Olympics
OLYMPIC AND WORLD CHAMPIONS AMONG RUSSIAN ATHLETES BANNED AFTER CAS RULING
A group of 12 Russian athletes, including the 2012 Olympic high jump champion Ivan Ukhov, have been suspended for periods ranging from two to eight years after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against them.
The athletes banned also included Svetlana Shkolina, winner of the high jump at the 2013 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships and the bronze medallist at London 2012.
It is the first case of CAS issuing disciplinary procedures since it replaced the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) in hearing cases following their suspension by the IAAF.
The cases are based mainly upon evidence gathered by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren and the the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
The cases “against several Russian athletes, in particular to the effect that these athletes participated in and/or benefited from anabolic steroid doping programmes and benefited from specific protective methods (washout schedules) in the period 2012 (Olympic Games in London) – 2013 (World Championships in Moscow),” CAS said in a statement today.
This method was invented by Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow Laboratory, who claims he invented a fast-acting steroid “cocktail” that could be swished orally and would “wash out” of athletes’ systems quickly.
Rodchenkov has claimed he
came up with the scheme of the Government in Moscow before fleeing the country
to the United States, where he later became the main whistle blower for
authorities investigating allegations of Russian state-sponsored doping.
A full list of the 12 Russian athletes banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport today ©CAS
The decision means that Ukhov is set to be stripped of the Olympic gold medal he won at London 2012.
That is now set to be the United States’ Erik Kynard.
Three athletes shared the bronze – Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim, Canada’s Derek Drouin and Britain’s Robbie Grabarz – meaning they will all be upgraded to silver.
Ukhov has been given a four-year ban starting from today and all his results from July 16 in 2012 retrospectively annulled.
Among other medals he is set to lose is the silver he won at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot.
He also currently heads this year’s IAAF world indoor rankings with a best jump of 2.31 metres at Chelyabinsk on January 17.
Shkolina had won the gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow 2013, a year after finishing third at London 2012.
She will now be stripped of both of those medals, with her gold medal from Moscow set to be awarded to America’s Brigetta Barrett.
Spain’s Ruth Beitia is likely to be upgraded from fourth place to the bronze medal at London 2012.
Another significant name among those announced today is Tatyana Lysenko, winner of the gold medal in hammer at London 2012 but which she had already been stripped of in October 2016 following a re-test of her sample by the IOC.
She is now also set to lose the gold medal she won at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, which is set to be awarded to Poland’s Anita Włodarczyk with China’s Zhang Wenxiu and Wang Zhengmoving up to silver and bronze respectively.
Lysenko has also been banned for eight years having already received a two-year doping suspension in 2008.
Russia have now been stripped of a total of 15 medals from London 2012 – five gold, eight silver and two bronze.
Lyukman Adams, a triple jumper who won the gold medal at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, has also been banned.
Cubans Ernesto Revé and Pedro Pablo Pichardo are now set to be promoted to the silver and gold medals with Romania’s Marian Oprea moving from fourth to bronze.
Vera Karmishina-Ganeeva, gold medallist in the discus at the 2013 Summer Universiade, has also been banned for two-years and had her results from July 2012 retrospectively stripped.
“Today’s CAS rulings confirm that the evidence underlying the McLaren Reports is reliable and is capable of establishing anti-doping rule violations,” Brett Clothier, head of the AIU, said
“It needs to be noted that some of these cases were fought solely on the basis of the McLaren evidence, while others were combined with analytical evidence gathered through retesting.
“It is very encouraging for us and gives us the possibility to pursue more cases in the future.”
It could have a potentially significant impact on cases involving data from the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) gathered from the Moscow Laboratory and using the underlying analytical data generated that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is currently in the process of authenticating.
“The AIU is in contact with WADA and is keeping a close eye on developments,” Clothier said.
“We will wait for more information concerning the practical aspects of the sharing of the athletics- specific data from WADA and decide on the need for any further re-analysis or investigation that may be required in order to pursue more cases.”
Other athletes among banned by CAS include Tatyana Firova, who becomes the third member of Russia’s 4×400 metre relay team that finished second at London 2012 to have been banned for doping.
They had originally won the silver medals behind the US but were stripped of them in November 2017 following positive re-tests of Yuliya Gushchina and Antonina Krivoshapka.
Firova has received a four-year ban.
A precedent for banning the Russian athletes was set in October 2017 when CAS ruled that Russian triple jumper Anna Pyatykh had used banned substances based on records of secret drug testing in 2013 following a case bought by the AIU.
Documents leaked by Rodchenkov mentioned Pyatykh as part of a “washout” scheme, with unofficial internal testing finding four banned substances in the run-up to the 2013 IAAF World Championships.
It was no surprise that WADA hailed the verdict to ban the 12 athletes and also claimed that it justified their decision to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, allowing them to access to the Moscow Laboratory.
“These decisions come as welcome news for athletes, anti-doping organizations, WADA and all others around the world who care about clean sport,” said WADA director general Olivier Niggli.
“This should serve to reassure athletes that a lot of work is being conducted behind the scenes by various organisations that are committed to ensure that justice is rendered.
