Tag Archives: Doping

Verdict anticipated in trial of former IAAF head Lamine Diack

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A Paris courtroom will ship its verdict within the corruption trial of former worldwide monitor and subject federation president Lamine Diack

PARIS — A Paris courtroom will ship its verdict Wednesday within the corruption trial of Lamine Diack, a former president of the worldwide monitor and subject federation who oversaw the glory years of Usain Bolt and, in line with prosecutors, took tens of millions of {dollars} for himself, alongside along with his son.

At Diack’s trial in June, prosecutors requested a four-year jail time period and a high quality of 500,000 euros ($595,000). The 87-year-old former IAAF president was tried on corruption, cash laundering and breach of belief prices.

The decision can even cowl others who confronted prices on the six-day listening to, together with his son, Papa Massata Diack. The previous IAAF advertising and marketing advisor lives in Senegal and was tried in his absence, additionally on corruption, cash laundering and breach of belief prices.

Forward of the decision, Papa Massata Diack this week referred to as the fees “the largest lie within the historical past of world sport.” He mentioned he earned $10 million from his IAAF consultancy work however all legally. He mentioned he skipped the trial as a result of “to undergo French justice is to place myself on the disposal of my enemies.” Senegal refused to extradite him.

The trial in June accused Diack of turning monitor’s governing physique right into a hotbed of malfeasance. Diack led the federation from 1999-2015, a time that included the thrilling period of Bolt.

Prosecutors mentioned the Diacks siphoned off income for themselves and lined financial institution accounts with hush-money allegedly extorted from athletes who coughed up six-figure sums to keep away from being sanctioned for doping. The IAAF’s status as a frontrunner in preventing doping was trashed by the crooked system, dubbed “full safety,” of athletes paying to maintain competing.

With the 2012 London Olympics looming, Diack feared that punishing a big group of athletes collectively for doping may damage negotiations with a Russian sponsor, the courtroom was informed. Diack acknowledged he intervened to quietly decelerate the sanctioning course of, however denied data of payoffs. Prosecutors mentioned the Diacks squeezed athletes for 3.45 million euros ($four million).

Lamine Diack’s place and longevity made him an necessary determine in Olympic sports activities. He jetted around the globe and rubbed shoulders with VIPs. His affect additionally opened doorways for his son.

Papa Massata Diack had costly tastes: Investigators discovered that he purchased watches and different luxurious items price 1.7 million euros ($2 million) from a retailer off the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Prosecutors have sought a five-year jail sentence for the youthful Diack.

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Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports activities



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Nate Diaz pulls out because of ‘tainted dietary supplements’

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Nate Diaz gained’t be making his scheduled look at UFC 244 subsequent week.

One half of the headliner bout with Jorge Masvidal, Diaz is outwardly in the midst of drug testing points with the US Anti-Doping Company.

The 34-year-old fighter and present UFC welterweight maintained his innocence in an announcement launched on Twitter with the heading, “Your [sic] all on steroids not me.”

“I’m not gonna make it out to NYC for struggle week subsequent week as a result of they are saying I examined with elevated ranges that they are saying is perhaps from some tainted dietary supplements,” Diaz wrote. “I name false on that trigger I solely take Complete Meals or pure meals dietary supplements. I don’t even eat meat. So till UFC, USADA or whoever is F–KING with me mounted it, I gained’t be competing. I’m not gonna play their sport and attempt to conceal it or hold quiet, as they steered. I’m not gonna have my identify tainted as a cheater like these different motherf–kers who hold quiet till after the struggle simply to allow them to receives a commission. F–kin’ cheaters. I don’t give a f–ok about some cash over my dignity and my legacy. I’m not taking part in together with this bullsh-t. I’m not staying quiet and figuring it out after the struggle. That’s dishonest. So struggle sport I’ll see you after I see you.”

UFC has been selling Diaz’s Nov. 2 bout on the Backyard as lately as Thursday afternoon, however has but to announce plans to cope with his withdrawal from the struggle.

Masvidal isn’t letting Diaz off the hook, although.

