Rio Anti-Doping Lab Suspension Lifted
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ROAD TO RIO| Page 3 CCYCLING|YCLING Page 7 Transition Froome puts Schippers moves closer on double to third Tour de gold path France title Friday, July 22, 2016 FOOTBALL Shawwal 17, 1437 AH Mourinho coy on GULF TIMES Paul Pogba, hints at other options SPORT Page 5 SPOTLIGHT Moscow denounces ‘crime against sport’ as ban upheld The decision by the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) increases the possibility that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will now exclude Russia from all sports, not just track and field, in Rio de Janeiro Reuters ern governments who fear Moscow’s Lausanne/Moscow This file photo taken on June 21, 2016 growing influence. A spokeswoman shows Russian pole vaulter Yelena for the Russian Foreign Ministry Isinbayeva reacting during a national called the court decision “a crime port’s highest tribunal yester- Athletics Championship in Cheboksary. against sport”. day rejected Russia’s appeal The Court of Arbitration for Sport With its decision, the court was “ab- against a doping ban for its yesterday dismissed a Russian appeal solutely violating the rights of clean entire athletics team from the against a ban imposed by athletics athletes, creating a precedent of col- SRio Olympics starting in 15 days’ time, lective responsibility”, Sports Minister governing body over state-run doping drawing swift and angry condemna- that rules the country out of the Rio Vitaly Mutko said in comments tel- tion from Moscow. Olympics track and field. The decision evised on state channels. The decision by the Swiss-based will now see Russian athletics stars such The ball is now in the court of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and IOC to decide whether Russia should increases the possibility that the In- hurdler Sergey Shubenkov miss out on be excluded from all sports at the Rio ternational Olympic Committee Rio. Games, starting on Aug. 5. (IOC) will now exclude Russia from all Pressure on the IOC to take such a sports, not just track and fi eld, in Rio step increased this week after another de Janeiro. report commissioned by the World An- That would mark the deepest crisis ti-Doping Agency revealed evidence of in the Olympic movement since the US systematic state-sponsored doping by and Soviet boycotts of the 1980s, and Russian competitors before and during would be a grave blow to a nation that the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Rus- prides itself on its status as a sporting sian city of Sochi. superpower. The IOC’s executive committee “CAS rejects the claims/appeal of met to discuss the issue on Tuesday the Russian Olympic Committee and and though it condemned the activi- 68 Russian athletes,” CAS said in a ties and started disciplinary proceed- statement that backed the right the ings against many of those involved, International Association of Athlet- it postponed any announcement on a ics Federations (IAAF) to suspend the possible blanket ban pending legal ad- Russian athletics federation. vice and the outcome of the CAS hear- Russia is one of the world’s foremost ing. The IOC is expected to reach a fi nal sporting powers which won the third decision on Sunday. biggest overall medal haul at the last The IAAF said it was pleased that summer Olympics in 2012 — though CAS had supported its stance. some of those results are now in ques- “While we are thankful that our rules tion because of doping suspicions. and our power to uphold our rules and Double Olympic champion pole the anti-doping code have been sup- vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva called the ported, this is not a day for triumphant decision “the funeral of athletics”. statements,” IAAF president Sebastian “Now let all these foreign pseudo- Coe said. “I didn’t come into this sport clean sportspeople sigh with relief and to stop athletes from competing. It is win their pseudo-gold medals in our our federation’s instinctive desire to absence,” Isinbayeva wrote on Insta- include, not exclude.” gram. “They have always feared (our) Sergei Litvinov, a hammer thrower strength.” The ban on Russia’s track- who was chosen for the Russian Olym- and-fi eld team going to Rio was im- pic team, said his father had failed to posed last November by the IAAF after make the 1984 Games when the Soviet an independent report uncovered ram- Union boycotted the Los Angeles event pant state-sponsored doping in Russian because of Cold War