Basketball: Former NBA player Charles Oakley was arrested on Wednesday during the game between New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers after an altercation with security guards at Madison Square Garden. Oakley, who played the bulk of his 19-year career in New York, had to be forcibly removed from his courtside seat by several security guards after he was seen pushing and arguing with them. The scuffle was provoked by Oakley yelling at Knicks owner James Dolan, according to the New York Daily News. Oakley, 53, has been estranged from the Knicks franchise and owner Dolan for some time after making public criticisms.
Rugby Union: All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu has been cleared of doping and had a provisional suspension lifted, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said yesterday. Tuipulotu was sent home from the All Blacks’ end-of-season tour last November after testing positive for an unspecified banned substance. The team said at the time he had departed for “personal reasons”. NZR confirmed on Sunday after a media report said the 24-year-old had tested positive for a specified substance, but said yesterday he had been cleared following testing of his ‘B’ sample by an accredited laboratory in the United States.
Winter Sport: The International Biathlon Union has reacted to recent allegations of Russian doping in the sport by stripping the Siberian city of Tyumen of the right to host the 2021 World Championships. Biathlon, a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting, was one of the sports featured most prominently in Richard McLaren’s report into state-sponsored doping in Russia for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) last year. The IBU has come under increasing pressure to reverse the controversial decision, announced in September, to award Tyumen the event despite an International Olympic Committee “freeze” on international federations holding events in Russia.
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Cycling: British Cycling’s plan to move forward after a period of intense scrutiny took further shape yesterday with the an-nouncement of former Jaguar and Volkswagen boss Jonathan Browning (picture) as its new chairman. Browning, 57, was added to the governing body’s board two years ago as a non-executive director and now becomes its first independent leader, replacing Bob Howden, who will continue as president. In a conference call with reporters, both men described the decision to split the roles as a natural consequence of British Cycling’s growth in recent years and a response to the government’s call for more modern leadership structures at sports governing bodies.