Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered officials in three host cities for the 2018 Fifa World Cup to speed up stadium development, amid renewed concerns over a key venue in St. Petersburg for the national team football tournament.

Russia operated a state-sponsored doping system that included widespread cheating and manipulation of tests by athletes and officials at the 2014 winter Olympics and was in place as far back as 2011, according to a report released by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) today (Monday).

A number of anti-doping agencies, including those in the United States and Canada, have said they want a blanket ban on Russia competing at the 2016 Olympic Games if a key report into allegations of state-sponsored doping at Sochi’s 2014 winter Olympics is damning in its content.

Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has today (Friday) said Saint Petersburg must meet its obligations as a host for the 2017 edition of Fifa’s Confederations Cup national team tournament, following the dismissal of the general contractor that has been leading construction of a new stadium in the city.

The All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) has stated that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has rejected applications from 67 Russian athletes to compete internationally as “neutral” individuals, following the nation’s blanket ban from track and field amid its doping scandal.

Craig Reedie, president of the World Anti-Doping agency (Wada), has said that Russia must do “much more” to combat issues relating to doping within its professional athletics sector, but acknowledged that the country is making progress.

Fifa and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2018 World Cup in Russia have said that additional security measures will be introduced for the national team tournament in the wake of hooligan-related violence at Uefa Euro 2016 in France, while ticket pricing details have been revealed for the next edition of the football showpiece.

The All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) has named the 68 athletes it is seeking to send to the 2016 Olympic Games if its ban from international track and field is lifted, with the list including a triple jumper who has previously served a doping ban.

The dispute over whether Russian track and field athletes can compete at the Rio 2016 summer Olympic Games will be settled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Russian doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova has become the first athlete seeking exceptional eligibility to compete in international competition as a neutral athlete to be granted this privilege, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said today (Friday).

Ice hockey’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has confirmed it will add a Beijing-based club next season as it seeks to compete against North America’s National Hockey League (NHL) in Asian markets

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has reiterated its support for the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) decision to prevent Russian athletes from competing under their own flag at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, while the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) has said its athletes are set to file a class action in the case with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) next week.

Russia faces another blanket ban from the 2016 Olympic Games after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said it is one of three nations it will seek to exclude due to doping violations.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today (Tuesday) ruled that any competitor from Russia or Kenya that intends to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will need to be individually assessed against doping and declared eligible by their sport’s international federation (IF).

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has today (Monday) said it will call for “serious” action against Russia before the 2016 Olympic Games if the findings of an investigation due next month show evidence of concerted state-sponsored doping.

Russia is set to fight a decision on Friday by the International Association of Athletics Federations to uphold a ban on the country’s athletes competing at the Rio 2016 summer Olympic Games.