teams to collect medical waste, the Paris prosecutors office said on the eve of the 2010 Tour course unveiling.

However, the office said it was not targeting a specific team from this year's tour, refuting a report by L'Equipe newspaper that said Astana was being investigated. Astana's Alberto Contador won this year's race, and teammate Lance Armstrong finished third.

Two-time Olympic champion Hermann Maier retired, ending a career in which he became one of Alpine skiing's most prolific racers and almost lost a leg in a motorcycle accident in 2001.

Maier, 36, cited surgery on his right knee in the offseason as the main reason for his retirement.