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Gymnastics: Double Olympic silver medallist Louis Smith (picture) has been suspended for two months by British Gymnastics over a leaked video in which he and fellow gymnast Luke Carson appeared to mock Islam. Carson, who retired from gymnastics last year due to injury, was issued with a reprimand. The Sun newspaper last month published a clip from the video, taken at a hotel wedding reception, showing the two gymnasts pretending to pray while shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest).
Rugby Union: Ireland flyhalf Paddy Jackson and his Ulster team-mate Stuart Olding have denied any wrongdoing after police confirmed they had been arrested over allegations of sexual offences. The Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed yesterday that three men – two aged 24 and one aged 23 – were arrested on June 30 over allegations of sexual offences reported to have taken place at a property in south Belfast on June 28. The men were interviewed and released from police custody. The Ulster Rugby Football Union confirmed that Jackson, 24, and Olding, 23, had been assisting the police with enquiries.
Tennis: Andy Murray must overcome Fernando Verdasco at the BNP Paribas Masters if he is to maintain his bid to become no.1. Verdasco was leading first-round opponent Robin Haase 6-2 3-2 in Paris when the Dutchman retired and he will now face Murray, one of 16 seeded players handed byes into the second round, today. Murray edged a step closer to overtaking Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings by winning his third successive title at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna on Sunday.
Horse Racing: Jim Crowley escaped with just a broken nose in the four-horse pile-up at Kempton on Monday that led to the racing meeting being abandoned. The newly-crowned champion Flat jockey was released from hospital yesterday, reports said. However, fellow rider Frederik Tylicki was still in a “stable” condition in hospital’s intensive care. Crowley and Tylicki were unshipped from their mounts in the Breeders Backing Racing EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes, along with fellow riders Ted Durcan and Steve Drowne.
Basket, NBA: Jimmy Butler scored 22 points as Chicago Bulls continued their winning start to the NBA season by thrashing Brooklyn Nets in New York. Butler’s efforts were backed up by Nikola Mirotic’s 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Bulls recorded a 118-88 victory for a third straight win. Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks are both also 3-0. Blake Griffin scored 21 points and had 11 rebounds as the Clippers continued their streak with a 116-98 success against the winless Phoenix Suns. Atlanta Hawks earned a 106-95 home win against Sacramento Kings.
Winter Games: Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold says she may boycott next year’s World Championships in Sochi because she believes her sport is “not clean”. Britain’s Yarnold won gold at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 – a Games that has since been overshadowed by the findings of the McLaren report which outlined state-sponsored Russian doping. She has called on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to have “serious conversations” about whether Sochi should be hosting the championships. “I’m not sure whether I want to compete in Sochi if I don’t know it’s a clean playing field,” she said.