Indian Oil Corp Ltd said its third-quarter profit nearly doubled, handily beating estimates.

Net profit surged 97 per cent to $1.24 billion&nbsp;in the quarter ended December 31, from 39.95 billion rupees a year earlier.&nbsp;

Analysts on average expected a profit of 51.49 billion rupees, Thomson Reuters Eikon data showed.

Average gross refining margin improved to $8.28 per barrel in the April-December period from $7.36 per barrel in the year-ago period, the country&#39;s top refiner said on Tuesday.

Shares of the company rose 3.8 per cent to 414.85 rupees in a broader Mumbai market that was trading down 0.69 per cent.

Shares of the company rose 3.8 percent to 414.85 rupees in a broader Mumbai market

Indian Oil Corp Ltd said its third-quarter profit nearly doubled, handily beating estimates. Net profit surged 97 per cent to $1.24 billion in the quarter ended December 31, from 39.95 billion rupees a year earlier. Analysts on average expected a profit of 51.49 billion rupees, Thomson Reuters Eikon data showed. Average gross refining margin improved to $8.28 per barrel in the April-December period from $7.36 per barrel in the year-ago period, the country's top refiner said on Tuesday. Shares of the company rose 3.8 per cent to 414.85 rupees in a broader Mumbai market that was trading down 0.69 per cent.

IOC third-quarter net profit surges, beats estimates

Petrol and diesel prices in India are to a &quot;large extent&quot; aligned to international rates, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh said today, responding to the charges of government meddling in fixing of fuel prices. 
 
The prices are revised daily based on 15-day rolling average rate of their international benchmark, he said. 
 
&quot;To a large extent, our prices are aligned to international product prices,&quot; he said. 
 
He was responding to questions on government interfering with rates of deregulated fuels at a press briefing called to discuss the company&#39;s third quarter earnings. 
 
Prices in international markets have been fluctuating and are being reflected in domestic rates, he said. 
 
&quot;Kindly don&#39;t look at international spot (or current market) prices. And also please do not relate product prices with (international) crude oil rates,&quot; Singh said. 
 
&quot;Domestic prices of petrol and diesel are revised based on changes in the benchmark international product prices. Many a times, crude oil prices rises but there is hardly any change in product prices, which form the basis fixing domestic rates,&quot; he added. 
 
It was alleged in some quarters that the government informally directed state-owned fuel retailers not to raise petrol and diesel prices in the run up to the December 2017 elections in Gujarat. 
 
By some accounts, as much as 45 paisa increase warranted in petrol and diesel rates was not passed on. 
 
The prices at petrol pumps of state-owned fuel retailers like IOC were cut by 1-3 paisa every day in the first fortnight of December. They started moving up immediately after polling for assembly elections in Gujarat concluded on December 14, leading to speculation that government may have asked oil companies to hold on to the prices. 
 
State-owned oil companies in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on 1st and 16th of every month and instead adopted a dynamic daily price revision to instantly reflect changes in cost. 
 
Petrol prices today hit the highest level since the BJP government came to power in 2014, and diesel touched a record high of Rs 64 a litre. 
 
Petrol price rose to Rs 72.92 per litre in&nbsp;Delhi, highest since March 2014, according to daily fuel price list of state-owned oil firms. 
 
Rates have risen by Rs 3.85 per litre since mid-December. In Mumbai, prices have nearing Rs 81-mark - costliest in the country. 
 
Diesel is being sold at Rs 68.15 in Mumbai, where the local sales tax or VAT rates are higher. 
 
Since mid-December, diesel rates have jumped Rs 5.66 a litre, according to oil companies.

IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh was responding to questions on government interfering with rates of deregulated fuels at a press briefing called to discuss the company's third quarter earnings

Petrol and diesel prices in India are to a "large extent" aligned to international rates, Indian Oil Corp (IOC) Chairman Sanjiv Singh said today, responding to the charges of government meddling in fixing of fuel prices. The prices are revised daily based on 15-day rolling average rate of their international benchmark, he said. "To a large extent, our prices are aligned to international product prices," he said. He was responding to questions on government interfering with rates of deregulated fuels at a press briefing called to discuss the company's third quarter earnings. Prices in international markets have been fluctuating and are being reflected in domestic rates, he said. "Kindly don't look at international spot (or current market) prices. And also please do not relate product prices with (international) crude oil rates," Singh said. "Domestic prices of petrol and diesel are revised based on changes in the benchmark international product prices. Many a times, crude oil prices rises but there is hardly any change in product prices, which form the basis fixing domestic rates," he added. It was alleged in some quarters that the government informally directed state-owned fuel retailers not to raise petrol and diesel prices in the run up to the December 2017 elections in Gujarat. By some accounts, as much as 45 paisa increase warranted in petrol and diesel rates was not passed on. The prices at petrol pumps of state-owned fuel retailers like IOC were cut by 1-3 paisa every day in the first fortnight of December. They started moving up immediately after polling for assembly elections in Gujarat concluded on December 14, leading to speculation that government may have asked oil companies to hold on to the prices. State-owned oil companies in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on 1st and 16th of every month and instead adopted a dynamic daily price revision to instantly reflect changes in cost. Petrol prices today hit the highest level since the BJP government came to power in 2014, and diesel touched a record high of Rs 64 a litre. Petrol price rose to Rs 72.92 per litre in Delhi, highest since March 2014, according to daily fuel price list of state-owned oil firms. Rates have risen by Rs 3.85 per litre since mid-December. In Mumbai, prices have nearing Rs 81-mark - costliest in the country. Diesel is being sold at Rs 68.15 in Mumbai, where the local sales tax or VAT rates are higher. Since mid-December, diesel rates have jumped Rs 5.66 a litre, according to oil companies.

Petrol, diesel prices aligned to international rates to large extent, says IOC

The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world.

Many times we have seen sports mixing with the politics and diplomacy, be it India vs Pakistan cricket match or England vs Wales football match, the rivalry is very evident among players as well as among fans.

The sports diplomacy in Olympic games is something which has a global impact. Sports is definitely considered as &#39;Soft Power&#39; and sometimes such diplomacy may bring peace to many conflicting nations.

Sports diplomacy has the capacity to tackle many international political problems and it may provide a way forward but considering the current situation when North Korea was privileged by IOC, the &#39;other&#39; side of sports diplomacy was seen.

Recently, the International Olympic Committee had &#39;extended the deadline&#39; for North Korea&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and finally, a few days back, North Korea had announced that it will&nbsp;participate in the event. They are also initiating talks to send an art troupe to the Olympics.

International Olympics Committee (IOC) is very strict when it comes to its rules and guidelines. Recently, they banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympic&nbsp;because it was found guilty of state-sponsored doping, as doping might snag a healthy competition and could hamper the prestige of the Olympics.

Though the doping case may not be a grievous crime against humanity or it might not cause a war.

In past, the nations which were engaged in a war-like situation or violated human rights were banished from the games. Let us recall the events when countries were banned from participating. For example:

In 1920, before World War I, five countries Austria, Hungary, Germany, Turkey and Bulgaria were banned, as they were not invited to the Olympics games in Antwerp, Belgium.

In 1948, after World War II, Germany and Japan were also banned due to their inhumane treatment of prisoners of war.

In 1960, North Korea participated in The Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) and in the result, the athletes who participated were banned by IOC.

In 1964, a 30 years ban was imposed on South Africa for its racist apartheid regime.

In 1980, the US boycotted Moscow games because of Russian intervention in Afghanistan.

In response to that in 1984, the then-Soviet Union voluntarily did not participate in the Los Angeles Olympic games.

Afghanistan was barred from the 2000 Sydney games for the Taliban regime&rsquo;s discrimination against women.

Kuwait was banned at the 2016 Rio games because of its government&#39;s involvement in Olympic affairs.

IOC stood up for not only for social causes&nbsp;to advocate its stand when it comes to society and humanity, they also remained very firm against corruption as in 2012 London games and in 2014 Sochi games, India was banned due to corruption in the Indian Olympic Association.

When it comes to something which is causing danger to not only humanity but also to the world, nuclear threats, IOC seemed lenient. If banning a country for corruption and barring another for doping is genuine then why a country which is violating the nuclear code of conduct is getting such leverage.

The International Olympic Committee is showing two extremes, one side is appreciated worldwide and the other is questionable.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

North Korea has violated the nuclear code of conduct constantly but IOC appeared to be lenient. If banning a country for corruption and barring another for doping is genuine then why is North Korea getting such leverage

The purpose of Olympic games is to spread the philosophy of creating a peaceful and better world. Many times we have seen sports mixing with the politics and diplomacy, be it India vs Pakistan cricket match or England vs Wales football match, the rivalry is very evident among players as well as among fans. The sports diplomacy in Olympic games is something which has a global impact. Sports is definitely considered as 'Soft Power' and sometimes such diplomacy may bring peace to many conflicting nations. Sports diplomacy has the capacity to tackle many international political problems and it may provide a way forward but considering the current situation when North Korea was privileged by IOC, the 'other' side of sports diplomacy was seen. Recently, the International Olympic Committee had 'extended the deadline' for North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and finally, a few days back, North Korea had announced that it will participate in the event. They are also initiating talks to send an art troupe to the Olympics. International Olympics Committee (IOC) is very strict when it comes to its rules and guidelines. Recently, they banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympic because it was found guilty of state-sponsored doping, as doping might snag a healthy competition and could hamper the prestige of the Olympics. Though the doping case may not be a grievous crime against humanity or it might not cause a war. In past, the nations which were engaged in a war-like situation or violated human rights were banished from the games. Let us recall the events when countries were banned from participating. For example: In 1920, before World War I, five countries Austria, Hungary, Germany, Turkey and Bulgaria were banned, as they were not invited to the Olympics games in Antwerp, Belgium. In 1948, after World War II, Germany and Japan were also banned due to their inhumane treatment of prisoners of war. In 1960, North Korea participated in The Games of the New Emerging Forces (GANEFO) and in the result, the athletes who participated were banned by IOC. In 1964, a 30 years ban was imposed on South Africa for its racist apartheid regime. In 1980, the US boycotted Moscow games because of Russian intervention in Afghanistan. In response to that in 1984, the then-Soviet Union voluntarily did not participate in the Los Angeles Olympic games. Afghanistan was barred from the 2000 Sydney games for the Taliban regime’s discrimination against women. Kuwait was banned at the 2016 Rio games because of its government's involvement in Olympic affairs. IOC stood up for not only for social causes to advocate its stand when it comes to society and humanity, they also remained very firm against corruption as in 2012 London games and in 2014 Sochi games, India was banned due to corruption in the Indian Olympic Association. When it comes to something which is causing danger to not only humanity but also to the world, nuclear threats, IOC seemed lenient. If banning a country for corruption and barring another for doping is genuine then why a country which is violating the nuclear code of conduct is getting such leverage. The International Olympic Committee is showing two extremes, one side is appreciated worldwide and the other is questionable. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: When politics & Olympics collide: Games IOC loves to play

The International Olympic Committee has &#39;extended the deadline&#39; for North Korea&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics, it announced on Monday.

&quot;We will be as flexible as we can be,&quot; an IOC spokesman told AFP over North Korea sending a team to the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.

Talks between the two Koreas hosted by IOC president Thomas Bach will take place at the Olympic movement&#39;s headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday.

&quot;We welcome the discussion which will take place... between the governments of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea (DPRK),&quot; the IOC said.

&quot;The IOC has been having discussions with both sides for a long time. In doing so we have kept the door open by extending the deadline for registration, and by offering support to North Korean athletes in the qualification process, whilst always respecting United Nations sanctions.&quot;

On Saturday, North Korea Olympic body member Chang Ung said the isolated state was &#39;likely to participate&#39; in the Pyeongchang Games from February 9-25.

Tuesday&#39;s Lausanne summit comes days after the two Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years to discuss the North&#39;s participation in the Winter Olympics.

The tentative rapprochement comes after the North&#39;s leader Kim Jong-Un warned in his New Year speech that he had a nuclear button on his desk, but also said Pyongyang could send a team to the Olympics.

The IOC in its statement Monday emphasised that its mission was &quot;always to ensure the participation of all qualified athletes, beyond all political tensions and divisions.

&quot;With regard to the very particular situation on the Korean peninsula we need the political commitment from all parties concerned to make such a participation possible,&quot; it added.

&quot;Once this political commitment is clear the IOC will take the final decision.&quot;

&nbsp;

'We will be as flexible as we can be,' an IOC spokesman said

The International Olympic Committee has 'extended the deadline' for North Korea's participation in the Winter Olympics, it announced on Monday. "We will be as flexible as we can be," an IOC spokesman told AFP over North Korea sending a team to the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea. Talks between the two Koreas hosted by IOC president Thomas Bach will take place at the Olympic movement's headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday. "We welcome the discussion which will take place... between the governments of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)," the IOC said. "The IOC has been having discussions with both sides for a long time. In doing so we have kept the door open by extending the deadline for registration, and by offering support to North Korean athletes in the qualification process, whilst always respecting United Nations sanctions." On Saturday, North Korea Olympic body member Chang Ung said the isolated state was 'likely to participate' in the Pyeongchang Games from February 9-25. Tuesday's Lausanne summit comes days after the two Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years to discuss the North's participation in the Winter Olympics. The tentative rapprochement comes after the North's leader Kim Jong-Un warned in his New Year speech that he had a nuclear button on his desk, but also said Pyongyang could send a team to the Olympics. The IOC in its statement Monday emphasised that its mission was "always to ensure the participation of all qualified athletes, beyond all political tensions and divisions. "With regard to the very particular situation on the Korean peninsula we need the political commitment from all parties concerned to make such a participation possible," it added. "Once this political commitment is clear the IOC will take the final decision."

