Following the recommendation of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the UEFA Women’s Football Committee, the UEFA Executive Committee has today approved a proposal to remove the so-called away goals rule from all UEFA club competitions (men, women and youth) as of the qualifying phases of the 2021/22 competitions.
The international testing agency (ITA) publishes a report on anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) following a series of allegations of misconduct by the international weightlifting federation (IWF), providing an overview of the findings of the investigation into approximately 146 unresolved cases over the 2009-2019 period. The report notably uncovers mishandling and impropriety on the part of certain IWF Officials in relation to its anti-doping program. As a consequence of these discoveries, the ITA has – among other follow-up actions – asserted ADRVs against former IWF president Tamas Ajan, IWF Vice-President Nicolae Vlad, and Hassan Akkus, President of the European Weightlifting Confederation.
UK Athletics and the four Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAF) have launched the new safeguarding policies and procedures which marks the fulfilment of the six core recommendations of the Christopher Quinlan Safeguarding Review administered by Sport Resolutions and supports the Home Country Athletics Federations (HCAFs) with their implementation of new procedures at a grassroots level.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) today announces that its Disciplinary Commission has rendered its decision in the disciplinary proceedings concerning Mr Marc Bracke, Director General and Sport Director of the UCI Women’s Continental Team Doltcini - Van Eyck - Proximus Continental Team, and allegations of harassment reported by several riders. The UCI had already announced the opening of disciplinary proceedings following the conclusions of its Ethics Commission.
The Disciplinary Commission confirmed the Ethics Commission’s analysis that Mr Bracke’s conduct constituted sexual harassment according to article 6.4 of the UCI Code of Ethics and article 2.3 of Appendix 1.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomes the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of WADA’s appeal against the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) disciplinary panel decision related to an incident that led to a doping control involving Chinese swimmer Sun Yang not being completed as planned.
Today, on 21 June, the five parties, namely the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) and the Government of Japan (GoJ), met to discuss spectator limits for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The IOC and IPC were informed about and support the policies the three Japanese parties have decided on.
Audley Sheppard QC has been appointed as the new Chair of the Sport Resolutions’ Board, taking over from Edwin Glasgow CBE, QC.
In its award of 8 April 2021, the CAS had decided that TAWA athletes would not be allowed to participate in IWF events until 18 June 2021, or an earlier date subject to TAWA satisfying a number of conditions. The matter was considered by the Independent Monitoring Group, which yesterday found that these conditions were satisfied and therefore lifted the suspension on TAWA athletes with immediate effect. However, no TAWA athletes will participate in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as a result of the CAS award.
1. The Independent Disciplinary Panel of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) met on 17 June 2021 to consider the allegation that Mr Levi Williams was in breach of Rule (K)49 of the Rules of Racing. (A Jockey must ensure that no Banned Substances is present in their body). A urine sample collected from him at Wolverhampton Racecourse on 29 January 2021 showed the presence of the banned substances benzoylecgonine (a metabolite of cocaine) and THC-acid (a metabolite of cannabis).
USADA announced today that Josh Sisson, of St. Louis, Mo., an athlete in the sport of Paralympic judo, has received a four-year suspension for an anti-doping rule violation.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced today that global testing figures are continuing to rise as activities of a growing number of Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) worldwide are returning to normal.
On 4 September 2020, the Esports Integrity Commission (hereinafter referred as to “ESIC”) announced an investigation into an abuse of a bug (hereinafter referred as to the “Spectator Bug”) in the CS:GO’s spectator mode. ESIC together with Mr. Michal Slowinski’s help investigated about the wrongful use of said exploit.
Along with the Statement “Esports Integrity Commission Opens Inquiry into Historical Spectator Bug Exploitation’ a Confession Period was granted. This period was foreseen for any offending parties that wanted to come forward ahead of the investigation with an admission of wrongdoing. Said Period opened as of the date of the Statement’s release, 4th of September 2020, and closed on the 13th of September 2020 at 23:00 CET.
FIBA has received since June 10 through the New York Times and Human Rights Watch several allegations about systemic sexual harassment within the Mali Basketball Federation.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) will introduce a law change to the tackle height in age grade rugby in England for the 2021/22 season.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled today on the appeal filed by the Fédération béninoise de football (FBF) following the decision to postpone the match Sierra Leone – Benin counting for the qualifiers of the CAN Total Cameroon 2021.
