World athletics federation IAAF has&nbsp;come closer to destroying sport in Russia than helping it develop by suspending the country&#39;s track and field team over doping offences, the Russian sport minister said. 
 
First imposed in November, the IAAF ban was extended on Friday and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday. 
 
&quot;I have written an open letter to (the IAAF)... If you are an organisation whose aim is to develop athletics then you have done everything to destroy it,&quot; Vitaly Mutko told Reuters in an interview. 
 
Russian track and field athletes had not participated in international competitions in January. 
 
&quot;I, on behalf of the state, cannot finance the country&#39;s national team. That means all this is falling apart. Next, I cannot finance the training centre, all these are closing down. The young athletes do not have any motivation,&quot; Mutko said. 
 
Individual Russian track and field athletes assessed as clean will be able to compete for their country in Brazil, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday, diluting the IAAF&#39;s ban. 
 
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also said all competitors from both Russia and Kenya would, given their countries&#39; recent history of doping, have to be screened individually before being allowed to participate in the Games. 
 
He did not elaborate on what the evaluation would include. 
 
The Russian track and field team remains suspended from Rio de Janeiro after the IOC supported the ban, for systemic doping, which world athletics federation IAAF had extended on Friday. 
 
But Bach, speaking at the end of a summit on doping, offered a limited number of Russian athletes the chance to race under their flag. 
 
In a decision welcomed by the sports ministry in Moscow, he said those cleared by the IAAF or the Court of Arbitration for Sport as clean and eligible would be able to compete in Brazil. 
 
The unsatisfactory record of anti-doping bodies in Russia, as well as Kenya, had put &quot;very serious doubts on the presumption of innocence&quot; of their athletes, Bach said. 
 
But they had the right of appeal and &quot;if there are (Russian) athletes qualified then they will compete as members of the Russian Olympic Committee team,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
The IAAF had said on Friday that any Russian athlete would have to compete under a neutral flag, a recommendation it reiterated on Tuesday following Bach&#39;s comments. 
 
&quot;This decision has been unequivocally supported across sport and the IOC Summit today unanimously agreed to fully respect the IAAF decision,&quot; the federation said in a statement. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

However, Russia's sports minister has said that the suspensions are destroying sport in the country

World athletics federation IAAF has come closer to destroying sport in Russia than helping it develop by suspending the country's track and field team over doping offences, the Russian sport minister said. First imposed in November, the IAAF ban was extended on Friday and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday. "I have written an open letter to (the IAAF)... If you are an organisation whose aim is to develop athletics then you have done everything to destroy it," Vitaly Mutko told Reuters in an interview. Russian track and field athletes had not participated in international competitions in January. "I, on behalf of the state, cannot finance the country's national team. That means all this is falling apart. Next, I cannot finance the training centre, all these are closing down. The young athletes do not have any motivation," Mutko said. Individual Russian track and field athletes assessed as clean will be able to compete for their country in Brazil, IOC President Thomas Bach said on Tuesday, diluting the IAAF's ban. International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach also said all competitors from both Russia and Kenya would, given their countries' recent history of doping, have to be screened individually before being allowed to participate in the Games. He did not elaborate on what the evaluation would include. The Russian track and field team remains suspended from Rio de Janeiro after the IOC supported the ban, for systemic doping, which world athletics federation IAAF had extended on Friday. But Bach, speaking at the end of a summit on doping, offered a limited number of Russian athletes the chance to race under their flag. In a decision welcomed by the sports ministry in Moscow, he said those cleared by the IAAF or the Court of Arbitration for Sport as clean and eligible would be able to compete in Brazil. The unsatisfactory record of anti-doping bodies in Russia, as well as Kenya, had put "very serious doubts on the presumption of innocence" of their athletes, Bach said. But they had the right of appeal and "if there are (Russian) athletes qualified then they will compete as members of the Russian Olympic Committee team," he told reporters. The IAAF had said on Friday that any Russian athlete would have to compete under a neutral flag, a recommendation it reiterated on Tuesday following Bach's comments. "This decision has been unequivocally supported across sport and the IOC Summit today unanimously agreed to fully respect the IAAF decision," the federation said in a statement. (Reuters)

IOC offers Rio lifeline to Russian track and field athletes

An Australian paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint while training in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend, raising fears about the security of athletes and tourists in &nbsp;Olympic Games. 
 
Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said that they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. 
 
Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then gave her a shove. 
 
&quot;I think he said &#39;dinero&#39; (money),&quot; she told Channel Nine, adding that she lifted up her shirt to showed she had no money with her. 
 
