British Cycling Technical Dir SHANE SUTTON "has been suspended" pending a formal investigation into accusations that he called Paralympic cyclists in the British squad "gimps" and "wobblies." The Australian, who mentored CHRIS HOY and BRADLEY WIGGINS to Olympic glory before taking over the top role in British cycling in '14, "was already under scrutiny after allegations of sexism" made by the track rider JESS VARNISH over the weekend. But the "latest damaging comments about Britain’s hugely successful Para-cycling squad leave Sutton’s future as technical director dangling by a thread."
British para-cyclist DARREN KENNY said, "The term used to refer to us was generally ‘gimps’ with another word in front of that. I don’t think we were considered to be elite athletes in all honesty by certain people and since I’ve left I’ve not seen or heard of any change towards equality" (London GUARDIAN, 4/26).
Retired Olympic cycling champion VICTORIA PENDLETON "has come out in strong support" of Varnish, her former teammate, over accusations of sexism in British Cycling.
Varnish claimed last week that she was told to “move on and get on with having a baby” by Sutton "after being dropped" from the Olympic program. Pendleton: "I would
not be able to live with myself if I sat back and let people try to
discredit [Varnish’s] character. My experiences [at British Cycling]
were very similar. And I know exactly how miserable they made me" (LONDON TIMES, 4/26).
TAX RELIEF: Spain's District Attorney's Office will charge Barcelona player ADRIANO CORREIA with defrauding the country's tax authorities of €700,000 ($790,000). The claim is related to earnings from image rights from '11 and '12. The player is accused of leaving the exploitation of his image rights to a business in Madeira, Portugal, to "avoid paying taxes" (AS, 4/26). ... A Madrid court has summoned Dorna Sports and the company's legal representatives -- CARMELO EZPELETA, ENRIQUE ALDAMA, CARLES JORBA and ROBERT BERENGUER -- to appear in court on April 28 in relation to the civil claim filed by PIER CARLO BOTTERO on behalf of Italian company Sport & Events Logistics (SPORT, 4/26). ... Actor TOM HANKS joked that he put £100 ($145) "on Leicester City to win the Premier League." He hinted that "he put a bet on the Foxes winning the championship at the start of the season." At the London premiere of his new film "A Hologram for the King," he said, "You know what I did at the beginning of the season? I put 100 quid on Leicester so I think I'll do okay" (LEICESTER MERCURY, 4/26). ... Actress AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN on Monday came out “in support of Bollywood actor SALMAN KHAN’s appointment as goodwill ambassador of India’s contingent for the upcoming Rio Olympics.” Salman’s selection had "stirred up a controversy as many feel that it should have gone to a sports icon." Aishwarya said, “I have to say that anyone, who is doing good to represent the country or working or speaking or standing for the betterment of art, music or sports, is wonderful and the person needs to be recognized” (THE HINDU, 4/26).
NADAL FILES SUIT: RAFAEL NADAL filed a lawsuit Tuesday against former French Health & Sport Minister ROSELYNE BACHELOT, who accused him of doping, saying that "he needs to defend his integrity and image as an athlete." Nadal said that his lawyers lodged the defamation suit in Paris against Bachelot because of her "offensive remarks" on French TV last month. Bachelot said on Le Grand 8, a TV program, that the Spaniard’s seven-month injury hiatus in '12 was “probably due to a positive doping test” (LONDON TIMES, 4/26).
