International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Wednesday demanded swift and tough sanctions for doping offenders -- both athletes and their support staff -- involved in a German-Austrian doping ring.

At least 21 athletes from eight nations across five sports are suspected of blood-doping linked to a German doctor who was arrested as part of an Austria-Germany doping raid last month.

Five athletes, including two Austrians, were initially arrested on February 27 at the Nordic skiing world championships in the Austrian resort of Seefeld.

The arrests were part of a joint operation with German police targeting a suspected international blood-doping ring believed to have been run out of Germany.

"We hope that all this will be clarified and everything will come on the table and there those responsible and the entourage of these athletes, the doctors and the personnel, that they will be punished soon and hard," Bach said.

"I hope that this is not dragging on, that their justice will really set an example. I hope there will be hard sanctions to have a deterrent effect on everybody," he added.

A doctor in the German city of Erfurt was also arrested along with five other suspected accomplices.

According to German prosecutors, the doping of the 21 athletes from five sports -- three winter and two summer -- occurred from 2011 onwards and blood transfusions took place in many countries across the world.

Since the arrests other Austrian athletes have been implicated in blood doping. Cyclist Georg Preidler told police this month that he had attempted doping.

Cross-country skier Johannes Duerr, whose interview with Germany's ARD television in which he admitted doping triggered the investigation and raids, was arrested on March 5.

The IOC has had to deal with its own major doping scandal, stemming from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and involving many Russian athletes, including medal winners.

Some of those case are ongoing, making their way through the sports and civil courts, years after the athletes in question were identified.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Wednesday demanded swift and tough sanctions for doping offenders -- both athletes and their support staff -- involved in a German-Austrian doping ring.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Wednesday demanded swift and tough sanctions for doping offenders -- both athletes and their support staff -- involved in a German-Austrian doping ring. At least 21 athletes from eight nations across five sports are suspected of blood-doping linked to a German doctor who was arrested as part of an Austria-Germany doping raid last month. Five athletes, including two Austrians, were initially arrested on February 27 at the Nordic skiing world championships in the Austrian resort of Seefeld. The arrests were part of a joint operation with German police targeting a suspected international blood-doping ring believed to have been run out of Germany. "We hope that all this will be clarified and everything will come on the table and there those responsible and the entourage of these athletes, the doctors and the personnel, that they will be punished soon and hard," Bach said. "I hope that this is not dragging on, that their justice will really set an example. I hope there will be hard sanctions to have a deterrent effect on everybody," he added. A doctor in the German city of Erfurt was also arrested along with five other suspected accomplices. According to German prosecutors, the doping of the 21 athletes from five sports -- three winter and two summer -- occurred from 2011 onwards and blood transfusions took place in many countries across the world. Since the arrests other Austrian athletes have been implicated in blood doping. Cyclist Georg Preidler told police this month that he had attempted doping. Cross-country skier Johannes Duerr, whose interview with Germany's ARD television in which he admitted doping triggered the investigation and raids, was arrested on March 5. The IOC has had to deal with its own major doping scandal, stemming from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and involving many Russian athletes, including medal winners. Some of those case are ongoing, making their way through the sports and civil courts, years after the athletes in question were identified.

IOC wants swift and tough punishment for doping offenders

The World Anti-Doping Agency said North Korea's testing programme has failed to comply with its code, threatening to derail a joint Korean bid for the 2032 summer Olympics.&nbsp;

WADA gave Pyongyang four months to address doping concerns raised in a review in September, but the agency announced late Wednesday that the deadline to correct "non-conformities" had passed without reply from the reclusive regime.

"The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Anti-Doping Committee... is, effective today, non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code," the Montreal-based agency said, using North Korea's official name. &nbsp;

The concerns related to the implementation of its testing programme, it added.

WADA's decision casts a shadow on Seoul's ambitious bid to jointly host the 2032 Olympics with a North Korean city, likely its capital Pyongyang.&nbsp;

Any country submitting a bid is required to be in compliance with WADA's code.

North Korean athletes could also be excluded from competing in the Olympics or other international competitions under WADA rules requiring them to conform with the code "as a condition of such participation". &nbsp;

WADA said the issue will be discussed at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, where sports officials from the two Koreas were expected to inform the committee of their decision to bid.&nbsp;

South Korea chose Seoul as its candidate city on Monday, with mayor Park Won-soon saying co-hosting the Olympics would be "the last stop to establish the peace".&nbsp;

The last time Seoul hosted the summer Olympics, in 1988, Pyongyang boycotted the Games.

In recent months the two Koreas have turned to sports diplomacy to ease tensions.&nbsp;

During the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last year, North Korea sent leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, to express the regime's interest in an inter-Korean summit.

That paved the way for a whirl of diplomacy including three inter-Korean summits in six months and a landmark June 12 Singapore meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. &nbsp;

A Seoul government official said it was verifying the reports and declined to immediately comment. &nbsp;

The World Anti-Doping Agency said North Korea's testing programme has failed to comply with its code, threatening to derail a joint Korean bid for the 2032 summer Olympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency said North Korea's testing programme has failed to comply with its code, threatening to derail a joint Korean bid for the 2032 summer Olympics. WADA gave Pyongyang four months to address doping concerns raised in a review in September, but the agency announced late Wednesday that the deadline to correct "non-conformities" had passed without reply from the reclusive regime. "The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Anti-Doping Committee... is, effective today, non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code," the Montreal-based agency said, using North Korea's official name. The concerns related to the implementation of its testing programme, it added. WADA's decision casts a shadow on Seoul's ambitious bid to jointly host the 2032 Olympics with a North Korean city, likely its capital Pyongyang. Any country submitting a bid is required to be in compliance with WADA's code. North Korean athletes could also be excluded from competing in the Olympics or other international competitions under WADA rules requiring them to conform with the code "as a condition of such participation". WADA said the issue will be discussed at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Friday, where sports officials from the two Koreas were expected to inform the committee of their decision to bid. South Korea chose Seoul as its candidate city on Monday, with mayor Park Won-soon saying co-hosting the Olympics would be "the last stop to establish the peace". The last time Seoul hosted the summer Olympics, in 1988, Pyongyang boycotted the Games. In recent months the two Koreas have turned to sports diplomacy to ease tensions. During the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last year, North Korea sent leader Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, to express the regime's interest in an inter-Korean summit. That paved the way for a whirl of diplomacy including three inter-Korean summits in six months and a landmark June 12 Singapore meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A Seoul government official said it was verifying the reports and declined to immediately comment.

WADA says North Korea not complying with anti-doping code

Australia on Tuesday unveiled a new national integrity body to tackle cheating and corruption in sport in the wake of a ball-tampering "sandpapergate" scandal that rocked cricket.

The new watchdog, Sport Integrity Australia, will combine the powers of three existing agencies, including the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), to better investigate doping, match-fixing, illegal betting, organised crime and corruption.

"We have seen the massive fall-out from the cricket ball-tampering scandal and the loss of belief in our national cricket team and we are determined to prevent incidents like this from happening," Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie said in a statement.

"Australian sports lovers deserve to know that the sport they watch and the teams they support are competing on a level playing field and playing fairly," she said.

The current agencies are set to receive a boost in funding before Sport Integrity Australia formally launches in two years.

Canberra said it was also setting up a national sports tribunal, to be trialled over two years, to hear anti-doping rule violations and other sports disputes.

The sports-mad nation was stunned when its two top Test cricketers, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, as well as Cameron Bancroft, were caught trying to alter the ball against South Africa in Cape Town in March.

Smith and Warner were banned for a year and Bancroft for nine months.

The changes follow a review into Australia's sports integrity arrangements amid the growing commercialisation of sport and the rapid growth in sports wagering.

In addition to ASADA, the new umbrella body will incorporate the National Integrity of Sport Unit and the integrity watchdog functions of the governmental Sport Australia agency.

Australia on Tuesday unveiled a new national integrity body to tackle cheating and corruption in sport in the wake of a ball-tampering "sandpapergate" scandal that rocked cricket.

Australia on Tuesday unveiled a new national integrity body to tackle cheating and corruption in sport in the wake of a ball-tampering "sandpapergate" scandal that rocked cricket. The new watchdog, Sport Integrity Australia, will combine the powers of three existing agencies, including the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), to better investigate doping, match-fixing, illegal betting, organised crime and corruption. "We have seen the massive fall-out from the cricket ball-tampering scandal and the loss of belief in our national cricket team and we are determined to prevent incidents like this from happening," Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie said in a statement. "Australian sports lovers deserve to know that the sport they watch and the teams they support are competing on a level playing field and playing fairly," she said. The current agencies are set to receive a boost in funding before Sport Integrity Australia formally launches in two years. Canberra said it was also setting up a national sports tribunal, to be trialled over two years, to hear anti-doping rule violations and other sports disputes. The sports-mad nation was stunned when its two top Test cricketers, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, as well as Cameron Bancroft, were caught trying to alter the ball against South Africa in Cape Town in March. Smith and Warner were banned for a year and Bancroft for nine months. The changes follow a review into Australia's sports integrity arrangements amid the growing commercialisation of sport and the rapid growth in sports wagering. In addition to ASADA, the new umbrella body will incorporate the National Integrity of Sport Unit and the integrity watchdog functions of the governmental Sport Australia agency.

New Australia sports super-watchdog to target cheats

Russia's athletics federation said on Friday it would withdraw its appeal against the decision by the global athletics governing body IAAF to prolong its suspension over evidence of state-sponsored doping.

The federation had filed an appeal against at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September against IAAF's decision to extend the ban, imposed in November 2015.

The federation said its withdrawal of the appeal was linked to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decision this week not to suspend RUSADA, Russia's anti-doping agency, despite Moscow missing a deadline to hand over laboratory data.

For the Russian athletics federation to be reinstated, the Athletics Integrity Unit must confirm it has been given access to data and samples from the former Moscow anti-doping laboratory. WADA said this month it had retrieved the laboratory data.

The federation must also cover legal costs and the cost of IAAF investigations before the ban can be lifted.

"I'm convinced that at this time we must concentrate our efforts on negotiations and communication with IAAF regarding the reinstatement of the Russian athletics federation, and not waste time and effort on judicial processes," federation president Dmitry Shlyakhtin said in a statement.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport told Reuters on Friday it had not been notified that the federation wanted to withdraw its appeal.

The IAAF did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Although the federation remains suspended, several Russian athletes, including 2015 world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov, have been cleared to compete internationally as neutrals after demonstrating they are training in doping-free environments.

The IAAF's next Council meeting is set to take place March 10-11 in Doha.

Russia's athletics federation said on Friday it would withdraw its appeal against the decision by the global athletics governing body IAAF to prolong its suspension over evidence of state-sponsored doping.

Russia's athletics federation said on Friday it would withdraw its appeal against the decision by the global athletics governing body IAAF to prolong its suspension over evidence of state-sponsored doping. The federation had filed an appeal against at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September against IAAF's decision to extend the ban, imposed in November 2015. The federation said its withdrawal of the appeal was linked to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) decision this week not to suspend RUSADA, Russia's anti-doping agency, despite Moscow missing a deadline to hand over laboratory data. For the Russian athletics federation to be reinstated, the Athletics Integrity Unit must confirm it has been given access to data and samples from the former Moscow anti-doping laboratory. WADA said this month it had retrieved the laboratory data. The federation must also cover legal costs and the cost of IAAF investigations before the ban can be lifted. "I'm convinced that at this time we must concentrate our efforts on negotiations and communication with IAAF regarding the reinstatement of the Russian athletics federation, and not waste time and effort on judicial processes," federation president Dmitry Shlyakhtin said in a statement. The Court of Arbitration for Sport told Reuters on Friday it had not been notified that the federation wanted to withdraw its appeal. The IAAF did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Although the federation remains suspended, several Russian athletes, including 2015 world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov, have been cleared to compete internationally as neutrals after demonstrating they are training in doping-free environments. The IAAF's next Council meeting is set to take place March 10-11 in Doha.

Russian athletics federation withdraws appeal against doping ban

Due to a threat of interference in the collection of doping data and safety concerns for their inspection team, the Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will not file a report until the Moscow mission is complete, said the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday.

Following two days of meetings at WADA's Montreal headquarters the CRC had said it would submit a report on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) code compliance status to the executive committee by no later than Thursday.

But with the inspection team still in Russia retrieving data from the tainted Moscow laboratory, WADA was unwilling to put either the process or team members at risk.

"The CRC will not send us their report and recommendation until the team is out of Russia," WADA director general Olivier Niggli told Reuters on Tuesday.

"The only thing they (CRC) said was they don't want to send that until they have confirmation the mission is out of Russia.

"It is not just out of safety concerns it is also to ensure that there is no interference with the mission in Russia.

"From what I hear the mission is going well we will do nothing to actually risk that mission when this has been the whole goal for what we have been doing the last three months."

Access to the Moscow lab and data was a condition of WADA's controversial September decision to provisionally reinstate RUSADA.

The inspection team, which has been in Moscow since last Wednesday, is close to wrapping up its mission and any delays in producing a report would be minor.

The executive committee will consider the CRC's recommendations and will announce its ruling on Jan. 22 as scheduled.

WADA would not elaborate on what safety concerns they have but they were enough to trigger a change in plans.

The CRC on Monday was preparing a report, with input from a WADA inspection team that last month was denied access to the Moscow data, and would present its recommendations to the executive board by Jan. 17 as planned.

If the inspection team, however, completed its work before Jan. 22, the CRC indicated it was prepared to rewrite it, taking into account any new information.

By the time the CRC left WADA headquarters on Tuesday it had been decided they would not make any recommendations until the inspection team had completed its job and left Russia.

"The CRC is going to prepare an ongoing document and they will have to get this final information to conclude it," said Niggli.

