Paralympics: World body to lift Russia ban, with conditions

Agencies
February 8, 2019

Feb 8: The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said on Friday that it would lift the ban on Russia's Paralympic Committee by March 15, under certain conditions.

Russia has been barred from international Paralympic competitions since August 2016, over allegations of state-sponsored doping similar to the ones that led to the suspension of its athletics federation and anti-doping agency.

The IPC said that the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) had met 69 of the 70 reinstatement criteria outlined in 2016.

"In August 2016 the IPC suspended the RPC because it was necessary and proportionate to the situation we faced and essential to ensure clean sport," IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement.

"Twenty-nine months later it is the IPC Governing Board's firm belief that keeping the RPC suspended is no longer necessary and proportionate to the situation we now face in Russia," he further said.

The one reinstatement condition that has not been met is "an official response adequately addressing the findings made by Professor McLaren", said the IPC.

A two-part WADA-commissioned report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren in 2016, found evidence of state-sponsored doping scheme across several sports and at 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi.

The report led to the ban against the Russian Paralympic Committee and saw dozens of Russians banned from competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Parsons said that upholding the RPC's suspension on the grounds of Russian authorities' refusal to accept the McLaren Report "does not seem right."

The IPC said that it would publish post-reinstatement criteria for the RPC that set out requirements for it to keep its conditional reinstatement.

The requirements will include Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA remaining compliant with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations.

It added that Russian Para athletes will only be allowed to participate in certain competitions, including the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, "if they have met the specified testing requirements".

RUSADA, which was also suspended in the wake of the scandal, was reinstated last year, angering sports bodies around the world.

In January, WADA decided not to suspend RUSADA despite Moscow missing a deadline to hand over laboratory data.

Russia's athletics federation remains suspended over evidence of systematic and state-sponsored doping.

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News Network
March 31,2020

New Delhi, Mar 31: Australia batsman David Warner on Tuesday decided to shave off his head to show support towards all those people who are working relentlessly on the frontline in the battle against coronavirus.

After shaving off his head, Warner also challenged his Australian team-mate Steve Smith and India skipper Virat Kohli to do the same.

Warner, shared a time-lapse video on Instagram, of him shaving his head, and captioned the post as: "Been nominated to shave my head in support of those working on the frontline #Covid-19 here is a time-lapse. I think my debut was the last time I recall I've done this. Like it or not".

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Australia's death toll stands at 19, as per the Sydney Morning Herald.

As of 8 am today, 4460 people across Australia have tested positive for COVID-19.

The World Health Organisation had termed coronavirus as a 'pandemic' on March 11.

Earlier in the day, Australia Test skipper Tim Paine also confirmed that the side's tour of Bangladesh is unlikely due to the virus spread.
"You don't have to be Einstein to realise (the Bangladesh tour) is probably unlikely to go ahead, particularly in June. Whether it's cancelled or pushed back, we're not quite sure at the moment," cricket.com.au quoted Paine as saying.

Currently, Australia has 296 points in the WTC from 10 matches, while India has 360 points from nine matches.

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News Network
April 7,2020

London, Apr 7: Bowling coach Waqar Younis feels that it was the absence of pacers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir which saw Pakistan getting whitewashed during Australia tour last year.

Amir and Riaz had quit the red-ball format ahead of the matches against Australia in 2019.

"Just before the Australia series, they ditched us and we had the only choice to pick youngsters.

We were the new management and decided to go on with taking in the younger lot and groom them. ESPNcricinfo quoted Younis as saying.

Pakistan was not able to win a single match in Australia as they got defeated both in T20Is and Test series.

"It's not like we have lost a lot, but yes they left us at the wrong time. But anyway, we don't have any grudge against them," Younis added.

"We cannot control players' choice on what they want to play, but then there should be a mechanism so we all are on board. "It's not like I am saying we could have won in Australia but we could have done better than what we have done," he opined.

Amir gave up the red ball format in July in order to manage his workload and extend his white-ball career for Pakistan as well as in T20 leagues around the world, while Riaz took an "indefinite break" from Test cricket in September last year.

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Agencies
January 14,2020

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