Dwain Chambers gave a surprisingly gripping performance. Photograph: Christof Koepsel/Getty
The debut appearance of Dwain Chambers at the Oxford Union, legendary amphitheatre of august debate (and student whimsy) was a fascinating prospect. Chambers had already cancelled one scheduled spot here at the height of his pre-Olympic notoriety. But on Wednesday night Britain’s most compelling reformed drug [...]

Rio Ferdinand criticised the “Wag culture” that surrounded England during previous managerial regimes. Photograph: Sergei Grits/AP
Even before the defeat of Belarus Rio Ferdinand had given us that concise repudiation of England’s Baden-Baden World Cup circus. After the 3-1 win in Minsk there he was again, talking with a stirring and righteous fury about the need [...]

The peloton of the Tour of Britain passes the London Eye on the first stage of the race. Photograph: Ian Walton/Getty Images
These are heady times for British cycling. Two weeks on from the almost embarrassingly lavish success at the Beijing Olympics, yesterday was the opening day of the Tour of Britain in central London. Cycling [...]