"But it is not going to take them very long once we have told them the guys (inspection team) are finished and then we want the executive to have a little bit of time to consider it but I think one day difference is not a big deal.

"All I can say now is that the mission is going in the right direction."

Due to a threat of interference in the collection of doping data and safety concerns for their inspection team, the Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will not file a report until the Moscow mission is complete, said the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday.

Due to a threat of interference in the collection of doping data and safety concerns for their inspection team, the Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will not file a report until the Moscow mission is complete, said the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Tuesday. Following two days of meetings at WADA's Montreal headquarters the CRC had said it would submit a report on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency's (RUSADA) code compliance status to the executive committee by no later than Thursday. But with the inspection team still in Russia retrieving data from the tainted Moscow laboratory, WADA was unwilling to put either the process or team members at risk. "The CRC will not send us their report and recommendation until the team is out of Russia," WADA director general Olivier Niggli told Reuters on Tuesday. "The only thing they (CRC) said was they don't want to send that until they have confirmation the mission is out of Russia. "It is not just out of safety concerns it is also to ensure that there is no interference with the mission in Russia. "From what I hear the mission is going well we will do nothing to actually risk that mission when this has been the whole goal for what we have been doing the last three months." Access to the Moscow lab and data was a condition of WADA's controversial September decision to provisionally reinstate RUSADA. The inspection team, which has been in Moscow since last Wednesday, is close to wrapping up its mission and any delays in producing a report would be minor. The executive committee will consider the CRC's recommendations and will announce its ruling on Jan. 22 as scheduled. WADA would not elaborate on what safety concerns they have but they were enough to trigger a change in plans. The CRC on Monday was preparing a report, with input from a WADA inspection team that last month was denied access to the Moscow data, and would present its recommendations to the executive board by Jan. 17 as planned. If the inspection team, however, completed its work before Jan. 22, the CRC indicated it was prepared to rewrite it, taking into account any new information. By the time the CRC left WADA headquarters on Tuesday it had been decided they would not make any recommendations until the inspection team had completed its job and left Russia. "The CRC is going to prepare an ongoing document and they will have to get this final information to conclude it," said Niggli. "But it is not going to take them very long once we have told them the guys (inspection team) are finished and then we want the executive to have a little bit of time to consider it but I think one day difference is not a big deal. "All I can say now is that the mission is going in the right direction."

WADA will not get report until team out of Russia

WADA officials will discuss recommendations on the compliance of the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) on January 22, the World Anti-doping Agency announced Saturday.

"WADA ExCo (executive committee) to discuss Compliance Review Committee recommendation regarding RUSADA compliance status on 22 Jan via conference call," WADA tweeted.

"ExCo members requested that time to review appropriately the CRC recommendation (which will be provided to them at the latest on 17 Jan) and to consult with their stakeholders. WADA will publicly communicate the ExCo decision on 22 Jan following the conference call."

RUSADA was initially suspended by WADA in 2016 after an independent report by Professor Richard McLaren found that more than 1,000 athletes across more than 30 sports were aided by state‑sponsored doping.

WADA was strongly criticised over its decision to lift Russia's suspension in September before obtaining access to the anti-doping laboratory in Moscow.

Moscow subsequently missed the December 31 deadline to give WADA full access to the lab data vital to implicate or clear athletes in doping cases.

A second team of WADA experts, however, arrived in Russia Wednesday to complete the promised extraction of data, including results of doping tests.

WADA officials will discuss recommendations on the compliance of the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) on January 22, the World Anti-doping Agency announced Saturday.

WADA officials will discuss recommendations on the compliance of the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) on January 22, the World Anti-doping Agency announced Saturday. "WADA ExCo (executive committee) to discuss Compliance Review Committee recommendation regarding RUSADA compliance status on 22 Jan via conference call," WADA tweeted. "ExCo members requested that time to review appropriately the CRC recommendation (which will be provided to them at the latest on 17 Jan) and to consult with their stakeholders. WADA will publicly communicate the ExCo decision on 22 Jan following the conference call." RUSADA was initially suspended by WADA in 2016 after an independent report by Professor Richard McLaren found that more than 1,000 athletes across more than 30 sports were aided by state‑sponsored doping. WADA was strongly criticised over its decision to lift Russia's suspension in September before obtaining access to the anti-doping laboratory in Moscow. Moscow subsequently missed the December 31 deadline to give WADA full access to the lab data vital to implicate or clear athletes in doping cases. A second team of WADA experts, however, arrived in Russia Wednesday to complete the promised extraction of data, including results of doping tests.

WADA to discuss Russia on January 22

The numerous critics attacking the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over Russia's failure to meet a deadline to hand over data from its drug-tainted Moscow laboratory are acting like a "lynch mob", said former president Dick Pound.

The 76-year-old Canadian lawyer -- who was WADA's inaugural president from 1999-2007 and sits on its Foundation Board -- wrote in his blog for influential sports politics website InsideTheGames that those demanding WADA be overhauled had their own personal agendas.

The end-of-year deadline was set in September, when WADA lifted a ban on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition across all sports after a report which uncovered a state-sponsored doping programme in Russia.

However, when WADA personnel travelled to Russia in December they were unable to extract all of the promised data.

WADA said at the time its team could not complete its mission "due to an issue raised by the Russian authorities that the team's equipment to be used for the data extraction was required to be certified under Russian law".

WADA's leadership has been strongly criticised by the likes of Travis Tygart, head of USADA, and NADO (National Anti-Doping Agencies) over its decision to lift Russia's suspension before obtaining access to the information sought from its Moscow laboratory.

This information was expected to shed light on the extent of Russian cheating spanning several years and including multiple major championships

Pound, a former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee who ran unsuccessfully to replace Juan Antonio Samaranch as president in 2001, took aim at the critics with typical bluntness.

"Lynch mobs are just that -- unruly gangs having a single objective, murdering someone without any due process of justice," said Pound.

"Much of the response to Russia's failure to provide access to the former Moscow Laboratory data by the deadline (31 December 2018) imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Executive Committee in September 2018 has all the elements of a lynch mob.&nbsp;

"Many of those making up the mob know or should know that they are out of line.

"What is their real end-game?"

'Rule of law'

Pound, who is a long-standing friend to present under-fire WADA president Craig Reedie, said those demanding Russia be immediately declared non-compliant and the meeting of the WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC)on January 14-15 be brought forward knew this was impossible.

"This process is well-known to the entire anti-doping community" said Pound.

"It is disturbing to see otherwise responsible and sophisticated organisations urge that the process be completely ignored and incite others to adopt a similar view.

"I come from a country -- Canada -- that has a strong tradition of respect for the rule of law. That tradition is the direct opposite of mob rule."

Pound, a former top-class swimmer who competed in the 1960 Olympics, questions the motives of those seeking to destabilise WADA and warns the previous state of "anarchy" which existed before its creation could return.

"Perhaps the real agenda is that those who would destroy WADA do not want a robust and independent agency leading this fight for sporting integrity, unless they can insert themselves into positions of power," said Pound.

"Think about it…"

The numerous critics attacking the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over Russia's failure to meet a deadline to hand over data from its drug-tainted Moscow laboratory are acting like a "lynch mob", said former president Dick Pound.

The numerous critics attacking the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over Russia's failure to meet a deadline to hand over data from its drug-tainted Moscow laboratory are acting like a "lynch mob", said former president Dick Pound. The 76-year-old Canadian lawyer -- who was WADA's inaugural president from 1999-2007 and sits on its Foundation Board -- wrote in his blog for influential sports politics website InsideTheGames that those demanding WADA be overhauled had their own personal agendas. The end-of-year deadline was set in September, when WADA lifted a ban on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), paving the way for Russian athletes to return to competition across all sports after a report which uncovered a state-sponsored doping programme in Russia. However, when WADA personnel travelled to Russia in December they were unable to extract all of the promised data. WADA said at the time its team could not complete its mission "due to an issue raised by the Russian authorities that the team's equipment to be used for the data extraction was required to be certified under Russian law". WADA's leadership has been strongly criticised by the likes of Travis Tygart, head of USADA, and NADO (National Anti-Doping Agencies) over its decision to lift Russia's suspension before obtaining access to the information sought from its Moscow laboratory. This information was expected to shed light on the extent of Russian cheating spanning several years and including multiple major championships Pound, a former vice-president of the International Olympic Committee who ran unsuccessfully to replace Juan Antonio Samaranch as president in 2001, took aim at the critics with typical bluntness. "Lynch mobs are just that -- unruly gangs having a single objective, murdering someone without any due process of justice," said Pound. "Much of the response to Russia's failure to provide access to the former Moscow Laboratory data by the deadline (31 December 2018) imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Executive Committee in September 2018 has all the elements of a lynch mob. "Many of those making up the mob know or should know that they are out of line. "What is their real end-game?" 'Rule of law' Pound, who is a long-standing friend to present under-fire WADA president Craig Reedie, said those demanding Russia be immediately declared non-compliant and the meeting of the WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC)on January 14-15 be brought forward knew this was impossible. "This process is well-known to the entire anti-doping community" said Pound. "It is disturbing to see otherwise responsible and sophisticated organisations urge that the process be completely ignored and incite others to adopt a similar view. "I come from a country -- Canada -- that has a strong tradition of respect for the rule of law. That tradition is the direct opposite of mob rule." Pound, a former top-class swimmer who competed in the 1960 Olympics, questions the motives of those seeking to destabilise WADA and warns the previous state of "anarchy" which existed before its creation could return. "Perhaps the real agenda is that those who would destroy WADA do not want a robust and independent agency leading this fight for sporting integrity, unless they can insert themselves into positions of power," said Pound. "Think about it…"

Dick Pound blasts WADA critics for acting like a lynch mob

The International Olympic Committee's athlete commission indicated on Friday it would support fresh sanctions on Russia by world anti-doping agency WADA after a missed doping data deadline.

A WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will meet in Montreal on January 14-15 to hear from an inspection team whose five members were not allowed to retrieve data from a Moscow laboratory by a December 31 deadline.

The CRC will then submit a report to the WADA executive committee and could recommend that Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) once again be ruled non-compliant and face new sanctions.

The Athletes' Commission went out on a limb in supporting WADA's decision last September to conditionally reinstate RUSADA, which had been suspended since November 2015 over alleged state-backed doping.

Other athletes' groups and anti-doping organisations had spoken out strongly against RUSADA's reinstatement while the Russian athletics federation remains banned by the IAAF.

"As members of the IOC Athletes' Commission, we are extremely disappointed and concerned by the fact that RUSADA has missed the deadline," the Athletes' Commission said in a statement.

"We expect the CRC in its meeting...to make the appropriate recommendations to the WADA Executive Committee in the light of its decision of September 2018.

"These recommendations should lead to immediate measures and actions."

While not spelling out the 'appropriate recommendations', the statement noted that support for RUSADA's provisional reinstatement had been made on the understanding that a missed deadline would lead to "stronger and more effective sanctions".

A spokesman for the IOC President Thomas Bach told Reuters: "We have taken note of the statement of the IOC Athletes' Commission, which the IOC fully supports."

Athletes' Commission chair Kirsty Coventry, an Olympic swimming champion and now Zimbabwean Sports Minister, told Reuters in October that "if we don't get what we want then we must be strong in our reaction.

"If it is not done we will have to make some tough decisions," she added.

The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) challenged WADA on Thursday to make a quick ruling.

"Let's see if a decision on January 14 happens but let's not forget that's it's just a recommendation that has to go to the WADA executive committee," USADA chief Travis Tygart told Reuters.

"Are they going to call an emergency executive committee meeting on the 15th, which is what they should do? Being in limbo as a clean athlete is what is extremely frustrating about this process."

Tygart has called the situation 'a total joke', while Britain's anti-Doping Agency athlete commission and Drug Free Sport New Zealand are among groups to have urged WADA to find RUSADA non-compliant for missing the deadline.

CRC chairman Jonathan Taylor defended the decision to wait until mid-January, however.

"In cases of non-compliance, the special fast-track procedure also requires WADA to give the Russian authorities a fair opportunity to make a submission for the consideration of the CRC," the BBC quoted the British lawyer as saying.

"It might be said that there is nothing to be considered, the non-compliance is plain, the reasons are irrelevant, so following due process is futile and therefore unnecessary," he added.

"But the courts do not like such arguments, and therefore the risk of successful challenge would be significant, which I don't think anyone would want."

The International Olympic Committee's athlete commission indicated on Friday it would support fresh sanctions on Russia by world anti-doping agency WADA after a missed doping data deadline.

