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SPORTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2013 ‘Fight without rules’, Russia’s violent pastime MOSCOW: Two men inside a cage grapple longer,” said Ivan Ivanov, director of Rod, Yankova, got hooked the first time she fights, in Moscow in 2011. Slavic national- on the floor, one violently pounding his one of Moscow’s major clubs. When Rod tried MMA. “In the ring, I have no fear. It’s ists are not natural Putin supporters and opponent in a no-holds-barred sport opened its doors in 2007, it had only a more like a rush of adrenaline. It’s like a decry his policies to stabilize the North banned in many countries while Russian dozen enthusiasts. Now, about 350 people drug, a feeling that you want to repeat Caucasus with an injection of funding. crowds are going wild for more. “Come on, train there, said Ivanov, a bearded former again and again,” she said. Still, female Putin was booed when he took the micro- hit him hard,” screamed one of the thou- police officer with an imposing build. fighting remains a rarity in Russia and phone in the huge Olimpiysky stadium to sand or so spectators jam-packed around “There are a lot of people from the security some of the more fervent MMA partici- congratulate Emelianenko for defeating the ring at a Moscow championship in forces, but also many students and office pants are not happy with the idea. American Jeff Monson-an incident mixed martial arts (MMA). Often called workers,” he said. The club admits children The MMA subculture in Russia has also explained away by Putin’s spokesman “fight without rules” in Russian, the com- over the age of six, who can learn holding become mixed with nationalism as some Dmitry Peskov, who said the jeers were bat discipline is was virtually unknown and striking techniques along with adults. clubs have strived to only train ethnically aimed at the fallen US contender. here a decade ago, but since then has Biting, eye-gouging, and strikes to the Slavic Russians rather than people from But Anton Nemov, an MMA tourna- become an officially recognized sport and throat or spine are some of the few tech- the mostly Muslim North Caucasus region, ment organiser who was present, said the gained thousands of fans. niques that are banned in the ring. “It’s the where combat sports are enormously pop- crowd was angry “basically because it was New clubs are popping up all the time sport that most resembles a street fight,” ular. Some amateur tournaments do not Putin.” and not just for men. Women and children said Vyacheslav “Ali Baba” Yurovskikh, an allow non-Slavic Russian fighters from the He added that many in the MMA com- are also training in this extreme fighting MMA amateur who at 41 is one of the old- turbulent southern region, home to many munity feel like the sport risks becoming style that allows almost any strikes or er competitors at Russian tournaments. of the country’s successful wrestlers. One more centralized and controlled now that kicks, including from judo, boxing, taek- “It’s cold in Russia, so we fight to keep major sponsor of MMA events is Russian it has been officially recognized. wondo, karate, and kung fu. Dating back warm,” he joked, saying that despite his clothing brand White Rex, which, accord- Emelianenko, a Putin supporter and mem- to the 1920s, the discipline was popular- own broken nose and the sport’s violent ing to the company’s own advertising, ber of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, ized in the 1990s but did not catch on here reputation, it is not that dangerous. “In the aims to “recreate the fighting spirit” of the last year traded his shorts for a suit and until Russia’s Fedor Emelianenko, a heavy- ring there is a judge who will stop the “white people of Europe”. accepted Putin’s invitation to join his weight fighter, won a series of internation- fight in time,” he said. And while the sport has drawn the council on sports and physical culture. In al tournaments in 2001-2002. attention of President Vladimir Putin, him- October, Putin said he was “certain” mar- “MMA is now very popular in Russia, SPORT MIXED WITH NATIONALISM self a black belt in judo, this has not tial arts would continue to grow in Russia, almost as popular as boxing and other dis- A female fighter and Thai boxing thrilled some MMA circles who famously where 4.5 million people are already prac- ciplines that have been around for much champion, 22-year-old Anastasiya heckled him at one of Emelianenko’s last titioners.— AFP Djokovic reaches semis Learning from Armstrong: WADA to adopt new code as Federer stays alive CAPE TOWN: Drawing hard lessons from the Lance Armstrong scandal, global anti-doping authorities are set to move into a new era with tougher sanctions, smarter testing LONDON: Defending champion Novak Djokovic booked his place in and a different leader. The World Anti-Doping Agency is also the semi-finals of the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory taking a new approach in its effort to catch drug cheats. It is over Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday. After Roger Federer defeated pursuing investigations and gathering intelligence rather than Richard Gasquet earlier in the day 6-4, 6-3 to keep his hopes of a last- relying on the blood and urine samples that proved unsuc- four spot alive, Djokovic knew any win against the Argentine fourth cessful with Armstrong, a serial doper who never failed a test. seed would guarantee his qualification from Group B with one match A series of proposed changes to the World Anti-Doping still to play. Code will be voted on at the World Conference on Doping in And the world number two seized his chance, surviving a tough Sport. The conference runs next week in Johannesburg. The test lasting nearly two hours to extend his current winning run to 19 revised code will take effect Jan 1, 2015 - in time for the 2016 matches. Del Potro can still make the last four as well, but he will have Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. “We’ve got a budget of not even to beat Federer today. “With his serve it’s definitely a big advantage if I the salary that Wayne Rooney earns at Manchester United,” can get a break and then close it out,” Djokovic said. “Thankfully I man- WADA director general David Howman said. “I think what you aged to do that. I’m very glad I could win this match and make it to the semi-finals.” have to do is say, ‘Right, how do you make the bucks you Djokovic discovered on Wednesday that his bid to finish the sea- have go as far as they possibly can to get rid of those rotten son as world number one had failed after Rafael Nadal wrapped up apples?’” In the most obvious deterrent, WADA is proposing top spot in the year-ending rankings. But he showed no signs of let- to double the standard ban for serious doping offenses from ting that disappointment affect him as he continued his bid to retain two years to four years, meaning cheaters would miss at least the title at the prestigious season-ending event at London’s O2 Arena. one Olympics. Four months ago, on a sweltering July afternoon, Djokovic out-lasted The move appears to have widespread approval. While del Potro in an epic encounter that took nearly five hours and finished current rules allow for four-year bans in aggravated cases, the as the longest semi-final ever played at Wimbledon. longer sanctions are rarely enforced and most federations This was their first meeting in London since then and Del Potro keep to the standard two-year penalty. A previous IOC rule took the attack to Djokovic in the Serb’s opening service game, secur- that banned dopers from the next Olympics was ruled invalid ing two break points. But, as was so often the case when they met at by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. WADA then consulted a Wimbledon, Djokovic was able to get out of trouble with peerless abil- judge at the Court of Human Rights to make sure the latest ity to turn defense into attack in one motion. Djokovic was unable to four-year proposal would stand up to legal challenges. “I convert three break points in the fourth game, but simply came back can’t see it not being accepted to be honest,” UK Anti-Doping even harder in del Potro’s next service game and this time he did chief executive Andy Parkinson said. break to open up a 4-2 lead. WADA is also re-examining testing procedures, placing That was enough to effectively seal the first set and put the two- more importance on police-style investigations and extend- time Tour Finals champion within one set of a place in the last four. ing the reach of anti-doping agencies to give harsher punish- Del Potro refused to accept his fate however and, hitting a rich vein of form, he pressed Djokovic into conceding two break points in the sixth ments to the coaches and trainers, the “athlete entourage” game of the second set, converting the first thanks to a fortunate net- that assists in doping - all factors in Armstrong’s case. cord before going on to level the match. But Djokovic had beaten the Armstrong was “surrounded by a lot of rotten apples,” former US Open winner in 10 of their previous 13 meetings and it was- Howman said.

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