Sport

Several sporting fixtures in France have been postponed after a series of attacks across Paris in which at least 128 people were killed. Three suicide bombers died in blasts outside the Stade de France while France played Germany on Friday. The explosions were early in the match and with fans unable to leave after full-time, many came on to the pitch. All European Rugby…

ENLARGE A sold-out stadium hosting a live soccer match before more than 80,000 fans was among the sites targeted in Friday night’s attacks in Paris. Witnesses reported hearing two explosions at the Stade de France, or in its immediate vicinity, in the first half of an exhibition game between the French national soccer team and Germany, the defending world champion. At least one of the blasts was heard clearly inside…

How radical was NASCAR’s decision to abandon its traditional championship model for a 10-race playoff format starting in 2004? Radical enough for four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon to literally laugh in the faces of NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France and Vice Chairman Mike Helton when first heard about it. “The one thing that I will never forget is the moment that I was standing on the dock…

Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer France against Germany. At least 35 people were killed in shootings and explosions around Paris, many of them in a popular theater where patrons were taken hostage, police and medical officials said Friday. Two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium.(Photo: Michel Euler, AP) PARIS (AP) — On a night of terrifying violence…

An unrepentant Matt Kenseth defended intentionally crashing Joey Logano and alleged NASCAR CEO Brian France deserved some blame for inciting the situation in an extended interview with The Associated Press Friday. Kenseth became the first premier division driver to be suspended multiple races due to on-track behavior for deliberately taking out Logano during the Nov. 1 race at Martinsville Speedway. At the time Kenseth was 10 laps down, while…

Coe said Russia will need to fulfill “a list of criteria” to win reinstatement. An independent inspection team led by Norwegian anti-doping expert Rune Andersen will be appointed in the next few days to verify Russia’s progress. Still uncertain is whether the Russian federation will be able to reform in time for its athletes to compete at the Rio Games, which run from Aug. 5-21. “It is entirely up to…

By Caley Fretz Published Nov. 13, 2015 Updated 10 hours ago UCI president Brian Cookson said booting former dopers from the sport is difficult because of legal issues. Photo: Joolze Dymond Are there individuals who, due to prior involvement in doping, should be prevented from working in pro cycling? Creating a definition of “fit and proper” within the context of cycling’s sordid past has long been debated as…

Mariya Savinova, left, and Ekaterina Poistogova celebrating after placing first and third respectively in the women’s 800m final at the London 2012 Olympic Games.(Photo: Kerim Okten, EPA) Russia’s track and field athletes may not be able to compete at the Rio Olympics after their federation was suspended from international competition as punishment for a widespread and state-sanctioned doping program. The International Association of Athletic Federation voted 22-1 to suspend the…

By Caley Fretz Published Nov. 13, 2015 Updated 5 hours ago UCI president Brian Cookson said booting former dopers from the sport is difficult because of legal issues. Photo: Joolze Dymond Are there individuals who, due to prior involvement in doping, should be prevented from working in pro cycling? Creating a definition of “fit and proper” within the context of cycling’s sordid past has long been debated as…

Racers are a superstitious lot.  In NASCAR, three of the most prevalent superstitions are: 1. No green race cars 2. Don’t eat peanuts in the pits or the garage 3. Don’t carry $50 or $100 bills But on this Friday the 13th, what about the No. 13 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series? Truth is, the No. 13 has had almost no luck at all. Seventy-one different drivers have made…

So this is it. We are down to the final race before the championship race next Sunday in Homestead. Only one driver, Jeff Gordon, is locked into that race. There are three positions yet to be filled and we won’t know until this Sunday’s race what names to write in those positions. To me there are three drivers who have to throw a “Hail-Mary” pass to even have a chance…

Multiple explosions sounded off at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday night during a soccer match between France and Germany. The explosions were heard during a night when dozens have been reported killed after shooters opened fire in central Paris. They later took around 100 people hostage in a concert hall, police said. You can hear the #Paris explosions over the noise of the crowd at the stadium… https://t.co/ZxpLGgTGKg — Emma…

This week’s report by the World Anti-Doping Agency into sport in Russia makes devastating reading. It concludes that Russia ran a huge state sponsored doping programme, sabotaged the London 2012 Olympics, and should be banned from athletics. Some details are extraordinary. Intelligence agents were smuggled into Moscow’s scandal-hit laboratory to intimidate staff. But for anyone who has followed the changing role of sport under Vladimir Putin, the report is hardly…

So this is it. We are down to the final race before the championship race next Sunday in Homestead. Only one driver, Jeff Gordon, is locked into that race. There are three positions yet to be filled and we won’t know until this Sunday’s race what names to write in those positions. To me there are three drivers who have to throw a “Hail-Mary” pass to even have a chance…

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Sensible Soccer and Sensible World of Soccer remain two of the world’s most revered football games, decades after their release. Now their creator Jon Hare is reviving them under a new name. Hare has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise at least £300,000 to make Sociable Soccer, which he describes as “the spiritual successor to Sensible Soccer”. The game is slated to launch in late 2016 for PC, Xbox…

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is headed for the final elimination race before the title fight at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but all three of the national touring series feature a close championship points battle headed into this weekend’s events at Phoenix International Raceway.  Only four drivers will move on to fight for the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Homestead, but there are still plenty of points positions up…

An athlete attends a training session at the ëYunostë sports ground at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia.(Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky, AP) MOSCOW – With an Olympic boycott ruled out, Russia is planning to at least partially admit it has a doping problem. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko told The Associated Press on Thursday that there will “not in any case” be a boycott of next year’s Olympics in Rio…