Badminton: Great Britain badminton chiefs are set to appeal against the decision to cut the sport’s funding for the Tokyo Olympic Games. UK Sport last week announced a £345 million National Lottery and government-funded investment in Olympic and Paralympic sports for the next four years. But badminton, handed £5.9 million for Rio 2016, will not get a penny of the latest cash despite Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge’s bronze medal in the men’s doubles this year.
Basketball: LeBron James is edging closer towards the summit of the NBA all-time top scorers list with 27 points in Cleveland Cavaliers’ 114-84 win over Miami Heat. The 31-year-old All-Star’s haul took him into ninth place past Elvin Hayes, with his tally now standing on 27,315 points in a glittering career. Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook is also closing in on history as he notched his seventh successive triple-double, the most since Michael Jordan’s run in 1989. The Thunder were beaten 102-99 by Houston Rockets, but Westbrook is only two away from equalling the record nine triple-doubles made by Wilt Chamberlain in 1968.
Swimming: Chinese swimmer Chen Xinyi has been banned for two years after failing a drug test at the Rio Olympics, the sport’s governing body (FINA) said. Chen finished fourth in the women’s 100 metres butterfly at Rio but did not start in the 50m freestyle heats after Chinese state media reported she had tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide. The diuretic, known as a masking agent, is a banned substance because it can be used to spur weight loss and cover up the presence of other illegal drugs by diluting urine collected in doping tests.
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Rugby Union: England captain Dylan Hartley (picture, right) suffered another disciplinary problem in his controversial career when he was sent off playing for Northampton in a European Cup match against Leinster on Friday. The 30-year-old hooker was shown a red card for a swinging arm tackle on Leinster flanker Sean O’Brien shortly after coming on as a replacement. Hartley, banned for 54 weeks in his career for offences including eye-gouging, biting and verbally abusing referees, was named England captain by coach Eddie Jones this year and led the team to 13 wins in a row.
Cricket: India captain Virat Kohli maintained his red-hot form as he and Murali Vijay struck fine centuries to help the hosts overtake England on day three of the fourth test at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. The hosts, leading 2-0 in the five-match series, reached 451 for seven at the close, 51 runs ahead of the touring side. Captain Kohli was unbeaten on 147 at stumps with Jayant Yadav on 30 not out. The 28-year-old Kohli brought up his 15th test hundred and second of the series and celebrated with a leap in the air, bringing the 22,000 crowd at the stadium to their feet.