ARAB TIMES, FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JANUARY 29-30, 2021 SPORTS 14

Former IBU president Besseberg accused of lobbying intensely for Russia’s interests Biathlon report outlines corrupt conduct, favors for Russia SALZBURG, Austria, Jan 28, (AP): A report commissioned The commission did not have access to bank account data, The report said Besseberg declined to answer questions while by the International Biathlon Union stated Thursday there but said Norwegian authorities were investigating whether a criminal investigation into his conduct remains open, and was evidence of “systematic corrupt and unethical conduct Besseberg illicitly received money or other benefi ts. Resch said she couldn’t be interviewed for health reasons. at the very top” of the governing body, especially in protect- Former IBU general secretary Nicole Resch is accused of Besides his IBU role, Besseberg was formerly a member ing Russia on doping issues. having failed to request extra testing of Russian athlete Evg- of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s foundation board repre- The report, published in a redacted version, accuses for- eny Ustyugov at the doping-tainted 2014 Sochi Olympics senting Winter Olympic sports until he stepped down in 2018. mer IBU president Anders Besseberg of lobbying intensely after indications of “highly abnormal values” in his blood. “The allegations featured in this report are abhorrent to for Russia’s interests while showing little appetite for pursu- Ustyugov went on to win a gold medal but was stripped of all who care about sport integrity,” WADA president Witold ing doping cases which might embarrass the country. the honor last year after a ban over a separate allegation of Banka said in a statement. “However, it is to the credit of the It also said Besseberg, who ran biathlon for 25 years, was past steroid use. IBU that in the wake of this scandal, it has taken signifi cant taken on hunting and fi shing trips for free in Russia and had steps to enhance the integrity of its anti-doping program.” IBU employees transport his trophies home to Norway. The The report could lead to more athletes being charged over report cites evidence from a police investigation that Besse- BIATHLON past doping offenses. Jonathan Taylor, who chaired the com- berg admitted he “received the service of a prostitute” while mission, said it unearthed a previously unnoticed tactic used staying in Moscow, which he believed had been paid for by The report also said Resch offered “undercover” help with by the Russian anti-doping agency from 2012-14 to conceal a third party. doping appeals by three Russians and tried to infl uence the apparent doping. The commission which wrote the report said Besseberg chair of an anti-doping panel considering a case the IBU Taylor said it involved holding on to suspicious blood “appears, in the view of the Commission, to have had no In this Feb 13, 2009 fi le photo, Anders Besseberg, presi- brought against another Russian. data and entering it into the global anti-doping system only regard for ethical values and no real interest in protecting dent of International Biathlon Union, or IBU, (right), lis- Besseberg is also accused of failing to act on allegations much later, so that “the values found of athlete biological the sport from cheating,” and that he did only the “absolute tens to IBU Secretary General Nicole Resch before a of bribery, both when one Russian offi cial supposedly tried samples were not matched to the athlete until many months minimum” on anti-doping issues. press conference of the IBU Biathlon World Champion- to buy votes at an IBU congress and when Resch said she or years after the fact.” The report accuses the IBU leadership of repeated failures ships in Pyeongchang, east of Seoul, South Korea. (AP) was offered a jewelry box by another offi cial in 2008 or 2009 Evidence which wasn’t acted on while Besseberg and to even look for evidence in Russian doping cases. With re- when doping cases were being investigated. She said she did Resch ran the IBU was still available for other investigations, gard to blood doping, the report says a cover-up was impos- tory director Grigory Rodchenkov, who said he overheard not accept the box or open it. Taylor said, as was a syringe containing traces of blood and sible because the athletes’ profi les hadn’t been checked for a conversation between two Russian offi cials about a sum Both Besseberg and Resch stepped down from their posts the banned substance EPO. The syringe was found discarded signs of doping. of $200,000 to $300,000 which was supposedly paid to in 2018, shortly after a raid on the IBU’s headquarters by Aus- at a World Cup venue in 2015 but a DNA sample from the There is testimony from Moscow anti-doping labora- Besseberg and that