Gabel competed in four Olympics, was part of a silver-medal relay team at the 1994 Lillehammer Games and is a former president of U.S. Speedskating.
Speedskater Bridie Farrell said she was 15 and Gabel 33 when their relationship began in 1997. She said it continued over several months and she knew it was wrong, but she was "starstruck" by the attention Gabel gave her.
Soccer *
The 2014 World Cup in Brazil will be the first to offer special seats for obese fans. The World Cup Bill in Brazil requires that at least 1 percent of seats in each stadium are made available for disabled people, a category that includes the obese, wheelchair users and those with limited mobility. FIFA said that to qualify for a ticket, people are required to submit a medical certificate that proves they have a body mass index of 30 or more.
* The home of the MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA teams in Carson, Calif., is changing its name from Home Depot Center to StubHub Center in a new naming rights deal.
Philly File *
Temple senior guard Khalif Wyatt was named Big 5 men's player of the week and Villanova senior center Laura Sweeney and Temple senior center Victoria Macauley were named Big 5 women's players of the week.
Sport Stops *
Martina Hingis, Cliff Drysdale, Charlie Pasarell and Ion Tiriac were announced as members of the 2013 class for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
* The Big Ten is measuring support for a proposal that would give baseball teams the option of playing nonconference games in the fall that would count toward determining the NCAA tournament field the following spring.
* The National Rifle Association is becoming the title sponsor of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race under a 1-year contract with a renewal option. Texas Motor Speedway's April 13 race will be known as the NRA 500.