The International Olympic Committee's athlete commission indicated on Friday it would support fresh sanctions on Russia by world anti-doping agency WADA after a missed doping data deadline. A WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will meet in Montreal on January 14-15 to hear from an inspection team whose five members were not allowed to retrieve data from a Moscow laboratory by a December 31 deadline. The CRC will then submit a report to the WADA executive committee and could recommend that Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) once again be ruled non-compliant and face new sanctions. The Athletes' Commission went out on a limb in supporting WADA's decision last September to conditionally reinstate RUSADA, which had been suspended since November 2015 over alleged state-backed doping. Other athletes' groups and anti-doping organisations had spoken out strongly against RUSADA's reinstatement while the Russian athletics federation remains banned by the IAAF. "As members of the IOC Athletes' Commission, we are extremely disappointed and concerned by the fact that RUSADA has missed the deadline," the Athletes' Commission said in a statement. "We expect the CRC in its meeting...to make the appropriate recommendations to the WADA Executive Committee in the light of its decision of September 2018. "These recommendations should lead to immediate measures and actions." While not spelling out the 'appropriate recommendations', the statement noted that support for RUSADA's provisional reinstatement had been made on the understanding that a missed deadline would lead to "stronger and more effective sanctions". A spokesman for the IOC President Thomas Bach told Reuters: "We have taken note of the statement of the IOC Athletes' Commission, which the IOC fully supports." Athletes' Commission chair Kirsty Coventry, an Olympic swimming champion and now Zimbabwean Sports Minister, told Reuters in October that "if we don't get what we want then we must be strong in our reaction. "If it is not done we will have to make some tough decisions," she added. The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) challenged WADA on Thursday to make a quick ruling. "Let's see if a decision on January 14 happens but let's not forget that's it's just a recommendation that has to go to the WADA executive committee," USADA chief Travis Tygart told Reuters. "Are they going to call an emergency executive committee meeting on the 15th, which is what they should do? Being in limbo as a clean athlete is what is extremely frustrating about this process." Tygart has called the situation 'a total joke', while Britain's anti-Doping Agency athlete commission and Drug Free Sport New Zealand are among groups to have urged WADA to find RUSADA non-compliant for missing the deadline. CRC chairman Jonathan Taylor defended the decision to wait until mid-January, however. "In cases of non-compliance, the special fast-track procedure also requires WADA to give the Russian authorities a fair opportunity to make a submission for the consideration of the CRC," the BBC quoted the British lawyer as saying. "It might be said that there is nothing to be considered, the non-compliance is plain, the reasons are irrelevant, so following due process is futile and therefore unnecessary," he added. "But the courts do not like such arguments, and therefore the risk of successful challenge would be significant, which I don't think anyone would want."

IOC Athletes' body indicates support for fresh action against Russia

United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) head Travis Tygart urged that immediate action be taken to address the refusal of Russian officials to grant their investigators access to a Moscow lab at the heart of the Sochi Olympics doping scandal.

Tygart, in an interview with Reuters, said the situation is "a total joke" and is urging the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to hold an emergency meeting of their executive committee and declare Russia non-compliant.

The designation would reverse a recent decision to allow Russian athletes to compete in international competition provided certain steps were taken, including access to the lab by December 31.

The WADA Athlete Committee said Wednesday that anything less than declaring Russia non-compliant would be a considered a failure now that a crucial deadline to hand over laboratory doping data has lapsed.

Russian authorities failed to provide access to the data and WADA's Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will now meet Jan. 14-15 to review the situation and make a recommendation to WADA's executive committee on how to proceed.

"I think athletes were hoping to wake up on New Year's Day excited about the opportunity to compete clean in 2019, a year out from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and unfortunately they are very disappointed," Tygart told Reuters.

United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) head Travis Tygart urged that immediate action be taken to address the refusal of Russian officials to grant their investigators access to a Moscow lab at the heart of the Sochi Olympics doping scandal.

United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) head Travis Tygart urged that immediate action be taken to address the refusal of Russian officials to grant their investigators access to a Moscow lab at the heart of the Sochi Olympics doping scandal. Tygart, in an interview with Reuters, said the situation is "a total joke" and is urging the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to hold an emergency meeting of their executive committee and declare Russia non-compliant. The designation would reverse a recent decision to allow Russian athletes to compete in international competition provided certain steps were taken, including access to the lab by December 31. The WADA Athlete Committee said Wednesday that anything less than declaring Russia non-compliant would be a considered a failure now that a crucial deadline to hand over laboratory doping data has lapsed. Russian authorities failed to provide access to the data and WADA's Compliance Review Committee (CRC) will now meet Jan. 14-15 to review the situation and make a recommendation to WADA's executive committee on how to proceed. "I think athletes were hoping to wake up on New Year's Day excited about the opportunity to compete clean in 2019, a year out from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and unfortunately they are very disappointed," Tygart told Reuters.

US anti-doping head says WADA handling of Russian lab a 'total joke'

Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is again on the verge of suspension after a World Anti-Doping Agency inspection team visiting a Moscow laboratory was denied access to raw data to complete its full reinstatement, WADA said on Friday (December 21).

The five-member WADA team had spent a week in Russia but left the Moscow lab and returned home frustrated and without having retrieved any of the data in Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) it had been promised access to.

Russian authorities maintained that the inspection team's equipment to be used for the data extraction had not been certified under Russian law.

Access to the lab and data was a condition of WADA's September decision to reinstate RUSADA.

The inspection team will now prepare a formal report which will be sent to the independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC). The CRC will meet on Jan 14-15 when RUSADA's code compliance status will again be considered.

The CRC's recommendation will then be considered by the WADA executive committee.

WADA had set a December 31 deadline for RUSADA to meet the condition or once again be found non-compliant and face even tougher sanctions laid out in the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories.

RUSADA was suspended in 2015 after a WADA-commissioned report outlined evidence of massive state-backed, systematic doping in Russian athletics, allegations Moscow has denied.

Russian authorities downplayed the latest crisis with Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov describing the problems in a TASS report as "technical issues".

Kolobkov added: "The experts are satisfied with the visit," and said there were plans for a follow-up visit to the lab.

WADA told Reuters there were no more visits planned but that the team of experts would remain on standby ready to proceed with full data extraction should the matter be resolved.

The good faith displayed in conditionally reinstating RUSADA on the guarantee it would meet all requirements appears to have blown up in WADA's face. WADA came under scathing criticism from athlete and global anti-doping groups when it approved RUSADA's reinstatement in September.

"Let's hope WADA doesn't get played again and immediately declares them non-compliant," United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart told Reuters after learning of WADA's unsuccessful trip.

If RUSADA is found to be non-compliant Russian athletes could again be on the outside looking in with another Olympics approaching in Tokyo in 2020.

The opening up of the Moscow lab was supposed to be the end of the long-running doping scandal that began in 2015 and rocked the sporting world, preventing Russian athletes from competing in two Olympics and world championships.

Russia was banned from this year's Pyeongchang Winter Games but some athletes were allowed to compete as an 'Olympic Athlete of Russia', as long as they satisfied strict conditions that showed they had a doping-free background.

A limited number of Russian athletes competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro under their own flag but only after they met strict criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has, however, yet to reinstate the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF).

The IAAF this month voted to continue its doping-related ban of RusAF, which has been in place since 2015, until there is full access to the doping data stored in Moscow and financial compensation for investigation and legal costs.

Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is again on the verge of suspension after a World Anti-Doping Agency inspection team visiting a Moscow laboratory was denied access to raw data to complete its full reinstatement, WADA said on Friday (December 21).

Russia's Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is again on the verge of suspension after a World Anti-Doping Agency inspection team visiting a Moscow laboratory was denied access to raw data to complete its full reinstatement, WADA said on Friday (December 21). The five-member WADA team had spent a week in Russia but left the Moscow lab and returned home frustrated and without having retrieved any of the data in Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) it had been promised access to. Russian authorities maintained that the inspection team's equipment to be used for the data extraction had not been certified under Russian law. Access to the lab and data was a condition of WADA's September decision to reinstate RUSADA. The inspection team will now prepare a formal report which will be sent to the independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC). The CRC will meet on Jan 14-15 when RUSADA's code compliance status will again be considered. The CRC's recommendation will then be considered by the WADA executive committee. WADA had set a December 31 deadline for RUSADA to meet the condition or once again be found non-compliant and face even tougher sanctions laid out in the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories. RUSADA was suspended in 2015 after a WADA-commissioned report outlined evidence of massive state-backed, systematic doping in Russian athletics, allegations Moscow has denied. Russian authorities downplayed the latest crisis with Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov describing the problems in a TASS report as "technical issues". Kolobkov added: "The experts are satisfied with the visit," and said there were plans for a follow-up visit to the lab. WADA told Reuters there were no more visits planned but that the team of experts would remain on standby ready to proceed with full data extraction should the matter be resolved. The good faith displayed in conditionally reinstating RUSADA on the guarantee it would meet all requirements appears to have blown up in WADA's face. WADA came under scathing criticism from athlete and global anti-doping groups when it approved RUSADA's reinstatement in September. "Let's hope WADA doesn't get played again and immediately declares them non-compliant," United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart told Reuters after learning of WADA's unsuccessful trip. If RUSADA is found to be non-compliant Russian athletes could again be on the outside looking in with another Olympics approaching in Tokyo in 2020. The opening up of the Moscow lab was supposed to be the end of the long-running doping scandal that began in 2015 and rocked the sporting world, preventing Russian athletes from competing in two Olympics and world championships. Russia was banned from this year's Pyeongchang Winter Games but some athletes were allowed to compete as an 'Olympic Athlete of Russia', as long as they satisfied strict conditions that showed they had a doping-free background. A limited number of Russian athletes competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro under their own flag but only after they met strict criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has, however, yet to reinstate the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF). The IAAF this month voted to continue its doping-related ban of RusAF, which has been in place since 2015, until there is full access to the doping data stored in Moscow and financial compensation for investigation and legal costs.

Russia's Anti-Doping Agency again on verge of suspension after WADA team denied access to lab data

The Russian Biathlon Union has revealed that Austrian police officers visited members of the nation's biathlon team on Wednesday (December 13) to interview them over possible doping violations.

The union said questions to the athletes, who are in Austria for the latest meeting in the Biathlon World Cup series, concerned potential offences committed during last year's World Cup races at the same Hochfilzen venue.

The organisation added that Russia's biathlon team would nonetheless continue to race in the World Cup series, the IBU Cup and other international competitions.

"Police representatives questioned a series of Russian sports people and specialists," the union said in a statement on Thursday.

"Embassy employees and specialists are providing all the necessary assistance to the national team's sports people and specialists," it added.

Last month, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) said four Russian athletes had been charged with anti-doping violations after it analysed data from the country's anti-doping agency laboratory in Moscow.

The IBU said it based its decision on samples collected from 2012-15.

Russia was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from this year's Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for alleged state-sponsored doping across many sports, including biathlon. Moscow has denied the allegations.

However, a selection of Russian athletes with no history of doping were allowed to compete as neutrals on IOC invites, with four biathletes from the nation making the trip to South Korea.

The Russian Biathlon Union has revealed that Austrian police officers visited members of the nation's biathlon team on Wednesday (December 13) to interview them over possible doping violations.

The Russian Biathlon Union has revealed that Austrian police officers visited members of the nation's biathlon team on Wednesday (December 13) to interview them over possible doping violations. The union said questions to the athletes, who are in Austria for the latest meeting in the Biathlon World Cup series, concerned potential offences committed during last year's World Cup races at the same Hochfilzen venue. The organisation added that Russia's biathlon team would nonetheless continue to race in the World Cup series, the IBU Cup and other international competitions. "Police representatives questioned a series of Russian sports people and specialists," the union said in a statement on Thursday. "Embassy employees and specialists are providing all the necessary assistance to the national team's sports people and specialists," it added. Last month, the International Biathlon Union (IBU) said four Russian athletes had been charged with anti-doping violations after it analysed data from the country's anti-doping agency laboratory in Moscow. The IBU said it based its decision on samples collected from 2012-15. Russia was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from this year's Pyeongchang Winter Games as punishment for alleged state-sponsored doping across many sports, including biathlon. Moscow has denied the allegations. However, a selection of Russian athletes with no history of doping were allowed to compete as neutrals on IOC invites, with four biathletes from the nation making the trip to South Korea.

Austrian police question Russian biathlon team on doping

The Russian Olympic Committee appealed on Thursday against a Moscow court ruling that refused to recognise bobsledder Alexander Zubkov's Olympic ban, saying it could cast doubt on Russia's desire to fight against doping.

Zubkov, who has retired from competition and currently serves as the president of Russia's bobsleigh federation, was stripped of his two gold medals from the 2014 Sochi Olympics over doping.

Yet a Moscow court last month refused to acknowledge a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that confirmed a doping violation against Zubkov.

The judgment has no effect outside the country, leaving the CAS ruling intact.

The Russian Olympic Committee said that the Moscow court ruling "could give reason to doubt that Russia truly recognises the basic principles of the fight against doping".

When contacted by Reuters on Thursday, Zubkov said: "The Russian Olympic Committee has to defend its athletes ... but unfortunately our Olympic leaders don't agree. They are taking the side of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)."

The IOC stripped Zubkov of his two gold medals last year and banned him from the Olympics for life because of doping violations. Zubkov has denied any wrongdoing.

He appealed to the CAS, but the court upheld the IOC decision.

The Russian team was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from competing at this year's Pyeongchang Winter Games over the systematic manipulation of doping tests at the Sochi Olympics.

The IOC, however, allowed Russians with no history of doping to compete in Pyeongchang at its invitation as neutral athletes.

The Russian Olympic Committee appealed on Thursday against a Moscow court ruling that refused to recognise bobsledder Alexander Zubkov's Olympic ban, saying it could cast doubt on Russia's desire to fight against doping.

The Russian Olympic Committee appealed on Thursday against a Moscow court ruling that refused to recognise bobsledder Alexander Zubkov's Olympic ban, saying it could cast doubt on Russia's desire to fight against doping. Zubkov, who has retired from competition and currently serves as the president of Russia's bobsleigh federation, was stripped of his two gold medals from the 2014 Sochi Olympics over doping. Yet a Moscow court last month refused to acknowledge a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that confirmed a doping violation against Zubkov. The judgment has no effect outside the country, leaving the CAS ruling intact. The Russian Olympic Committee said that the Moscow court ruling "could give reason to doubt that Russia truly recognises the basic principles of the fight against doping". When contacted by Reuters on Thursday, Zubkov said: "The Russian Olympic Committee has to defend its athletes ... but unfortunately our Olympic leaders don't agree. They are taking the side of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)." The IOC stripped Zubkov of his two gold medals last year and banned him from the Olympics for life because of doping violations. Zubkov has denied any wrongdoing. He appealed to the CAS, but the court upheld the IOC decision. The Russian team was banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from competing at this year's Pyeongchang Winter Games over the systematic manipulation of doping tests at the Sochi Olympics. The IOC, however, allowed Russians with no history of doping to compete in Pyeongchang at its invitation as neutral athletes.