&quot;And then he said something else, but I don&#39;t know what he said, lifted the gun up towards me and then pushed me in the shoulder and I just fell down on the cobblestones.&quot; 
 
The men took the bikes and rode off, she added. 
 
&quot;It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we&#39;re both OK,&quot; said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. 
 
Tesch and Ross reported the incident to local police, said&nbsp;the Australian Paralympic Committee . 
 
Australia&#39;s Paralympic team chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said the sailing team were shaken by the incident and repeated a warning to athletes to exercise a high degree of caution while travelling in Rio. 
 
&ldquo;That advice is particularly important before the Paralympic Games period,&rdquo; said&nbsp;McLoughlin . 
 
&ldquo;We know there will be a hugely elevated level of security in place during the Paralympic Games, but for athletes and teams travelling there before the Games, there is a heightened need to be security conscious.&rdquo; 
 
The Sept. 7-18 Paralympics follow the Olympics, which opens on Aug. 5. 
 
Olympic organizers plan to deploy around 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. 
 
Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. 
 
Emergency measures are needed to avoid &quot;a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management,&quot; a decree in the state&#39;s Official Gazette said. 
 
The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state&#39;s security budget - just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. 
 
(Reuters)

Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel on Flamengo Beach when two men attacked them

An Australian paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint while training in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend, raising fears about the security of athletes and tourists in Olympic Games. Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said that they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then gave her a shove. "I think he said 'dinero' (money)," she told Channel Nine, adding that she lifted up her shirt to showed she had no money with her. "And then he said something else, but I don't know what he said, lifted the gun up towards me and then pushed me in the shoulder and I just fell down on the cobblestones." The men took the bikes and rode off, she added. "It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we're both OK," said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. Tesch and Ross reported the incident to local police, said the Australian Paralympic Committee . Australia's Paralympic team chef de mission Kate McLoughlin said the sailing team were shaken by the incident and repeated a warning to athletes to exercise a high degree of caution while travelling in Rio. “That advice is particularly important before the Paralympic Games period,” said McLoughlin . “We know there will be a hugely elevated level of security in place during the Paralympic Games, but for athletes and teams travelling there before the Games, there is a heightened need to be security conscious.” The Sept. 7-18 Paralympics follow the Olympics, which opens on Aug. 5. Olympic organizers plan to deploy around 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. Emergency measures are needed to avoid "a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management," a decree in the state's Official Gazette said. The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state's security budget - just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. (Reuters)

Australian paralympic sailor robbed at gunpoint in Rio

The Australian Olympic Committee has demanded Rio de Janeiro immediately ramps up security in the city after a Paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend while training for the Games. 
 
Australia&#39;s Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said the incident was a &quot;light warning&quot; and that she had written to the Rio organising committee and mayor demanding action. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re demanding that the level of security forces, which number about 100,000, is reviewed and also we are also asking that they are deployed earlier prior to Games time, especially around training and competition venues,&quot; she told reporters in Sydney. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not an isolated incident,&quot; she added. &quot;It&#39;s got to a point now that steps and measures are taken to ensure that all our team members who go to Rio for the Olympic Games next month are safe.&quot; 
 
Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. 
 
Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then shoved her to the ground. 
 
&quot;It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we&#39;re both okay,&quot; said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. 
 
Chiller said the &quot;extremely concerning and disturbing&quot; incident was all the more worrying because it took place in broad daylight close to the training venue. 
 
The AOC, Chiller said, had decided to engage a private security firm in Rio and were considering extending their existing ban on athletes entering favelas to other areas of the city. 
 
Olympic organisers plan to deploy in excess of 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. 
 
&quot;It doesn&#39;t seem that 100,000 is enough,&quot; said Chiller. &quot;It&#39;s a lot more than we had in London, but Rio is not London and in my opinion we need to make sure all the competition and training venues are safe. If we take 750 people over in that team, we want 750 people to come back safe and secure.&quot; 
 
Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. 
 
Emergency measures are needed to avoid &quot;a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management,&quot; a decree in the state&#39;s Official Gazette said. 
 
The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state&#39;s security budget, just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. 
 