“You not the baddest mofo within the sport (i’m) however you’re one of many cleanest mofo’s @NateDiaz209,” he tweeted. “I’ll see you nov 2. I do know your identify is clear. I don’t want @usantidoping to inform me sh-t!”



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Russia requested to clarify alleged doping knowledge tampering

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The World Anti-Doping Company is giving Russia three weeks to clarify attainable indicators of tampering with knowledge from its doping laboratory that was essential to prosecuting circumstances in opposition to athletes alleged to have cheated on the 2014 Olympics and different main occasions.

WADA heard in regards to the attainable tampering at its govt committee assembly Monday in Tokyo. Turning over the info was a key requirement for the reinstatement of Russia’s anti-doping company, and WADA has formally opened a compliance process that would result in a brand new ban if the info was manipulated.

Russia’s sports activities minister Pavel Kolobkov mentioned his workplace had been instructed in regards to the discrepancies between the info turned over by a whistleblower and knowledge from the lab, which was getting used to corroborate the whistleblower data. He indicated that Russian technical specialists can have entry to the assessment.

“What, precisely, these inconsistencies are and what they’re associated to, that can be cleared up by specialists within the area of digital know-how from either side, who’re already cooperating,” Kolobkov mentioned. “From our facet, we are going to proceed to supply all attainable help.”

The info was handed over to WADA in January after Russia breached an earlier deadline of Dec. 31, 2018. It has already been used to convey circumstances in opposition to athletes in weightlifting and biathlon, and WADA mentioned it will proceed to pursue circumstances whereas this newest assessment is ongoing.

WADA has been criticized for reinstating RUSADA beneath phrases much less stringent than the unique roadmap. However director normal Olivier Niggli instructed The Related Press he stood by the choice.

“I imagine it was really a vital choice and completely the correct choice,” Niggli mentioned. “I am satisfied that we’d not have the info if we had not taken that call, so we’d not even be speaking about it at present. There would nonetheless be a cloud of suspicion and nothing would have gone ahead.”

WADA wouldn’t set a agency timetable on a choice. The case is heating up a couple of days earlier than the beginning of the monitor world championships in Doha, the place 30 Russians will compete as impartial athletes whereas Russia’s monitor federation stays beneath suspension by the game’s governing physique.

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AP Sports activities Author James Ellingworth reported from Duesseldorf, Germany.

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Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports activities



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Horton applauded by fellow swimmers for stand against Sun

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Mack Horton walked into the dining room at the athletes’ village and the applause began. It swelled into a standing ovation for the Australian swimmer after his personal protest against China’s Sun Yang at the world championships.

Horton refused to step onto the podium or shake Sun’s hand after losing to Sun in the 400-meter freestyle final on Sunday night.

“Gutsy move, for sure,” U.S. backstroker Matt Grevers said Monday.

Horton is angry that Sun, who served a three-month doping suspension in 2014, is being allowed to compete in Gwangju before he faces a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing in September that could potentially end his career.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is challenging a decision by FINA, swimming’s world governing body, merely to warn Sun over incidents during a doping control team’s attempts to take blood and urine samples at his home in China last September.

“I don’t feel like it really hurt Sun Yang,” Grevers said of Horton’s protest. “I think it just let him know that, ‘Hey, it’s a weird incident and until it gets uncovered, we don’t fully trust you.'”

Horton is the only swimmer to beat Sun in the 400 free in the last eight years, taking gold in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the Aussie also refused to shake Sun’s hand. Horton went further at a news conference later, calling Sun a “drug cheat” to his face.

That prompted China’s swimming federation to demand an apology, but none was forthcoming.

With such history between the two, American Lilly King said other swimmers were waiting for the awards ceremony Sunday “to see what was going to happen.”

Horton stood behind the podium when given his silver medal. He didn’t join Sun and bronze medalist Gabriele Detti of Italy for the traditional photos on the top spot afterward.

“I don’t think I need to say anything,” Horton said Sunday. “His actions and how it has been handled speaks louder than anything I could say.”

Sun said Sunday he was aware Horton has a problem with him.

“Disrespecting me was OK, but disrespecting China was unfortunate,” Sun said through a translator. “I feel sorry about that.”