North Korea 'likely to participate' in Winter Olympics, IOC extends deadline

Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) are both keen to acquire gas utility GAIL India Ltd to become fully-integrated energy companies.

IOC and BPCL have separately indicated to the petroleum ministry their interest in taking over GAIL to help add natural gas transportation and marketing business to their kitty, official sources said.

GAIL, on the other hand, feels a merger with oil and gas producer ONGC would be more appropriate.

The merger options were indicated following Finance Minister&nbsp;<a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/people/arun-jaitley/19435.html">Arun Jaitley</a>&#39;s announcement in the 2017-18 Budget speech on the government&#39;s plan to create integrated public sector oil majors that will be &quot;able to match the performance of international and domestic private sector oil and gas companies&quot;.

ONGC, Indias largest oil and gas producer, proposed to acquire oil refiner and fuel marketing company HPCL, which was approved by the Cabinet. Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is currently in the process of acquiring the governments 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL, which at current prices is worth over Rs 33,000 crore.

Sources said IOC and BPCL gave separate options for the integration.

The governments 54.89 per cent stake in GAIL is currently worth about Rs 46,700 crore.

Integration options suggested by other companies would be taken up only after ONGC-HPCL merger is complete, they said.

IOC, the largest oil refiner and fuel marketing company in the country, wanted to either acquire another refiner to add to its capacity or a gas company like GAIL.

The firm feels it already has a fledging gas business in under-construction LNG terminals, city gas distribution projects and gas marketing. GAIL, the nations biggest gas transporter and marketing company, would complement that, it felt.

BPCL on the other hand too has natural gas ambitions and wrote to the oil ministry saying GAIL was its number one choice for acquisition. It listed Oil India Ltd (OIL), the nations second largest exploration firm, as its number two choice.

The government holds 66.13 per cent stake in OIL, which at current market price is worth about Rs 18,000 crore.

GAIL feels merger with ONGC makes more sense as such a move would integrate gas producer with transportation and marketing network.

Sources said the government has not taken any decision on the proposals sent by other PSUs.

The government is keen on the PSU-PSU merger or integration options as it would help it cash out on its holding yet retain its control.

Also, it would help build bigger oil companies to better compete with global giants and withstand oil price volatility.&nbsp;

Finance Minister?Arun Jaitley had in his Budget speech announced the government's plan to create integrated public-sector oil majors

Indian Oil Corp (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) are both keen to acquire gas utility GAIL India Ltd to become fully-integrated energy companies. IOC and BPCL have separately indicated to the petroleum ministry their interest in taking over GAIL to help add natural gas transportation and marketing business to their kitty, official sources said. GAIL, on the other hand, feels a merger with oil and gas producer ONGC would be more appropriate. The merger options were indicated following Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's announcement in the 2017-18 Budget speech on the government's plan to create integrated public sector oil majors that will be "able to match the performance of international and domestic private sector oil and gas companies". ONGC, Indias largest oil and gas producer, proposed to acquire oil refiner and fuel marketing company HPCL, which was approved by the Cabinet. Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is currently in the process of acquiring the governments 51.11 per cent stake in HPCL, which at current prices is worth over Rs 33,000 crore. Sources said IOC and BPCL gave separate options for the integration. The governments 54.89 per cent stake in GAIL is currently worth about Rs 46,700 crore. Integration options suggested by other companies would be taken up only after ONGC-HPCL merger is complete, they said. IOC, the largest oil refiner and fuel marketing company in the country, wanted to either acquire another refiner to add to its capacity or a gas company like GAIL. The firm feels it already has a fledging gas business in under-construction LNG terminals, city gas distribution projects and gas marketing. GAIL, the nations biggest gas transporter and marketing company, would complement that, it felt. BPCL on the other hand too has natural gas ambitions and wrote to the oil ministry saying GAIL was its number one choice for acquisition. It listed Oil India Ltd (OIL), the nations second largest exploration firm, as its number two choice. The government holds 66.13 per cent stake in OIL, which at current market price is worth about Rs 18,000 crore. GAIL feels merger with ONGC makes more sense as such a move would integrate gas producer with transportation and marketing network. Sources said the government has not taken any decision on the proposals sent by other PSUs. The government is keen on the PSU-PSU merger or integration options as it would help it cash out on its holding yet retain its control. Also, it would help build bigger oil companies to better compete with global giants and withstand oil price volatility.

IOC, BPCL keen to acquire GAIL which wants to merge with ONGC

The International Olympic Committee&rsquo;s (IOC&rsquo;s) decision to ban Russia from the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang for its &ldquo;unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and sport&rdquo; proves that you can&rsquo;t keep politics out of the sport. This is arguably the most overt expression of political intervention in the sport in history &mdash; and the history of political involvement in sport is as long as the history of organised sports itself. Despite the flat denials of IOC President Thomas Bach, it is not possible to disentangle the decision to ban Russia from the other issues that have turned the nation into the world&rsquo;s pariah.

Russia has been accused of interfering with the 2016 American presidential election, which US intelligence has determined was conducted to help Trump. Allegations that the Kremlin was involved in the UK&rsquo;s 2016 Brexit referendum campaign are being taken seriously by almost everyone in Britain, including its prime minister. It&rsquo;s been reported that a hacking team known as Fancy Bears &mdash; with links to Russia&rsquo;s secret service &mdash; broke into the World Anti-Doping Agency&rsquo;s (WADA) database and published medical records of numerous high-profile athletes &mdash; including Australians, Americans and Brits. Cumulatively, these unsupported claims have made it possible for us to believe that Russians are capable of deeds that would make the Borgias envious.

The IOC ban represents a perversion of natural justice, penalising athletes, many of whom, as far as we know, have not used illegal doping and have not recorded positive tests. If the makeshift &ldquo;Olympic Athlete from Russia&rdquo; (OAR) designation is designed to placate observers who think the ban unjustifiable, it will not work. The exemption offered to athletes who can somehow prove they are clean and wish to compete, not as Russians, but as neutral participants, is inadequate; they will be under intolerable pressure not to compete without the imprimatur of Russia. This is rough justice.

Singled out

Russia&rsquo;s &ldquo;state-sponsored doping&rdquo; program was identified by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, who said that he had found &ldquo;a cover-up that operated on an unprecedented scale&rdquo; in Russia. Much of McLaren&rsquo;s evidence emerged from the testimony of Grigory Rodchenkov, a former Moscow anti-doping laboratory director who turned whistleblower and defected to North America (hardly an objective source).

McLaren also said that he had also been able to confirm that urine samples, which had been taken from Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and at other major championships, had been exchanged for clean urine by using small metal rods to break open the supposedly tamper-proof bottles. They were carried out by Russia&rsquo;s state security service, it was alleged.

There&rsquo;s been an unquestioning acceptance of McLaren&rsquo;s finding without much probing. Apart from Rodchenkov&rsquo;s statements, the other evidence appears inferential and largely uncorroborated. In another social climate in a different era, McLaren&rsquo;s report would have met with scepticism or, at very least, a demand for proof. Not today.

Let me provide further context to the doping allegations. Russia is far from being the only place in the world where athletes use doping, of course. In fact, the challenge is to find anywhere where performance-enhancing drugs are not habitually used by athletes from across the whole spectrum of sports. Unsurprisingly, with a population of nearly 145 million, Russia was the biggest offender in 2016. Russian athletes generated 148 anti-doping rule violations, followed by Italy with 123, India with 96, then Belgium and France, both 91. Turkey, Australia and China are also in the top 10 offenders.

Five countries, including distance-running powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia, have been placed on a doping watch list, meaning they are being closely watched because of evidence that has surfaced about less-than-robust anti-doping procedures in those countries. Jamaica has also been under increased scrutiny by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

Big business

So why has Russia been singled out? Obviously, the global political atmosphere has made it easier to make even the wildest accusations sound plausible. But then again, why does sport wish to make such a colossal spectacle of laundering its own dirty linen? This is where the political intrigue takes on a commercial character.

Sport today is, as everyone realises, not simply business, but a globally gigantic business. The media have ensured that every major sports event in the world is broadcast extensively. Advertisers realise the enormous potential of sport for drawing consumers to their television sets, smartphones and iPads. So do sponsors, such as Coca-Cola, Toyota, Samsung, McDonalds and Visa, who with other &ldquo;partners&rdquo; (as sport prefers to call its benefactors) pay handsomely to have their brand publicly associated with the sport. The suspicion grew that sport in general, and the Olympics, in particular, had become inured to doping and had made peace with the reality that it was never be extirpated.

In recent decades, the millions have mounted up. For example, Panasonic last year paid $350 million for an eight-year, four-Olympic Games sponsorship. But the companies have grown uneasy with the doping violations. After all, what brand wants its products associated with a subject as unwholesome as drugs?

The sport needed to show good intent to its sponsors. It wanted a sacrifice. Russia didn&rsquo;t actually bare its throat, but, when Das Erste, a German television channel, screened a documentary in 2014 that claimed as many as 99 per cent of Russian athletes are guilty of doping, it started an investigative trail that led to McLaren&rsquo;s research and, ultimately, to the ban. I write &ldquo;ultimately,&rdquo; though there is no way of knowing when this case will end. On December 6, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had registered appeals by 22 Russian athletes against their disqualifications from the 2014 Sochi Olympics for doping. It&rsquo;s conceivable &mdash; though probably not likely &mdash; that the court will, during its deliberations, solicit so far undisclosed evidence from McLaren. The geopolitical climate militates against this solicitation, of course.

More likely is that the court will turn down the appeals; since there is no further right of appeal. The games begin in February 2018 and Russia, one of the world&rsquo;s forces in winter sports, will not be there. It will be like a Terminator movie without Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It doesn&rsquo;t require cynicism to detect a miscarriage of justice: Just an analytical perspective on a case that is surely the most glaring example of the intrusion of politics into sport. Russia, to use a phrase of today, has been thrown under the bus.

This <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/world-news/international-olympic-committee-russia-doping-2018-olympics-ban-latest-news-81623/" rel="nofollow">article</a> has been originally published in <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/" rel="nofollow">Fair Observer</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Winter Olympics without Russia will be like a Terminator movie without Arnold Schwarzenegger

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) decision to ban Russia from the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang for its “unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and sport” proves that you can’t keep politics out of the sport. This is arguably the most overt expression of political intervention in the sport in history — and the history of political involvement in sport is as long as the history of organised sports itself. Despite the flat denials of IOC President Thomas Bach, it is not possible to disentangle the decision to ban Russia from the other issues that have turned the nation into the world’s pariah. Russia has been accused of interfering with the 2016 American presidential election, which US intelligence has determined was conducted to help Trump. Allegations that the Kremlin was involved in the UK’s 2016 Brexit referendum campaign are being taken seriously by almost everyone in Britain, including its prime minister. It’s been reported that a hacking team known as Fancy Bears — with links to Russia’s secret service — broke into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) database and published medical records of numerous high-profile athletes — including Australians, Americans and Brits. Cumulatively, these unsupported claims have made it possible for us to believe that Russians are capable of deeds that would make the Borgias envious. The IOC ban represents a perversion of natural justice, penalising athletes, many of whom, as far as we know, have not used illegal doping and have not recorded positive tests. If the makeshift “Olympic Athlete from Russia” (OAR) designation is designed to placate observers who think the ban unjustifiable, it will not work. The exemption offered to athletes who can somehow prove they are clean and wish to compete, not as Russians, but as neutral participants, is inadequate; they will be under intolerable pressure not to compete without the imprimatur of Russia. This is rough justice. Singled out Russia’s “state-sponsored doping” program was identified by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, who said that he had found “a cover-up that operated on an unprecedented scale” in Russia. Much of McLaren’s evidence emerged from the testimony of Grigory Rodchenkov, a former Moscow anti-doping laboratory director who turned whistleblower and defected to North America (hardly an objective source). McLaren also said that he had also been able to confirm that urine samples, which had been taken from Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and at other major championships, had been exchanged for clean urine by using small metal rods to break open the supposedly tamper-proof bottles. They were carried out by Russia’s state security service, it was alleged. There’s been an unquestioning acceptance of McLaren’s finding without much probing. Apart from Rodchenkov’s statements, the other evidence appears inferential and largely uncorroborated. In another social climate in a different era, McLaren’s report would have met with scepticism or, at very least, a demand for proof. Not today. Let me provide further context to the doping allegations. Russia is far from being the only place in the world where athletes use doping, of course. In fact, the challenge is to find anywhere where performance-enhancing drugs are not habitually used by athletes from across the whole spectrum of sports. Unsurprisingly, with a population of nearly 145 million, Russia was the biggest offender in 2016. Russian athletes generated 148 anti-doping rule violations, followed by Italy with 123, India with 96, then Belgium and France, both 91. Turkey, Australia and China are also in the top 10 offenders. Five countries, including distance-running powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia, have been placed on a doping watch list, meaning they are being closely watched because of evidence that has surfaced about less-than-robust anti-doping procedures in those countries. Jamaica has also been under increased scrutiny by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Big business So why has Russia been singled out? Obviously, the global political atmosphere has made it easier to make even the wildest accusations sound plausible. But then again, why does sport wish to make such a colossal spectacle of laundering its own dirty linen? This is where the political intrigue takes on a commercial character. Sport today is, as everyone realises, not simply business, but a globally gigantic business. The media have ensured that every major sports event in the world is broadcast extensively. Advertisers realise the enormous potential of sport for drawing consumers to their television sets, smartphones and iPads. So do sponsors, such as Coca-Cola, Toyota, Samsung, McDonalds and Visa, who with other “partners” (as sport prefers to call its benefactors) pay handsomely to have their brand publicly associated with the sport. The suspicion grew that sport in general, and the Olympics, in particular, had become inured to doping and had made peace with the reality that it was never be extirpated. In recent decades, the millions have mounted up. For example, Panasonic last year paid $350 million for an eight-year, four-Olympic Games sponsorship. But the companies have grown uneasy with the doping violations. After all, what brand wants its products associated with a subject as unwholesome as drugs? The sport needed to show good intent to its sponsors. It wanted a sacrifice. Russia didn’t actually bare its throat, but, when Das Erste, a German television channel, screened a documentary in 2014 that claimed as many as 99 per cent of Russian athletes are guilty of doping, it started an investigative trail that led to McLaren’s research and, ultimately, to the ban. I write “ultimately,” though there is no way of knowing when this case will end. On December 6, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had registered appeals by 22 Russian athletes against their disqualifications from the 2014 Sochi Olympics for doping. It’s conceivable — though probably not likely — that the court will, during its deliberations, solicit so far undisclosed evidence from McLaren. The geopolitical climate militates against this solicitation, of course. More likely is that the court will turn down the appeals; since there is no further right of appeal. The games begin in February 2018 and Russia, one of the world’s forces in winter sports, will not be there. It will be like a Terminator movie without Arnold Schwarzenegger. It doesn’t require cynicism to detect a miscarriage of justice: Just an analytical perspective on a case that is surely the most glaring example of the intrusion of politics into sport. Russia, to use a phrase of today, has been thrown under the bus. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: IOC turns Russia into pariah of world sport