The September 7-18 Paralympics follow the Aug. 5-21 Olympic Games. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend

The Australian Olympic Committee has demanded Rio de Janeiro immediately ramps up security in the city after a Paralympic sailor and team official were robbed at gunpoint over the weekend while training for the Games. Australia's Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller said the incident was a "light warning" and that she had written to the Rio organising committee and mayor demanding action. "We're demanding that the level of security forces, which number about 100,000, is reviewed and also we are also asking that they are deployed earlier prior to Games time, especially around training and competition venues," she told reporters in Sydney. "It's not an isolated incident," she added. "It's got to a point now that steps and measures are taken to ensure that all our team members who go to Rio for the Olympic Games next month are safe." Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and physiotherapist Sarah Ross said they were taking a bike ride in a park near their hotel at Flamengo Beach early on Sunday when they were confronted by two men, one of whom was carrying a pistol. Tesch, who won a sailing gold at the London Paralympic Games and has also competed in wheelchair basketball, told Australian television that the armed man pointed the gun at her and then shoved her to the ground. "It was absolutely horrific, I can see it clear as day in my own head. We are both shaken, but physically we're both okay," said Tesch, who trained on her boat later that day. Chiller said the "extremely concerning and disturbing" incident was all the more worrying because it took place in broad daylight close to the training venue. The AOC, Chiller said, had decided to engage a private security firm in Rio and were considering extending their existing ban on athletes entering favelas to other areas of the city. Olympic organisers plan to deploy in excess of 85,000 security personnel for the Games, double the number used in London in 2012. "It doesn't seem that 100,000 is enough," said Chiller. "It's a lot more than we had in London, but Rio is not London and in my opinion we need to make sure all the competition and training venues are safe. If we take 750 people over in that team, we want 750 people to come back safe and secure." Security issues are just one of the concerns facing Rio, which on Friday declared a state of financial emergency to help fulfil obligations for public services during the Olympics. Emergency measures are needed to avoid "a total collapse in public security, health, education, transport and environmental management," a decree in the state's Official Gazette said. The financial pinch resulted in a 30 percent cut in the state's security budget, just as Rio has seen a jump in homicides and assaults in recent months, raising concerns about safety ahead of the Olympics. The September 7-18 Paralympics follow the Aug. 5-21 Olympic Games. (Reuters)

Australia demands extra Rio security after armed robbery

Park In-Bee&#39;s chances of playing at the Rio Olympics golf tournament dimmed further on Tuesday after the South Korean world number three pulled out of an international team event due to a lingering thumb problem. 
 
The seven-times major champion, who was inducted into the LPGA&#39;s Hall of Fame earlier this month, has been plagued by injury this season and is without a victory in 10 starts. 
 
She has missed two cuts, withdrawn after the first round in three events, and posted her worst ever score as a professional, 12-over-par 84, in the first round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in May. 
 
Her management company said on Tuesday she would skip the July 22-24 International Crown event, which pits eight countries against each other at Merit Club, Illinois. 
 
&quot;Park In-bee notified the LPGA that she will be unable to attend the International Crown due to her left thumb injury,&quot; her management company, Galaxia SM, told Reuters. 
 
The 27-year-old, who has raked in almost $13 million in career earnings on the LPGA Tour, said before the Women&#39;s PGA Championship this month that she would not go to Rio if she was not fully recovered from the injury. 
 
&quot;At the Olympics, you play for your country, not for individual honour. If I&#39;m not in top condition, I&#39;d rather give the opportunity to another player,&quot; she said. 
 
Park missed the cut at the event, carding an 8-over 79 in the second round. 
 
The top 15 players in the world rankings as of July 11 qualify automatically for the Rio Games, where golf is making its return to the Olympic programme after a 112-year absence. Each country can send a maximum of four players. 
 
Currently, Kim Sei-Young, Chun In-Gee and Amy Young make up the other three places, but there are five more South Koreans in the top 20 battling for Olympic spots. 
 
(Reuters)

The 27-year-old said before the Women's PGA Championship this month that she would pull out of Rio if she hadn't recovered from injury

Park In-Bee's chances of playing at the Rio Olympics golf tournament dimmed further on Tuesday after the South Korean world number three pulled out of an international team event due to a lingering thumb problem. The seven-times major champion, who was inducted into the LPGA's Hall of Fame earlier this month, has been plagued by injury this season and is without a victory in 10 starts. She has missed two cuts, withdrawn after the first round in three events, and posted her worst ever score as a professional, 12-over-par 84, in the first round of the LPGA Volvik Championship in May. Her management company said on Tuesday she would skip the July 22-24 International Crown event, which pits eight countries against each other at Merit Club, Illinois. "Park In-bee notified the LPGA that she will be unable to attend the International Crown due to her left thumb injury," her management company, Galaxia SM, told Reuters. The 27-year-old, who has raked in almost $13 million in career earnings on the LPGA Tour, said before the Women's PGA Championship this month that she would not go to Rio if she was not fully recovered from the injury. "At the Olympics, you play for your country, not for individual honour. If I'm not in top condition, I'd rather give the opportunity to another player," she said. Park missed the cut at the event, carding an 8-over 79 in the second round. The top 15 players in the world rankings as of July 11 qualify automatically for the Rio Games, where golf is making its return to the Olympic programme after a 112-year absence. Each country can send a maximum of four players. Currently, Kim Sei-Young, Chun In-Gee and Amy Young make up the other three places, but there are five more South Koreans in the top 20 battling for Olympic spots. (Reuters)

