Russia

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today (Wednesday) elected to extend the provisional sanctions imposed on Russia in July amid the allegations of widespread doping in sport in the country.

The Ethics Board of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has today (Wednesday) extended the suspensions of three senior officials as it continues an investigation related to the ongoing Russian doping scandal, while former Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva has been appointed to chair the new supervisory board of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada).

The International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) ban on Russian athletes will run into the New Year after an independent taskforce refused to put a timeframe on a possible return.

No expense has been spared on the new $300m stadium for Russian Premier League team FC Krasnodar, which includes a unique 360-degree screen around the arena. But why won’t it host any 2018 World Cup matches? Will Mann reports.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko has accused the International Paralympic Committee of “extortion” after the body told the country to pay for extra drug testing.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) today (Monday) outlined the reinstatement criteria the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) must meet in order to have its suspension lifted, as three Russian athletes were among seven stripped of their medals from the 2012 Olympic Games following retests of their doping samples.

Vitaly Smirnov, the new head of Russia’s anti-doping commission, has insisted to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) that the country has “never had a state-sponsored system of doping.”

The English city of Manchester will stage the World Taekwondo Championships in 2019 after the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) assigned hosting rights to a number of its leading events.

Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva has been confirmed as one of four candidates to become president of the All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF), while Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to investigate means to tighten anti-doping controls in domestic sport.

Russian automotive marque Lada has confirmed it will exit the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) at the end of the 2016 season, reducing the motor racing series to factory backing from just two manufacturers.

The Russian parliament has adopted an anti-doping bill that includes prison terms for coaches found guilty of coercing young athletes into using performance-enhancing drugs, among a host of other measures.

The Russian government has said that it will commit over 156 billion rubles (€2.3bn/$2.5bn) to support the country’s hosting of the 2018 Fifa World Cup national team football tournament.

Russia is facing up to fresh delays in its delivery of venues for the 2018 Fifa World Cup, with two more stadiums having fallen behind schedule.

Russian Deputy Sports Minister Yuri Nagornykh has resigned after being implicated in a doping scandal in the country.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who has come under the spotlight in the widespread doping scandal affecting sport in the country, has today (Wednesday) been promoted to a Deputy Prime Minister role.

The International Sambo Federation (FIAS) has filed an application to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for acceptance onto the sports programme for the summer Olympic Games, with Russian President Vladimir Putin backing the project.