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?

The International Olympic Committee Tuesday banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Games over its state-orchestrated doping programme, however, Russian athletes not found guilty of doping will be allowed to compete under the Olympic flag. IOC president Thomas Bach accused Russia of &quot;perpetrating an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and sport&quot;. Reportedly, the ban&nbsp;is believed to be one of the toughest sanction ever levelled by the IOC for drug cheating. The ban came 65 days ahead of the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.&nbsp;

The IOC Russia ban was announced after the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) and two subsequent IOC investigations confirmed Russian athletes to have participated in a drug-cheating programme which peaked during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Evidence also pointed at the alleged involvement of senior government officials. Russia&#39;s Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who served as the country&#39;s sports minister during the Sochi Games has also been banned for life. Mutko currently heads the organising committee for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia. FIFA, in an official statement, said that it has taken note of IOC&#39;s decision on Mutko and stated that &quot;no impact on the preparations&quot; has taken place for the 2018 Russia World Cup. The IOC also suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and its chief Alexander Zhukov. &nbsp;Zhukov said he &quot;apologised&quot; to the IOC on Tuesday for the &quot;anti-doping violations&quot; committed in his country in recent years.&nbsp;

Reportedly, the IOC&nbsp;had an option to take more severe measures against Russian, including a blanket ban that was applied to apartheid-era South Africa from 1964 to 1988. The IOC moderate approach has now enabled some Russian athletes to compete in the Games after confirming to and coming clean out of a stringent testing programme and will participate under the name &quot;Olympic Athlete from Russia&quot; and shall compete under a neutral flag. &quot;No Russian athlete with a previous doping violation will be allowed to compete and no official who had a leadership role at Sochi 2014 will be invited to Pyeongchang,&quot; noted an AFP report. Russia&#39;s flag will not fly at any 2018 ceremony, the IOC said.

Mutko, on the other hand, has said the allegations were an attempt &quot;to create an image of an axis of evil&quot; against his country while Putin has warned that a Russia ban would cause &quot;serious harm to the Olympic movement&quot;. He said forcing Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag would amount to a national &quot;humiliation&quot;.

For Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Russian laboratory chief and whistleblower who lifted the lid on the cheating scheme, the IOC`s action was a needed step to clean up the Olympic movement.

(With inputs from AFP)

 
&nbsp;

The ban was announced after subsequent investigations confirmed Russian athletes had participated in a state-sponsored drug-cheating programme

The International Olympic Committee Tuesday banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Games over its state-orchestrated doping programme, however, Russian athletes not found guilty of doping will be allowed to compete under the Olympic flag. IOC president Thomas Bach accused Russia of "perpetrating an unprecedented attack on the integrity of the Olympic Games and sport". Reportedly, the ban is believed to be one of the toughest sanction ever levelled by the IOC for drug cheating. The ban came 65 days ahead of the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The IOC Russia ban was announced after the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) and two subsequent IOC investigations confirmed Russian athletes to have participated in a drug-cheating programme which peaked during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Evidence also pointed at the alleged involvement of senior government officials. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, who served as the country's sports minister during the Sochi Games has also been banned for life. Mutko currently heads the organising committee for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia. FIFA, in an official statement, said that it has taken note of IOC's decision on Mutko and stated that "no impact on the preparations" has taken place for the 2018 Russia World Cup. The IOC also suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and its chief Alexander Zhukov. Zhukov said he "apologised" to the IOC on Tuesday for the "anti-doping violations" committed in his country in recent years. Reportedly, the IOC had an option to take more severe measures against Russian, including a blanket ban that was applied to apartheid-era South Africa from 1964 to 1988. The IOC moderate approach has now enabled some Russian athletes to compete in the Games after confirming to and coming clean out of a stringent testing programme and will participate under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" and shall compete under a neutral flag. "No Russian athlete with a previous doping violation will be allowed to compete and no official who had a leadership role at Sochi 2014 will be invited to Pyeongchang," noted an AFP report. Russia's flag will not fly at any 2018 ceremony, the IOC said. Mutko, on the other hand, has said the allegations were an attempt "to create an image of an axis of evil" against his country while Putin has warned that a Russia ban would cause "serious harm to the Olympic movement". He said forcing Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag would amount to a national "humiliation". For Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Russian laboratory chief and whistleblower who lifted the lid on the cheating scheme, the IOC`s action was a needed step to clean up the Olympic movement. (With inputs from AFP)

Russia banned from 2018 Winter Olympics

&nbsp;Russia has no plan to boycott the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposes restrictions on the country&#39;s participation in alleged state-sponsored doping, the Kremlin said on Monday.

The IOC is set to decide on Tuesday on Russia&#39;s participation as more than 20 Russian athletes have been banned from the Olympics for life over doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games.

&quot;No, it&#39;s not being discussed,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of a possible Russian boycott in a conference call with reporters.

&quot;We are against the infringement of our athletes&#39; rights, the unjustifiable infringement of rights. But at the same time Russia remains committed to the ideals of Olympism.&quot;

Peskov added that Russia&#39;s decision not to boycott was made by President Vladimir Putin and was aimed at &quot;preserving all possible channels of cooperation and dialogue with the IOC, as well as with other international sports organisations&quot;.

The IOC has been re-testing all Russian athletes&#39; samples from the 2014 Games following disclosures by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow&#39;s suspended anti-doping laboratory, of a scheme to cover up home competitors&#39; positive samples.

The bans on Russian athletes came as a result of an IOC investigation into widespread doping by Russian athletes and sample-tampering by laboratory and security officials at the Sochi Games.

Russian sports authorities have vowed to appeal against the suspensions.

Despite repeated calls for cooperation with international bodies to help rid Russia of doping, the authorities have never acknowledged the state&#39;s role in the scandal.

Russia&#39;s Paralympic Committee, athletics federation and anti-doping agency RUSADA remain suspended over doping issues.

The IOC is set to decide on Tuesday on Russia's participation as more than 20 Russian athletes have been banned from the Olympics for life over doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games,

Russia has no plan to boycott the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) imposes restrictions on the country's participation in alleged state-sponsored doping, the Kremlin said on Monday. The IOC is set to decide on Tuesday on Russia's participation as more than 20 Russian athletes have been banned from the Olympics for life over doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games. "No, it's not being discussed," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of a possible Russian boycott in a conference call with reporters. "We are against the infringement of our athletes' rights, the unjustifiable infringement of rights. But at the same time Russia remains committed to the ideals of Olympism." Peskov added that Russia's decision not to boycott was made by President Vladimir Putin and was aimed at "preserving all possible channels of cooperation and dialogue with the IOC, as well as with other international sports organisations". The IOC has been re-testing all Russian athletes' samples from the 2014 Games following disclosures by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow's suspended anti-doping laboratory, of a scheme to cover up home competitors' positive samples. The bans on Russian athletes came as a result of an IOC investigation into widespread doping by Russian athletes and sample-tampering by laboratory and security officials at the Sochi Games. Russian sports authorities have vowed to appeal against the suspensions. Despite repeated calls for cooperation with international bodies to help rid Russia of doping, the authorities have never acknowledged the state's role in the scandal. Russia's Paralympic Committee, athletics federation and anti-doping agency RUSADA remain suspended over doping issues.

No plan to boycott Olympics after doping scandal: Russia

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday it had banned two Russian bobsledders, including double-gold-winning Alexander Zubkov, and two speed skaters for life from the Olympics over doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games.

The other athletes banned include bobsledder Olga Stulneva, as well as speed skaters Olga Fatkulina, who won silver in Sochi, and Alexander Rumyantsev.

The IOC said it had voided the athletes&#39; results from Sochi, stripping Zubkov -- now president of Russia&#39;s bobsleigh federation -- and Fatkulina of their Olympic medals. 
&nbsp;

The International Olympic Committee said it had banned two Russian bobsledders, including double-gold-winning Alexander Zubkov, and two speed skaters for life from the Olympics over doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Friday it had banned two Russian bobsledders, including double-gold-winning Alexander Zubkov, and two speed skaters for life from the Olympics over doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games. The other athletes banned include bobsledder Olga Stulneva, as well as speed skaters Olga Fatkulina, who won silver in Sochi, and Alexander Rumyantsev. The IOC said it had voided the athletes' results from Sochi, stripping Zubkov -- now president of Russia's bobsleigh federation -- and Fatkulina of their Olympic medals.

IOC bans Russian bobsledders, speed skaters for Sochi doping

The Euro-VI grade petrol and diesel will be supplied to the national capital by three oil PSUs from their refineries at Mathura, Bina and Bhatinda from April to help it fight the alarming levels of air pollution.

&quot;We will be able to meet the requirement of Delhi from April 1,&quot; IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said here today.

&quot;We will have to tweak the fuel production slate to produce BS-VI (equivalent to fuel meeting Euro-VI emission norm), he added.

The nation&#39;s biggest oil firm, IOC will source the fuel from its Mathura refinery, while Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) will do so from its joint venture refinery at Bhatinda. Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) supply the fuel from its Bina refinery.

&quot;Meeting Delhi&#39;s requirement of BS-VI grade petrol and diesel will not be a problem,&quot; Singh said.

He added however that meeting the requirement of the National Capital Region (NCR) will be a challenge as it consumes about 10 per cent of the nation&#39;s fuel.

India had in 2015 decided to leapfrog to Euro-VI emission norm compliant petrol and diesel from April 2020, from the Euro-IV grade at present.

While the deadline for the rest of the country stands, for Delhi, which is choking on thick toxic smog, the deadline for introduction of BS-VI - equivalent to Euro-VI grade, was last week preponed to April 2018.

Euro-VI grade fuel contains 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur as against 50 ppm in Euro-IV fuels.

Delhi consumed 906,000 tonne petrol and 1.26 million tonne diesel in 2016-17, Singh said.

Oil firms have been asked to examine the possibility of the introduction of BS-VI auto fuels in the entire NCR, which includes adjoining cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, from April 1, 2019.

In all likelihood, according to some industry players, supplies in the NCR may not begin by 2019.

The BS-IV emission norm was introduced across the country from April 1, 2017.

Oil refineries will need to invest Rs 28,000 crore in upgrading petrol and diesel quality to meet cleaner fuel specifications by 2020.

According to IOC, for petrol engines, one of the most critical specification is Research Octane No. (RON), which has improved from 88 in BS-II to 91. It is at par with regular 91 octane gasoline (petrol) required for Euro-VI emission norms.

Sulphur specification for petrol and diesel will be reduced 50 times for a level of 500 ppm for BS-II fuel to 10 ppm in BS-VI.

Previously, the fuels meeting Euro-IV or Bharat Stage BS-IV specifications were to be supplied throughout the country by April 2017 and BS-V or Euro-V grade fuel by April 1, 2020.

