Sailor DIRK DE RIDDER's three-year suspension has been "cut to 18 months
following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport." The former member of Oracle Team USA was hit with his initial
ban following "alleged involvement in the manipulation of weight
disruption on yachts during the America's Cup World Series and the
America's Cup last year" (SPORTAL, 12/11). ... Chinese martial arts sport wushu's int'l governing body has banned TAI CHEAU XUEN from competition for four months over a "positive doping test at the recent Asian Games." Tai, who was stripped of the Asian Games Gold Medal she won in September, "has been banned until March 20" after banned stimulant sibutramine was found in her system "following the competition" (AFP, 12/11). ... Ligue 1 side Bastia President PIERRE-MARIE GERONIMI was on Wednesday charged with “misappropriation of funds by police investigating the club's finances,” a police source revealed. He and his wife had initially been summoned to appear before police in the Corsican capital as “part of a preliminary investigation into the movement of funds between Bastia and a vehicle leasing company of which Geronimi is the manager.” The preliminary probe included the surveillance of fund movements carried out by the Anti-Money Laundering Unit of the Ministry of Finance (AFP, 12/10). ... JENSON BUTTON will remain at McLaren to partner with returning driver FERNANDO ALONSO in ‘15, the British F1 team announced last night. The announcement “follows weeks of speculation” over whether Button, world champion with Brawn in ‘09, or rookie DANE KEVIN MAGNUSSEN would be retained to team up with Alonso, who returns to the team after quitting Ferrari. McLaren CEO RON DENNIS “took his time before plumping for Button” over 22-year-old Magnussen, having held a meeting with board members to discuss the matter last Thursday. Magnussen will remain at McLaren as test and reserve driver (AFP, 12/12).
