Russia

Russian internet company Mail.Ru Group has acquired ESforce, a major player in the esports sector.

The video assistant referee (VAR) system is set to be used at a Fifa World Cup for the first time in Russia later this year, with world football’s governing body in talks with potential sponsors for the initiative.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it has created a group of 389 Russian athletes who will be eligible to compete under a neutral flag at the 2018 winter Olympic Games, amid the doping scandal enveloping sport in the country.

A total of 42 Russian athletes have now lodged appeals with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in an effort to compete at the upcoming Pyeongchang winter Olympics, while Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has also lodged an appeal to the court against a lifetime ban from the Games.

Alexander Tretiakov, Elena Nikitina and other Russian sliders sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are set to remain free to compete in events organised by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) declined to intervene in the case.

The International Luge Federation (FIL) has elected not to issue further sanctions against Sochi 2014 medallists Tatyana Ivanova and Albert Demchenko after they were banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law two bills designed to aid the country’s road to compliance concerning its anti-doping procedures.

Vitaly Mutko has stepped down as chairman of the local organising committee for the 2018 Fifa World Cup and the Russian Football Union (RFU) as he seeks to fight the punishment imposed on him for his alleged role in a state-backed doping system implemented for the 2014 winter Olympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today (Friday) sanctioned a further 11 Russian athletes, including medallists Tatyana Ivanova and Albert Demchenko, as it wrapped up the initial investigation into 46 athletes implicated in the alleged systemic manipulation of the anti-doping programme for the 2014 winter Olympic Games.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has today (Wednesday) elected to maintain its suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) as president Andrew Parsons expressed “growing disappointment and frustration” at the response from Russian authorities to the country’s doping scandal.

Suspensions should not be re-imposed on Russian Bobsled Federation president Alexandr Zubkov and top skeleton athlete Aleksandr Tretiakov, according to the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) doping hearing panel.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sanctioned another Russian medallist from the 2014 winter Olympic Games amid its ongoing probe into the doping scandal surrounding the event, with bobsledder Alexey Voevoda issued with a life ban.

Three new taskforces are to be established by the International Partnership Against Corruption in Sport (Ipacs) to tackle pressing challenges in the sector, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has called on International Federations (IFs) to “diligently” follow up on new intelligence provided at a meeting today (Thursday) as names of athletes and related performance-enhancing substances concerning the Russian doping scandal were handed over.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has today (Tuesday) given its formal backing for its athletes to compete under a neutral flag at the 2018 winter Olympic Games, with President Vladimir Putin also offering his support for the decision.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today (Tuesday) issued its latest set of sanctions against Russian athletes following retesting of doping samples from the 2014 winter Olympics, with the women’s national ice hockey team disqualified from the competition and six athletes issued with life bans.