Russia

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has issued a damning report into the status of the Russian testing system as the nation prepares to learn its Olympic fate, alleging that athletes and government agencies continue to obstruct and deceive drug testers.

Uefa, European football’s governing body, has issued Russia with a suspended disqualification from its ongoing Euro 2016 national team tournament in France, stating that the team could be thrown out of the competition if their supporters cause any further trouble inside stadia.

European football’s governing body Uefa has said it will assess security measures in the wake of the violent clashes that have marred the opening of Euro 2016, and has threatened the Russian Football Union (RFS) and English Football Association (FA) with expulsion from the national team tournament in France should incidents continue.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has dismissed allegations that he helped cover up a top footballer’s positive doping test as “silly” and “unconvincing”, adding that he and Russia were being smeared as payback for winning the hosting rights to the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

US sportswear giant Nike has elected to reinstate its endorsement contract with Maria Sharapova as the Russian tennis superstar’s commercial partners reacted to news of her two-year ban from the sport.

Maria Sharapova has today (Wednesday) been handed a two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) having failed a doping test at the Australian Open in January, with the Russian superstar set to appeal the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko is set to run for re-election as the president of the Russian Football Union (RFU), it emerged yesterday, as fresh allegations of a doping cover-up in Russian sport emerged.

World football’s governing body Fifa has called for feedback from Saint Petersburg authorities on “key areas of concern” relating to the development of the Zenit Arena, one of the key venues for Russia’s staging of the 2018 World Cup.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has said the country will bring in legislation ensuring individuals found guilty of doping are punished under its criminal code, as it emerged that 10 medallists from the 2008 Olympics are among 14 that had returned positive tests following re-checks of samples from the Beijing Games.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has appointed Richard McLaren as an independent leader of the investigation into allegations of a doping cover-up at the 2014 winter Olympic Games following concerns over a potential conflict of interest.

The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into allegations of state-sponsored doping by dozens of Russia’s top athletes.

Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, has claimed that he provided dozens of Russian athletes with banned substances as part of a state-run doping programme during the Sochi 2014 winter Olympic Games.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has today (Tuesday) said it will immediately probe the latest Russian doping allegations, related to the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, stating the claims offer “real cause for concern”.

Construction work on one of the stadiums due to host games at the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia has been temporarily stopped, the country’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has confirmed.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has said it is looking into the latest allegations surrounding Russian sport after a whistleblower who uncovered systemic doping inside the country’s athletics team disclosed that at least four gold medallists at the 2014 winter Olympic Games were using steroids.

The Formula E electric car-racing series has removed Moscow from its 2015-16 schedule due to “unforeseen circumstances” related to road closures and traffic management in the Russian capital.