Latest news with #ban
The Sun
19 hours ago
- The Sun
‘I knew what I was doing' – Jockey slapped with six-month cocaine ban after ‘utterly stupid' blunder
A CHELTENHAM-winning jockey has been branded 'utterly stupid' - after being hit with a six-month cocaine ban. Amateur rider Sam Lee admitted 'I knew full well what I was doing' as the huge suspension was handed out. 1 Popular Lee warmed to punters as a cheeky chappy in front of the ITV cameras before finishing third on Golan Fortune at Cheltenham in November 2020. Prior to that he won a Listed contest on the same horse at the home of jumps to mark himself out as a jockey to follow. But now his career looks in disarray after he was read the riot act in a no-holds-barred BHA disciplinary hearing. Lee was found to have taken cocaine two days before a ride - on which he finished second - at Warwick in May. But panel chairman James O'Mahony explained how, in Lee's account of events, it was in a way accidental. The jockey accepted he knew what the white powder was when he put it into his mouth. But contact came about 'inadvertently' when the Class A drug was passed around on some banknotes. O'Mahony said: "He did know what it was, or he had a good idea what it was, and he ingested it, took it deliberately. "So it's not accidental in that sense but he didn't procure it deliberately." While BHA barrister Charlotte Davison said: "He accepted he was aware of what the substance was before he put it into his mouth. "He said, 'I knew full well what I was doing' and described himself as being 'a bit of a plonker' for doing what he did." Lee said in a video sent to the hearing that he had suffered indescribable lows since the positive drugs test. He insisted the whole ordeal had given him a 'kick up the a**e' and added: "I want to help you guys to help me get my licence back as quick as I can." O'Mahony pulled no punches, though. He said: "What you did was utterly stupid. It's a Class A drug for goodness sake. "The authorities must come down hard on any question of cocaine being used by the persons involved in racing." took ketamine three days a week contaminated horses.
The Sun
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Broken me into so many pieces' – Tennis star breaks silence on four-year ban and says her life has been ‘ripped away'
BRITISH tennis star Tara Moore has broken her silence on her four-year ban. The former British No 1 doubles player was handed the ban from tennis for doping earlier this month. 3 3 Moore, 32, originally received the ban in 2022 following positive tests for prohibited substances nandrolone and boldenone. She managed to get the ban lifted after 19 months, after an independent tribunal found that she "bore no fault or negligence", as it was argued she ingested the drugs in contaminated meat. However, her ban has since been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. This decision was made after an appeal by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. The ban means that Moore will be unable to compete until at least the start of the 2028 season. This is because she has already served the first 19 months of the ban. Moore has now released her first statement since the decision to ban her. The ace has emotionally admitted that she is "broken" and claimed that the anti-doping system is "broken". JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS She wrote: "To be innocent and to have to prove that is an incredibly gruelling process. "Firstly, you're trying to figure out what these things are. Secondly, you are figuring out how and why these things got into your system. "If you are innocent, you don't just know straight away. You have to go through everything you've done and eliminate what it can't be, until you settle on something it most likely is. "Even then, you are presumed guilty and have to fight for your life against someone who has more money and resources than you. "The last three and a half years have broken me into so many pieces. "As my family and friends have scrambled to pick up the broken shards of me, they've glued me back together in the form of a different person. I have had my life as I knew it ripped away from me because the organisations and people in power failed to do what was right. Tara MooreX "I don't need a panel to tell me I'm innocent. I know the integrity I bring, and I know I am innocent. I believe everyone over the past couple of years can see how subjective this process is. "I have been the underdog. I have had my life as I knew it ripped away from me because the organisations and people in power failed to do what was right. "They may have taken my fight away on the court, yet my fight is not over, not for me or others like me. "The anti-doping system is broken. I am proof of this. We need to fix it. "Not for me as it's too late, but for future players who find themselves in this unfortunate situation. "I have so much more to say when the time is right." Moore has claimed that the banned substances were discovered in her urine sample after she ate pork and beef while in Colombia. 3 And CAS has insisted that Moore was not able to prove that the nandrolone was from the meat. A statement read: "After reviewing the scientific and legal evidence, the majority of the Cas panel considered that the player did not succeed in proving that the concentration of nandrolone in her sample was consistent with the ingestion of contaminated meat. "The panel concluded that Ms Moore failed to establish that the ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation) was not intentional. "The appeal by the ITIA is therefore upheld and the decision rendered by the Independent Tribunal is set aside." Wimbledon and the US Open.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Cuyahoga could be first Ohio county to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Northeast Ohio residents are calling on Cuyahoga County leaders to join municipalities across the state in outlawing anti-LGBTQ+ practices known as 'conversion therapy.' The Cuyahoga County Council introduced an ordinance on Tuesday to prohibit healthcare professionals from engaging in conversion therapy with minors and some adults deemed 'vulnerable.' Long considered 'anti-LGBTQ+,' the techniques use talk therapy and occasionally more invasive methods to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, like reducing or eliminating same-sex attraction. 'I'm casting my voice in favor of this county-wide ban, not just for myself but for the majority of my classmates who did not make it to see this day,' said Otto Tyson, a Cleveland resident and conversion therapy survivor, during the meeting. 