Russian Olympic Committee appeals local court doping decision

Real Madrid denied on Friday allegations their captain Sergio Ramos breached anti-doping regulations on the night of the 2017 Champions League final.&nbsp;

According to the German magazine, Der Spiegel Ramos failed to declare he had taken dexamethasone ahead of the match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in which Real beat Juventus 4-1.&nbsp;

In a statement, the European champions said that Ramos "has never breached the anti-doping control regulations" and that UEFA "closed the matter immediately", following the "verification of experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency, AMA, and UEFA itself".

The club continued: "Regarding the rest of the content from the aforementioned publication, the club will not pronounce on evidence that is so insubstantial."

Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The substance can have anti-inflammatory effects and increase concentration.&nbsp;

WADA does not prohibit players from taking dexamethasone before games, as long as it is declared during a doping test. Der Spiegel claims Ramos and the Real Madrid team doctor instead registered betamethasone, another glucocorticoid on WADA´s banned list.

However, the magazine also reports that UEFA were satisfied the mistake was an administrative error and took no disciplinary action.

Real Madrid denied on Friday allegations their captain Sergio Ramos breached anti-doping regulations on the night of the 2017 Champions League final. According to the German magazine, Der Spiegel Ramos failed to declare he had taken dexamethasone ahead of the match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in which Real beat Juventus 4-1.

Real Madrid denied on Friday allegations their captain Sergio Ramos breached anti-doping regulations on the night of the 2017 Champions League final. According to the German magazine, Der Spiegel Ramos failed to declare he had taken dexamethasone ahead of the match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in which Real beat Juventus 4-1. In a statement, the European champions said that Ramos "has never breached the anti-doping control regulations" and that UEFA "closed the matter immediately", following the "verification of experts from the World Anti-Doping Agency, AMA, and UEFA itself". The club continued: "Regarding the rest of the content from the aforementioned publication, the club will not pronounce on evidence that is so insubstantial." Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The substance can have anti-inflammatory effects and increase concentration. WADA does not prohibit players from taking dexamethasone before games, as long as it is declared during a doping test. Der Spiegel claims Ramos and the Real Madrid team doctor instead registered betamethasone, another glucocorticoid on WADA´s banned list. However, the magazine also reports that UEFA were satisfied the mistake was an administrative error and took no disciplinary action.

Real Madrid deny Sergio Ramos doping breach allegations

The organizers of Commonwealth Games said they have summoned "undisclosed competing nation" after discarded needles were found at the Games village in Australia's Gold Coast.

Reports said the needles were discovered in a plastic bottle over the weekend in breach of the "no-needle" policy.&nbsp

A cleaner at the village had reportedly tipped off the officials at the Games village.

However, Ajay Narang the Indian team manager told AFP that the needles had nothing to do with the team. It was found inside a water bottle outside the accommodation, he said.

India's men's boxing coach Santiago Nieva defended the team on Australia's Channel 7 asserting that he was confident his team members were clean.

The coach said one of the boxers needed to be given vitamins and it was not a performance-enhancing drug.

India's men's boxing coach Santiago Nieva defended the team on Australia's Channel 7 asserting that he was confident his team members were clean.

The organizers of Commonwealth Games said they have summoned "undisclosed competing nation" after discarded needles were found at the Games village in Australia's Gold Coast. Reports said the needles were discovered in a plastic bottle over the weekend in breach of the "no-needle" policy. A cleaner at the village had reportedly tipped off the officials at the Games village. However, Ajay Narang the Indian team manager told AFP that the needles had nothing to do with the team. It was found inside a water bottle outside the accommodation, he said. India's men's boxing coach Santiago Nieva defended the team on Australia's Channel 7 asserting that he was confident his team members were clean. The coach said one of the boxers needed to be given vitamins and it was not a performance-enhancing drug.

India under scanner over doping fears at Commonwealth Games

The Indian boxing contingent on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief after it escaped any major sanction for use of syringes at the Commonwealth Games village by its doctor Amol Patil, who was let off with a reprimand for not disposing of the needles as per stipulated procedure.

Hearing a complaint filed by the Commonwealth Games Federation's medical commission, the CGF court ruled that Patil had erred in not disposing the syringes as mandated by the 'No Needle Policy of the Games.

Patil had administered a vitamin B complex injection to an athlete who was feeling unwell.

"Under the No Needle Policy, needles are required to be stored in a central secured location, access to which is restricted to authorized medical personnel of the CGA delegation. The needles in question were not disposed of until he had made two trips to the Polyclinic," the CGF said in a statement.

"In the circumstances, the Federation Court's decision is that CGF should issue a "strong written reprimand" to the Doctor for the breaches.

"A copy of the letter of reprimand should be served on the Chef de Mission of the Indian Team who should be advised to ensure that no further infractions of CGF Policies occur by any member of the Indian Team," it added.

The CGF had stoically refused to name the national association or the athlete involved in the controversy which flared up after syringes were discovered at the Games Village on Saturday.

But speculation was rife that the country involved is India. The dope tests that followed the discovery of syringes, however, turned out negative.

"Upon questioning, the Doctor conceded that he was aware of the 'No Needle Policy' and subsequently detailed all use of needles for the period March 19 to date and co-operated in disclosing all medication in his possession," the CGF stated.

"The Federation Court found that there was a breach of Paragraphs I and II of the No Needle Policy in that the Doctor left needles in the room while he went to the Polyclinic to obtain sharp bins for the disposal of the needles," it added.

The CGF cleared Patil of violating the primary norms under the No Needle Policy which require that "whenever an athlete receives an injection, an Injection Declaration Form should be forwarded to the Commission no later than noon the day following such injection".

The CGF also took note of the bare minimum presence of doctors in the Indian contingent.

"The Indian Team comprises 327 persons in total with only one doctor (apart from the doctor assigned to Boxing) and one Physiotherapist.&nbsp;

These are the first Games for both the Indian Chief Medical Officer and the Doctor in question," it said.

The Indian boxing contingent today heaved a sigh of relief after it escaped any major sanction for use of syringes at the Commonwealth Games village by its doctor Amol Patil

The Indian boxing contingent on Tuesday heaved a sigh of relief after it escaped any major sanction for use of syringes at the Commonwealth Games village by its doctor Amol Patil, who was let off with a reprimand for not disposing of the needles as per stipulated procedure. Hearing a complaint filed by the Commonwealth Games Federation's medical commission, the CGF court ruled that Patil had erred in not disposing the syringes as mandated by the 'No Needle Policy of the Games. Patil had administered a vitamin B complex injection to an athlete who was feeling unwell. "Under the No Needle Policy, needles are required to be stored in a central secured location, access to which is restricted to authorized medical personnel of the CGA delegation. The needles in question were not disposed of until he had made two trips to the Polyclinic," the CGF said in a statement. "In the circumstances, the Federation Court's decision is that CGF should issue a "strong written reprimand" to the Doctor for the breaches. "A copy of the letter of reprimand should be served on the Chef de Mission of the Indian Team who should be advised to ensure that no further infractions of CGF Policies occur by any member of the Indian Team," it added. The CGF had stoically refused to name the national association or the athlete involved in the controversy which flared up after syringes were discovered at the Games Village on Saturday. But speculation was rife that the country involved is India. The dope tests that followed the discovery of syringes, however, turned out negative. "Upon questioning, the Doctor conceded that he was aware of the 'No Needle Policy' and subsequently detailed all use of needles for the period March 19 to date and co-operated in disclosing all medication in his possession," the CGF stated. "The Federation Court found that there was a breach of Paragraphs I and II of the No Needle Policy in that the Doctor left needles in the room while he went to the Polyclinic to obtain sharp bins for the disposal of the needles," it added. The CGF cleared Patil of violating the primary norms under the No Needle Policy which require that "whenever an athlete receives an injection, an Injection Declaration Form should be forwarded to the Commission no later than noon the day following such injection". The CGF also took note of the bare minimum presence of doctors in the Indian contingent. "The Indian Team comprises 327 persons in total with only one doctor (apart from the doctor assigned to Boxing) and one Physiotherapist. These are the first Games for both the Indian Chief Medical Officer and the Doctor in question," it said.

Indian boxing contingent escape doping charges with 'strong reprimand'

India's men's boxing coach denied any doping had taken place on Monday after syringes were found in the&nbspCommonwealth&nbspGames athletes' village, saying one of his fighters was given a vitamin injection because he was unwell.

Santiago Nieva was speaking to Australia's 7 News after Games bosses said officials from an unnamed team had been summoned over a breach of the event's "no-needle" policy.

"I'm confident that our boxers haven't taken anything," Nieva said, two days ahead of the opening ceremony.

"We had one boxer that wasn't very feeling well and the doctor has given him an injection."

Asked if it had been a performance-enhancing drug, Nieva replied: "No, that was a vitamin substance."

A cleaner at the athletes' village initially tipped off organisers about the syringes, officials said.

However, Nieva's explanation contradicts India team manager Ajay Narang, who on Saturday told AFP that the needles were nothing to do with them. They were found inside a water bottle on a path outside their accommodation, Narang said.

Games chiefs, who are still analysing the syringes, have repeatedly warned against teams or athletes breaking the "no-needle" edict. Any penalties would be at the discretion of the&nbspCommonwealth&nbspGames Federation court.

David Grevemberg, the federation's chief executive, declined earlier Monday to identify which country was under suspicion, but said officials had been summoned to a meeting with the organisation's medical commission.

&nbsp

Coach of Indian men's boxing team denied any doping had taken place on Monday after syringes were found in the Commonwealth Games athletes' village

India's men's boxing coach denied any doping had taken place on Monday after syringes were found in the Commonwealth&nbspGames athletes' village, saying one of his fighters was given a vitamin injection because he was unwell. Santiago Nieva was speaking to Australia's 7 News after Games bosses said officials from an unnamed team had been summoned over a breach of the event's "no-needle" policy. "I'm confident that our boxers haven't taken anything," Nieva said, two days ahead of the opening ceremony. "We had one boxer that wasn't very feeling well and the doctor has given him an injection." Asked if it had been a performance-enhancing drug, Nieva replied: "No, that was a vitamin substance." A cleaner at the athletes' village initially tipped off organisers about the syringes, officials said. However, Nieva's explanation contradicts India team manager Ajay Narang, who on Saturday told AFP that the needles were nothing to do with them. They were found inside a water bottle on a path outside their accommodation, Narang said. Games chiefs, who are still analysing the syringes, have repeatedly warned against teams or athletes breaking the "no-needle" edict. Any penalties would be at the discretion of the&nbspCommonwealth&nbspGames Federation court. David Grevemberg, the federation's chief executive, declined earlier Monday to identify which country was under suspicion, but said officials had been summoned to a meeting with the organisation's medical commission.

India's boxing coach denies doping at Commonwealth Games after needle find

Another major hit to Russia as 12 ranked bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeyeva has been banned from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after failing a doping test, the Court of Arbitration for Sport&nbsp;said Saturday.

The court said that she tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine and admitted the offence, the fourth doping case to hit the Pyeongchang Olympics and second from Russia.

Sergeyeva, who finished 12th in the two-woman bobsleigh, &quot;is excluded from the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018&quot;, the court said in a statement.

It said the results of the women, competing for the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAS), would be discounted.

The ruling came as the International Olympic Committee was debating&nbsp;whether to lift a ban imposed on Russia in December for mass doping.

The IOC agreed to allow 168 Russians deemed drug-free to take part as the OAS under a neutral flag. But despite extensive vetting Sergeyeva and another Russian athlete failed tests during the Games.

Curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his mixed doubles bronze medal for taking the banned substance meldonium.

Krushelnitsky, who won mixed doubles bronze along with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova, had initially protested his innocence.

But Krushelnitsky decided not to contest the case and the court said that he had admitted doping.

A Slovenian ice hockey player and a Japanese short-track speed skater have also tested positive for doping at the Games.

&nbsp;

This is the fourth doping case to hit the Pyeongchang Olympics and second from Russia

Another major hit to Russia as 12 ranked bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeyeva has been banned from the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after failing a doping test, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Saturday. The court said that she tested positive for the heart medication trimetazidine and admitted the offence, the fourth doping case to hit the Pyeongchang Olympics and second from Russia. Sergeyeva, who finished 12th in the two-woman bobsleigh, "is excluded from the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018", the court said in a statement. It said the results of the women, competing for the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAS), would be discounted. The ruling came as the International Olympic Committee was debating whether to lift a ban imposed on Russia in December for mass doping. The IOC agreed to allow 168 Russians deemed drug-free to take part as the OAS under a neutral flag. But despite extensive vetting Sergeyeva and another Russian athlete failed tests during the Games. Curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his mixed doubles bronze medal for taking the banned substance meldonium. Krushelnitsky, who won mixed doubles bronze along with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova, had initially protested his innocence. But Krushelnitsky decided not to contest the case and the court said that he had admitted doping. A Slovenian ice hockey player and a Japanese short-track speed skater have also tested positive for doping at the Games.

Winter Olympics: Russia's Nadezhda Sergeyeva in doping trap, thrown out

Thus far at this year&rsquo;s Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has brought disciplinary proceedings against three athletes suspected of doping. One of them is Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, who won bronze in the mixed curling event. He has tested positive for meldonium.

Some have delighted in noting that the strange &ldquo;broom and stone&rdquo; sport of curling had been &ldquo;rocked&rdquo; by the doping allegation. It has also raised memories of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who was banned for 15 months after testing positive to meldonium in 2016.