But now the government plans to switch over directly from BS-IV to BS-VI auto fuels.

Oil refineries had previously upgraded technology and invested over Rs 55,000 crore for production and supply of BS.

India had in 2015 decided to leapfrog to Euro-VI emission norm compliant petrol and diesel from April 2020, from the Euro-IV grade at present

The Euro-VI grade petrol and diesel will be supplied to the national capital by three oil PSUs from their refineries at Mathura, Bina and Bhatinda from April to help it fight the alarming levels of air pollution. "We will be able to meet the requirement of Delhi from April 1," IOC Chairman Sanjiv Singh said here today. "We will have to tweak the fuel production slate to produce BS-VI (equivalent to fuel meeting Euro-VI emission norm), he added. The nation's biggest oil firm, IOC will source the fuel from its Mathura refinery, while Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) will do so from its joint venture refinery at Bhatinda. Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) supply the fuel from its Bina refinery. "Meeting Delhi's requirement of BS-VI grade petrol and diesel will not be a problem," Singh said. He added however that meeting the requirement of the National Capital Region (NCR) will be a challenge as it consumes about 10 per cent of the nation's fuel. India had in 2015 decided to leapfrog to Euro-VI emission norm compliant petrol and diesel from April 2020, from the Euro-IV grade at present. While the deadline for the rest of the country stands, for Delhi, which is choking on thick toxic smog, the deadline for introduction of BS-VI - equivalent to Euro-VI grade, was last week preponed to April 2018. Euro-VI grade fuel contains 10 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur as against 50 ppm in Euro-IV fuels. Delhi consumed 906,000 tonne petrol and 1.26 million tonne diesel in 2016-17, Singh said. Oil firms have been asked to examine the possibility of the introduction of BS-VI auto fuels in the entire NCR, which includes adjoining cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad, from April 1, 2019. In all likelihood, according to some industry players, supplies in the NCR may not begin by 2019. The BS-IV emission norm was introduced across the country from April 1, 2017. Oil refineries will need to invest Rs 28,000 crore in upgrading petrol and diesel quality to meet cleaner fuel specifications by 2020. According to IOC, for petrol engines, one of the most critical specification is Research Octane No. (RON), which has improved from 88 in BS-II to 91. It is at par with regular 91 octane gasoline (petrol) required for Euro-VI emission norms. Sulphur specification for petrol and diesel will be reduced 50 times for a level of 500 ppm for BS-II fuel to 10 ppm in BS-VI. Previously, the fuels meeting Euro-IV or Bharat Stage BS-IV specifications were to be supplied throughout the country by April 2017 and BS-V or Euro-V grade fuel by April 1, 2020. But now the government plans to switch over directly from BS-IV to BS-VI auto fuels. Oil refineries had previously upgraded technology and invested over Rs 55,000 crore for production and supply of BS.

Ready to supply Euro-VI fuel to Delhi from April, says IOC

The International Olympic Committee on Friday provisionally suspended Brazil&#39;s national Olympic body over the alleged involvement of its head Carlos Nuzman in a vote-buying scandal.

The IOC also suspended Nuzman from all his positions, stripped him of his honorary membership and removed him from the coordination committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Nuzman was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday as part of a probe into allegations he helped buy votes from the IOC to secure Rio&#39;s hosting of the 2016 Games.

The IOC said that &quot;to protect the interests of the Brazilian athletes&quot;, the decision had no bearing on the country&#39;s teams.

&quot;Therefore, the IOC will accept a Brazilian Olympic Team in the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018,&quot; it said in a statement.

Also&nbsp;watch:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/former-british-olympic-skier-breaks-world-record-for-towed-speed-skiing-5682" target="_blank">Former British Olympic skier breaks world record for towed speed skiing</a>

The Brazilian Olympic Committee was suspended over the alleged involvement of its head Carlos Nuzman in a vote-buying scandal

The International Olympic Committee on Friday provisionally suspended Brazil's national Olympic body over the alleged involvement of its head Carlos Nuzman in a vote-buying scandal. The IOC also suspended Nuzman from all his positions, stripped him of his honorary membership and removed him from the coordination committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Nuzman was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday as part of a probe into allegations he helped buy votes from the IOC to secure Rio's hosting of the 2016 Games. The IOC said that "to protect the interests of the Brazilian athletes", the decision had no bearing on the country's teams. "Therefore, the IOC will accept a Brazilian Olympic Team in the Olympic Winter Games Pyeongchang 2018," it said in a statement. Also watch: Former British Olympic skier breaks world record for towed speed skiing

Olympics: IOC suspends Brazilian national Olympic body

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed Paris and Los Angeles as the host cities for the 2024 and 2028 Olympic games.

The IOC confirmed its July decision to award the 2024 and 2028 Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles after four of the six cities withdrew their bids for the 2024 Olympics.

Los Angeles withdrew its bid for the 2024 Olympics later in exchange for the 2028&nbsp;edition. This paved the road for Paris to clinch the 2024&nbsp;Olympics.

The IOC broke with decades of tradition by&nbsp;awarding&nbsp;the two&nbsp;Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles at the same time.

French President Emmanuel Macron was jubilant over the announcement.

&quot;In the coming seven years we will prepare the&nbsp;Olympic&nbsp;Games with all our energy,&quot; said the French President.&nbsp;

&quot;Together we must do everything in our power to ensure that Paris hosts a magnificent game in 2024,&quot; he added.

&quot;This is a momentous day for the people of Los Angeles and the United States,&quot; said LA mayor Eric Garcetti.

&quot;For the first time in a generation, we are bringing the Games back to the City of Angels.&quot;

Paris, which has held two previous Olympic Games, will host the games after 100 years while Los Angeles will organise the event for the third time after 1932 and 1984. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The IOC broke with tradition to award the two Olympics at the same time

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed Paris and Los Angeles as the host cities for the 2024 and 2028 Olympic games. The IOC confirmed its July decision to award the 2024 and 2028 Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles after four of the six cities withdrew their bids for the 2024 Olympics. Los Angeles withdrew its bid for the 2024 Olympics later in exchange for the 2028 edition. This paved the road for Paris to clinch the 2024 Olympics. The IOC broke with decades of tradition by awarding the two Olympics to Paris and Los Angeles at the same time. French President Emmanuel Macron was jubilant over the announcement. "In the coming seven years we will prepare the Olympic Games with all our energy," said the French President. "Together we must do everything in our power to ensure that Paris hosts a magnificent game in 2024," he added. "This is a momentous day for the people of Los Angeles and the United States," said LA mayor Eric Garcetti. "For the first time in a generation, we are bringing the Games back to the City of Angels." Paris, which has held two previous Olympic Games, will host the games after 100 years while Los Angeles will organise the event for the third time after 1932 and 1984. (With inputs from Reuters)

Paris to host 2024 Olympics, Los Angeles gets 2028

American media giant Discovery, the rights holder for the Olympics in Europe, on Thursday announced its backing to the Paris bid to host the 2024 Games.

Discovery, which also owns pan-European television network Eurosport and holds the European rights to the Olympics for the period 2018-2024, said in a statement: &quot;Today, Discovery Communications and Eurosport, Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, met with members of the Paris 2024 Olympic Bid Committee in a show of support for an Olympic Games to be held in Europe in 2024.&quot;

The announcement comes as Paris competes with Los Angeles for the right to host the Games. The winning bid will be named by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lima in September.

There are suggestions that the IOC will decide to award one city the 2024 Games and the other 2028.

&quot;We are excited to show our support for the Paris bid and their quest to bring the 2024 Olympic Games back to Europe,&quot; said Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav.

The IOC&#39;s executive committee will meet on Friday in Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss the issue of announcing the hosts of the 2024 and 2028 at the same time this year.

The IOC is keen on a joint award in an effort to lock in two host candidates which offer low-risk, high-quality bids at a time when fewer cities are willing to take on the vast expense of staging the Olympics.

Publicly, however, both Paris and Los Angeles bid officials have stuck to the line that they remain focused only on 2024.

The IOC announced in June 2015 that Discovery had acquired the European rights for the Olympics for the six years to 2024 for a sum of 1.3 billion euros ($1.46 billion).

The period also covers the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo as well as the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

(AFP)

American media giant Discovery, the rights holder for the Olympics in Europe from 2018 to 2024, announces its backing to the Paris bid to host the 2024 Games.

American media giant Discovery, the rights holder for the Olympics in Europe, on Thursday announced its backing to the Paris bid to host the 2024 Games. Discovery, which also owns pan-European television network Eurosport and holds the European rights to the Olympics for the period 2018-2024, said in a statement: "Today, Discovery Communications and Eurosport, Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, met with members of the Paris 2024 Olympic Bid Committee in a show of support for an Olympic Games to be held in Europe in 2024." The announcement comes as Paris competes with Los Angeles for the right to host the Games. The winning bid will be named by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lima in September. There are suggestions that the IOC will decide to award one city the 2024 Games and the other 2028. "We are excited to show our support for the Paris bid and their quest to bring the 2024 Olympic Games back to Europe," said Discovery Communications president and CEO David Zaslav. The IOC's executive committee will meet on Friday in Lausanne, Switzerland, to discuss the issue of announcing the hosts of the 2024 and 2028 at the same time this year. The IOC is keen on a joint award in an effort to lock in two host candidates which offer low-risk, high-quality bids at a time when fewer cities are willing to take on the vast expense of staging the Olympics. Publicly, however, both Paris and Los Angeles bid officials have stuck to the line that they remain focused only on 2024. The IOC announced in June 2015 that Discovery had acquired the European rights for the Olympics for the six years to 2024 for a sum of 1.3 billion euros ($1.46 billion). The period also covers the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo as well as the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. (AFP)

2024 Olympics: Media giant Discovery backs Paris bid

Japan will be hosting&nbsp;the 2017 Asian Winter Games (AWG), in the cities of Sapporo and Obihiro, starting Sunday. The Winter Games will run through February 26.&nbsp;

AWG is an international multi-sport event run by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to develop winter sports within its area of coverage. According to the official website, the OCA has 45 member countries.This year, the 8th Asian Winter Games is expected to attract more than 2,000 athletes from 31 countries, competing in five sports, 11 disciplines and 64 events.

With the Winter Games, just a year away from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchan,&nbsp;it is expected to offer a great stage for athletes to rehearse. Pyeongchang will stage Asia&#39;s first Winter Games outside Japan next year. This will kick-start a cycle of events in Asia with Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Games and Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Keeping with the sportsman spirit, the Japanese government is allowing the North Korean athletes&nbsp;to enter the country to take part in the Games despite Japan&#39;s entry ban on North Korean citizens, as reported in AP.&nbsp;Tokyo will treat the athletes as an exception to its punitive measure taken as part of its sanctions in response to Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear tests and rocket launches.&nbsp;

The Sapporo Games will also feature athletes from Australia and New Zealand.&nbsp;At the request of the Australian Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Sapporo 2017 organizing committee agreed to allow athletes from the two countries to take part as &#39;guest athletes&#39; in individual sports only, according to AP. However, they won&#39;t be eligible to compete for medals.

The 8th Sapporo Asian Winter Games Organising Committee (SAWGOC) looks to enhance tourism, economic stimulation and greater interest in winter sports in the region.&nbsp;

At present, Republic of Korea leads the medal tally with 14 medals, Japan and China follow with 12 and 9 medals respectively.&nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Some 2000 athletes from 31 countries will be competing in five sports across 64 events in Japan

Japan will be hosting the 2017 Asian Winter Games (AWG), in the cities of Sapporo and Obihiro, starting Sunday. The Winter Games will run through February 26. AWG is an international multi-sport event run by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to develop winter sports within its area of coverage. According to the official website, the OCA has 45 member countries.This year, the 8th Asian Winter Games is expected to attract more than 2,000 athletes from 31 countries, competing in five sports, 11 disciplines and 64 events. With the Winter Games, just a year away from the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchan, it is expected to offer a great stage for athletes to rehearse. Pyeongchang will stage Asia's first Winter Games outside Japan next year. This will kick-start a cycle of events in Asia with Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Games and Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics. Keeping with the sportsman spirit, the Japanese government is allowing the North Korean athletes to enter the country to take part in the Games despite Japan's entry ban on North Korean citizens, as reported in AP. Tokyo will treat the athletes as an exception to its punitive measure taken as part of its sanctions in response to Pyongyang's nuclear tests and rocket launches. The Sapporo Games will also feature athletes from Australia and New Zealand. At the request of the Australian Olympic Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia and the Sapporo 2017 organizing committee agreed to allow athletes from the two countries to take part as 'guest athletes' in individual sports only, according to AP. However, they won't be eligible to compete for medals. The 8th Sapporo Asian Winter Games Organising Committee (SAWGOC) looks to enhance tourism, economic stimulation and greater interest in winter sports in the region. At present, Republic of Korea leads the medal tally with 14 medals, Japan and China follow with 12 and 9 medals respectively. (WION)

Japan to host Asian Winter Games

Jamaica&#39;s Usain Bolt has lost one of his nine Olympic gold medals and his perfect triple treble of Games&#39; sprint victories after team mate Nesta Carter was found guilty of doping at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Carter was found to have taken the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said, meaning Jamaica&#39;s 4x100 metres relay team must give back their gold medals.

