Cycling: Armchair fans could soon be fed performance data from the world’s top riders during races after professional cycling organisation Velon announced a “game-changing” deal for the sport. Velon, a commercial collaboration of 11 top WorldTour teams, pioneered the use of live on-bike camera footage at last year’s Abu Dhabi Tour, and says a 10-year agreement with Infront Sports & Media will further revolutionise coverage of cycle races. In theory, television viewers will be able to dial up technical data such as pedal RPM, VAM (climbing speed in metres per second) and power output as the likes of Chris Froome and Alberto Contador attack climbs.
Doping: A rugby union player has been given a four-year ban after admitting the attempted use of anabolic steroids. Dan Lancaster, who is registered with Midlands League club Cleethorpes, was charged by the Rugby Football Union after 300 ampoules – equivalent to a year’s supply – of testapron testosterone propionate, which is a commercial name for anabolic steroids, were seized at the UK border last April. The package arrived from Singapore addressed to Lancaster in Lincolnshire, ac-cording to UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).
Tennis Doubles: Top ranked women’s doubles pair Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza had their 41-match winning streak halted after they were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open. The Swiss and Indian, the current Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champions, were beaten 2-6 6-4 10-5 by Russian duo Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina. Mirza and Hingis had started their win streak in September at the US Open, the first of nine straight titles. If they had won the Qatar event they would have tied Natasha Zvereva, of Belarus, and Czech Jana Novotna’s 1990 mark of 44 consecutive wins.
Baseball: Rolling slides to break up double plays will not be permitted starting with the 2016 season according to new regulations adopted this week by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. The World Umpires Association also approved the banishment of so-called block slides after New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada suffered a broken leg on a takeout at second base in last year’s play-offs by Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Chase Utley. MLB and the players’ union also signed off on two new pace of play initiatives designed to help speed up the game.
Tennis: Novak Djokovic hopes to make a quick recovery after being forced to retire from the Dubai Duty Free Championships on Thursday, ending his perfect record in 2016 and a streak of 17 straight finals. The world number one, who was playing his first tournament since winning a sixth Australian Open title last month, had lost the first set of his quarter-final against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez before retiring with an eye problem. “I have had it ever since I arrived in Dubai,” Djokovic said yesterday. “It started with an infection and then severe allergy. It got worse in the last two days, unfortunately.”