Norwich City have cancelled their controversial sponsorship deal with Asian gambling firm BK8 after just three days following provocative marketing material being highlighted.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has published the new Rule Book for the 2021/2022 season.
This Unified Rule Book was recently approved by the 2021 IIHF Annual Congress and was created during the last few months by a specially appointed Rule Book Writing Group comprised of experts from IIHF and European professional leagues and in consultancy with the National Hockey League (NHL), the Rule Book was developed using the combined Official Playing Rules of the IIHF, the National Hockey League (NHL), KHL, and various European leagues.
Following today’s publication of the report by the International Testing Agency (ITA) into extensive past anti-doping rule violations in weightlifting, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has acknowledged the findings. As noted in the report, the ITA’s investigation and the various investigations that preceded it have enabled the IWF to get to the bottom of past misconduct, ensure the athletes and officials involved are dealt with appropriately and turn the page.
With Major Games fast approaching, and athletes travelling overseas for events, some of us may be thinking about packing our suitcases and jetting off over the coming months (while following all the rules, of course!). For athletes, this can bring additional considerations with regards to medications and things to watch out for when travelling. UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has put together a five-step guide to help you continue to train and compete clean when overseas, avoiding an accidental ban from sport.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has released its quarterly testing report for January to March 2021. During this period, the UK once again stayed at home for its third national COVID-19 lockdown, with further closures impacting competitive sports and testing. Adhering to Government guidelines, UKAD continued to deliver a modified testing programme throughout, temporarily introducing a mobile doping control vehicle and remote sample collection.
22 JUNE 2021, MONACO:
In an operative decision issued on Monday, the Disciplinary Tribunal found that Sergey Shubenkov of Russia bore No Fault or Negligence for an Anti-Doping rule violation resulting from an out-of-competition sample collected by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on 15 December 2020 – and therefore would serve no period of ineligibility.
An investigation into possible corruption during the Olympic boxing competition at Rio 2016 is to be led by Professor Richard McLaren, the man who uncovered the full extent of Russian state-sponsored doping. McLaren, who found that more than a thousand Russian athletes in 30 sports had been part of a sophisticated doping programme, has now been tasked with investigating potential judging and refereeing irregularities in Rio by the International Boxing Association (Aiba).
Laurel Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at an Olympics after being selected for the New Zealand women's weightlifting team at Tokyo 2020.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib has become the NFL's first active openly gay player.
These comprehensive guidelines, which are a key part of the overall countermeasures being put in place for the Games, provide extensive details for each key stakeholder group to help them complete their preparations for travelling to and arriving in Japan, their time at the Games, and their departure from Tokyo.
Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges the decision of Athletics Australia to sanction athlete Melanie Panayiotou for the presence and use of prohibited substances.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the arbitration procedure between the US track and field athlete Shelby Houlihan and World Athletics (WA):
USADA announced today that Erik Koch, of Cedar Rapids, Wisc., has accepted an 18-month sanction for a violation of the UFC® Anti-Doping Policy (UFC ADP).
Swimming Australia has admitted failures when dealing with athlete complaints, but insists it is committed to being transparent as a panel is appointed to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct and mistreatment.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) asks the International Weightlifting Federations’ (IWF’s) Independent Panel to impose sanctions on the Federación Colombiana de Levantamiento de Pesas under the IWF Anti-Doping Rules and the IWF Qualification System for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as a consequence of numerous Anti-Doping Rule Violations.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issues a revised International Standard for Results management (ISRM), which was approved by WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) on 20 May 2021 with immediate effect.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the appeal arbitration proceedings between André Onana and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in relation to the decision issued by the UEFA Appeals Body on 4 February 2021 (the Challenged Decision) in which André Onana was found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation without “significant fault” (furosemide, a specified substance on the WADA Prohibited List) and sanctioned with a 12-month suspension
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has today confirmed that Colombian tennis player Carlos Andrés Sepúlveda Navarro has been banned from the sport for three years after admitting to multiple breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) rules. In addition to the ban, Sepúlveda Navarro was fined $10,000 with $8,000 suspended.
An independent Disciplinary Commission has delivered its verdict on sanctions for Derby County relating to ongoing disciplinary proceedings.