Bolt is considered one of the greatest sprinters of all time, having won an unprecedented treble of consecutive golds in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay in three straight Olympics.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s heartbreaking (the positive test) because over the years you&#39;ve worked hard to accumulate gold medals and work hard to be a champion... but it&#39;s just one of those things,&quot; Bolt said.

&quot;Things happen in life, so when it&#39;s confirmed or whatever, if I need to give back my gold medal I&#39;d have to give it back, it&#39;s not a problem for me.&quot; Trinidad and Tobago are set to be promoted to gold in the Beijing 4x100, in which Jamaica set a then world record, with Japan moving up to silver and fourth-placed Brazil earning bronze.

A reallocation of medals is subject to any further results from the IOC anti-doping retesting programme.

First-leg specialist Carter has been a vital member of Jamaica&#39;s dominant squad, helping the Caribbean island win gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2011, 2013 and 2015 world championships. Carter returned a positive result in re-tests of samples from the Beijing Olympics for the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine, the IOC said.

Asafa Powell, who has himself served a six-month doping ban, and Michael Frater completed the Jamaica sprint team at the 2008 race. Nesta was unavailable to comment on Wednesday&#39;s IOC announcement, while Powell and Crater declined to comment.

&quot;The Jamaican team is disqualified from the men&rsquo;s 4x100m relay event. The corresponding medals, medallist pins and diplomas are withdrawn and shall be returned,&quot; the IOC said.

&quot;The (international athletics&#39; federation) IAAF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence.&quot;

Methylhexanamine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code prohibited list since 2004 although it was reclassified on the 2011 list as a &quot;specified substance&quot;. 
The IOC programme of revisiting samples uses developments in testing techniques to find traces of drugs that were undetectable in 2008 or at the London 2012 Games.

More than 100 athletes have so far tested positive in re-tests from the Beijing and the London Olympics.

(Reuters)

Nesta Carter was found to have taken a prohibited substance, meaning Jamaica's relay team must return their gold medal

Jamaica's Usain Bolt has lost one of his nine Olympic gold medals and his perfect triple treble of Games' sprint victories after team mate Nesta Carter was found guilty of doping at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Carter was found to have taken the prohibited substance methylhexaneamine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said, meaning Jamaica's 4x100 metres relay team must give back their gold medals. Bolt is considered one of the greatest sprinters of all time, having won an unprecedented treble of consecutive golds in the 100m, 200m and 4x100 relay in three straight Olympics. "It's heartbreaking (the positive test) because over the years you've worked hard to accumulate gold medals and work hard to be a champion... but it's just one of those things," Bolt said. "Things happen in life, so when it's confirmed or whatever, if I need to give back my gold medal I'd have to give it back, it's not a problem for me." Trinidad and Tobago are set to be promoted to gold in the Beijing 4x100, in which Jamaica set a then world record, with Japan moving up to silver and fourth-placed Brazil earning bronze. A reallocation of medals is subject to any further results from the IOC anti-doping retesting programme. First-leg specialist Carter has been a vital member of Jamaica's dominant squad, helping the Caribbean island win gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2011, 2013 and 2015 world championships. Carter returned a positive result in re-tests of samples from the Beijing Olympics for the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine, the IOC said. Asafa Powell, who has himself served a six-month doping ban, and Michael Frater completed the Jamaica sprint team at the 2008 race. Nesta was unavailable to comment on Wednesday's IOC announcement, while Powell and Crater declined to comment. "The Jamaican team is disqualified from the men’s 4x100m relay event. The corresponding medals, medallist pins and diplomas are withdrawn and shall be returned," the IOC said. "The (international athletics' federation) IAAF is requested to modify the results of the above-mentioned event accordingly and to consider any further action within its own competence." Methylhexanamine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code prohibited list since 2004 although it was reclassified on the 2011 list as a "specified substance". The IOC programme of revisiting samples uses developments in testing techniques to find traces of drugs that were undetectable in 2008 or at the London 2012 Games. More than 100 athletes have so far tested positive in re-tests from the Beijing and the London Olympics. (Reuters)

Usain Bolt loses relay gold after Jamaica's Carter fails drug test

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has become a major sponsor of the Olympics after signing a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that runs until 2028, the two parties said on Thursday (January 19).

Alibaba, which becomes the official e-commerce and cloud services partner, joins 12 other companies - including Coca-Cola and McDonald&#39;s as top Olympic sponsors.

No financial details were disclosed. IOC sources have previously told Reuters that major sponsors pay about $100 million per four-year cycle, which includes one summer and one winter games.

The Alibaba deal comes as Asia prepares to host three consecutive Games with South Korea&#39;s Pyeongchang staging the 2018 winter Games, Tokyo the 2020 summer Olympics and Beijing the 2022 winter Games.

&quot;We are indeed very happy today here to announce a historic strategic partnership in the digital world which will transform the global Olympic movement. According to our roadmap for the future of the Olympic games, and the Olympic movement , the Olympic agenda 2020,&quot; said IOC President Thomas Bach. 
 
(Reuters)

The e-commerce company has signed a pact with International Olympic Committee to become its worldwide partner until 2028

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has become a major sponsor of the Olympics after signing a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that runs until 2028, the two parties said on Thursday (January 19). Alibaba, which becomes the official e-commerce and cloud services partner, joins 12 other companies - including Coca-Cola and McDonald's as top Olympic sponsors. No financial details were disclosed. IOC sources have previously told Reuters that major sponsors pay about $100 million per four-year cycle, which includes one summer and one winter games. The Alibaba deal comes as Asia prepares to host three consecutive Games with South Korea's Pyeongchang staging the 2018 winter Games, Tokyo the 2020 summer Olympics and Beijing the 2022 winter Games. "We are indeed very happy today here to announce a historic strategic partnership in the digital world which will transform the global Olympic movement. According to our roadmap for the future of the Olympic games, and the Olympic movement , the Olympic agenda 2020," said IOC President Thomas Bach. (Reuters)

China's Alibaba becomes major Olympics sponsor

Russian officials for the first time have admitted to mass doping in the country&#39;s sports system but dismissed suggestions that the &quot;institutional conspiracy&quot; was state-sponsored, the New York Times reported.

The final part of the World Anti-Doping Agency&#39;s independent report into doping in Russia this month provided exhaustive evidence of an elaborate doping scheme but officials at the time denied it was a state-backed programme.

The report found more than 1,000 Russian competitors in more than 30 sports were involved in a conspiracy to conceal positive drug tests over a period of five years.

&quot;It was an institutional conspiracy,&quot; Anna Antseliovich, the acting director general of Russia&#39;s anti-doping agency, told the New York Times, but added that top officials were not involved.

More than 100 Russian athletes were barred from competing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year after the International Olympic Committee set criteria for Russian athletes to meet, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events.

&quot;From my point of view, as a former minister of sport, president of the Olympic committee &mdash; we made a lot of mistakes,&quot; Vitaly Smirnov, head of a new commission created to combat doping, was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

&quot;We have to find those reasons why young sportsmen are taking doping, why they agree to be doped.&quot;

(Reuters)

World Anti-Doping Agency's report on doping in Russia has come up with exhaustive evidence of an elaborate doping scheme

Russian officials for the first time have admitted to mass doping in the country's sports system but dismissed suggestions that the "institutional conspiracy" was state-sponsored, the New York Times reported. The final part of the World Anti-Doping Agency's independent report into doping in Russia this month provided exhaustive evidence of an elaborate doping scheme but officials at the time denied it was a state-backed programme. The report found more than 1,000 Russian competitors in more than 30 sports were involved in a conspiracy to conceal positive drug tests over a period of five years. "It was an institutional conspiracy," Anna Antseliovich, the acting director general of Russia's anti-doping agency, told the New York Times, but added that top officials were not involved. More than 100 Russian athletes were barred from competing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this year after the International Olympic Committee set criteria for Russian athletes to meet, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events. "From my point of view, as a former minister of sport, president of the Olympic committee — we made a lot of mistakes," Vitaly Smirnov, head of a new commission created to combat doping, was quoted as saying by the New York Times. "We have to find those reasons why young sportsmen are taking doping, why they agree to be doped." (Reuters)

Russian officials admit mass doping in sports, refuse state-sponsored conspiracy: NYT

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday extended sanctions against Russia over doping until further notice.

The IOC first imposed sanctions on Russia in July in the wake of Richard McLaren&#39;s report for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that revealed a widespread state-backed scheme in Russia to rig drug tests at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The revelations led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics and the entire Russian team from the Paralympics.

The IOC executive board &quot;decided to extend the provisional measures ... against Russia until further notice&quot;, two days before the McLaren&#39;s full report is released, in London.

&quot;Once the above-mentioned process is complete, the IOC Executive Board will take all the appropriate measures and sanctions in the context of the Olympic Games, such as disqualification of athletes from competition at the Olympic Games, and the exclusion of implicated officials, entourage or government officials from the Olympic Games,&quot; the board said in a statement.

&quot;Outside the Olympic Games, the International Federations have the authority for any consequential sanctions of athletes and entourage from other international competitions, and potentially the suspension of national federations.&quot;

The full report by Canadian law professor McLaren is again expected to lift the lid once more on doping in Russia.

&quot;In order for the competent bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, to draw the relevant conclusions, due process now has to be followed,&quot; the IOC board added.

&quot;The evidence provided by Professor McLaren in his investigation has to be evaluated, and those implicated have to be given the right to be heard. This includes the athletes, the Russian Ministry of Sport, and other implicated persons and organisations.

&quot;Once all the evidence has been considered, the IOC Executive Board will then issue the appropriate measures and sanctions related to the Olympic Games.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The revelations led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics and the entire Russian team from the Paralympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday extended sanctions against Russia over doping until further notice. The IOC first imposed sanctions on Russia in July in the wake of Richard McLaren's report for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that revealed a widespread state-backed scheme in Russia to rig drug tests at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The revelations led to the exclusion of more than 100 Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics and the entire Russian team from the Paralympics. The IOC executive board "decided to extend the provisional measures ... against Russia until further notice", two days before the McLaren's full report is released, in London. "Once the above-mentioned process is complete, the IOC Executive Board will take all the appropriate measures and sanctions in the context of the Olympic Games, such as disqualification of athletes from competition at the Olympic Games, and the exclusion of implicated officials, entourage or government officials from the Olympic Games," the board said in a statement. "Outside the Olympic Games, the International Federations have the authority for any consequential sanctions of athletes and entourage from other international competitions, and potentially the suspension of national federations." The full report by Canadian law professor McLaren is again expected to lift the lid once more on doping in Russia. "In order for the competent bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, to draw the relevant conclusions, due process now has to be followed," the IOC board added. "The evidence provided by Professor McLaren in his investigation has to be evaluated, and those implicated have to be given the right to be heard. This includes the athletes, the Russian Ministry of Sport, and other implicated persons and organisations. "Once all the evidence has been considered, the IOC Executive Board will then issue the appropriate measures and sanctions related to the Olympic Games." (AFP)

IOC extends sanctions against Russia over doping

The newly-formed refugee team competing at this year&#39;s Olympics was one of the highlights in Rio de Janeiro but it is not clear if it will compete at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday.

The IOC unveiled its first team of refugees in June in an effort to raise awareness of the issue and it was one of the feel-good stories of the Rio Olympics.

But it has yet to decide whether to send another refugee team to Tokyo in four years time.

&quot;We will see. The team in Rio was to remind the world of the situation (of refugees),&quot; Pere Miro, the IOC&#39;s Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement, told reporters.

&quot;(For Tokyo) this has not yet been decided. To have a team in Rio was not an objective in itself but a means to put this problem to the world,&quot; Miro said. &quot;We will now go step by step.&quot;

The 10-member refugee team, hand-picked by the IOC, hogged the spotlight after marching as the penultimate team before hosts Brazil in the Opening Ceremony at the Olympic stadium on Aug. 5.

More than a million refugees streamed into Europe in the past year alone as they fled fighting in Syria and other countries.

Millions more are housed in camps in countries across the world, having escaped dozens of wars or armed conflicts in their home nations.

The Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) included five athletes from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia.

Miro said although a decision on Tokyo had yet to be taken, all national Olympic committees had been tasked with locating any potential Olympians among refugees living in their countries.

As for the 10 refugees who took part in Rio, Miro said the IOC would continue supporting them in their quest for sporting achievement or just a normal life away from war and violence.

