Banned Russia gets Olympic lifeline
LONDON: Russian athletics has been given a longer than expected period to prove it has made enough progress in reforming its anti-doping operation to be re-instated to the sport in time to take part in the Rio Olympics.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced on Thursday that its next Council meeting, when the Russian situation will be discussed and almost certainly decided, will take place in Vienna on June 17. After the last Council meeting in March, IAAF president Sebastian Coe said he expected it to be in May.
Russia, second behind the United States in the athletics medal table at the 2012 London Olympics, is banned from all athletics after an independent commission of the World AntiDoping Agency revealed widespread state-sponsored doping. SIX RUSSIANS BANNED
MOSCOW: The Russian AntiDoping Agency says six track and field athletes have been banned for doping offenses. The agency did not say why they were banned.
Middle-distance runner Olesya Syreva, who previously served a two-year suspension in 2013 and lost a silver medal from the 2011 European indoor championships, was given an eight-year ban. The ban is likely to end the 32-year-old Syreva’s career.
Also banned is triple jumper Valeria Fyodorova, who competed at the world junior championships in 2014, and four national-level athletes, Yulia Zaripova, Elvira Abdrakhmanova, Vadim Vrublevsky and Yuri Bishaev.
Zaripova is a discus thrower, but has the same name as the Olympic champion runner. RIO FLAME LIT
ANCIENT OLYMPIA, GREECE: The Olympic flame has been kindled at the birthplace of the ancient games in Greece, heralding the start of a 15-week journey leading to the Aug 5 opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
The flame was lit by an actress impersonating a pagan high priestess.
It will traverse Greece for six days, until the April 27 handover to Brazilian officials in Athens. After a brief stopover in Switzerland, the flame will start its travels through Brazil on May 3.