Russia

Maxim Vylegzhanin, a three-time silver medallist at the 2014 winter Olympics, has been handed a life ban from future Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), alongside three other cross-country skiers, as part of the latest sanctions concerning Russian doping offences at the event.

Kontinental Hockey League ice hockey players could be withdrawn from the upcoming 2018 winter Olympic Games in protest at sanctions imposed on Russian athletes who have been accused of doping.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced that Ekaterinburg in Russia, Busan in Korea and the US city of San Jose have expressed an interest in staging its 2020 World Team Championships.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach insisted at the Association of National Olympic Committees general assembly yesterday (Thursday) that public calls for further sanctions on Russia before the ongoing investigations are complete are “unacceptable.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued life bans from the Olympics to two Russian athletes, including a gold medallist at Sochi 2014, in the first sanctions to be handed down following the investigation into an alleged state-backed doping system in place at Russia’s winter Olympics.

Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, has dismissed concerns surrounding work on the stadiums that will stage games during the 2018 Fifa World Cup, insisting that all venues will be ready in time for the national team tournament.

Stakeholders from the Olympic movement agreed on Saturday that esports “could be considered as a sporting activity,” leaving the door ajar for possible future inclusion at the Olympic Games.

Fifa, football’s global governing body, has announced that the prize money for participating teams at its 2018 World Cup in Russia will be $400m (€344.7m), 12 per cent more than the amount for the 2014 edition of the national team tournament.

The Russian Tennis Federation has announced that it will stage a new Women’s Tennis Association Tour event in Moscow next year.

Cities in England, the Czech Republic, Russia and China have submitted bids to replace Singapore as host of the Women’s Tennis Association’s season-ending Finals event.

The Russian government has announced that the cost of staging the 2018 Fifa World Cup has risen by R34.5bn (€500.7m/$596.8m) ahead of next year’s edition of the national team football tournament.

World football’s governing body, Fifa, has said Russia’s preparations for the 2018 World Cup are on track, but has warned that significant work needs to be completed over the next two to three months.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved to play down concerns over delays in the construction of certain stadiums for the 2018 Fifa World Cup, as issues were raised over the legacy planning for venues following the football showpiece.

A Moscow court has today (Thursday) said it has issued an arrest warrant for Grigory Rodchenkov, the main whistleblower in the Russian doping scandal.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is set to commence an audit of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) this week as it outlined plans to boost its funding in order to further enhance its efforts to combat doping in sport.

Fina, the global governing body of aquatic sports, has revealed the line-up for the 2018 Diving World Series, with Fuji and Montreal becoming new additions to the calendar.