&quot;We have not abandoned the 10 athletes,&quot; he said. &quot;We continue working with them. We have the duty to continue working with them.&quot;

(Reuters)

The IOC unveiled its first team of refugees in June in an effort to raise awareness of the issue

The newly-formed refugee team competing at this year's Olympics was one of the highlights in Rio de Janeiro but it is not clear if it will compete at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Tuesday. The IOC unveiled its first team of refugees in June in an effort to raise awareness of the issue and it was one of the feel-good stories of the Rio Olympics. But it has yet to decide whether to send another refugee team to Tokyo in four years time. "We will see. The team in Rio was to remind the world of the situation (of refugees)," Pere Miro, the IOC's Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement, told reporters. "(For Tokyo) this has not yet been decided. To have a team in Rio was not an objective in itself but a means to put this problem to the world," Miro said. "We will now go step by step." The 10-member refugee team, hand-picked by the IOC, hogged the spotlight after marching as the penultimate team before hosts Brazil in the Opening Ceremony at the Olympic stadium on Aug. 5. More than a million refugees streamed into Europe in the past year alone as they fled fighting in Syria and other countries. Millions more are housed in camps in countries across the world, having escaped dozens of wars or armed conflicts in their home nations. The Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) included five athletes from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia. Miro said although a decision on Tokyo had yet to be taken, all national Olympic committees had been tasked with locating any potential Olympians among refugees living in their countries. As for the 10 refugees who took part in Rio, Miro said the IOC would continue supporting them in their quest for sporting achievement or just a normal life away from war and violence. "We have not abandoned the 10 athletes," he said. "We continue working with them. We have the duty to continue working with them." (Reuters)

IOC undecided over refugee team for Tokyo 2020 Games

The Rio Olympics anti-doping programme was successful despite a lack of trained staff and resources, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday following a World Anti Doping Agency report noting &quot;serious failings&quot; in the process.

Doping was at top of the agenda well before the first South American Olympics in August after dozens of Russian athletes were banned following revelations of a state-supported doping system in the country.

The IOC said the overall programme had been successful, despite the lack of trained staff and inadequate testing outlined in the WADA international observers (IO) report.

&quot;The anti-doping programme in Rio de Janeiro had to overcome some challenges too, such as a lack of resources and trained volunteers/staff,&quot; the IOC said in a statement.

&quot;This was managed successfully thanks to the dedication and expertise of Rio 2016 and international staff and volunteers.&quot;

The 55-page WADA report by its IO team had said on Thursday several athletes earmarked for testing &quot;simply could not be found&quot; while there was &quot;little or no in-competition blood testing in many high-risk sports&quot; at the Games.

Many of the problems stemmed from staffing issues, resource constraints and other logistical difficulties, and there was also &#39;an apparent breakdown in the transfer of knowledge from previous Games&#39;,&quot; WADA said.

&quot;Ultimately, many athletes targeted for testing in the Athletes Village simply could not be found and the mission had to be aborted,&quot; the IOs said. &quot;On some days, up to 50 per cent of planned target tests were aborted.&quot;

The IOC said the programme had nevertheless delivered.

&quot;The IO report shows that it was a successful Olympic Games with a successful anti-doping programme,&quot; the IOC&#39;s medical chief Richard Budgett said.

&quot;The integrity of the programme was ensured despite some challenges the organising committee had to overcome. I would like to thank all the involved experts, staff and volunteers.&quot;

The Rio Games were hit by Brazil&#39;s biggest economic crisis in more than 80 years with organisers running out of cash and having to cut back on every level of the organisations.

The country&#39;s doping lab was also stripped of its credentials just two months ahead of the Games before being re-approved shortly before the opening ceremony.

During the Games, IOs had privately expressed concerns that a lack of resources and inadequate training of support staff and chaperones, employed to notify athletes of drug tests, were compromising drugs testing in some areas.

A summit of national doping agencies on Thursday called for all anti-doping functions to be freed from the influence of sporting bodies and organisers of events so the confidence of athletes in the system could be restored.

(Reuters)

The IOC said the overall programme had been successful, despite the lack of trained staff and inadequate testing outlined in the WADA report

The Rio Olympics anti-doping programme was successful despite a lack of trained staff and resources, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday following a World Anti Doping Agency report noting "serious failings" in the process. Doping was at top of the agenda well before the first South American Olympics in August after dozens of Russian athletes were banned following revelations of a state-supported doping system in the country. The IOC said the overall programme had been successful, despite the lack of trained staff and inadequate testing outlined in the WADA international observers (IO) report. "The anti-doping programme in Rio de Janeiro had to overcome some challenges too, such as a lack of resources and trained volunteers/staff," the IOC said in a statement. "This was managed successfully thanks to the dedication and expertise of Rio 2016 and international staff and volunteers." The 55-page WADA report by its IO team had said on Thursday several athletes earmarked for testing "simply could not be found" while there was "little or no in-competition blood testing in many high-risk sports" at the Games. Many of the problems stemmed from staffing issues, resource constraints and other logistical difficulties, and there was also 'an apparent breakdown in the transfer of knowledge from previous Games'," WADA said. "Ultimately, many athletes targeted for testing in the Athletes Village simply could not be found and the mission had to be aborted," the IOs said. "On some days, up to 50 per cent of planned target tests were aborted." The IOC said the programme had nevertheless delivered. "The IO report shows that it was a successful Olympic Games with a successful anti-doping programme," the IOC's medical chief Richard Budgett said. "The integrity of the programme was ensured despite some challenges the organising committee had to overcome. I would like to thank all the involved experts, staff and volunteers." The Rio Games were hit by Brazil's biggest economic crisis in more than 80 years with organisers running out of cash and having to cut back on every level of the organisations. The country's doping lab was also stripped of its credentials just two months ahead of the Games before being re-approved shortly before the opening ceremony. During the Games, IOs had privately expressed concerns that a lack of resources and inadequate training of support staff and chaperones, employed to notify athletes of drug tests, were compromising drugs testing in some areas. A summit of national doping agencies on Thursday called for all anti-doping functions to be freed from the influence of sporting bodies and organisers of events so the confidence of athletes in the system could be restored. (Reuters)

IOC denies WADA report, anti-doping programme success despite bottlenecks

Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested top International Olympic&nbsp;Committee member Patrick Hickey as part of an operation against&nbsp;black market Rio Olympics tickets. 
 
The 71-year-old head of the European Olympic Committees and&nbsp;Ireland&#39;s national committee, was detained at dawn at a luxury Rio&nbsp;hotel where he is staying with other IOC members, police said. 
 
According to Brazilian media, Hickey tried to escape when the&nbsp;operation was launched. 
 
Pictures shown by ESPN Brazil showed Hickey speaking to police in&nbsp;a bath robe in his room. 
 
Hickey was taken away from the hotel in an ambulance at about&nbsp;7 am and was expected to spend the night in hospital, IOC&nbsp;spokesman Mark Adams and police said. 
 
He has been accused of ticket scalping, ambush marketing and&nbsp;conspiracy. Prosecutors have estimated the profits from the black&nbsp;market sales at $3 million dollars. 
 
&quot;We will be fully cooperating with any police investigation,&quot;&nbsp;Adams told a press conference. 
 
&quot;Mr Hickey is entitled for the world and everyone to believe he is&nbsp;innocent until proven guilty,&quot; he added. &quot;Let&#39;s not jump the gun&nbsp;on this one.&quot; 
 
Brazilian police have launched a widening investigation after&nbsp;seizing more than 1,000 premier tickets for Games events,&nbsp;including the opening ceremony. 
 
Tickets with a face value of about $1,000 dollars were sold for&nbsp;more than $8,000. 
 
Some of the tickets had the Olympic Council of Ireland name on&nbsp;them. The OCI would only say that it was &quot;seeking total clarity on 
the situation&quot; before commenting. 
 
Kevin James Mallon, a director of THG Sports, was arrested in Rio&nbsp;on August 5 in possession of the tickets. 
 
THG Sports was licensed to resell London 2012 and Sochi 2014&nbsp;Olympic tickets. Hickey&#39;s son Stephen used to work at THG. 
 
Another THG staffer was arrested in Brazil in 2014 over the&nbsp;reselling of World Cup tickets. 
 
Brazilian prosecutors issued warrants for Hickey and other figures&nbsp;including Marcus Evans, a British hospitality businessman and&nbsp;owner of English Championship football club Ipswich.Hickey has&nbsp;been a member of the IOC executive board since 2012. As head of&nbsp;the European body he has been instrumental in setting up the&nbsp;European Games which was first held in Baku, Azerbaijan, last&nbsp;year. 
 
The arrest has echoes of a police raid on a FIFA hotel in Zurich&nbsp;last year in which seven officials of the football governing body&nbsp;were held on corruption charges. It will come as a blow to the IOC&nbsp;which has made anti-corruption efforts a priority since a bribery&nbsp;scandal around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. 
 
Six IOC members were expelled after the scandal. Hickey senior denied any connection to THG in an interview last&nbsp;week with Irish broadcaster RTE. 
 
&quot;There is no impropriety whatsoever from anyone within the OCI or&nbsp;myself in the dealing of tickets. I want to re-assure you of that&nbsp;100 percent,&quot; Hickey said. 
 
&quot;I am fully expecting we, the OCI, will come out of it with a&nbsp;fully clear bill of health.&quot; 
 
Brazilian police are also looking for an executive with Pro10&nbsp;Sports Management, an Irish company based in Lucan which was&nbsp;appointed by the OCI as its authorised ticket re-seller in&nbsp;Ireland. 
 
Pro10 said the tickets Mallon had in his possession were held for&nbsp;collection by Irish and other European customers who had purchased&nbsp;them at face value, plus a commission. 
 
In a statement they called allegations against the company&nbsp;&quot;utterly untrue.&quot; 
 
&quot;Pro10 is appalled that allegations are being made against the&nbsp;company without any attempt to ascertain the facts. The Brazilian&nbsp;authorities seem to be dealing with these extremely serious&nbsp;allegations through the media and no contact has been made with&nbsp;ro10,&quot; it said.

Patrick Hickey has been accused of ticket scalping, ambush marketing and?conspiracy

Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested top International Olympic Committee member Patrick Hickey as part of an operation against black market Rio Olympics tickets. The 71-year-old head of the European Olympic Committees and Ireland's national committee, was detained at dawn at a luxury Rio hotel where he is staying with other IOC members, police said. According to Brazilian media, Hickey tried to escape when the operation was launched. Pictures shown by ESPN Brazil showed Hickey speaking to police in a bath robe in his room. Hickey was taken away from the hotel in an ambulance at about 7 am and was expected to spend the night in hospital, IOC spokesman Mark Adams and police said. He has been accused of ticket scalping, ambush marketing and conspiracy. Prosecutors have estimated the profits from the black market sales at $3 million dollars. "We will be fully cooperating with any police investigation," Adams told a press conference. "Mr Hickey is entitled for the world and everyone to believe he is innocent until proven guilty," he added. "Let's not jump the gun on this one." Brazilian police have launched a widening investigation after seizing more than 1,000 premier tickets for Games events, including the opening ceremony. Tickets with a face value of about $1,000 dollars were sold for more than $8,000. Some of the tickets had the Olympic Council of Ireland name on them. The OCI would only say that it was "seeking total clarity on the situation" before commenting. Kevin James Mallon, a director of THG Sports, was arrested in Rio on August 5 in possession of the tickets. THG Sports was licensed to resell London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Olympic tickets. Hickey's son Stephen used to work at THG. Another THG staffer was arrested in Brazil in 2014 over the reselling of World Cup tickets. Brazilian prosecutors issued warrants for Hickey and other figures including Marcus Evans, a British hospitality businessman and owner of English Championship football club Ipswich.Hickey has been a member of the IOC executive board since 2012. As head of the European body he has been instrumental in setting up the European Games which was first held in Baku, Azerbaijan, last year. The arrest has echoes of a police raid on a FIFA hotel in Zurich last year in which seven officials of the football governing body were held on corruption charges. It will come as a blow to the IOC which has made anti-corruption efforts a priority since a bribery scandal around the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Six IOC members were expelled after the scandal. Hickey senior denied any connection to THG in an interview last week with Irish broadcaster RTE. "There is no impropriety whatsoever from anyone within the OCI or myself in the dealing of tickets. I want to re-assure you of that 100 percent," Hickey said. "I am fully expecting we, the OCI, will come out of it with a fully clear bill of health." Brazilian police are also looking for an executive with Pro10 Sports Management, an Irish company based in Lucan which was appointed by the OCI as its authorised ticket re-seller in Ireland. Pro10 said the tickets Mallon had in his possession were held for collection by Irish and other European customers who had purchased them at face value, plus a commission. In a statement they called allegations against the company "utterly untrue." "Pro10 is appalled that allegations are being made against the company without any attempt to ascertain the facts. The Brazilian authorities seem to be dealing with these extremely serious allegations through the media and no contact has been made with ro10," it said.

Rio Olympics 2016: European Olympic Committee chief arrested over black market tickets

The International Olympic Committee&#39;s decision to reject calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Rio Olympics could lead to &quot;lesser protection for clean athletes,&quot; the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Sunday. 
 
The global anti-doping agency said it stood by its earlier recommendation that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decline all entries for the Rio Games submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee. 
 
The IOC on Sunday resisted calls for a blanket ban on Russians competing in next month&#39;s Rio games due to the country&#39;s doping record, leaving decisions on individual athletes&#39; participation with their sports federations. 
 
&quot;WADA is disappointed that the IOC did not heed WADA&rsquo;s Executive Committee recommendations that were based on the outcomes of the McLaren Investigation and would have ensured a straight-forward, strong and harmonised approach,&rdquo; WADA President Craig Reedie said in a statement. 
 
&ldquo;The McLaren Report exposed, beyond a reasonable doubt, a state-run doping program in Russia that seriously undermines the principles of clean sport embodied within the World Anti-Doping Code,&quot; Reedie added. 
 