“It reinforces the importance of ensuring that due process is followed and that evidence is carefully presented.
“This highlights also, once again, just how important the successful retrieval of the analytical data from the former Moscow Laboratory by WADA last month is for clean sport and reinforces the decision taken by the WADA Executive Committee to reinstate as compliant the Russian Anti-Doping Agency under strict conditions, including access to the data.
“This large amount of data, which would not have been retrieved without that September ExCo decision, is currently being verified and assessed and, if found to be authentic, will be used to bring forward more cases against those who cheated.”
- Insidethegames.biz
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will feature an increase in women’s soccer teams from 12 to 16, while the men’s competition will be downsized from 16 to a dozen teams, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
The decision was part of several changes to the Olympic event programme, including more mixed events across various sports and all team sports featuring at least the same number of women’s and men’s teams.
The IOC said the reason for the sharp increase in women’s soccer teams was the rapidly growing popularity of women’s team sports, especially in the United States, and that change in the competition format reflected that rapid growth.
“We wanted to do something to reflect that growth and equally with the United States being the home of the highest level of popularity of women’s football,” IOC sports director Kit McConnell told a press conference.
He said the IOC had discussed the issue with both LA Games organisers and world soccer’s governing body FIFA before going through with the changes.
The total number of players — men’s and women’s — would not change.
The United States, who will also host the 2026 men’s and the 2031 women’s World Cup, have won five Olympic gold medals in the women’s competition.
The men’s teams use mostly under-23 players at Olympic Games.
The LA Games will have a total of 351 medal events in all sports, 22 more than at Paris 2024 Olympics.
Several sports, including archery, athletics, golf and gymnastics will be adding new mixed-team events, with the total number of athletes unchanged at 10,500.
The five sports proposed by the LA Games organising committee — baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and squash — will have an extra 698 quota places.
-Reuters
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BY JAVIER CARRO.
A young African woman. At the summit of modern Olympism, Kirsty Coventry takes on the challenge of occupying the most powerful position in the world of sport with plenty geopolitical roadblocks ahead for the newly-elected IOC president.
At 41 years old, Coventry was the winner by absolute majority after surpassing the other six candidates, which automatically makes her the tenth leader to take the reins of the International Olympic Committee in 130 years of history.
Now she has the challenge of leading the movement in an era of digital transformation, political responsibilities, and growing environmental concerns.
“A new era demands new leaders,” said the outgoing leader Thomas Bach at the beginning of the session, something that many saw as the German’s final push for his favourite candidate.
It was time for a woman, a woman who would occupy the chair once held by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games and a declared misogynist who believed that women’s only role in this arena was to crown the champions with laurel.
Coventry is congratulated by members of the IOC after being elected. GETTY IMAGES
After her victory, the Zimbabwean addressed the audience to express her gratitude: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to all the candidates; this has been an incredible race, making us better and strengthening our movement. I am confident that when we unite, we can develop the ideas we share. Thank you so much for this honour.”
The current Zimbabwean Minister of Sports, an Olympic swimming champion in 2004 and 2008, Coventry ascended to the highest chair in the IOC with a discreet presence but the unstoppable momentum of a history-maker.
Not only is she the first woman to hold this position, but she is also the first African and the youngest president since Pierre de Coubertin.
With Coventry, Africa reaches the Olympic summit for the first time. Until now, all IOC leaders had been European, except for American Avery Brundage.
Bach, the German who championed gender parity at the Paris Olympics, considers his mission of equality fulfilled with her succession.
Under his tenure, the IOC Assembly increased its female membership from less than 20% to 44%, with 48 women now part of the organization.
It is widely inferred that female votes played a crucial role in Coventry’s election. Additionally, 81 members—three-quarters of the Assembly—were elected under Bach’s leadership.
“Women are ready to lead,” the new president recently stated, anticipating the moment of glory she now embraces. She remains one of the most outstanding figures in African sports history and the most decorated African Olympian, with seven medals from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 (two gold, four silver, and one bronze). After retiring from competition, she served as Zimbabwe’s Minister of Sports while also chairing the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission, one of the most influential bodies within the Committee.
She parlayed those credentials into a leadership position where she will need to be adept at integrating athletes’ perspectives and strengthening inclusion within the Olympic movement. Her leadership of the Commission and her role on the Executive Board have made her a prominent figure, especially in an era where diversity and gender equality are alleged priorities.
Although she will not officially assume the presidency until June 23, when Bach steps down, Coventry will soon have to tackle major issues. These include the reintegration of Russia into the Olympic Games, the economic challenges faced by the World Anti-Doping Agency due to US budget cuts, the participation of transgender athletes in elite competitions, the loss of several major Olympic sponsors, the negotiation of broadcasting contracts, and the selection of a host city for the 2036 Games.
The most pressing challenge she faces is the controversial issue of transgender athletes being allowed to compete in elite sports. The IOC currently permits their participation, but the lack of a universal standard has sparked polarising reactions worlwide. Coventry has taken a conservative stance on this matter, seeking not to rewrite existing rules but to encourage cooperation among federations to establish a common framework.