Krushelnitckii is also Russian, though technically competing in Pyeongchang as an Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR). This is the term the IOC has given to the 160 or so Russian athletes deemed eligible to compete despite the continuing suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee over doping allegations at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Krushelnitckii and the &lsquo;sabotage&rsquo; defence

The construction of the case against Krushelnitckii seems straightforward; his routine doping sample has come back positive for meldonium.

Although he left the Olympic Village without comment, it seems his defence will be that a fellow competitor &ndash; disgruntled at having not been selected to go to the Olympics &ndash; spiked or sabotaged his drink with the prohibited substance.

The burden of proof with this defence will be on Krushelnitckii. The &ldquo;someone spiked my drink&rdquo; defence is rarely credibly argued in doping cases and even more seldom successful.

In the build-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed a decision by India&rsquo;s National Anti-Doping Agency that annulled a doping infraction against wrestler Narsingh Yadav. The Indian body had accepted Yadav&rsquo;s plea of &ldquo;sabotage by another&rdquo;, and the annulment permitted him to be selected to compete in Rio.

But, days before his first bout, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

CAS imposed a four-year ban on Yadav. It argued any contention that seeks to undermine the scientific integrity of a positive test needs more than vague, circumstantial assertions by the athlete that persons unknown and at a time unknown had the motive and opportunity to conspire to sabotage the athlete&rsquo;s sample.

Also, in the Yadav case, the expert scientific witness noted that the prohibited substance in question &ndash; a steroid &ndash; would not have dissolved fully, and Yadav would likely have noticed sediment in his drink bottle.

Although the Yadav case gives an insight into the difficulties Krushelnitckii&rsquo;s defence will face, athletes have, on occasion, mounted successful sabotage defences.

The most-celebrated example at CAS was that of Belgian judoka Charline Van Snick. She tested positive for cocaine at the 2013 World Championships and faced a two-year ban, but claimed that someone must have sabotaged her drink bottle with the substance.

At CAS, she provided detailed toxicology reports showing she was not a habitual user of the drug. This evidence, combined with the spiked bottle&rsquo;s testing results, was enough to clear her of wrongdoing.

The only other example of the &ldquo;spiking&rdquo; defence being successful is where the athlete has specific evidence against another person &ndash; usually a rival or disaffected member of that athlete&rsquo;s entourage &ndash; who had the motive and access to carry out the act.

A very recent example of this occurred last month. One of Japan&rsquo;s top sprint canoeists, 32-year-old Yasuhiro Suzuki, was banned for eight years for spiking a younger rival&rsquo;s drink with an anabolic steroid. The rivalry between the two had, by all accounts, intensified as their preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics began in earnest.

The wider context

Returning to Krushelnitckii, many will probably roll their eyes at his purported defence and dismiss it as just another Russian excuse.

Nevertheless, there is something odd about the circumstances. All those on the OAR team would have known they would be subject to enhanced testing in the immediate weeks prior to, and during, the Olympics.

And Krushelnitckii was, it seems, independently tested at the end of January at a training camp in Japan before his departure to Pyeongchang. The results were negative.

OAR participants would also have been acutely aware that they were part of a sophisticated political choreography between Russia and the IOC, which it is claimed may even have resulted in athletes entering the closing ceremony under the Russian flag and in the national uniform. Krushelnitckii&rsquo;s positive test now puts pressure on the IOC not to allow this.

And the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang was an opportunity for Russia to draw a line under the past four years of doping allegations, in a year when it hosts another big sporting event &ndash; the FIFA World Cup.

A more immediate question is why an athlete might take a substance such as meldonium. It is widely used for treating different heart and vascular diseases and helps improve circulation, particularly in the brain. In terms of its performance-enhancing qualities, it appears it could have a positive effect on an athlete&rsquo;s stamina and concentration.

Although the immediate reaction of many was to treat doping in curling as a joke, the pressurised nature of an Olympics and the demands it makes on athletes &ndash; both physically and mentally &ndash; could, presumably, tempt someone to use meldonium.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Athletes have, on occasion, mounted successful defences of sabotage in doping cases.

Thus far at this year’s Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has brought disciplinary proceedings against three athletes suspected of doping. One of them is Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, who won bronze in the mixed curling event. He has tested positive for meldonium. Some have delighted in noting that the strange “broom and stone” sport of curling had been “rocked” by the doping allegation. It has also raised memories of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, who was banned for 15 months after testing positive to meldonium in 2016. Krushelnitckii is also Russian, though technically competing in Pyeongchang as an Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR). This is the term the IOC has given to the 160 or so Russian athletes deemed eligible to compete despite the continuing suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee over doping allegations at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Krushelnitckii and the ‘sabotage’ defence The construction of the case against Krushelnitckii seems straightforward; his routine doping sample has come back positive for meldonium. Although he left the Olympic Village without comment, it seems his defence will be that a fellow competitor – disgruntled at having not been selected to go to the Olympics – spiked or sabotaged his drink with the prohibited substance. The burden of proof with this defence will be on Krushelnitckii. The “someone spiked my drink” defence is rarely credibly argued in doping cases and even more seldom successful. In the build-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed a decision by India’s National Anti-Doping Agency that annulled a doping infraction against wrestler Narsingh Yadav. The Indian body had accepted Yadav’s plea of “sabotage by another”, and the annulment permitted him to be selected to compete in Rio. But, days before his first bout, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). CAS imposed a four-year ban on Yadav. It argued any contention that seeks to undermine the scientific integrity of a positive test needs more than vague, circumstantial assertions by the athlete that persons unknown and at a time unknown had the motive and opportunity to conspire to sabotage the athlete’s sample. Also, in the Yadav case, the expert scientific witness noted that the prohibited substance in question – a steroid – would not have dissolved fully, and Yadav would likely have noticed sediment in his drink bottle. Although the Yadav case gives an insight into the difficulties Krushelnitckii’s defence will face, athletes have, on occasion, mounted successful sabotage defences. The most-celebrated example at CAS was that of Belgian judoka Charline Van Snick. She tested positive for cocaine at the 2013 World Championships and faced a two-year ban, but claimed that someone must have sabotaged her drink bottle with the substance. At CAS, she provided detailed toxicology reports showing she was not a habitual user of the drug. This evidence, combined with the spiked bottle’s testing results, was enough to clear her of wrongdoing. The only other example of the “spiking” defence being successful is where the athlete has specific evidence against another person – usually a rival or disaffected member of that athlete’s entourage – who had the motive and access to carry out the act. A very recent example of this occurred last month. One of Japan’s top sprint canoeists, 32-year-old Yasuhiro Suzuki, was banned for eight years for spiking a younger rival’s drink with an anabolic steroid. The rivalry between the two had, by all accounts, intensified as their preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics began in earnest. The wider context Returning to Krushelnitckii, many will probably roll their eyes at his purported defence and dismiss it as just another Russian excuse. Nevertheless, there is something odd about the circumstances. All those on the OAR team would have known they would be subject to enhanced testing in the immediate weeks prior to, and during, the Olympics. And Krushelnitckii was, it seems, independently tested at the end of January at a training camp in Japan before his departure to Pyeongchang. The results were negative. OAR participants would also have been acutely aware that they were part of a sophisticated political choreography between Russia and the IOC, which it is claimed may even have resulted in athletes entering the closing ceremony under the Russian flag and in the national uniform. Krushelnitckii’s positive test now puts pressure on the IOC not to allow this. And the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang was an opportunity for Russia to draw a line under the past four years of doping allegations, in a year when it hosts another big sporting event – the FIFA World Cup. A more immediate question is why an athlete might take a substance such as meldonium. It is widely used for treating different heart and vascular diseases and helps improve circulation, particularly in the brain. In terms of its performance-enhancing qualities, it appears it could have a positive effect on an athlete’s stamina and concentration. Although the immediate reaction of many was to treat doping in curling as a joke, the pressurised nature of an Olympics and the demands it makes on athletes – both physically and mentally – could, presumably, tempt someone to use meldonium. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why are athletes doping in Olympics?

Russian Olympic curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has been found guilty of an anti-doping violation after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday.

CAS said the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) mixed doubles curling team, who won bronze at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, had been disqualified from the competition over the violation.

Krushelnitsky, who won the medal with his wife, had accepted a provisional suspension beyond the period of the Games, CAS said, adding that the athlete had &quot;reserved his rights to seek the elimination or reduction of any period of ineligibility&quot; following the Games.

The announcement came hours after CAS cancelled the hearing into the case at the request of the International Olympic Committee, the World Curling Federation and Krushelnitsky himself.

Dmitry Svishchev, president of Russia&#39;s curling federation, said he hoped giving up the medal was a temporary measure.

&quot;Unfortunately we have to part with the Olympic bronze medal,&quot; he said in a statement on the federation&#39;s website. &quot;I really hope and believe that this is temporary.&quot;

The doping case has come at a delicate time for Russia, which has been accused of running a state-backed, systematic doping program for years, an allegation Moscow denies.

Russians are competing at Pyeongchang as neutral athletes, and Russia had been hoping that a clean record at the Games would enable it to return to full Olympic status.

Krushelnitsky and his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova have agreed to surrender their medals, according to the Russian curling federation.

Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov said on Wednesday he hoped the Pyeongchang doping case would not impact the IOC&#39;s deliberations on whether to let Russia regain full Olympic status.

The IOC has said it might allow the Russians to march with the country&#39;s flag and in national uniform at the closing ceremony of the Games on Sunday, provided they have complied with its code of conduct on neutrality.

The code requires compliance with IOC anti-doping rules.

The Russian Olympic delegation has said it could not explain how meldonium had ended up in Krushelnitsky&#39;s body and pledged to investigate.

Dmitry Svishchev, president of Russia's curling federation, said he hoped giving up the medal was a temporary measure.

Russian Olympic curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has been found guilty of an anti-doping violation after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday. CAS said the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) mixed doubles curling team, who won bronze at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, had been disqualified from the competition over the violation. Krushelnitsky, who won the medal with his wife, had accepted a provisional suspension beyond the period of the Games, CAS said, adding that the athlete had "reserved his rights to seek the elimination or reduction of any period of ineligibility" following the Games. The announcement came hours after CAS cancelled the hearing into the case at the request of the International Olympic Committee, the World Curling Federation and Krushelnitsky himself. Dmitry Svishchev, president of Russia's curling federation, said he hoped giving up the medal was a temporary measure. "Unfortunately we have to part with the Olympic bronze medal," he said in a statement on the federation's website. "I really hope and believe that this is temporary." The doping case has come at a delicate time for Russia, which has been accused of running a state-backed, systematic doping program for years, an allegation Moscow denies. Russians are competing at Pyeongchang as neutral athletes, and Russia had been hoping that a clean record at the Games would enable it to return to full Olympic status. Krushelnitsky and his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova have agreed to surrender their medals, according to the Russian curling federation. Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov said on Wednesday he hoped the Pyeongchang doping case would not impact the IOC's deliberations on whether to let Russia regain full Olympic status. The IOC has said it might allow the Russians to march with the country's flag and in national uniform at the closing ceremony of the Games on Sunday, provided they have complied with its code of conduct on neutrality. The code requires compliance with IOC anti-doping rules. The Russian Olympic delegation has said it could not explain how meldonium had ended up in Krushelnitsky's body and pledged to investigate.

Russian Olympian Krushelnitsky guilty of doping violation: CAS

Sport, and particularly the International Olympic Committee (IOC), needs a new approach to doping &ndash; one in which it frankly and independently interrogates what went wrong and uses that analysis to secure the future.

Mistakes have been made to the extent that doping scandals have dominated the build-up to the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. This is one of the IOC&rsquo;s marquee events, and the financial viability of the Olympic &ldquo;movement&rdquo; depends on it.

The background to the latest scandal is easily explained. But the lessons that need to be learned are not so simply analysed.

Background to the saga&nbsp;

Allegations of a Russian state-sponsored doping conspiracy at the 2014 Sochi Olympics prompted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to commission an investigation by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren. His report fed into the IOC&rsquo;s investigation of the Sochi Olympics and its own disciplinary process.

This all led to the IOC&rsquo;s decision in December 2017 to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect.&nbsp;

Nevertheless, the IOC also decided it would still be open to inviting individual Russian athletes to compete in Pyeongchang. But this would be under strict conditions that, if met, would only allow them to participate under a separate designation of &ldquo;Olympic Athlete from Russia&rdquo;.

An IOC panel appointed to oversee this process initially reviewed applications submitted by 500 Russian athletes &ndash; 111 were refused almost immediately. It now looks as if 169 Russian athletes will compete in Pyeongchang.

The IOC disciplined a separate tranche of 43 Russian athletes. These athletes had to forfeit the medals they won at Sochi and received life bans from future Olympics. But 39 of them appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and 28 were successful. The court held there was insufficient evidence to establish they had committed anti-doping infractions.

Although the court&rsquo;s mandate was to consider the individual appeals and not to determine whether there was systemic doping at Sochi, its decision was a bad defeat for the IOC.

With 169 Russians permitted to go to Pyeongchang by its own review panel plus the 28 cleared by case, it could be said there are now 197 holes in the key pieces of evidence relied upon by the IOC &ndash; the McLaren report and that of Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov.

Also, the Russian press has interpreted the CAS decision annulling the medal forfeiture as meaning that Russia is reinstated in first place on the unofficial Sochi Olympics medal tally.

Even in the CAS decision to uphold the findings of doping violations against the other 11 Russian athletes, the IOC&rsquo;s victory was partial. These athletes had their life bans reduced to a ban for the duration of the Pyeongchang Games only.