&#39;Why did IOC not allow Stepanova to run as independent athlete?&#39; 
 
WADA also joined other anti-doping leaders in expressing concern over the effect of the IOC decision. 
 
&quot;The approach taken and the criteria set forward will inevitably lead to a lack of harmonisation, potential challenges and lesser protection for clean athletes,&rdquo; WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said. 
 
He also questioned why the IOC had not allowed Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova to run as an independent athlete in Rio. 
 
&quot;Ms. Stepanova was instrumental in courageously exposing the single biggest doping scandal of all time,&rdquo; Niggli said. &ldquo;WADA is very concerned by the message that this sends whistleblowers for the future.&quot; 
 
Evidence from the McLaren report had also been sent to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), WADA said. 
 
The IPC will make its own decision on whether to permit Russian athletes in the Paralympics. It has already started suspension proceedings against Russia following the McLaren report. 
 
Responding to IOC calls that the agency review the anti-doping system, WADA said it was fully committed to further strengthening system. 
 
It also confirmed professor Richard McLaren would continue his investigative work into doping and &quot;identify athletes that might have benefited from manipulation of the doping control process to conceal positive doping tests&quot;. 
 
(Reuters)

The IOC resisted calls for a blanket ban on Sunday on Russians competing in next month's Rio games due to the country's doping record

The International Olympic Committee's decision to reject calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Rio Olympics could lead to "lesser protection for clean athletes," the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Sunday. The global anti-doping agency said it stood by its earlier recommendation that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decline all entries for the Rio Games submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee. The IOC on Sunday resisted calls for a blanket ban on Russians competing in next month's Rio games due to the country's doping record, leaving decisions on individual athletes' participation with their sports federations. "WADA is disappointed that the IOC did not heed WADA’s Executive Committee recommendations that were based on the outcomes of the McLaren Investigation and would have ensured a straight-forward, strong and harmonised approach,” WADA President Craig Reedie said in a statement. “The McLaren Report exposed, beyond a reasonable doubt, a state-run doping program in Russia that seriously undermines the principles of clean sport embodied within the World Anti-Doping Code," Reedie added. 'Why did IOC not allow Stepanova to run as independent athlete?' WADA also joined other anti-doping leaders in expressing concern over the effect of the IOC decision. "The approach taken and the criteria set forward will inevitably lead to a lack of harmonisation, potential challenges and lesser protection for clean athletes,” WADA Director General Olivier Niggli said. He also questioned why the IOC had not allowed Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova to run as an independent athlete in Rio. "Ms. Stepanova was instrumental in courageously exposing the single biggest doping scandal of all time,” Niggli said. “WADA is very concerned by the message that this sends whistleblowers for the future." Evidence from the McLaren report had also been sent to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), WADA said. The IPC will make its own decision on whether to permit Russian athletes in the Paralympics. It has already started suspension proceedings against Russia following the McLaren report. Responding to IOC calls that the agency review the anti-doping system, WADA said it was fully committed to further strengthening system. It also confirmed professor Richard McLaren would continue his investigative work into doping and "identify athletes that might have benefited from manipulation of the doping control process to conceal positive doping tests". (Reuters)

Rio Olympics 2016: WADA 'disappointed' by IOC decision on Russia

The International Olympic Committee said today it would decide &quot;within seven days&quot; on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over rampant state-run doping.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We expect (to have) a decision within seven days on the participation of Russian competitors in Rio,&quot; IOC media relations chief Emmanuelle Moreau said. 
 
The Games in Rio de Janeiro open on August 5.&nbsp; 
 
The IOC has faced growing calls to hit Russia with an outright ban after a report commissioned by the World Anti Doping Agency found the country ran an elaborate cheating programme at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and other major events. 
 
Following an emergency conference on Tuesday, the IOC&#39;s executive board said it would study the &quot;legal options&quot; regarding a prospective Russia suspension. 
 
It would be an unprecedented move, as no country has been excluded from an Olympics over doping. 
 
IOC leaders said they would consider a decision due Thursday from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on a previously imposed ban by the International Association of Atheletic&#39;s Federation (IAAF) against Russia&#39;s track field and team. 
 
That ban followed similar revelations of rampant doping with support from Moscow. 
 
Sixty-eight Russian athletes have appealed to CAS challenging the IAAF&#39;s right to punish an entire national federation, since some team members have no positive drug tests on their record. 
 
The CAS ruling on the validity of collective punishment is expected to help guide the IOC&#39;s decision on Russia&#39;s eligibility for Rio.&nbsp; 
Moreau said IOC leaders would have further talks on the Russia dispute in the coming days, following the CAS ruling. 
 
(AFP)

Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling on the validity of collective punishment is expected to help guide the IOC's decision

The International Olympic Committee said today it would decide "within seven days" on whether to ban Russia from the Rio Games over rampant state-run doping. "We expect (to have) a decision within seven days on the participation of Russian competitors in Rio," IOC media relations chief Emmanuelle Moreau said. The Games in Rio de Janeiro open on August 5. The IOC has faced growing calls to hit Russia with an outright ban after a report commissioned by the World Anti Doping Agency found the country ran an elaborate cheating programme at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and other major events. Following an emergency conference on Tuesday, the IOC's executive board said it would study the "legal options" regarding a prospective Russia suspension. It would be an unprecedented move, as no country has been excluded from an Olympics over doping. IOC leaders said they would consider a decision due Thursday from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on a previously imposed ban by the International Association of Atheletic's Federation (IAAF) against Russia's track field and team. That ban followed similar revelations of rampant doping with support from Moscow. Sixty-eight Russian athletes have appealed to CAS challenging the IAAF's right to punish an entire national federation, since some team members have no positive drug tests on their record. The CAS ruling on the validity of collective punishment is expected to help guide the IOC's decision on Russia's eligibility for Rio. Moreau said IOC leaders would have further talks on the Russia dispute in the coming days, following the CAS ruling. (AFP)

International Olympic Committee to decide on Russia Rio ban 'within a week'

The International Olympic Committee today barred Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko and other ministry officials from attending the Rio Games after the revelation of a state-run doping system. 
 
&quot;The IOC will not grant any accreditation to any official of the Russian Ministry of sport or any person implicated in the (independent) report for the Games of the Olympiad Rio 2016,&quot; said an IOC statement. 
 
An independent inquiry commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said the Russian sports ministry organised a state-dictated failsafe system of cheating by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics and other major events hosted by Russia. 
Deputy sports minister Yury Nagornykh is among officials to have been suspended by the Kremlin since the report was released on Monday. 
 
The International Olympic Committee today also that said it will study &quot;legal options&quot; on banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Games and also ordered a disciplinary commission to look into the role of Russian officials in a state-run doping system. 
 
The IOC executive held emergency telephone talks after a WADA commissioned report said there had been state-sanctioned doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other major events. 
 
The IOC &quot;will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice&quot;, said a statement. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on July 21 2016 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

IOC will not grant any accreditation to any Russian sport ministry official or any person implicated in the WADA report

The International Olympic Committee today barred Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko and other ministry officials from attending the Rio Games after the revelation of a state-run doping system. "The IOC will not grant any accreditation to any official of the Russian Ministry of sport or any person implicated in the (independent) report for the Games of the Olympiad Rio 2016," said an IOC statement. An independent inquiry commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said the Russian sports ministry organised a state-dictated failsafe system of cheating by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics and other major events hosted by Russia. Deputy sports minister Yury Nagornykh is among officials to have been suspended by the Kremlin since the report was released on Monday. The International Olympic Committee today also that said it will study "legal options" on banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Games and also ordered a disciplinary commission to look into the role of Russian officials in a state-run doping system. The IOC executive held emergency telephone talks after a WADA commissioned report said there had been state-sanctioned doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other major events. The IOC "will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice", said a statement. "In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on July 21 2016 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter." (AFP)

IOC bars Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko from Rio Olympics

Yusra Mardini, the teenager who braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy fleeing war-torn Syria, won her 100m butterfly heat in Rio on Saturday to launch an &quot;amazing&quot; Olympic experience. 
 
&quot;Everything was amazing. It was the only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics,&quot; said the 18-year-old, who is representing the first ever Olympic refugee team. 
 
&quot;I had a good feeling in the water so I&#39;m happy for that.&quot; 
 
She attended Friday&#39;s Opening Ceremony, but didn&#39;t stay for the end because she wanted to be ready for her race. 
Mardini touched in 1min 09.21sec, just off her entry time of 1:08.51. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve only been back swimming for two years so we&#39;re only now getting back to my levels of before. But I&#39;m pleased,&quot; added Mardini, who has settled in Germany with her family. 
 
Less than a year ago Mardini found herself swimming for her life when the crowded dinghy headed for the Greek island of Lesbos suffered engine failure. 
 
She and her sister jumped into the water and used a rope to tow the boat to safety. 
 
Although she was 41st-fastest in an event led by world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom&#39;s 56.26sec meaning she didn&#39;t qualify for the semi-finals, Mardini said it was a thrill to line up against the world&#39;s best. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s an incredible feeling and I&#39;m happy to see all the great swimmers here,&quot; she said. &quot;Competing with all these great champions is exciting.&quot; 
 
In March, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach announced he would choose five to ten refugee athletes to compete at the Games. 
 
One other swimmer, Rami Anis, is also originally from Syria and will compete in the men&#39;s 100m butterfly. Mardini is also entered in the 100m freestyle. 
 
Each Refugee athlete is being hosted by a National Olympic Committee. Mardini is being hosted by Germany, while Anis is being hosted by Belgium. 
 
Six refugee athletes are competing in athletics and two in Judo. 
 
(AFP)

Yusra Mardini,18, less than a year ago found herself swimming for her life when the crowded dinghy headed for Lesbos suffered engine failure

Yusra Mardini, the teenager who braved a Mediterranean crossing in a leaky dinghy fleeing war-torn Syria, won her 100m butterfly heat in Rio on Saturday to launch an "amazing" Olympic experience. "Everything was amazing. It was the only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics," said the 18-year-old, who is representing the first ever Olympic refugee team. "I had a good feeling in the water so I'm happy for that." She attended Friday's Opening Ceremony, but didn't stay for the end because she wanted to be ready for her race. Mardini touched in 1min 09.21sec, just off her entry time of 1:08.51. "I've only been back swimming for two years so we're only now getting back to my levels of before. But I'm pleased," added Mardini, who has settled in Germany with her family. Less than a year ago Mardini found herself swimming for her life when the crowded dinghy headed for the Greek island of Lesbos suffered engine failure. She and her sister jumped into the water and used a rope to tow the boat to safety. Although she was 41st-fastest in an event led by world record-holder Sarah Sjostrom's 56.26sec meaning she didn't qualify for the semi-finals, Mardini said it was a thrill to line up against the world's best. "It's an incredible feeling and I'm happy to see all the great swimmers here," she said. "Competing with all these great champions is exciting." In March, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach announced he would choose five to ten refugee athletes to compete at the Games. One other swimmer, Rami Anis, is also originally from Syria and will compete in the men's 100m butterfly. Mardini is also entered in the 100m freestyle. Each Refugee athlete is being hosted by a National Olympic Committee. Mardini is being hosted by Germany, while Anis is being hosted by Belgium. Six refugee athletes are competing in athletics and two in Judo. (AFP)

Syrian refugee Mardini wins 100m butterfly heat in Rio

Brazil&#39;s athletes were not subject to dope tests for almost a month before the Rio Olympics, the country&#39;s sports ministry has said while refuting allegations it was a political decision to ensure the games were not plunged further into crisis. 
 
Brazil&#39;s sports ministry confirmed no tests were carried out between July 1 and July 24 due to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspension on a drug testing laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, The Times reported today. 
 
WADA said it was &quot;concerned&quot; and has sent a letter to Brazil&#39;s sports minister asking why the tests had been stopped. 
 
&quot;We sent a letter to the minister of sport and the executive director of the Brazilian national anti-doping agency, pressing our concerns and demanding to know why testing had been stopped in Brazil,&quot; WADA deputy director Rob Koehler told the newspaper. 
 
&quot;The response was not satisfactory... the explanation that it had come about due to the changing of the guard in the ministry and the agency was not acceptable to us. 
 
&quot;We informed the pre-Games task force and we told them to ramp up increased tests. It was unacceptable that it stopped. That was not a good move... the fact no testing was happening was a concern.&quot; 
 
South America&#39;s first Olympics have been mired in a drugs scandal with Russia&#39;s track-and-field athletes and weightlifters barred from the Rio Games over doping offences. 
 
The European country narrowly avoided a complete ban over allegations its government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating. 
 
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes but directed sports federations to allow them to compete if they met a set of criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events. 
 
Faced pressure from ministry, alleges Horta&nbsp; 
 
Luis Horta, the former head of Portugal&#39;s anti-doping agency who was given a role as an adviser to Brazil, alleged he faced pressure from the country&#39;s sports ministry and Olympic committee to reduce testing. 
 
A statement from Brazil&#39;s sports ministry refuted the allegations, while adding that three overseas laboratories were approached but were unable to help with the testing of samples. 
 
