Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Doping-British para cyclist McBride gets three-year ban for use of ostarine

British para-cyclist Erin McBride has been banned from all sport for three years following Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) for using the prohibited substance ostarine, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said in a statement https://www.ukad.org.uk/news/british-para-cyclist-receives-three-year-ban.

McBride, a 23-year-old visually-impaired sprinter who joined British Cycling’s Paralympic World Class Programme this year, returned an adverse analytical finding following an out-of-competition test on March 3.

Cycling-Lambie wins men’s pursuit gold as Ganna fails to make final

Ashton Lambie of the United States won men’s pursuit gold at the track cycling world championships on Friday with Italy’s four-times champion Filippo Ganna having to settle for bronze after failing to qualify for the final. World record holder Lambie, the first male American individual pursuit world champion since Taylor Phinney in 2010, twizzled his moustache for the cameras after beating Italian Jonathan Milan.

NBA-Kanter denounces China’s human rights record again amid backlash

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter posted a new video on Friday denouncing China’s human rights record regarding Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities. The video comes two days after Kanter, who has a history of activism speaking out against his native Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the Chinese treatment of Tibet in a similar video, prompting a backlash in China L1N2RH0K2.

U.S. voices concern about China’s treatment of NBA

The United States voiced concern on Friday at China’s actions against the National Basketball Association, after Boston Celtics highlights were absent from a Chinese streaming platform following a player’s online criticism of China’s treatment of Tibet. Celtics backup center Enes Kanter this week tweeted a video of himself expressing support for Tibet and wearing a T-shirt with the image of the Dalai Lama, its exiled spiritual leader. He called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator.”

Rugby-U.S. would make awesome World Cup host, says Whitelock

The United States would be an excellent place to host a Rugby World Cup given growing enthusiasm for the game and the country’s track record for staging mega sporting events, All Blacks captain Sam Whitelock said on Friday. Speaking to reporters on the eve of his team’s clash with the Eagles in Washington, D.C., Whitelock said he has heard “a lot” of talk about the possibility of the 2027 World Cup being held in the States.

NBA roundup: Heat start with a bang, blow out Bucks

The Miami Heat, setting a franchise record for most points in a season-opening game, rode a 26-2 first-quarter run and 27 bench points from Tyler Herro to a 137-95 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Miami also got 21 points from Jimmy Butler and 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds from Bam Adebayo.

Tennis-Barty pulls out of WTA Finals to focus on Australian Open preparations

World number one Ash Barty will not defend her WTA Finals title in Mexico next month after the Wimbledon champion decided to bring an early end to her 2021 season. Barty won the season-ending tournament when it was last held in Shenzhen in November 2019 but the Australian will not travel to Guadalajara to participate in this year’s event running Nov. 10-17.

Motor racing-Mercedes not ruling out another grid drop for Hamilton

Mercedes would not rule out Formula One title contender Lewis Hamilton taking another engine penalty this season after team mate Valtteri Bottas incurred a five-place drop at the U.S. Grand Prix on Friday. Bottas, who was fastest in first practice for Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, is now using his sixth engine — three more than he is allowed for the season.

Motorcycling-MotoGP raises minimum ages after teenage race fatalities

Riders competing in MotoGP’s three classes must be at least 18-years-old from 2023 after the sport announced safety changes on Friday following three recent fatal accidents involving teenagers in junior series. The age threshold in Moto2 and Moto3, the classes on the ladder immediately below the top MotoGP category, is currently set at 16.

Motor racing-Verstappen calls Hamilton a ‘stupid idiot’ as F1 rivals clash

Formula One’s title rivalry flared up on Friday with championship leader Max Verstappen calling Lewis Hamilton a “stupid idiot” as they went wheel-to-wheel in second U.S. Grand Prix practice. The 24-year-old Red Bull racer also gave the seven-times world champion, the most successful driver of all time, a single digit salute as the Mercedes accelerated away on a hot and humid Texas afternoon at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)