Athletics: Ethiopia will not bar runner Feyisa Lilesa (picture)  from entering the country after he made an anti-government gesture upon finishing second in the Olympic marathon on Sunday, an official said. Lilesa held his arms over his head, wrists crossed, as he strode across the finish line to claim the silver medal in Rio de Janeiro - mimicking a sign taken up by protesters in the Horn of Africa country’s Oromiya region. After the race, Lilesa said he feared he would face consequences if he returned home. But government spokesman Getachew Reda dismissed his concerns. “The athlete will be welcomed while returning home along with other members of the Ethiopian Olympic squad,” he said.

Tennis: Top seed Richard Gasquet got some much needed mileage into his legs as he beat Great Britain’s Dan Evans in the Winston-Salem Open. Gasquet is playing just his second tournament since retiring from his fourth-round clash at Wimbledon due to a back injury and got a good second-round work-out against Evans in a 6-4 4-6 6-3 win. With most of the top 20 players opting to miss out on this tournament and head straight to New York to prepare for next week’s US Open, the world no. 15 has no such luxury as he aims to get as much game time as he can ahead of Flushing Meadows.

Snooker: The final session of snooker’s UK Championship in York in December has virtually sold out. The tournament runs from November 22 to December 4 at the York Barbican and fans have snapped up tickets since they went on sale in May. One of snooker’s Triple Crown events, the UK Championship has been held in York since 2011. Last year, Australia’s Neil Robertson lifted the trophy for the second time after beating Liang Wenbo 10-5.

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