As part of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) ongoing governance review, on 19 October 2021, WADA’s Working Group on the Review of WADA Governance Reforms will be carrying out a second phase of stakeholder consultation via virtual or in-person meetings from Lausanne, Switzerland.
The delegates from the IIHF member national associations have arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the 2021 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress that will be held over the next four days.
The delegates were warmly welcomed on Tuesday evening with a reception by the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Organizing Committee, held at the Russian Museum of Ethnography.
The International Olympic Committee transgender guidelines have been delayed until 2022 due to “very conflicting opinions.”
The guidelines are now expected to be published after the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing which would be three years later than originally planned. The IOC’s science and medical director Dr Richard Budgett said the guidance would “prioritise inclusion” and “avoid harm.”
INVESTIGATIONS
Belgium
Belgian police to investigate possible basketball fraud case
BRUSSELS (AP) — The Belgian basketball federation has asked the country’s federal police to investigate a possible fraud case related to the organization of 3x3 tournaments in the runup to the Tokyo Olympics.
Following discussions with the local Wallonia and Flanders federations, Basketball Belgium said in a statement on Tuesday that it contacted a police unit specialized in sports fraud to conduct a “thorough investigation.”
The federation said a disciplinary inquiry was being carried out by Basketball Flanders in addition to a criminal complaint.
De Standaard newspaper reported last month that fake 3x3 basketball tournaments were set up in Belgium from August to October 2019 in a bid to allow the Belgium team to collect the necessary points to be able to take part in qualifying for the Olympic Games.
With confirmation from Derby County Football Club that they have filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, the EFL can tonight confirm that the Club will be subject to an insolvency event under the terms of the EFL’s Regulations.
FIFA has reached out to its member associations and other stakeholders (representatives of the players, clubs, leagues, confederations) marking the beginning of a new phase of consultation around the International Match Calendar for women and men, set to expire at the end of 2023 and 2024 respectively.
This week, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) Education Committee Chair, Kady Kanouté Tounkara, represented WADA and actively promoted Clean Sport education while participating in the International School Sport Federation’s (ISF’s) ’School Sport Forum’ in Belgrade, Serbia.
We have signed an agreement with the Mexican Football Federation [FMF], which will see the two organisations collaborate with a view to improving the potential and quality of football operations across England and Mexico.
The FIS Bulletin 2021, the annual report of FIS activities from the previous season, has been published in time for the upcoming online FIS Technical Committee Meetings.
In response to ongoing media speculation, the EFL wishes to clarify that discussions with Derby County in respect of outstanding Profitability and Sustainability (P&S) matters are continuing and no decision has yet been reached.
The Oceania Football Confederation is welcoming discussions initiated by FIFA, regarding its participation in the consultation process around the review and development of a new women’s and men’s FIFA International Match Calendar.
The car rental company signs new three-year extension to sponsor the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.
The International Esports Federation has announced the PanAmerican Esports Confederation (PAMESCO), the European Esports Federation (EEF) and the African Esports Association (AESA) as the latest Continental Esports Federations to join the World Esports Family.
With the signing of these three regional federations, IESF has now unified all continents in the world. Driven by its values of unity, inclusion, and respect, IESF believes this kind of international cooperation will advance the growth of professional Esports, streamline organizational structure and support the development of smaller nations in the PanAmerican, European and African regions.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) reports that it has issued the decision to sanction Moldovan doctor Dorin Balmus to a lifetime period of ineligibility due to anti-doping rule violations (ADRV) for tampering and complicity.
The World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) President, Witold Bańka, Director General, Olivier Niggli, and other members of WADA Leadership met with the Sports Minister of the Russian Federation, Oleg Matytsin, and other members of his delegation in Istanbul, Turkey. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the requirements that must be fulfilled by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and the Russian authorities for RUSADA to be reinstated as compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), when the two-year period of consequences prescribed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in December 2020 expires.
USADA announced today that McAben Prince, of Traveler’s Rest, S.C., an athlete in the sport of cycling, has received a four-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation.
Sport Resolutions, in association with Lewis Silkin, will be holding an event on considering and responding to Subject Access Requests (SARs) within the context of sport safeguarding cases on Thursday 14th October via Zoom Webinar.
Alexander Milner-Smith, Co-Head, and Sean Illing, Senior Associate, both of Lewis Silkin's Data & Privacy Group, will be delivering the webinar. The session will provide information on how to consider data sharing in the safeguarding case management context and how to manage cases effectively when dealing with a SAR.
Genius Sports Limited (NYSE: GENI) (“Genius Sports”) the official data, technology and commercial partner that powers the ecosystem connecting sports, betting and media, has won a new official data and trading partnership with Golden Nugget Online Gaming, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNOG).
In May 2021, the FIFA Congress mandated the FIFA administration to conduct a study into the feasibility of a Men’s and Women’s World Cup every two years.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has imposed a ban and a substantial fine on the Hungarian Football Federation (MLSZ) in relation to the racist behaviour of numerous supporters during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying match between Hungary and England on 2 September 2021.
A hearing of the Independent Disciplinary Panel of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) to enquire as to whether Mr David Flood, a licensed trainer was in breach of (J)21 of the Rules of Racing in that he allegedly verbally abused a BHA official.
The FIFA Appeal Committee has upheld the appeals lodged by the French clubs Paris FC and Angers SCO and lifted the sanctions previously imposed by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in its decisions dated 22 April 2021.
The Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD) has issued the following decision in relation to the Latvian biathlete Andrejs Rastorgujevs:
The Request for Arbitration filed by the International Biathlon Union on 3 May 2021 is partially upheld.