'This is your chance to be on the right side of our county's history, to be the trusted adult in the room.' Ohio equal rights amendment would outlaw discrimination, void same-sex marriage ban The proposed ordinance is spearheaded by Brandon West, a 23-year-old Ohioan who championed his home city of Lorain to ban conversion therapy last year and then began advocating for Cuyahoga to do the same. His work is having a ripple effect: After Westerville became the 13th Ohio city to ban the practices earlier this year, the city's mayor joined several municipality leaders in urging other towns to do the same. West previously told NBC4 he is also pushing for prohibitions to be introduced in Vermilion and Oberlin. He said during Tuesday's meeting that the ordinances in other Ohio cities has encouraged youth to seek mental healthcare given it's guaranteed they won't be subjected to conversion therapy. 'After we passed a ban in Lorain, I had many messages come through from families with gay or trans kids, saying how they finally felt protected,' said West. 'Protected enough to get proper mental healthcare. [Lorain's] a city of 60,000-plus people. Imagine the effect it would have on a county with over 1 million.' Stephanie Ash, a director for the National Association of Social Workers' Ohio chapter, said during Tuesday's meeting there is no scientific basis for conversion therapy, calling the techniques 'physiological abuse' and 'rooted in the false and dangerous belief that LGBTQIA+ identities are disorders in need of correction.' She pointed to research that found youth who are subjected to conversion therapy face higher rates of depression, anxiety, self harm, and suicide. 'We know that one supportive adult in a young person's life can reduce the risk of suicide by 40%,' Ash said. 'This ordinance gives us the opportunity to be that supportive adult through our policies, our protections and our values. Banning conversion therapy is not about politics, it's about saving lives.' Ohio House will return this month to consider property tax provision veto overrides Brooks Boron, the president of Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, said conversion therapy is a 'discredited practice based on the false and harmful premise that being LGBTQIA+ is a disorder,' citing condemnations from the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics. Boron argued the ban is needed given the practices continue 'to be inflicted upon our community and our youth across the state.' While Democratic legislators at the Ohio Statehouse reintroduced a bill in February to prohibit the practices statewide, the proposal has failed to gain support across the legislative aisle. 'Passing this ban sends a clear and powerful message that Cuyahoga County values its LGBTQIA+ residents, especially its youth, and that we are committed to protecting them from abuse that masquerades as treatment,' said Boron. 'This action would align our country with other municipalities across Ohio and the nation who've taken the stand to protect LGBTQIA+ individuals from this harmful practice.' Cuyahoga's ordinance now heads to the county's Health, Human Services and Aging Committee for review. If approved, practitioners could face civil penalties and the relevant licensing board, commission or entity tasked with review of professional conduct would be notified of violations by the county director of Health and Human Services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Vancouver council to decide whether to ban sale of gun-shaped lighters in the city
Vancouver city staff are recommending council ban the sale of gun-shaped lighters in the city. On Wednesday, council will vote on the proposal from the city's chief licence inspector after the matter was raised in a motion from councillor Mike Klassen. A ban would come with a $1,000 fine for non compliance. Staff are also asking that a letter be sent to the provincial government calling for legislative amendments to make the ban provincewide. 'Staff recommend amending the licence bylaw to prohibit the retail sale of gun-shaped lighters as a measure to increase public safety and limit an increase in the number of devices in circulation,' the report to council states. 'Staff propose an amendment to the Ticket Offences bylaw to make the sale of GSLs a ticketable offence with a fine of $1,000. Staff also propose that the mayor, on behalf of council, write a letter to the provincial government requesting legislative amendments to prohibit the sale, distribution, and possession of GSLs in British Columbia, as well as consider legislative changes to empower law enforcement to seize these devices proactively and prevent their continued proliferation in communities across the province.' A gun-shaped lighter is defined as a hand-held device that produces a flame, resembles a firearm, and includes an igniter or trigger, barrel and stock. This includes torch style lighters that look like a firearm due to the shape of the barrel and/or handle. There were 162 police calls about the lighters last year, more than half of which were classified as 'priority weapons calls' — meaning they led to a response involving several officers armed with Tasers, less-lethal beanbag shotguns and Arwen riot guns. With file from Joe Ruttle dcarrigg@ Related Gun-shaped lighters: Councillor seeks ban as they proliferate in Vancouver Boy, 15, stabbed to death near Vancouver's Robson Square: VPD
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Financial support considered for greyhound trainers and owners when industry ends
Greyhound racing will be banned in Aotearoa. (File photo) Photo: 123rf Financial support is under consideration for greyhound trainers and owners liable for the likely 1500 dogs still under their care after the industry ends. In December the government announced the practice would be banned in New Zealand after ongoing concerns about animal welfare and three reviews into the industry. After the change was decided a ministerial advisory committee was set up to plan a transition away from greyhound racing. That group has delivered an interim report to ministers which found the current rehoming programme will require reorganisation and expansion to find safe homes for the estimated 1500 dogs remaining when racing was due to end on 31 July next year. The committee acknowledged the concern of owners and trainers about the financial liability of feeding and caring for dogs once racing ended. As part of cabinet's considerations financial compensation would be considered. Racing Minister Winston Peters said he was fully aware of the impact that ending greyhound racing would have on those involved in the industry. Peters appreciated the feedback owners, trainers and other stakeholders had given the committee. "That is why it is important that we consider everything carefully." He said the imperative to see the ban through continued, with 15 racing greyhounds having to be euthanized so far this season and nearly a further 200 dogs suffering serious injuries keeping them out of racing for weeks and months. The intention was to introduce legislation and members of the industry, and the wider public would get the chance to make submissions to the select committee as part of the process, he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
