Biathlon star Julia Simon will be allowed to compete at next year's Winter Olympics after receiving a six-month ban, including five months suspended, for stealing money from a teammate, the French ski federation (FFS) said Thursday.

A driver has rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the holiday island of Oléron, off the west coast of France, injuring five people - including two who are in a critical condition. A local man, 35, deliberately drove into people and then set fire to the vehicle, authorities said. He was immobilised with a stun gun after resisting arrest.