&quot;The Ministry of Sport and the Brazilian Doping Control Authority strongly refute the accusations made by Mr Horta,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;With the suspension imposed by WADA to the laboratory on June 22, the tests planned for the period between 1 and 24 July were compromised (the suspension was only lifted on July 20), as analyses could not be submitted. 
 
&quot;Therefore, the planned tests ended up not being done in that period.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

'Brazil's sports ministry confirmed no tests were carried out between July 1 and July 24 due to a WADA suspension on drug testing lab'

Brazil's athletes were not subject to dope tests for almost a month before the Rio Olympics, the country's sports ministry has said while refuting allegations it was a political decision to ensure the games were not plunged further into crisis. Brazil's sports ministry confirmed no tests were carried out between July 1 and July 24 due to a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspension on a drug testing laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, The Times reported today. WADA said it was "concerned" and has sent a letter to Brazil's sports minister asking why the tests had been stopped. "We sent a letter to the minister of sport and the executive director of the Brazilian national anti-doping agency, pressing our concerns and demanding to know why testing had been stopped in Brazil," WADA deputy director Rob Koehler told the newspaper. "The response was not satisfactory... the explanation that it had come about due to the changing of the guard in the ministry and the agency was not acceptable to us. "We informed the pre-Games task force and we told them to ramp up increased tests. It was unacceptable that it stopped. That was not a good move... the fact no testing was happening was a concern." South America's first Olympics have been mired in a drugs scandal with Russia's track-and-field athletes and weightlifters barred from the Rio Games over doping offences. The European country narrowly avoided a complete ban over allegations its government and FSB security service systematically covered up widespread cheating. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose not to impose a blanket ban on all Russian athletes but directed sports federations to allow them to compete if they met a set of criteria, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events. Faced pressure from ministry, alleges Horta Luis Horta, the former head of Portugal's anti-doping agency who was given a role as an adviser to Brazil, alleged he faced pressure from the country's sports ministry and Olympic committee to reduce testing. A statement from Brazil's sports ministry refuted the allegations, while adding that three overseas laboratories were approached but were unable to help with the testing of samples. "The Ministry of Sport and the Brazilian Doping Control Authority strongly refute the accusations made by Mr Horta," it said. "With the suspension imposed by WADA to the laboratory on June 22, the tests planned for the period between 1 and 24 July were compromised (the suspension was only lifted on July 20), as analyses could not be submitted. "Therefore, the planned tests ended up not being done in that period." (Reuters)

WADA questions why athletes were not dope-tested ahead of Rio 2016

Nita Ambani has become the first Indian woman to be nominated as a member of the International Olympic Committee, following the introduction of a new selection process. 
 
The IOC confirmed Ambani&#39;s nomination along with seven others on its website Friday, saying it was a part of its strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic movement. 
 
Ambani, 52, will formally become an IOC member in elections slated for August 2-4 just before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
A founder and chairperson at the Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of conglomerate Reliance Industries, she is married to Mukesh Ambani, the country&#39;s richest man. 
 
She is also the principal owner of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament. 
 
The Indian Olympic Association said Ambani&#39;s presence on the IOC would give a big boost to sports in the country. 
 
&quot;We welcome Nita Ambani&#39;s nomination. It is great for India and we hope... Indian sports will benefit from it,&quot; IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta told AFP. 
 
Despite being the world&#39;s second-most populous nation, India has a poor Olympic record, in part because of squabbling federations and mostly inept officials. 
 
Dogged by doping scandals and escalating costs, the IOC in 2014 passed sweeping reforms as part of a push to make Olympic Games cheaper to stage, as well as to bolster the credibility of the organisation. 
 
IOC president Thomas Bach said he hoped the eight new candidates would make great contributions to the Olympic movement, in comments posted on the IOC website. 
 
&quot;They have been vetted by new criteria in keeping with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020. 
 
&quot;These candidates will add extra strength and diversity to our already universal orchestra of IOC members,&quot; Bach said. 
 
(AFP)

Ambani has become the first Indian woman to be nominated as a member of the International Olympic Committee

Nita Ambani has become the first Indian woman to be nominated as a member of the International Olympic Committee, following the introduction of a new selection process. The IOC confirmed Ambani's nomination along with seven others on its website Friday, saying it was a part of its strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic movement. Ambani, 52, will formally become an IOC member in elections slated for August 2-4 just before the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. A founder and chairperson at the Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of conglomerate Reliance Industries, she is married to Mukesh Ambani, the country's richest man. She is also the principal owner of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament. The Indian Olympic Association said Ambani's presence on the IOC would give a big boost to sports in the country. "We welcome Nita Ambani's nomination. It is great for India and we hope... Indian sports will benefit from it," IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta told AFP. Despite being the world's second-most populous nation, India has a poor Olympic record, in part because of squabbling federations and mostly inept officials. Dogged by doping scandals and escalating costs, the IOC in 2014 passed sweeping reforms as part of a push to make Olympic Games cheaper to stage, as well as to bolster the credibility of the organisation. IOC president Thomas Bach said he hoped the eight new candidates would make great contributions to the Olympic movement, in comments posted on the IOC website. "They have been vetted by new criteria in keeping with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020. "These candidates will add extra strength and diversity to our already universal orchestra of IOC members," Bach said. (AFP)

Nita Ambani, Indian businesswoman, nominated to IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed 29 Russian swimmers to take part in the Rio Olympic Games, R-Sport news agency cited swimming&#39;s world governing body FINA as saying today. 
 
Swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, as well as female swimmer Yulia Efimova are not on the list, however, the agency reported. 
 
Lobintsev and US-based Morozov were part of Russia&#39;s bronze-medal winning 4x100m freestyle team at the London 2012 Games, while Lobintsev also won a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at Beijing 2008. Efimova is a four-times breaststroke world champion. 
 
The IOC has allowed the whole Russian synchronised swimming team and the Russian female water polo team to take part in the Olympics, R-Sport said. 
 
(Reuters)

Swimmers Vladimir Morozov, Nikita Lobintsev and female swimmer, Yulia Efimova, are not on the list

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has allowed 29 Russian swimmers to take part in the Rio Olympic Games, R-Sport news agency cited swimming's world governing body FINA as saying today. Swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev, as well as female swimmer Yulia Efimova are not on the list, however, the agency reported. Lobintsev and US-based Morozov were part of Russia's bronze-medal winning 4x100m freestyle team at the London 2012 Games, while Lobintsev also won a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at Beijing 2008. Efimova is a four-times breaststroke world champion. The IOC has allowed the whole Russian synchronised swimming team and the Russian female water polo team to take part in the Olympics, R-Sport said. (Reuters)

IOC clears 29 Russian swimmers to compete in Rio, says news agency

A blanket ban on Russia at the Rio de Janeiro Games would have had devastating consequences, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday. 
 
The IOC opted not to ban all Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics after revelations of a wide state-backed doping programme across many sports. Instead, it chose a set of criteria for athletes to meet, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events, that so far has allowed more than 250 out of the original 387 Russian athletes to be cleared for Rio. 
 
Bach, speaking at the IOC session in the Brazilian city, said preventing clean athletes from competing and treating them as &quot;collateral damage&quot; would have been wrong. &quot;This blanket ban of the Russian Olympic Committee has been called by some the &#39;nuclear option&#39; and the innocent athletes would have to be considered as collateral damage,&quot; Bach said. 
 
&quot;Leaving aside that such a comparison is completely out of any proportion when it comes to the rules of sport. Let us just for a moment consider the consequences of a &#39;nuclear option&#39;. The result is death and devastation.&nbsp;The cynical &#39;collateral damage approach&#39; is not what the Olympic Movement stands for.&quot; 
 
Several anti-doping bodies, including the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), as well as those from the United States, Canada and Germany, among others, had called on the IOC to implement a blanket ban on all Russian athletes. They expressed disappointment following the IOC&#39;s decision to allow some Russians to compete and accused the Games&#39; ruling body of lacking the leadership and courage to punish Russia. 
 
&quot;What is not acceptable is the insinuation of some proponents of the blanket ban that those who do not share their opinions are not fighting against doping,&quot; Bach said. &quot;On behalf of all these supporters, I reject this insinuation in the strongest terms.&nbsp;We may disagree how we get there but we all work toward the same goal of protecting clean athletes. Despite these discrepancies, we agree we must not allow such a situation to happen again,&quot; he added. Bach said the doping system needed completely restructuring. 
 
&quot;Engagement and not isolation is the key to build a more robust anti-doping system,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Thomas Bach said preventing clean athletes from competing and treating them as 'collateral damage' would have been wrong

A blanket ban on Russia at the Rio de Janeiro Games would have had devastating consequences, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday. The IOC opted not to ban all Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics after revelations of a wide state-backed doping programme across many sports. Instead, it chose a set of criteria for athletes to meet, including a clean doping past and sufficient testing at international events, that so far has allowed more than 250 out of the original 387 Russian athletes to be cleared for Rio. Bach, speaking at the IOC session in the Brazilian city, said preventing clean athletes from competing and treating them as "collateral damage" would have been wrong. "This blanket ban of the Russian Olympic Committee has been called by some the 'nuclear option' and the innocent athletes would have to be considered as collateral damage," Bach said. "Leaving aside that such a comparison is completely out of any proportion when it comes to the rules of sport. Let us just for a moment consider the consequences of a 'nuclear option'. The result is death and devastation. The cynical 'collateral damage approach' is not what the Olympic Movement stands for." Several anti-doping bodies, including the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), as well as those from the United States, Canada and Germany, among others, had called on the IOC to implement a blanket ban on all Russian athletes. They expressed disappointment following the IOC's decision to allow some Russians to compete and accused the Games' ruling body of lacking the leadership and courage to punish Russia. "What is not acceptable is the insinuation of some proponents of the blanket ban that those who do not share their opinions are not fighting against doping," Bach said. "On behalf of all these supporters, I reject this insinuation in the strongest terms. We may disagree how we get there but we all work toward the same goal of protecting clean athletes. Despite these discrepancies, we agree we must not allow such a situation to happen again," he added. Bach said the doping system needed completely restructuring. "Engagement and not isolation is the key to build a more robust anti-doping system," he said. (Reuters)

IOC president says blanket Rio ban on Russia would have been disastrous

Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev on Saturday launched the first challenge against International Olympic Committee sanctions excluding them from the Rio Olympics. 
 
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hold swiftly convened hearings in Rio to decide on the appeals by the two, both medal winners for Russia at past Olympics. 
 
Morozov, 24, and Lobintsev, 27, have called on CAS to declare &quot;invalid and unenforceable&quot; an IOC order for federations to exclude athletes implicated in an investigation on doping in Russia. 
 
Morozov and Lobintsev were among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week after the order. 
 
A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said there had been state-run doping, aided by the Russian secret service, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. 
 
Rejecting calls for a blanket ban on Russia, the IOC decided on July 24 that individual sports federations should investigate athletes implicated in the report and decide who should be excluded. 
 
So far at least 117 individuals from the 387 that the Russian Olympic Committee wanted to enter have been excluded. 
 
Morozov, a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that took bronze at the 2012 London Games, and Lobintsev, winner of a silver in the 4x200m freestyle team in Beijing in 2008, have taken their action against the IOC and FINA. 
 
&quot;Both swimmers request CAS to declare the decision of the IOC executive board of July 24 2016 invalid and unenforceable,&quot; said a CAS statement. 
 
&quot;The swimmers also request that the decision of the FINA bureau of July 25 2016, declaring both of them ineligible for the Olympic Games in Rio, be set aside.&quot; 
 
Morozov and Lobintsev also demand that the IOC &quot;validates the entries submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee for them to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio.&quot; 
 
CAS did not say when a decision would be announced. 
 
(AFP)

The swimmers, who are amongst the seven Russians banned, have appealed that IOC order excluding athletes from the Games be declared invalid

Russian swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev on Saturday launched the first challenge against International Olympic Committee sanctions excluding them from the Rio Olympics. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hold swiftly convened hearings in Rio to decide on the appeals by the two, both medal winners for Russia at past Olympics. Morozov, 24, and Lobintsev, 27, have called on CAS to declare "invalid and unenforceable" an IOC order for federations to exclude athletes implicated in an investigation on doping in Russia. Morozov and Lobintsev were among seven Russians banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week after the order. A report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said there had been state-run doping, aided by the Russian secret service, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Rejecting calls for a blanket ban on Russia, the IOC decided on July 24 that individual sports federations should investigate athletes implicated in the report and decide who should be excluded. So far at least 117 individuals from the 387 that the Russian Olympic Committee wanted to enter have been excluded. Morozov, a member of the 4x100m freestyle relay team that took bronze at the 2012 London Games, and Lobintsev, winner of a silver in the 4x200m freestyle team in Beijing in 2008, have taken their action against the IOC and FINA. "Both swimmers request CAS to declare the decision of the IOC executive board of July 24 2016 invalid and unenforceable," said a CAS statement. "The swimmers also request that the decision of the FINA bureau of July 25 2016, declaring both of them ineligible for the Olympic Games in Rio, be set aside." Morozov and Lobintsev also demand that the IOC "validates the entries submitted by the Russian Olympic Committee for them to compete in the Olympic Games in Rio." CAS did not say when a decision would be announced. (AFP)

2 Russian swimmers file appeals against Olympic ban

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