Thumbs down for South Korean golfer Park's Rio dream

The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) has turned down Park Tae-hwan&#39;s appeal to overturn a controversial doping suspension, leaving the swimmer&#39;s hopes of competing at the Rio Games in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 
 
The former Olympic champion has already served an 18-month ban imposed by the swimming&#39;s world governing body FINA. However, he is fighting to repeal a KOC regulation that imposed an additional three-year suspension, effectively ruling him out of Rio. 
 
The 26-year-old South Korean lodged a case with CAS but had hoped the KOC might re-consider its hard-line position before going to trial. 
 
The KOC poured cold water on such hopes on Thursday, saying the rule would remain in force. 
 
&quot;The regulation for the selection of national team representatives was made with the aim of demanding a high level of morality of our national team athletes and considering the dignity required of a public figure,&quot; the KOC said in a statement carried on South Korean television. &quot;Doping is against the fair play spirit, a basic requirement of athletes, and we decided that a rigorous response was needed for educational purposes to young athletes.&quot; 
 
Park, who won gold in the 400 metres freestyle and silver in the 200 at the 2008 Beijing Games, was expected to respond to the KOC&#39;s ruling at a media conference later on Thursday. The first Korean to win an Olympic swimming medal, Park&#39;s breakthrough in the Beijing pool made him a huge celebrity at home and a magnet for corporate sponsors. 
 
He finished runner-up in both the 200 and 400 at the London Games four years ago but his reputation was shattered when he tested positive for testosterone ahead of the 2014 Asian Games. Park attributed the failed test to an injection he received at a local clinic, where he said he was being treated for a skin complaint. 
 
Despite the KOC ban, Park entered national swimming trials in April and won all four of his races in times quick enough for Olympic qualification. 
 
Critics of the KOC&#39;s anti-doping regulation say it punishes an athlete twice for the same offence. CAS has previously struck down double-barrelled punishments for athletes banned for doping-related offences. 
 
In 2011, the Swiss-based tribunal ruled that the International Olympic Committee&#39;s &#39;Osaka Rule&#39;, which banned athletes serving suspensions of at least six months from competing at the next Games, violated its own statutes. 
(Reuters)

He enjoys celebrity status at home and has a number of corporate sponsorships

The Korea Olympic Committee (KOC) has turned down Park Tae-hwan's appeal to overturn a controversial doping suspension, leaving the swimmer's hopes of competing at the Rio Games in the hands of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The former Olympic champion has already served an 18-month ban imposed by the swimming's world governing body FINA. However, he is fighting to repeal a KOC regulation that imposed an additional three-year suspension, effectively ruling him out of Rio. The 26-year-old South Korean lodged a case with CAS but had hoped the KOC might re-consider its hard-line position before going to trial. The KOC poured cold water on such hopes on Thursday, saying the rule would remain in force. "The regulation for the selection of national team representatives was made with the aim of demanding a high level of morality of our national team athletes and considering the dignity required of a public figure," the KOC said in a statement carried on South Korean television. "Doping is against the fair play spirit, a basic requirement of athletes, and we decided that a rigorous response was needed for educational purposes to young athletes." Park, who won gold in the 400 metres freestyle and silver in the 200 at the 2008 Beijing Games, was expected to respond to the KOC's ruling at a media conference later on Thursday. The first Korean to win an Olympic swimming medal, Park's breakthrough in the Beijing pool made him a huge celebrity at home and a magnet for corporate sponsors. He finished runner-up in both the 200 and 400 at the London Games four years ago but his reputation was shattered when he tested positive for testosterone ahead of the 2014 Asian Games. Park attributed the failed test to an injection he received at a local clinic, where he said he was being treated for a skin complaint. Despite the KOC ban, Park entered national swimming trials in April and won all four of his races in times quick enough for Olympic qualification. Critics of the KOC's anti-doping regulation say it punishes an athlete twice for the same offence. CAS has previously struck down double-barrelled punishments for athletes banned for doping-related offences. In 2011, the Swiss-based tribunal ruled that the International Olympic Committee's 'Osaka Rule', which banned athletes serving suspensions of at least six months from competing at the next Games, violated its own statutes. (Reuters)

Korea's Olympic Committee turns down banned Park's Rio appeal

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