Mark Todd, a two-time Olympic champion in equestrian and now a notable racehorse trainer, has temporarily lost his training license pending an investigation into a video showing him striking a horse with a branch.
The British Horseracing Authority imposed the interim suspension on the 65-year-old New Zealander on Wednesday, saying it prevents him from racing horses in Britain or internationally. In a video posted on social media, Todd is seen repeatedly striking a horse that was refusing to jump into water during a training clinic in 2020.
Todd has accepted the suspension, the BHA said, having already admitted to being the individual in the footage and apologized. Todd is one of New Zealand’s most famous Olympians. He competed in seven Summer Games from 1984-2016, winning gold medals in eventing in 1984 and ’88 as well as three bronze medals.
He was given a knighthood in New Zealand’s New Year’s Honors in 2013 and has since become a racehorse trainer.
Todd has stepped down from his role as a patron for World Horse Welfare because of the incident, which comes a week after Premier League footballer Kurt Zouma was fined and lost a sponsorship deal with Adidas for animal abuse. Zouma was filmed kicking and slapping his cat.
BROADCASTING:
BARKLEY PLANS TO RETIRE: It looks like Charles Barkley is sticking to his plan to retire from TNT when his contract expires. In a conference call Tuesday, Barkley said he has two years remaining on his deal, which runs through the end of the 2024 season. After that, it’s goodbye television, so the former NBA great can spent more time out playing golf.
“I just don’t feel the need to work until the day I die,” Barkley said. “I’ll be 61 years old if I finish out my contract, and I don’t want to die on TV – I want to die on the golf course or somewhere fishing. I don’t want to be sitting beside old (expletive) Shaq and drop dead.”
Barkley joined TNT in 2000 after retiring from the NBA, and has contemplated retiring many times. In 2019, Barkley said he was seriously considering to walk away from his role on TNT’s popular “Inside the NBA” before his contract expired.
Barkley’s comments come as he and his longtime TNT colleagues Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Shaq prepare to host an alternate broadcast of the NBA All-Star game on Sunday on TBS in the style of ESPN’s popular Manningcast.
“We have zero idea what the hell we are doing Sunday, to be honest with you,” Barkley said Tuesday. “We’re just going to go on TV and have fun like we normally do.”
GOLF
RAHM HONORED: Jon Rahm was voted as the European tour’s player of the year for the second time in three seasons on Wednesday.
The top-ranked Spaniard won the 2021 award after a year in which he captured his first major — the U.S. Open — and spent 27 weeks at No. 1. Rahm was also Europe’s leading points scorer at the Ryder Cup, with 3½ from his five matches, and had top-eight finishes in the other three majors.
Rahm, the tour’s player of the year in 2019, too, received the newly named Seve Ballesteros Award after a vote by his fellow professionals.
“It is very unique to be recognized by your peers like this,” Rahm said. “It is a true honor to be able to win this award for a second time.”
SOCCER
SPAIN LIFTS RESTRICTIONS: Spanish health authorities have decided to allow soccer stadiums and other sports venues to return to full capacity, Health Minister Carolina Darias said Wednesday.
The restrictions limiting fan attendance will be fully lifted on March 4 as the most recent wave of the pandemic driven by the omicron variant wanes.
Spain closed its soccer stadiums to the public last season while this campaign started with stadiums at 60% capacity. It allowed full seating in October, only to roll it back to 75% in late December when the more contagious omicron strain caused infections to skyrocket.
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