Russia had “leverage” over Besseberg. trian police. Neither has been charged or convicted of a crime. blood was never matched with any athlete. Sevilla cruise to 3-0 win over Valencia Man U slump to surprise loss; Messi returns, Barcelona pip Rayo in Copa del Rey Tuchel’s ‘debut’ ends in draw MADRID, Jan 28, (AP): Lionel Messi returned from suspension to help Barce- lona avoid an upset in the Copa del Rey, scoring a goal and setting up another in Burnley twice come from behind to beat Villa 3-2 in EPL a 2-1 come-from-behind win over sec- ond-division club Rayo Vallecano in the LONDON, Jan 28, (AP): round of 16. Messi, coming off a two-game sus- Just when Manchester pension for hitting an opponent during United’s players were the Spanish Super Cup fi nal, scored an equalizer in the 69th minute and led starting to have the look the buildup to Frenkie de Jong’s 80th- of potential champions, minute winner that put Barcelona into they threw in their sloppi- the last eight of the Copa for an 11th straight season. est performance of the sea- De Jong also helped set up Messi’s son to lose to the Premier goal with a perfect through ball to An- League’s worst team. toine Griezmann, who crossed for the A 2-1 home loss to last-place Argentine playmaker to score his 18th Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, (right), Sheffi eld United not only prevent- goal in 11 matches against Rayo. duels for the ball with Rayo’s Anto- Fran García had put the hosts ahead nio Cortes during a Spanish Copa ed Man United from returning to on a breakaway in the 63rd. fi rst place at the expense of fi erce del Rey round of 16 soccer match rival Manchester City. It also un- between Rayo Vallecano and FC SOCCER Barcelona at the Vallecas Stadium in did much of the impressive work Madrid, Spain, on Jan 27. (AP) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team has produced in recent months, expos- Barcelona needed extra time to ad- champion will be trying to reach the vance past third-division club Cornellá semifi nals for the fi rst time since 2013. ing its lack of depth and defensive in the round of 32. It also played extra Valencia won its eighth Copa title in frailties in an alarming 90 minutes time in both Spanish Super Cup matches 2019 and reached the quarter-fi nals last at Old Trafford. this year - a win against Real Sociedad season, before losing to Granada. Suddenly, it’s advantage Man City in the semifi nals and a loss to Athletic De Jong scored in the 20th and 33rd in a title race that has ebbed and flowed Bilbao in the fi nal. minutes at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán all season. City, which has won its last Messi was sent off in that fi nal Stadium, and Rakitic added the third in seven games, leads by a point from against Athletic on Jan 17. He missed the 38th with a neat lob over Valencia United and has a game in hand over its the game against Cornellà and against goalkeeper Jaume Doménech from in- Elche in the Spanish league. Barcelona side the area. won both matches 2-0. Every Sevilla player touched the ball SOCCER Luuk de Jong scored two fi rst-half in the buildup of the second goal by De Sheffi eld United’s Billy Sharp, (left), and Manchester United’s Axel Tuanzebe battle for the ball during the English goals as Sevilla cruised to a 3-0 win over Jong. neighbor around the halfway stage. Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Sheffi eld United at Old Trafford, Manchester, Valencia, reaching the quarter-fi nals for The bad news for Sevilla was that A series of defensive blunders led to England, on Jan 27. (AP) the second time in three seasons. captain Jesús Navas had to be replaced Sheffield United’s deflected 74th-min- Ivan Rakitic also scored in the fi rst because of an apparent muscle injury in ute winner - scored by Oliver Burke - half for Sevilla, which also made it to the the 65th. Sevilla sits fourth in the Span- that also enlivened the battle to avoid last eight in 2019. The fi ve-time Copa ish league standings. relegation. Juve, Atalanta reach Italian Cup semis That’s two victories in three league matches for Chris Wilder’s team, TURIN, Italy, Jan 28, (AP): Juven- will face Inter Milan, which eliminat- Juventus is seeking a record- which was winless until beating tus eased past second-division ed AC Milan in a derby on Tuesday. extending 14th Cup title after losing French sailor Bestaven ‘wins’ Newcastle on Jan. 12 and heading for team Spal 4-0 to reach the Ital- Morata converted a penalty af- last season’s fi nal to Napoli. one of the worst campaigns in the ian Cup semifi nals despite resting ter a foul on Adrien Rabiot before Earlier, 10-man Atalanta beat Premier League’s 29-year history. regulars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Frabotta added the second in the visiting Lazio 3-2 and will next face solo global race after 80 days Now, the gap to safety is only 10 points and the so-called “great escape” Paulo Dybala. 