After the CAS decision, IOC President Thomas Bach said reform may be needed to the way the court operates &ndash; as did WADA vice-president Linda Hofstad Helleland.

So, sport is now in a politically charged and totally conflicted situation. Its doping prosecutor (WADA) and the executive that governs sports policy globally (the IOC) have both said an inquiry is needed into the workings of sport&rsquo;s judiciary. And that inquiry has been prompted by a CAS judgment that applied the anti-doping laws WADA and the IOC wrote, but with whose interpretation they now disagree.

The IOC has refused to invite the CAS-cleared athletes to compete in Pyeongchang. It seems to have suggested its rationale is twofold: it still has to get the full reasons for the CAS decision, and it has &ldquo;additional information&rdquo; on doping related to those athletes.

But this raises fresh questions about why this supplementary evidence wasn&rsquo;t supplied to CAS and what exactly are the criteria used &ndash; as opposed to the evidence relied upon by the IOC in deciding whether to invite the athletes.

Some of those athletes are now (re)challenging the IOC and the carousel of Sochi-related appeals at CAS continues. It&rsquo;s unclear if it will stop before the Pyeongchang Olympics begin on Friday.

What lessons can be learned?

The International Paralympic Committee comprehensively banned Russia &ndash; a move CAS upheld. The IOC did not do this; it pursued individuals. There are questions over whether it &nbsp;unnecessarily rushed that process (and its lawyers), and whether it had a contingency plan to respond to the worst-case scenario of losing at CAS.

In the long term, questions may well be asked of CAS and whether it has outgrown its current structures to the extent that a permanent, standing court is needed for sport.

More importantly, it must be asked whether the current anti-doping system, which has its origins in responses to the systemic doping of East Germany and others in the 1980s, is designed to pursue and punish instances of institutional or collective or team-mandated doping.

In addition, the system is premised largely on catching individual dopers. Maybe a better way to test the system&rsquo;s integrity is for entities such as WADA, in conjunction with athlete representative bodies, to continuously and first to ask itself: what if we accuse someone in the wrong? What about a false positive?

If the anti-doping system is scrutinised in this way, it may well prompt uncomfortable questions about the scientific integrity and efficacy of current testing, the resources needed to independently prosecute doping, and the political will to do so.

And yet, if those questions are answered honestly and the necessary checks and balances are put in place, the anti-doping system would be strengthened &ndash; and the mistakes of the recent past would be confined to the past.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Doping scandals have dominated the build-up to the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Sport, and particularly the International Olympic Committee (IOC), needs a new approach to doping – one in which it frankly and independently interrogates what went wrong and uses that analysis to secure the future. Mistakes have been made to the extent that doping scandals have dominated the build-up to the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. This is one of the IOC’s marquee events, and the financial viability of the Olympic “movement” depends on it. The background to the latest scandal is easily explained. But the lessons that need to be learned are not so simply analysed. Background to the saga Allegations of a Russian state-sponsored doping conspiracy at the 2014 Sochi Olympics prompted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to commission an investigation by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren. His report fed into the IOC’s investigation of the Sochi Olympics and its own disciplinary process. This all led to the IOC’s decision in December 2017 to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee with immediate effect. Nevertheless, the IOC also decided it would still be open to inviting individual Russian athletes to compete in Pyeongchang. But this would be under strict conditions that, if met, would only allow them to participate under a separate designation of “Olympic Athlete from Russia”. An IOC panel appointed to oversee this process initially reviewed applications submitted by 500 Russian athletes – 111 were refused almost immediately. It now looks as if 169 Russian athletes will compete in Pyeongchang. The IOC disciplined a separate tranche of 43 Russian athletes. These athletes had to forfeit the medals they won at Sochi and received life bans from future Olympics. But 39 of them appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and 28 were successful. The court held there was insufficient evidence to establish they had committed anti-doping infractions. Although the court’s mandate was to consider the individual appeals and not to determine whether there was systemic doping at Sochi, its decision was a bad defeat for the IOC. With 169 Russians permitted to go to Pyeongchang by its own review panel plus the 28 cleared by case, it could be said there are now 197 holes in the key pieces of evidence relied upon by the IOC – the McLaren report and that of Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov. Also, the Russian press has interpreted the CAS decision annulling the medal forfeiture as meaning that Russia is reinstated in first place on the unofficial Sochi Olympics medal tally. Even in the CAS decision to uphold the findings of doping violations against the other 11 Russian athletes, the IOC’s victory was partial. These athletes had their life bans reduced to a ban for the duration of the Pyeongchang Games only. After the CAS decision, IOC President Thomas Bach said reform may be needed to the way the court operates – as did WADA vice-president Linda Hofstad Helleland. So, sport is now in a politically charged and totally conflicted situation. Its doping prosecutor (WADA) and the executive that governs sports policy globally (the IOC) have both said an inquiry is needed into the workings of sport’s judiciary. And that inquiry has been prompted by a CAS judgment that applied the anti-doping laws WADA and the IOC wrote, but with whose interpretation they now disagree. The IOC has refused to invite the CAS-cleared athletes to compete in Pyeongchang. It seems to have suggested its rationale is twofold: it still has to get the full reasons for the CAS decision, and it has “additional information” on doping related to those athletes. But this raises fresh questions about why this supplementary evidence wasn’t supplied to CAS and what exactly are the criteria used – as opposed to the evidence relied upon by the IOC in deciding whether to invite the athletes. Some of those athletes are now (re)challenging the IOC and the carousel of Sochi-related appeals at CAS continues. It’s unclear if it will stop before the Pyeongchang Olympics begin on Friday. What lessons can be learned? The International Paralympic Committee comprehensively banned Russia – a move CAS upheld. The IOC did not do this; it pursued individuals. There are questions over whether it unnecessarily rushed that process (and its lawyers), and whether it had a contingency plan to respond to the worst-case scenario of losing at CAS. In the long term, questions may well be asked of CAS and whether it has outgrown its current structures to the extent that a permanent, standing court is needed for sport. More importantly, it must be asked whether the current anti-doping system, which has its origins in responses to the systemic doping of East Germany and others in the 1980s, is designed to pursue and punish instances of institutional or collective or team-mandated doping. In addition, the system is premised largely on catching individual dopers. Maybe a better way to test the system’s integrity is for entities such as WADA, in conjunction with athlete representative bodies, to continuously and first to ask itself: what if we accuse someone in the wrong? What about a false positive? If the anti-doping system is scrutinised in this way, it may well prompt uncomfortable questions about the scientific integrity and efficacy of current testing, the resources needed to independently prosecute doping, and the political will to do so. And yet, if those questions are answered honestly and the necessary checks and balances are put in place, the anti-doping system would be strengthened – and the mistakes of the recent past would be confined to the past. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Russian Olympic doping calls for different approach in future Olympics

Slovenian ice hockey player Ziga Jeglic failed a drugs test and has been suspended, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday, becoming the third doping case at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

In a statement, CAS said Jeglic had been ordered to leave the Olympic Village within 24 hours after testing positive for the banned <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/russia-again-suffers-doping-allegations-here-is-history-of-russian-doping-scandal-33344">drug fenoterol</a>, which is used to treat breathing difficulties.

CAS said Jeglic &quot;accepted an anti-doping rule violation and, as a consequence, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/what-is-meldonium-and-why-was-it-banned-33353">the athlete is suspended</a> from competing in the remainder of the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018.&quot;

&nbsp;

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement that the accused player had been ordered to leave after testing positive for the banned drug fenoterol

Slovenian ice hockey player Ziga Jeglic failed a drugs test and has been suspended, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Tuesday, becoming the third doping case at the Pyeongchang Olympics. In a statement, CAS said Jeglic had been ordered to leave the Olympic Village within 24 hours after testing positive for the banned drug fenoterol, which is used to treat breathing difficulties. CAS said Jeglic "accepted an anti-doping rule violation and, as a consequence, the athlete is suspended from competing in the remainder of the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018."

Third doping case at winter games as Slovenian hockey player fails drug test

A Russian Olympic curler has been implicated in a doping case in a potential setback as the country battles to recover from a major scandal which triggered its ban from the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

A fresh doping case would be deeply embarrassing for Russia, which has 168 athletes deemed clean competing in Pyeongchang as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia.

A source close to the matter said the case involved meldonium. Now, here are some facts about this drug.

What is meldonium 
Meldonium is used to treat ischaemia: A lack of blood flow to parts of the body, particularly in cases of angina, chronic heart failure, cardiomyopathy and other cardiovascular disorders.The drug also helps to adjust the body&#39;s use of energy and can boost stamina and endurance. It increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes and increased blood flow means more oxygen to muscle tissue.

Why it was banned 
It is categorised as an S4 substance under the Wada code, which addresses hormone and metabolic modulators. The drug was banned when a study revealed that 17 per cent of Russian athletes tested were found to have meldonium in their system.

When it was&nbsp;banned 
WADA placed the drug on its watch list in 2015 but the decision to add meldonium to the banned list was approved on 16 September 2015, and it came into effect on 1 January 2016.

Why is the drug under the spotlight 
Meldonium has been in the spotlight since Russian tennis player and former world number one Maria Sharapova tested positive for the drug in January 2016 and was later banned for 15 months. Sharapova said she was unaware that the drug had been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency&#39;s (WADA) banned substances list.

This drug is available in which countries 
Meldonium is cheap and available over the counter in Russia and some eastern European countries, where it is marketed as Mildronate by the Latvian pharmaceutical firm Grindeks. It is not licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

&nbsp;

Meldonium was developed to treat patients with heart conditions such as angina, chronic heart failure, cardiomyopathy and other cardiovascular disorders

A Russian Olympic curler has been implicated in a doping case in a potential setback as the country battles to recover from a major scandal which triggered its ban from the Pyeongchang Winter Games. A fresh doping case would be deeply embarrassing for Russia, which has 168 athletes deemed clean competing in Pyeongchang as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia. A source close to the matter said the case involved meldonium. Now, here are some facts about this drug. What is meldonium Meldonium is used to treat ischaemia: A lack of blood flow to parts of the body, particularly in cases of angina, chronic heart failure, cardiomyopathy and other cardiovascular disorders.The drug also helps to adjust the body's use of energy and can boost stamina and endurance. It increases blood flow, which improves exercise capacity in athletes and increased blood flow means more oxygen to muscle tissue. Why it was banned It is categorised as an S4 substance under the Wada code, which addresses hormone and metabolic modulators. The drug was banned when a study revealed that 17 per cent of Russian athletes tested were found to have meldonium in their system. When it was banned WADA placed the drug on its watch list in 2015 but the decision to add meldonium to the banned list was approved on 16 September 2015, and it came into effect on 1 January 2016. Why is the drug under the spotlight Meldonium has been in the spotlight since Russian tennis player and former world number one Maria Sharapova tested positive for the drug in January 2016 and was later banned for 15 months. Sharapova said she was unaware that the drug had been added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) banned substances list. This drug is available in which countries Meldonium is cheap and available over the counter in Russia and some eastern European countries, where it is marketed as Mildronate by the Latvian pharmaceutical firm Grindeks. It is not licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States.

What is meldonium and why was it banned

A doping case involving a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/russian-olympic-curler-involved-in-doping-case-sources-33276"> Russian curler</a> at the Pyeongchang Olympics would be &quot;extremely disappointing&quot; if proved true, the International Olympic Committee said Monday.

&quot;It&#39;s extremely disappointing for us if a case is proven,&quot; IOC spokesman Mark Adams said after a curler from the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) delegation was implicated in the second doping scandal to hit the Games.

A spokesman for the OAR in Pyeongchang told Russian media that an A sample showed a possible violation of anti-doping rules and a B sample would be tested later Monday.

A fresh doping case would be deeply embarrassing for Russia, which was banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics over state-sponsored doping. But 168 Russian athletes deemed clean are competing as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia.

If the case is confirmed, it will come before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is handling doping matters at the Olympics and has an ad hoc division in Pyeongchang.

It would also be considered by the panel which will ponder whether to end <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/russian-olympic-curler-involved-in-doping-case-sources-33276">Russia&#39;s ban</a> as early as next week.

The IOC suspended Russia in December after revelations of a widespread and highly orchestrated doping conspiracy, which first emerged before the Rio 2016 Summer Games.

Investigations found that the doping plot, straddling several years, culminated when Russia hosted the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, where they topped the medals table.

Russian athletes in Pyeongchang are under strict instructions to honour the &quot;letter and spirit&quot; of guidelines governing their participation, including respect for anti-doping rules.

Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency&#39;s list of banned substances in 2016. Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, a former world number one, served a 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium early that year.

&nbsp;

A Russian Olympic curler has been implicated in a doping case, sources claimed that the case involved meldonium

A doping case involving a Russian curler at the Pyeongchang Olympics would be "extremely disappointing" if proved true, the International Olympic Committee said Monday. "It's extremely disappointing for us if a case is proven," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said after a curler from the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) delegation was implicated in the second doping scandal to hit the Games. A spokesman for the OAR in Pyeongchang told Russian media that an A sample showed a possible violation of anti-doping rules and a B sample would be tested later Monday. A fresh doping case would be deeply embarrassing for Russia, which was banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics over state-sponsored doping. But 168 Russian athletes deemed clean are competing as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia. If the case is confirmed, it will come before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is handling doping matters at the Olympics and has an ad hoc division in Pyeongchang. It would also be considered by the panel which will ponder whether to end Russia's ban as early as next week. The IOC suspended Russia in December after revelations of a widespread and highly orchestrated doping conspiracy, which first emerged before the Rio 2016 Summer Games. Investigations found that the doping plot, straddling several years, culminated when Russia hosted the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, where they topped the medals table. Russian athletes in Pyeongchang are under strict instructions to honour the "letter and spirit" of guidelines governing their participation, including respect for anti-doping rules. Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances in 2016. Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, a former world number one, served a 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium early that year.

