Violinist banned for orchestrated ski races

Vanessa-Mae's Olympic qualifiers rigged to get her to Sochi Games

British pop violinist Vanessa-Mae was banned from competitive skiing for four years on Tuesday for taking part in races that were fixed to allow her to qualify for the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The findings by the International Ski Federation (FIS) exposed as a sham what many fans thought was a feel-good celebrity Olympic story.