King, an outspoken critic of doping, was in the dining hall when Horton arrived back at the village.

“It was pretty great to see the athletes united on his stance and supporting him as well,” she said. “I don’t think anyone at FINA is going to stand up for the athletes, so the athletes have to stand up for themselves.”

Horton’s teammate, Mitch Larkin, voiced a familiar concern among swimmers about a clean playing field.

“You can never be confident,” he said. “You’ve got to trust the authorities, but with what’s going on in sport these days it’s hard to be 100% sure.”

Horton didn’t alert the Australian coaching staff of his podium plans in advance, according to head coach Jacco Verhaeren.

“I understand him very much,” the coach said. “You can only respect him for what he does.”

Detti told Italian media that Horton approached him before the medals ceremony and asked if he would be willing to stand behind rather than on the podium while receiving his award.

Detti declined, explaining that he worked hard to earn a medal and wanted to enjoy it.

None of the anti-Sun sentiment goes over well in China, where he is viewed as a star and his fans demand respect for him via social media. A large contingent of Chinese fans cheered and shouted as Sun made his victory parade around the pool. Banners featuring his face hung from the stands.

Larkin estimated that 99% percent of swimmers at the meet back Horton.

“He’s not really standing alone,” Larkin said. “What he did was certainly brave and gutsy, and I have a lot of respect for him for doing that.”

Not everyone agreed with Horton, however.

“That’s his opinion, not mine,” said British swimmer James Guy, who described himself as a close friend of Horton’s.

Guy was the leading qualifier going into the 200 free semifinals Monday night; Sun was second-fastest.

American backstroker Ryan Murphy said he didn’t consider Horton’s protest to be directed at Sun “but more so standing against FINA and WADA for their response to these things.”

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More AP swimming: https://apnews.com/tag/Swimming and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports



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Milan-Cortina 2026 bid boosted by government support

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The Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics received a boost Friday by a key letter of financial support from the Italian government.

The letter was signed by Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte and handed to Octavian Morariu, the chair of the IOC’s evaluation commission, which is concluding a weeklong inspection of the bid sites.

The letter from Conte promises that the government would provide security for the games, handle anti-doping expenditures and coordinate visas for visiting athletes, officials and fans.

In another showing of the government’s support, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini met with IOC inspectors in Milan on Friday.

“Absolutely,” Salvini said when asked if the government would provide funding for the games. “It’s a guarantee to cover all the security expenses, which depend personally on me.

“I hope everything necessary is covered,” added Salvini, who was wearing a jacket featuring the logo of the Milan-Cortina bid.

Meanwhile, questions remain over the Swedish government’s support of the Stockholm-Are bid, the only other remaining candidate for 2026.

The IOC will vote on the 2026 host on June 24 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Milan-Cortina candidacy takes full advantage of more flexible hosting rules provided by recent reforms from IOC President Thomas Bach.

The bid proposes to hold figure skating, hockey and short-track speedskating in Milan; sliding sports and curling in 1956 host Cortina; and speedskating, biathlon and Nordic sports in Trentino-Alto Adige.

Alpine skiing would be divided between Bormio (men) and Cortina (women), and only one venue would need to be built from scratch — an arena in Milan.

The opening ceremony would be at the 80,000-seat San Siro in Milan, with the closing at Verona Arena, a large Roman amphitheater.

While AC Milan and Inter Milan are considering building a new stadium to replace the San Siro, bid leaders have assured that the opening ceremony will take place either at the San Siro or a new stadium.

“It’s not a problem. Whatever choice is made works for us and the IOC,” said Giovanni Malago, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee.

Milan-Cortina plans for a budget of 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion), far less than the $51 billion Russia spent on the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Much of the local funding would be organized by the governments of Lombardy and Veneto — two of Italy’s richest regions.

Italy is anxious to bring a bid through the entire process after two Rome candidacies were withdrawn.

Three years ago, Italy was forced to end Rome’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics because of staunch opposition from the city’s mayor. And in 2012, then-premier Mario Monti scrapped the city’s candidacy for the 2020 Olympics because of financial concerns.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AndrewDampf



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