IOC: Russian doping case 'extremely disappointing' if proven

A Russian Olympic curler has been implicated in a doping case, sources told AFP on Sunday, in a potential setback as the country battles to recover from a major scandal which triggered its ban from the Pyeongchang Winter Games.

A source close to the matter said the case involved meldonium -- the same substance that saw Maria Sharapova banned. The World Curling Federation also said it was aware of the situation, following Russian reports which named a Russian curler.

Russia was banned from the Olympics after the emergence of systemic doping. But the International Olympic Committee is considering lifting the ban before the Pyeongchang closing ceremony on February 26.

A fresh doping case would be deeply embarrassing for Russia, which has 168 athletes deemed clean competing in Pyeongchang as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia.

&quot;Today the headquarters of our delegation received an official notice from the IOC regarding a possible violation of anti-doping rules,&quot; Konstantin Vybornov, spokesman for the Russian team, was quoted as saying earlier on Sunday.

&quot;We are not naming the athlete or the discipline until the B-sample results, which are expected within approximately 24 hours,&quot; he said, according to Russian media.

If the case is confirmed, it will come before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is handling doping matters at the Olympics and has an ad hoc division in Pyeongchang.

It would also be considered by the panel which will ponder whether to end Russia&#39;s ban as early as next week, the IOC said.

&quot;On the one hand, it is extremely disappointing when prohibited substances might have been used, but on the other hand, it shows the effectiveness of the anti-doping system at the Games, which protects the rights of all clean athletes,&quot; an IOC statement said.

The IOC suspended Russia in December after revelations of a widespread and highly orchestrated doping conspiracy, which first emerged before the Rio 2016 Summer Games.

Investigations found that the doping plot, straddling several years, culminated when Russia hosted the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, where they topped the medals table.

- &#39;Widespread use&#39; -

Russian athletes in Pyeongchang are under strict instructions to honour the &quot;letter and spirit&quot; of guidelines governing their participation, including not waving the Russian flag or wearing its colours.

The IOC panel is due to consider how well the Russian team has observed the guidelines before making a recommendation on whether to lift the ban.

Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency&#39;s list of banned substances in 2016. Russian tennis player Sharapova, a former world number one, served a 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium early that year.

Russian short-track speed skater Semen Elistratov, who won bronze in the men&#39;s 1,500m in Pyeongchang, served a brief ban for the same substance in 2016.&nbsp;

Richard Budgett, medical director for the International Olympic Committee, said it seemed that Elistratov took the drug before it was banned.

&quot;Because of the way it&#39;s metabolised, it can stay in the system for many, many months, even nine months after it had been taken,&quot; Budgett told journalists last week.

He added: &quot;We have to be realistic -- meldonium was used in a widespread way throughout Eastern Europe and Russia and was considered to be a tonic, a type of cardiac stimulant that was not prohibited.

&quot;But of course, quite rightly it was then prohibited and because it was such widespread use there were a large number of cases.&quot;

&nbsp;

A source close to the matter said the case involved meldonium -- the same substance that saw Maria Sharapova banned

A Russian Olympic curler has been implicated in a doping case, sources told AFP on Sunday, in a potential setback as the country battles to recover from a major scandal which triggered its ban from the Pyeongchang Winter Games. A source close to the matter said the case involved meldonium -- the same substance that saw Maria Sharapova banned. The World Curling Federation also said it was aware of the situation, following Russian reports which named a Russian curler. Russia was banned from the Olympics after the emergence of systemic doping. But the International Olympic Committee is considering lifting the ban before the Pyeongchang closing ceremony on February 26. A fresh doping case would be deeply embarrassing for Russia, which has 168 athletes deemed clean competing in Pyeongchang as neutral Olympic Athletes from Russia. "Today the headquarters of our delegation received an official notice from the IOC regarding a possible violation of anti-doping rules," Konstantin Vybornov, spokesman for the Russian team, was quoted as saying earlier on Sunday. "We are not naming the athlete or the discipline until the B-sample results, which are expected within approximately 24 hours," he said, according to Russian media. If the case is confirmed, it will come before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is handling doping matters at the Olympics and has an ad hoc division in Pyeongchang. It would also be considered by the panel which will ponder whether to end Russia's ban as early as next week, the IOC said. "On the one hand, it is extremely disappointing when prohibited substances might have been used, but on the other hand, it shows the effectiveness of the anti-doping system at the Games, which protects the rights of all clean athletes," an IOC statement said. The IOC suspended Russia in December after revelations of a widespread and highly orchestrated doping conspiracy, which first emerged before the Rio 2016 Summer Games. Investigations found that the doping plot, straddling several years, culminated when Russia hosted the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, where they topped the medals table. - 'Widespread use' - Russian athletes in Pyeongchang are under strict instructions to honour the "letter and spirit" of guidelines governing their participation, including not waving the Russian flag or wearing its colours. The IOC panel is due to consider how well the Russian team has observed the guidelines before making a recommendation on whether to lift the ban. Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances in 2016. Russian tennis player Sharapova, a former world number one, served a 15-month ban after testing positive for meldonium early that year. Russian short-track speed skater Semen Elistratov, who won bronze in the men's 1,500m in Pyeongchang, served a brief ban for the same substance in 2016. Richard Budgett, medical director for the International Olympic Committee, said it seemed that Elistratov took the drug before it was banned. "Because of the way it's metabolised, it can stay in the system for many, many months, even nine months after it had been taken," Budgett told journalists last week. He added: "We have to be realistic -- meldonium was used in a widespread way throughout Eastern Europe and Russia and was considered to be a tonic, a type of cardiac stimulant that was not prohibited. "But of course, quite rightly it was then prohibited and because it was such widespread use there were a large number of cases."

Russian Olympic curler involved in doping case: sources

Japanese short-track speed skater Kei Saito has tested positive for doping at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, the first doping case of the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport&nbsp;said Tuesday.

Saito, 21, failed an out-of-competition test, the anti-doping authority said in a statement, adding that he tested positive for acetalozamide, a banned diuretic which is considered as a masking agent.

It said the Japanese Olympic Committee had scheduled a &nbsp;press conference Tuesday to address Saito&#39;s adverse finding.

The CAS statement said Saito had left the athletes&#39; Olympic Village voluntarily and would be provisionally suspended from the Olympics and other competitions pending a full investigation.

Saito, a human biology student whose sister Hitomi is also competing in Pyeongchang, was a member of Japan&#39;s 3,000m relay team that finished third at the 2013 and 2014 world junior championships.

&nbsp;

Saito, 21, failed an out-of-competition test in the lead-up to the Games, the agency said late Monday, citing unnamed sources

Japanese short-track speed skater Kei Saito has tested positive for doping at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, the first doping case of the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said Tuesday. Saito, 21, failed an out-of-competition test, the anti-doping authority said in a statement, adding that he tested positive for acetalozamide, a banned diuretic which is considered as a masking agent. It said the Japanese Olympic Committee had scheduled a press conference Tuesday to address Saito's adverse finding. The CAS statement said Saito had left the athletes' Olympic Village voluntarily and would be provisionally suspended from the Olympics and other competitions pending a full investigation. Saito, a human biology student whose sister Hitomi is also competing in Pyeongchang, was a member of Japan's 3,000m relay team that finished third at the 2013 and 2014 world junior championships.

Japanese Olympic speed skater tests positive for doping: CAS

The number of Russian athletes eligible to take part at next month&#39;s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang has been reduced from a pool of 500 to 389, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.

The IOC last month banned Russia from taking part at Pyeongchang over state-sponsored doping, but clean Russian competitors will be allowed to participate under strict conditions, and under a neutral flag.

&quot;As of today, the original pre-registration pool of 500 athletes has already been reduced by 111 by the panel,&quot; the IOC said in a statement, following the recommendation of an independent invitation review panel.&nbsp;

&quot;For others in the remaining pool of athletes, pre-conditions such as further pre-Games tests and reanalysis from stored samples have been required,&quot; it said.

&quot;Only if these requirements are met can the athletes be considered for the invitation.&quot;

The IOC added that &quot;more than 80 per cent of the athletes&quot; in the pool did not take part at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the level of doping reached its peak.

None of the 42 Russian athletes handed lifetime Olympic bans for doping at Sochi remain on the list, with 39 of them set for an appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport&nbsp;next week in Geneva.

The panel also recommended 51 coaches and 10 medical staff cannot be invited to the Olympics which run from February 9 to 25.

&quot;All our decisions were taken by consensus of the panel for each individual athlete, all of which were reviewed anonymously,&quot; said chair panel and former French&nbsp;sports minister Valerie Fourneyron.

&quot;It was not easy to put this list together, but we wanted to be absolutely sure that only clean athletes from Russia can be invited to participate in the Olympic Winter Games.&quot;

The final list of Russian athletes invited to take part in South Korea will not be published until after a delegation registration meeting in Pyeongchang on January 27.

Russia originally topped the medals table in Sochi before losing 13 of 33 medals after an independent report, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, revealed evidence of widespread doping over several years.

&nbsp;

"The original pre-registration pool of 500 athletes have already been reduced by 111 by the panel," the IOC

The number of Russian athletes eligible to take part at next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang has been reduced from a pool of 500 to 389, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday. The IOC last month banned Russia from taking part at Pyeongchang over state-sponsored doping, but clean Russian competitors will be allowed to participate under strict conditions, and under a neutral flag. "As of today, the original pre-registration pool of 500 athletes has already been reduced by 111 by the panel," the IOC said in a statement, following the recommendation of an independent invitation review panel. "For others in the remaining pool of athletes, pre-conditions such as further pre-Games tests and reanalysis from stored samples have been required," it said. "Only if these requirements are met can the athletes be considered for the invitation." The IOC added that "more than 80 per cent of the athletes" in the pool did not take part at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the level of doping reached its peak. None of the 42 Russian athletes handed lifetime Olympic bans for doping at Sochi remain on the list, with 39 of them set for an appeal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport next week in Geneva. The panel also recommended 51 coaches and 10 medical staff cannot be invited to the Olympics which run from February 9 to 25. "All our decisions were taken by consensus of the panel for each individual athlete, all of which were reviewed anonymously," said chair panel and former French sports minister Valerie Fourneyron. "It was not easy to put this list together, but we wanted to be absolutely sure that only clean athletes from Russia can be invited to participate in the Olympic Winter Games." The final list of Russian athletes invited to take part in South Korea will not be published until after a delegation registration meeting in Pyeongchang on January 27. Russia originally topped the medals table in Sochi before losing 13 of 33 medals after an independent report, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, revealed evidence of widespread doping over several years.

Winter Olympics: IOC cuts number of Russians eligible for Games

Thirteen Russian athletes and two coaches whose life bans linked to doping were lifted by a top&nbsp;sports&nbsp;court may be allowed to take part in the Pyeongchang Olympics, the IOC said Saturday.

Just six days from the opening ceremony of the February 9-25 Games, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said the cases of the 15 would be examined by a specialist IOC panel.

On Thursday the Court for Arbitration in&nbsp;Sport&nbsp;overturned the life bans on 28 Russian athletes linked to doping, ruling them eligible for participation in the winter Olympics.

However, of the 28, 13 have retired from the sport, leaving only 15 still able to take part, Adams said.

The spokesman said that the IOC&#39;s invitation review panel will examine each case before making a decision.

&quot;We will take an individual view of each of these athletes before reaching a decision,&quot; he told a press conference.

Recently, Court for Arbitration in Sport overturned the life bans on 28 Russian athletes linked to doping, ruling them eligible for participation in the winter Olympics.

Thirteen Russian athletes and two coaches whose life bans linked to doping were lifted by a top sports court may be allowed to take part in the Pyeongchang Olympics, the IOC said Saturday. Just six days from the opening ceremony of the February 9-25 Games, International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said the cases of the 15 would be examined by a specialist IOC panel. On Thursday the Court for Arbitration in Sport overturned the life bans on 28 Russian athletes linked to doping, ruling them eligible for participation in the winter Olympics. However, of the 28, 13 have retired from the sport, leaving only 15 still able to take part, Adams said. The spokesman said that the IOC's invitation review panel will examine each case before making a decision. "We will take an individual view of each of these athletes before reaching a decision," he told a press conference.

IOC: 13 Russians cleared of doping eligible for Games

The Court of Arbitration for&nbsp;Sport&nbsp;on Thursday lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused of doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

In a decision that could allow some of them to compete in this month&#39;s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang,&nbsp;sport&#39;s top court ruled there was &quot;insufficient&quot; evidence that the athletes had benefited from a system of state-sponsored doping at the last Winter Games, hosted by Russia.

CAS said in its judgement: &quot;In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned.&quot;

The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing at Pyeongchang as a team over the doping scandal, although 169 Russian competitors have been cleared to take part as neutrals.

Putin&#39;s spokesman says &#39;very glad&#39; at the lifting of the ban on 28 Russian athletes.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/putin-orders-alternative-olympic-games-for-banned-athletes-31401">Putin orders alternative Olympic Games for banned athletes</a>

The decision given by Court of Arbitration for Sport could allow some of the athletes to compete in this month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused of doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. In a decision that could allow some of them to compete in this month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, sport's top court ruled there was "insufficient" evidence that the athletes had benefited from a system of state-sponsored doping at the last Winter Games, hosted by Russia. CAS said in its judgement: "In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned." The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing at Pyeongchang as a team over the doping scandal, although 169 Russian competitors have been cleared to take part as neutrals. Putin's spokesman says 'very glad' at the lifting of the ban on 28 Russian athletes. Also read: Putin orders alternative Olympic Games for banned athletes

CAS clears 28 Russians athletes of doping, Putin 'very glad'

The World Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday it had confirmed that new generation drug-testing kits could be susceptible to tampering and recommended use of an older model at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

&quot;It has been confirmed that a proportion of the new generation BEREG-KIT Geneva security bottles are susceptible to the manual opening without evidence of tampering, whether they have been frozen or not,&quot; WADA said in a statement.