tensions. athletics. It was maintained in June after “The funniest thing is that right the IAAF Council ruled that not enough now I am on my way to Moscow to re- progress had been made in transforming Russia had argued it had taken steps blanket ban was unfair to individual Russian officials, and many ordi- terpreted the doping allegations as ceive my Russian team sports kit. What Russia’s anti-doping programme. to clean up the sport, and that the athletes with no record of doping. nary people in the country, have in- part of a conspiracy inspired by West- a paradox,” Litvinov said. BOTTOMLINE Bolt backs CAS action, says it sends out strong message AFP “It’s sad, but rules are rules. I don’t make 2012 in the 100m, 200m and sprint relay, will be his London the rules, I don’t make the decisions. last before the Games. The 29-year-old has set his I just have to go along with it. If you feel like sights on an unprecedented ‘triple triple’ of Olym- banning the whole team is the right action, pic crowns in what will likely be his last Games. print king Usain Bolt believes the Court of then I’m all for it” “I’ll defi nitely be there, I’m excited to go,” Bolt Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling on Rus- said of the Olympics, which get underway in Brazil sia’s drug cheats will scare athletes and send rules, I don’t make the decisions. I just have to go on August 5. Sa strong message that doping won’t be tol- along with it. If you feel like banning the whole team “This is where history is going to be made, I’m erated. is the right action, then I’m all for it.” excited to put on a show for the entire world to see. CAS yesterday rejected an appeal by 67 Russian Meanwhile, Bolt insists he is ready for his fi rst This is my fi nal Olympics, it’s a big one.” athletes seeking to overturn an IAAF doping ban on 200 metres of the season in the Anniversary Games Despite doubters questioning his fi tness, Bolt them competing at the Rio Olympics. in London today as he tests his fi tness ahead of the points to his triumph at last year’s World Champi- A decision on banning Russia from the Rio Rio Olympics Bolt faces a key stage of his fi tness re- onships in Beijing when he trailed Justin Gatlin in Games, which start on August 5, could come this covery when he races for the fi rst time since pulling the 100m and 200m world rankings, only to leave weekend and Jamaican star Bolt, a six-time Olym- out of the Jamaican trials with a hamstring strain. China with the complete set of gold medals. pic champion, has no doubt a strong stance is the “I’m good, I’m feeling good, been training good “I’m defi nitely a tough competitor,” Bolt said. right response as athletics tries to clean up its act. now, I’m happy with where I am,” he said. “Last year Gatlin was just not ready, it was the fi rst “This will scare a lot of people, or send a strong “My hamstring is good, I have no issue right now. time he was being chased. message that the sport is serious about cleaning up,” I know I’m in good shape.” “It was hard for him, but this year is not going to Bolt told reporters in London yesterday. Bolt’s outing at the Olympic Stadium, the scene be the same, I am in much better shape, so I won’t “It’s sad, but rules are rules. I don’t make the of his three Olympic gold medal wins at London leave it to the last second.” Jamaica’s Usain Bolt poses before his press conference at a London hotel yesterday. Gulf Times 2 Friday, July 22, 2016 ROAD TO RIO SPOTLIGHT PLIGHT South Korea’s Lee weighs cost of Rudisha struggling taekwondo gold AFP Seoul outh Korea’s two-time world taekwondo champion Lee for form, gunning Dae-Hoon has a weight problem when it comes to secur- ing the Olympic title he craves. And it’s a conundrum that has only two solutions: slim Sdown or bulk up. A quirk of taekwondo is that its Olympic weight classes are diff erent from those that feature in the Asian Games and World Championships. Lee’s natural fi ghting weight of 63 kilograms fi ts the latter, but for greatness for the Olympics he must choose to shift up or down. In London in 2012, he opted to shed fi ve kilos and compete in the 58-kilogram division — a decision he now regrets and partially ‘I feel that my body is coming back pretty nicely and I am in better form than last year’ blames for his silver-medal fi nish. The rationale for dropping down was that his height would give him an advantage in the 58kg class, but the regimen sapped his Reuters energy and Lee says he ran out of power following two overtime Nairobi bouts.