33rd minute. either Napoli or Spezia, who play LES SABLES-D’OLONNE, France, fi nish line - that honor went to country- could be on. Alvaro Morata and Gianluca Kulusevski scored Juve’s third Thursday. Jan 28, (AP): French sailor Yannick man Charlie Dalin, who arrived in Les Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge Frabotta scored fi rst-half goals for in the 78th on a counterattack af- Aleksei Miranchuk scored the Bestaven won the Vendee Globe solo Sables-d’Olonne on Wednesday night. of Chelsea ended in a 0-0 draw at home Juventus while Dejan Kulusevski ter being set up by Chiesa, who winner for Atalanta four minutes round-the-world race after more than Bestaven, the skipper of Maitre Coq and Federico Chiesa added late completed the rout in injury time by after teammate José Luis Palomino to Wolves, while Burnley twice came 80 days and an unusually close fi nal IV, wrapped up his odyssey in the strikes. dribbling around the goalkeeper to was shown a direct red card for a early hours of Thursday behind Dalin In the two-leg semifi nals, Juventus deposit the ball into an empty net. foul on Manuel Lazzari. few hours to determine the winner on Thursday. and Louis Burton. But thanks to a time Bestaven wasn’t the fi rst to cross the bonus he earned for helping to rescue from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2. Tuanzebe and went in off the underside A new 3-4-2-1 formation. A funky a competitor, he was declared the win- England goalkeeper Jordan of the crossbar. deployment of some players, including ner in 80 days, 3 hours, 44 minutes, 46 Pickford’s error allowed third-place That gave Sheffield United the lead two No. 10s and a forward in Callum Leicester to equalize in the second half for the second time, with Kean Bryan’s Hudson-Odoi at wing back. A posses- in a 1-1 draw at Everton, while Brighton 23rd-minute header from a corner hav- sion-based approach that resulted in SAILING and Fulham drew 0-0. ing been canceled out by Harry more passes made (820) than any other Man United’s players have made a Maguire’s header, which also came team in a single game this season. seconds. Dalin was 2 1/2 hours behind. habit of coming from behind to win from a corner in the 64th from left back Thomas Tuchel certainly put his tac- Bestaven was given a time compensa- games in the league - they have done so Alex Telles. tical stamp on Chelsea in his first match tion of 10 hours, 15 minutes by an inter- seven times, all away from home - but Solskjaer rotated his squad by field- in charge of the team. A win proved national jury for his role in late Novem- they came up short this time against ing Tuanzebe, United’s fourth-choice elusive for the German coach, however. ber in the search and rescue of Kevin Sheffield United, conceding a winning center back, and Telles while resting In a game that highlighted the size of Escoffi er, who capsized 200 miles (320 goal Solskjaer described as “so poor, so central midfielders Fred and Scott the job facing Tuchel following his kilometers) west of Cape Horn. sloppy.” McTominay, who have been instru- arrival Tuesday as Frank Lampard’s German yachtsman Boris Herrmann Goalkeeper David De Gea passed the mental to United’s unbeaten three- replacement, Chelsea labored to a 0-0 also took part in the rescue of Escoffi er Chelsea’s new head coach Thom- ball out straight to visiting midfielder month run in the league. draw with Wolves that heralded the and received bonus time but his chanc- as Tuchel reacts during the English John Lundstram, who passed for Burke Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba start of another era at a club where es of winning the race vanished when Premier League soccer match be- to have a shot that was blocked by Axel regularly misplaced passes in midfield managerial changes are commonplace. Frenchman Yannick Bestaven holds he collided with a fi shing boat in the tween Chelsea and Wolverhamp- Tuanzebe. Lundstram collected the and United missed the presence in Still, Chelsea is languishing in eighth his trophy after winning the Vendee Bay of Biscay late Wednesday, around ton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge loose ball and again fed Burke, who attack of Edinson Cavani, who was also place, five points off the top four, and Globe solo round-the-world sail- 90 nautical miles from the end. He had Stadium in London, England, on was given time and space to send in a benched. United next plays away to has just two wins from its last nine ing race on Jan 28, in Les Sables- to slow down because of a damaged Jan 27. (AP) shot that struck the outstretched leg of Arsenal on Saturday. games. d’Olonne, western France. (AP) starboard foil.