“I do not support transgender athletes competing in the Olympics against female athletes, as it is unfair to them. Ensuring fairness in women’s sports is essential,” she stated firmly, as she believes that “trans women have an inherent physical advantage in female categories, which potentially reduces equitable opportunities for biological women.”
Similarly, Coventry has promised a strong stance on addressing gender inequality in leadership roles, arguing that women should not be an exception in the sports world. While progress has been made toward gender equality, she acknowledges that there is still much work to be done. “At Paris 2024, we achieved gender parity in competition, but in federations and national committees, the gap remains significant,” she warned. “It is not just about increasing the number of women in sports but ensuring they have a voice and a vote in key positions. Female leadership should not be the exception but the norm within sports organisations,” Coventry added.
Another major issue Coventry will need to address is the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has left Russian and Belarusian athletes in a competitive limbo for several years.
She will have to navigate the delicate matter of Russia’s return to the Olympic stage. Since the country’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the IOC banned the Russian Olympic Committee, allowing only a select group of athletes to compete as neutrals in Paris 2024.
However, full reintegration remains a contentious issue, requiring a balance between diplomacy and sporting integrity.
Whether Russia can return in time for Milano Cortina 2026 is likely to be one of the defining topics of her presidency once she officially takes office in three months.
Coventry’s position on these matters remains somewhat ambiguous. In recent statements, she said, “Our duty as the IOC is to ensure that all athletes can participate in the Games. This is not just about the major wars and conflicts in Europe and the Middle East; there are also wars and conflicts in Africa.
“ If I am elected President of the IOC, I will establish a task force to develop guidelines to help us manage these periods of conflict, prioritising athletes’ interests.”
On the positive side, the new IOC boss will inherit an organisation in a robust financial position; therefore, billions seem secured in media rights and sponsorship deals.
Bach’s departure comes at a time when it guaranteed $7.3 billion (€6.7bn) in revenue from broadcasting, partnerships, and other sources for the 2025–28 cycle, along with $6.2 billion (€5.7bn) already locked in for 2029–32.
Last week, the IOC also announced a $3 billion (€2.7bn) extension of its Olympic media rights agreement with NBCUniversal in the United States until 2036.
However, the recent departure of several sponsors, such as Japanese giants Toyota and Panasonic, has fuelled calls for changes to its commercial structure.
Yet, financial stability does not guarantee smooth sailing in a landscape where sport is increasingly shaped by politics, technology, and shifting social expectations.
To balance financial growth with the fundamental values of the Olympic movement, Coventry believes that “it is about finding ways to ensure that, above all, we take care of our stakeholders to deliver incredible multi-sport events at the highest level.
“Yes, this requires more money, and we must find ways to make it sustainable. For example, when engaging with host cities, we are adapting the model to what they already have.
“We no longer demand the construction of new venues because that is no longer viable. This shift helps increase revenue while controlling.”
Coventry joined the Olympic assembly 12 years ago as an athletes’ representative and was later renewed as a permanent member.
Since then, Bach has kept her by his side, granting her positions of increasing responsibility.
She currently chairs the coordination commissions for the Dakar 2026 Youth Games and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, among other roles she will have to relinquish upon assuming the presidency.
Her ascent to the Olympic throne breaks the glass ceiling of the IOC and marks the beginning of a new era in the sporting world.
“I will make you feel proud and confident in the decision you have made today,” proclaimed Coventry after her landslide victory
-Inside The Games
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History has been made at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry becomes the president as the first woman and African to do so.
Two decades after winning her first Olympic gold in Greece, Kirsty Coventry was victorious again in the Mediterranean country as she was elected as the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) first female president on March 20.
The 41-year-old Zimbabwean, a former swimmer who won the women’s 200m backstroke at Athens 2004 before retaining it at Beijing 2008, also becomes the IOC’s first African president.
Coventry, who also has four Olympic silvers and a bronze, will serve an eight-year term, with the possibility of a four-year extension.
“This is an extraordinary moment. As a nine-year-old girl I never thought that I would stand up here one day, getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours,” Coventry said.
“This is not just a huge honour but it is a reminder to every single one of you that I will lead this organisation with so much pride, with the values at the core and I will make all of you very, very proud and, I hope, extremely confident in the decision you’ve taken today.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Coventry succeeds 71-year-old German Thomas Bach, who steps down after a 12-year reign and has been named honorary president.
Strongly believed to be Bach’s favoured candidate, Coventry was thought to be in a tight-run race with IOC veteran Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr of Spain and World Athletics’ British chief Sebastian Coe.
However, to general surprise, the most powerful job in world sport reached its conclusion after just one round of voting at a luxury seaside resort in Greece’s south-western Peloponnese, with a majority of the IOC members placing their faith in Coventry to meet the serious challenges that lie ahead.
She secured 49 votes, the majority required from the 97 possible votes, with zero abstentions.
Samaranch Jr and Coe had 28 and eight votes respectively, while Frenchman David Lappartient (four), Japan’s Morinari Watanabe (four), Jordan’s Prince Feisal Al-Hussein (two) and Swedish-born Johan Eliasch (two) completed the field.
-Reuters/Xinhua
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