Doping at the Olympics: Wada report exposes “serious failings” in drug testing at 2016 Rio Games October 28, 2016 A new report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) into this summer's Rio Olympics has exposed "serious failings" in the drugs testing process at the games. Those feeling disillusionment towards the Games following revelations of Russia's state-sponsored doping programme or the growing number of athletes being stripped of medals won at the 2008 and 2012 games [...]
Arsenal: Arsene Wenger laments West Ham violence as it could set back arrival of safe standing October 28, 2016 Do the violent clashes seen at the London Stadium on Wednesday night hint at a wider problem of crowd trouble in English football? Not for Arsene Wenger. The Arsenal manager has dismissed the idea that the unruly disturbances seen between West Ham and Chelsea fans this week, which have already led to a number of arrests, [...]
Gruelling victory keeps Andy Murray on course to topple Novak Djokovic as world No1 October 27, 2016 Britain's Andy Murray remained on course to topple rival Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings after prevailing in a gruelling contest with France’s Gilles Simon at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna last night. Top seed and current world No2 Murray defeated Simon 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 – his 12th successive victory – [...]
James Ensor at the Royal Academy: a mercurial painter of the grotesque October 27, 2016 In the paintings of James Ensor, life is dour and murky while death is a riot of colour and expressive brush-strokes. In one of the first pieces in the Royal Academy’s exhibition two women sit taking afternoon tea (Afternoon in Ostend, 1881) in an oppressively brown room, as if the bourgeois scene is so interminably [...]
Doctor Strange review: The tightest, funniest, most refreshing super-hero movie in years October 27, 2016 While all around super-hero franchises are collapsing under their own grotesque weight – Batman v Superman, X-Men Apocalypse, Suicide Squad – Marvel stands alone in its uncanny ability to churn out hit after hit. With Doctor Strange, it’s just showing off. Its lead character is a beloved but relatively fringe inhabitant of the Marvel Universe, [...]
West Ham facing calls for stadium ban following supporter clashes during Chelsea EFL Cup tie October 27, 2016 West Ham should be forced to play matches behind closed doors if they and London Stadium chiefs are unable to eradicate crowd violence at the former Olympic venue, say MPs. The call comes after ugly clashes between Hammers and Chelsea supporters during Wednesday night’s EFL Cup fourth round tie, in which chairs and coins were [...]
A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer review: Cancer cells dance around inflatable tumours in this musical about disease October 27, 2016 A musical in which colourful cancer cells fart about on stage like rejected Saturday morning cartoon characters, A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer is an unexpectedly jazzy and frenetic show. It dissects and digests the bleak world of terminal illness with a song and a dance, as tumours slowly emerge from the stage [...]
Claudio Ranieri promises Tottenham Hotspur they will face a Leicester side which has re-found its title-winning magic October 27, 2016 Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri insists his side have re-found their title-winning magic and has promised Saturday's opponents Tottenham that the Foxes will be unrecognisable from their early season woes. Defending Premier League champions Leicester have been a shadow of their former selves this term, having lost four of their nine fixtures, while an away win [...]
Why West Ham’s crowd trouble will scare off potential London Stadium sponsors October 27, 2016 Synergy chief executive Tim Crow on why the Hammers and the LLDC will have a tough time finding a sponsor for the London Stadium. Naming rights sponsorships of major sports stadiums and entertainment arenas are something with which we are all very familiar. What began as a US phenomenon in the 1970s and 80s, as [...]
England skipper Alastair Cook excited to see how rookie Zafar Ansari adapts to Test arena October 27, 2016 England skipper Alastair Cook has backed international rookie Zafar Ansari to seize his opportunity to impress after confirming that the Surrey all-rounder will make his Test debut against Bangladesh on Friday. Cook confirmed yesterday that left-armer Ansari is set to replace his county captain Gareth Batty for the second Test in Dhaka, with the other [...]