Andrejs Rastorgujevs is found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation pursuant to Article 2.4 of the IBU ADR (three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period).
Andrejs Rastorgujevs is sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of eighteen (18) months.
The period of ineligibility shall commence on 11 March 2021, which is the start date of
the provisional suspension imposed on Andrejs Rastorgujevs.
All competitive results obtained by Andrejs Rastorgujevs from 1 July 2020 until the date
on which the CAS ADD decision enters into force are disqualified, with all resulting consequences including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomes the decision by the International Testing Agency (ITA) to sanction Dr. Dorin Balmus for a range of Anti-Doping Rule Violations related to tampering with the anti-doping process in the sport of weightlifting.
Lausanne (RWH) The coming webinar of the International Testing Agency ITA will address the wider topic of integrity in sport with a focus on competition manipulation.
In June 2021, Swindon Town Football Club, when under previous ownership, failed to pay their Players as per the contractual agreement and were charged under EFL Regulations.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is set to review whether or not cannabis should remain a banned substance.
Following a meeting of WADA's executive committee in Istanbul yesterday WADA announced that it will review the cannabis rules to determine whether or not the substance should remain on the Prohibited List. The announcement comes a few months after American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson missed the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for the substance, saying it helped her deal with the death of her mother.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by Sports Integrity Australia (SIA) (formerly, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA)) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the first instance decision issued by the CAS Oceania Registry on 16 November 2020 (the Appealed Decision) in which the Australian swimmer, Shayna Jack, was found to have violated Article 2.1 of the Swimming Australia Ltd Anti- Doping Policy 2015 and was suspended for a period of two years, commencing on 12 July 2019.
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Thursday 9th september 2021 for our webinar in association with Littleton Chambers. We hope you found it useful and informative.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomes the publication by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of its ‘Compendium of International Organizations’ Practices’, which was launched at the eighth Annual Meeting of International Organization Partnership, held virtually this week. The Agency was pleased to assist the OECD in compiling this useful publication by providing presentations of key practices in the field of anti-doping.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and UNITAR’s International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL) jointly announced a launch of the first UN certified Sport Safety and Security Training and Advanced Education Programme for professionals in Africa.
Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles is set to testify with other gymnasts before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the investigation into former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar who was imprisoned for sexually assaulting hundreds of athletes.
The International Ice Hockey Federation grows to 82 member nations with the admission of Tunisia as associate member by the 2021 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has charged former West Indies player Marlon Samuels with breaching four counts of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants of the T10 League (the ‘Code’).
In May 2021, the FIFA Congress mandated the FIFA administration to conduct a study into the feasibility of a Men’s and Women’s World Cup every two years.
In strengthening its commitment towards greater transparency and full disclosure of its fundamental activities and operations, FIFA has today published the second annual report (2020/2021) of the activities of its independent judicial bodies, the Disciplinary, Appeal and Ethics Committees.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has partnered with Cricket Australia to broadcast the upcoming Australian summer of cricket into emerging cricket markets including Europe and Southeast Asia, starting with the highly anticipated rematch between India and Australia, finalists in last year’s ICC T20 Women’s World Cup.
Welcome to LawInSport’s weekly News Roundup. This recap highlights this week’s news pieces from across the world of sport. For further updates, please visit our news section.
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On Tuesday the US Soccer Federation (USSF) made the offer to both teams in an attempt to resolve its gender pay dispute.
The Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) is proud to announce a new two-year relationship with Cleveland Clinic through the 2022-23 season. Bringing extensive Sports Medicine and Orthopedic expertise in both the United States and Canada, Cleveland Clinic will support the Federation with consultation on various initiatives by providing strategic guidance and expertise as the Official Medical Team of the PHF.
In this Olympic year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has opened two temporary offices in Japan for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (the Games) which have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and have been held this year from 21 July to 8 August 2021.
In a letter to the International Boxing Association (AIBA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed once again strong concerns with regard to the situation of the International Federation.
Lausanne, 16 September 2021 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled that the physician and endocrinologist, Dr. Jeffrey Brown, and the former elite-level long distance runner and head coach of the Nike Oregon Project (NOP), Alberto Salazar (the Appellants), committed a number of anti- doping rule violations (ADRVs) and has confirmed the four-year bans imposed on them in the decisions issued on 7 September 2019 (Brown) and 30 October 2019 (Salazar) by the American Arbitration Association, North American Court of Arbitration for Sport Panels (the Challenged Decisions). As a consequence, the relief requested by Dr. Brown/Mr. Salazar, on one hand, and by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), on the other hand, in their respective appeals has been rejected.
FIFPRO is appalled by the employment situation of professional footballers in Romania and the lack of urgency shown by the country’s football association (FRF) to find adequate solutions for this disturbing situation.
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges the decision made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to maintain the 2 year sanction imposed on Shayna Jack following an appeal process.
Lausanne, 14 September 2021 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by Brazilian football official Ricardo Terra Teixeira against the decision taken by the Ethics Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) dated 26 July 2019 (the Challenged Decision).
FIFPRO today stresses once again that any plans to change the men’s or women’s International Match Calendar must address the players’ concerns such as an expanding workload at the top of the game, the need to protect and improve jobs for the majority of our members around the world and protecting the promising advancement of the women’s professional game. Proposals isolating further expansions such as a biennial World Cup – as well as other competition reforms under discussion – are inadequate in the absence of solutions for existing problems. Without the agreement of the players, who bring all competitions to life on the pitch, no such reforms will have the required legitimacy.
