Russia

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said the first group of Russian athletes suspected of being part of a doping ring at the 2014 winter Olympic Games are poised to be charged, while it has fired another warning shot at weightlifting amid its reform efforts.

Alexander Zhukov, the head of the Russian Olympic Committee, has expressed his confidence that his country will be well represented at the 2018 Pyeongchang winter Olympics despite 17 national anti-doping organisations calling for Russian athletes to be banned from the Games.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has today (Wednesday) opted to maintain its suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), but has put in place an interim measure that will allow certain athletes to compete as neutrals in qualification events for the 2018 winter Paralympic Games.

Richard McLaren, who led an independent report on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) into Russian sport, has insisted that he “unequivocally stands by the results of his investigation” after it was claimed that he had “dropped the charges” relating to state-sponsored doping.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) has taken a step towards reinstatement by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) following the appointment of Yury Ganus as its new director general.

PSO Kazan, the general contractor leading the project to build a new stadium for football’s Fifa 2018 World Cup in Samara, Russia, has insisted that it will make up for lost time after confirming that work on the venue is about 30 days behind schedule.

International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) members voted overwhelmingly to maintain Russia’s suspension from events operated by the global governing body despite what was described as a “candid” apology by the president of the country’s athletics association.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has stated that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) still needs to clear 12 hurdles before it can be considered for reinstatement.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has said that while the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) has made “huge progress” it still faces many hurdles before it can be reinstated.

The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) has awarded hosting rights for the 2018 and 2019 editions of its Trampoline World Championships to St Petersburg in Russia and the Japanese capital of Tokyo, respectively.

Russia is considering a bid to stage the 2025 edition of the World Games multi-sport event.

India, Russia and Turkey have been awarded hosting rights to major events operated by the International Boxing Association (Aiba).

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has cleared a further group of Russian athletes to return to action as neutrals, but has dismissed 53 applications.

Fina, the global governing body for aquatic sports, has awarded hosting rights for future editions of the World Swimming Championships (25m) to Kazan in Russia and Budapest in Hungary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that will block athletes and coaches found guilty of doping from receiving grants from the central government.

Fina, the global governing body of aquatic sports, has announced that four destinations will contend hosting rights for the 2022 and 2024 editions of its World Swimming Championships (25m) events.

The Russian government has approved plans that will seek to strengthen anti-doping efforts in the country, with measures set to be introduced that include stripping athletes of any prize money that was unfairly won.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has cleared a further group of Russian athletes to return to action as neutrals, including former long jump world champion Aleksandr Menkov.