With the Winter Games due to open on February 9, the International Olympic Committee had asked the agency to look into the matter after a laboratory in Cologne reported the newer bottles could be opened after being frozen.

The glass containers had been touted as the next generation of sample bottles since being released last year, part of the ongoing effort to avoid a repeat of the Russian doping scandal that dogged the 2014 Winter Olympics and still reverberates today.

But WADA said the older BEREG-KIT 2016 -- released for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro -- should be used instead.

&quot;To that end, through its anti-doping partners, WADA has managed to source enough kits of the earlier model to cover the entire testing program in place for Pyeongchang,&quot; WADA said.

&quot;At this stage, our clear recommendation to the IOC is that it continues to use the earlier model, which is still used by a number of testing authorities around the world,&quot; WADA&nbsp;Director General Olivier Niggli added.

&quot;This should be seen as a precautionary measure that guarantees the integrity of the doping control process at the Games.&quot;

Niggli said WADA had also contacted anti-doping agencies and WADA-accredited labs around the world &quot;to make them aware of the latest situation&quot;.

The agency will continue to work with Berlinger, the Swiss manufacturer of the bottles, to gather information and explore solutions.

In the meantime, Niggli said, Berlinger had agreed to resume production of the 2016 model.

In the 2014 Sochi Olympics doping scandal detailed in a report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, investigators discovered that Russian staff involved had developed a method to open supposedly &quot;tamper-proof&quot; sample bottles undetected.

The doping scandal led to the IOC banning Russia from competing at the Games as a team, although Russian athletes who meet certain criteria will be able to compete as neutrals.

&nbsp;

It has been confirmed that a proportion of the new generation BEREG-KIT Geneva security bottles are susceptible to the manual opening

The World Anti-Doping Agency said Wednesday it had confirmed that new generation drug-testing kits could be susceptible to tampering and recommended use of an older model at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. "It has been confirmed that a proportion of the new generation BEREG-KIT Geneva security bottles are susceptible to the manual opening without evidence of tampering, whether they have been frozen or not," WADA said in a statement. With the Winter Games due to open on February 9, the International Olympic Committee had asked the agency to look into the matter after a laboratory in Cologne reported the newer bottles could be opened after being frozen. The glass containers had been touted as the next generation of sample bottles since being released last year, part of the ongoing effort to avoid a repeat of the Russian doping scandal that dogged the 2014 Winter Olympics and still reverberates today. But WADA said the older BEREG-KIT 2016 -- released for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro -- should be used instead. "To that end, through its anti-doping partners, WADA has managed to source enough kits of the earlier model to cover the entire testing program in place for Pyeongchang," WADA said. "At this stage, our clear recommendation to the IOC is that it continues to use the earlier model, which is still used by a number of testing authorities around the world," WADA Director General Olivier Niggli added. "This should be seen as a precautionary measure that guarantees the integrity of the doping control process at the Games." Niggli said WADA had also contacted anti-doping agencies and WADA-accredited labs around the world "to make them aware of the latest situation". The agency will continue to work with Berlinger, the Swiss manufacturer of the bottles, to gather information and explore solutions. In the meantime, Niggli said, Berlinger had agreed to resume production of the 2016 model. In the 2014 Sochi Olympics doping scandal detailed in a report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, investigators discovered that Russian staff involved had developed a method to open supposedly "tamper-proof" sample bottles undetected. The doping scandal led to the IOC banning Russia from competing at the Games as a team, although Russian athletes who meet certain criteria will be able to compete as neutrals.

Doping: WADA confirms flaw in sample bottles

Russia&#39;s team will be suspended from the Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but individual athletes will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, the International Paralympics Committee said on Monday.

The agreement is similar to that put in place to allow able-bodied Russian competitors to take part in next month&#39;s Winter Olympics that precede the Paralympics.

Russia was suspended by the IPC in August 2016 following revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping uncovered in a report by Richard McLaren on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

After a review, the IPC said in a statement on Monday that &quot;it is maintaining the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC)&quot;.

&quot;However, in recognition of the progress made by the RPC in improving its anti-doping activities, it will allow eligible Russian Para athletes who meet strict conditions to compete in five sports under the name Neutral Paralympic Athlete (NPA),&quot; it said.

Eligible Para athletes from Russia will be allowed to compete in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboard and wheelchair curling at the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on March 9-18, the IPC said at a meeting in the western German city of Bonn.

It said that two key criteria to end the wider suspension were still outstanding -- the full reinstatement of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) by WADA, and an official response adequately addressing the McLaren findings.

IPC president Andrew Parsons said that in 2016 &quot;the anti-doping system in Russia was found to be totally compromised, corrupted and open to abuse&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;This made it impossible to determine which Russian Para athletes were clean and which were not; it was clear that Russia&#39;s participation in Para sports events would severely question the integrity and credibility of sporting competition.&quot;

Parsons said the measures taken then by the IPC were &quot;necessary and proportionate&quot; and &quot;essential to ensure clean sport&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Seventeen months on, we face a different picture in Russia and it is important that once again our decision is necessary and proportionate to what is in front of us,&quot; he said.

&quot;Although the RPC remains suspended they have made significant progress and we have to recognise this.&quot;

Russian Para athletes were now regularly tested and &quot;amongst the most scrutinised Para athletes in the world&quot;, he said.&nbsp;

&quot;Under the supervision of WADA, we now have greater confidence that the anti-doping system in Russia is no longer compromised or corrupted.&quot;

Russia&#39;s Paralympic committee deputy chief Rima Batalova said the announcement was not a surprise.

&quot;We expected such a decision, taking into consideration what has happened to our Olympic team,&quot; Batalova told R-Sport agency.

Akzhana Abdikarimova, a Russian Paralympic skier and biathlete, said the announcement was &quot;not bad&quot;.

&quot;I already compete as a neutral athlete and expected that events would develop this way,&quot; she&nbsp;told R-Sport.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Eligible Para athletes from Russia will be allowed to compete in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboard and wheelchair curling

Russia's team will be suspended from the Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, but individual athletes will be allowed to compete under a neutral flag, the International Paralympics Committee said on Monday. The agreement is similar to that put in place to allow able-bodied Russian competitors to take part in next month's Winter Olympics that precede the Paralympics. Russia was suspended by the IPC in August 2016 following revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping uncovered in a report by Richard McLaren on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). After a review, the IPC said in a statement on Monday that "it is maintaining the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC)". "However, in recognition of the progress made by the RPC in improving its anti-doping activities, it will allow eligible Russian Para athletes who meet strict conditions to compete in five sports under the name Neutral Paralympic Athlete (NPA)," it said. Eligible Para athletes from Russia will be allowed to compete in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, snowboard and wheelchair curling at the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on March 9-18, the IPC said at a meeting in the western German city of Bonn. It said that two key criteria to end the wider suspension were still outstanding -- the full reinstatement of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) by WADA, and an official response adequately addressing the McLaren findings. IPC president Andrew Parsons said that in 2016 "the anti-doping system in Russia was found to be totally compromised, corrupted and open to abuse". "This made it impossible to determine which Russian Para athletes were clean and which were not; it was clear that Russia's participation in Para sports events would severely question the integrity and credibility of sporting competition." Parsons said the measures taken then by the IPC were "necessary and proportionate" and "essential to ensure clean sport". "Seventeen months on, we face a different picture in Russia and it is important that once again our decision is necessary and proportionate to what is in front of us," he said. "Although the RPC remains suspended they have made significant progress and we have to recognise this." Russian Para athletes were now regularly tested and "amongst the most scrutinised Para athletes in the world", he said. "Under the supervision of WADA, we now have greater confidence that the anti-doping system in Russia is no longer compromised or corrupted." Russia's Paralympic committee deputy chief Rima Batalova said the announcement was not a surprise. "We expected such a decision, taking into consideration what has happened to our Olympic team," Batalova told R-Sport agency. Akzhana Abdikarimova, a Russian Paralympic skier and biathlete, said the announcement was "not bad". "I already compete as a neutral athlete and expected that events would develop this way," she told R-Sport.

Russia suspended from Paralympics, some athletes exempt

Russia has been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympic in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The ban was imposed when Russian Olympic Committee was found guilty of alleged &quot;state-sponsored doping&quot;. Even government officials are prohibited to attend the events, their flag and symbols will not be displayed and their anthem will not be played.

Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee said in a Press Conference, &quot;Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is banned from competing in the upcoming Winter Olympics but the athlete can participate, be it individual or team competitions, under the name &quot;Olympic Athlete from Russia&quot; with the acronym OAR. Olympic anthem will be played at any ceremony.&quot;

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<h5>The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games.</h5>
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The individual athlete will participate if they come out &quot;clean&quot;. They will wear the jersey with the abbreviation &quot;OAR&quot; and will carry the Olympic flag. Thomas Bach also mentioned, &quot;The Russian doping system is an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic games and sports.&quot;

The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games. But the case of Russia has gone far beyond. The doping case may not be a grievous crime against humanity or it might not cause a war but it may snag a healthy competition and deal a critical blow to the prestige of the Olympics.

But this punishment is too severe to handle. There are 32 games where Russian contenders have a very high chance of winning, and this harsh decision could completely jeopardise that possibility. Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Short Track Speedskating, Skeleton, Snowboard and Speedskating are the games where Russian team had the best chances of getting the medal.

Russia has already been banned for the Winter Paralympic Games by the International Paralympic Committee for the same doping charges.

Many in the sports circuit and beyond is raising the question whether such actions are really an attempt to keep international sporting events clean of drugs or is it a deliberate attempt to politicise the event? After all, the western world which controls such august sporting bodies has not been in best of terms with Putin&#39;s Russia. So a pertinent question could well be, is Russia suffering Putin&#39;s punishment.

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<h5>It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly.</h5>
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The IOC is banning Russian officials from attending the event too.&nbsp;It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly.

It will indeed be very unfortunate if the arena of Olympics sports turns into another Cold War between Russia and the West.

Athletes are requesting people not to judge other athletes if they participate in the games. Recently, two-time Olympic champion, Sergei Chepikov, urged people not to criticise the athletes who eventually decide to compete under a neutral flag at the Winter Olympics. But if the IOC is banning Russia, then why it is inviting athlete to play as an individual--deprived of their flag, national anthem and their pride. After all, the main motivation for a participating player is to hear one&#39;s own national anthem during the ceremony. Player represent their nation, not their individuality.

Whether it is a war against drugs or war against Russia, this chain of events has created a state of pain and anger for all Russian sportspersons and related authorities.

There is definitely a need to punish those who are violating the guidelines of such big and expensive events but this collective punishment and to ban a country from participation is not the solution.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

There is definitely a need to punish those who are violating the guidelines of such big and expensive events but this collective punishment and to ban a country from participation is not the solution

Russia has been banned from the 2018 Winter Olympic in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The ban was imposed when Russian Olympic Committee was found guilty of alleged "state-sponsored doping". Even government officials are prohibited to attend the events, their flag and symbols will not be displayed and their anthem will not be played. Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee said in a Press Conference, "Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is banned from competing in the upcoming Winter Olympics but the athlete can participate, be it individual or team competitions, under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" with the acronym OAR. Olympic anthem will be played at any ceremony." The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games. × The individual athlete will participate if they come out "clean". They will wear the jersey with the abbreviation "OAR" and will carry the Olympic flag. Thomas Bach also mentioned, "The Russian doping system is an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic games and sports." The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Those nations which were engaged in a war or violated human rights have been banished from the games. But the case of Russia has gone far beyond. The doping case may not be a grievous crime against humanity or it might not cause a war but it may snag a healthy competition and deal a critical blow to the prestige of the Olympics. But this punishment is too severe to handle. There are 32 games where Russian contenders have a very high chance of winning, and this harsh decision could completely jeopardise that possibility. Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Short Track Speedskating, Skeleton, Snowboard and Speedskating are the games where Russian team had the best chances of getting the medal. Russia has already been banned for the Winter Paralympic Games by the International Paralympic Committee for the same doping charges. Many in the sports circuit and beyond is raising the question whether such actions are really an attempt to keep international sporting events clean of drugs or is it a deliberate attempt to politicise the event? After all, the western world which controls such august sporting bodies has not been in best of terms with Putin's Russia. So a pertinent question could well be, is Russia suffering Putin's punishment. It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly. × The IOC is banning Russian officials from attending the event too. It is yet to be seen how Vladimir Putin, one of the most influential leaders in the world, responds to this ban. He is not known to be taking national humiliation quietly. It will indeed be very unfortunate if the arena of Olympics sports turns into another Cold War between Russia and the West. Athletes are requesting people not to judge other athletes if they participate in the games. Recently, two-time Olympic champion, Sergei Chepikov, urged people not to criticise the athletes who eventually decide to compete under a neutral flag at the Winter Olympics. But if the IOC is banning Russia, then why it is inviting athlete to play as an individual--deprived of their flag, national anthem and their pride. After all, the main motivation for a participating player is to hear one's own national anthem during the ceremony. Player represent their nation, not their individuality. Whether it is a war against drugs or war against Russia, this chain of events has created a state of pain and anger for all Russian sportspersons and related authorities. There is definitely a need to punish those who are violating the guidelines of such big and expensive events but this collective punishment and to ban a country from participation is not the solution. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Ban on Russia, why is Putin silent?

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