In May, an Independent League Arbitration Panel ruled that the Disciplinary Commission was wrong to dismiss the League’s expert accountancy evidence, which demonstrated that the Club’s policy regarding the amortisation of player registrations was contrary to standard accounting rules.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) welcomes today’s publication of the report by the International Testing Agency (ITA) related to its investigation into historical allegations of mishandling and impropriety by certain officials within the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), particularly in relation to the IWF’s anti-doping program.
Several players around the league exercised their right to opt out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They'll have that option again this year.
NFL players have until 4 p.m. ET next Friday, July 2 to inform their team if they're opting out of the 2021 season, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported. Players deemed "higher risk" for COVID are again entitled to a $350,000 stipend but voluntary opt-outs will not be compensated, Pelissero added. The stipend for voluntary opt-outs was $150,000 last season.
The FA can confirm that no disciplinary action will be taken for a gesture made by Leeds United FC’s Ezgjan Alioski following a thorough investigation.
During a Premier League fixture on Saturday 15 May 2021 at Turf Moor Stadium, a complaint was made by a Burnley FC player that Leeds United FC’s Alioski had made a gesture, which was also captured on footage, towards another Burnley FC player during the 69th minute that could potentially be perceived as discriminatory.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the appeal filed by the Nigerian football coach Samson Siasia against the decision rendered by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on 11 April 2019 (the Challenged Decision). In such decision, Samson Siasia was found guilty of infringement of article 1 (bribery) of the 2009 FIFA Code of Ethics and sanctioned with a life ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level (administrative, sports or any other) and a fine of CHF 50,000 was imposed on him.
A decision in the case of World Athletics against Luvo Manyonga has been issued by the Disciplinary Tribunal.
On 23 December 2020 the AIU issued Mr Manyonga with a Notice of Charge for committing an Anti-Doping Rule Violation relating to Whereabouts Failures, consisting of one Missed Test and two Filing Failures in a 12-month period.
Three-time Olympic champion Sun Yang will miss the Tokyo Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced his eight-year ban to four years and three months.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) confirms that the International Weightlifting Federations’ (IWF’s) Member Federation Independent Sanctioning Panel has imposed a one-year suspension against the Romanian Weightlifting Federation as a consequence of numerous Anti-Doping Rule Violations.
Following an appeal to the Independent Appeals Panel ("Panel") made by Mr Kim Andersen against the decision of the Ethics Commission from 8 October 2020 ("EC Decision"), the Panel has partially upheld Mr Andersen's appeal.
FIFA has awarded the exclusive rights in Poland to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ to Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group). NENT Group will show every match from the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand, the biggest event in the international women’s game, on its Viaplay platform in Poland.
The FA has today published the outcomes of appeals from a number of clubs against sanctions by the National League during the 2020/21 season.
An independent Appeal Board considered three appeals on 29 April 2021 against sanctions from the National League for failing to fulfil fixtures by Blyth Spartans FC, Farsley Celtic FC and Spennymoor Town FC.
We are delighted to announce that Sport Integrity Australia will be partnering with Play by the Rules to house their online training modules on the Sport Integrity Australia e-learning hub.
EU Athletes reiterates that athletes have the same fundamental rights as every other person, citizen and worker. These rights are guaranteed by national and European laws, as well as internationally recognised human rights instruments and standards. They cannot be restricted or redefined by sport organisations.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed on 1 May 2021 by US bilateral transtibial amputee sprinter Blake Leeper against the decision taken by the Mechanical Aids Review panel established by World Athletics (WA) dated 26 April 2021 in which the athlete’s 24 December 2020 application to run at WA-sanctioned events on Running Specific Prostheses (RSPs) that give him an overall standing height of 185.42 cm (6’1”) was denied. The WA panel did so on grounds that the height of the proposed RSPs conferred upon Mr Leeper an “overall competitive advantage over an athlete not using such aid” and were accordingly “not allowed” by Article R6.3.4 of WA’s Technical Rules. Accordingly, the decision rendered by the WA Mechanical Aids Review panel on 26 April 2021 is confirmed by CAS.
In this latest edition of ‘Spotlight’, which keeps stakeholders up to date on the activities being carried out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) team and its partners, we look at WADA’s Anti-Doping Administration Management System (ADAMS), and how it is making athletes’ lives easier and the work of the anti-doping community more effective. Previous ‘Spotlight’ features are available on WADA’s website.
