Russia will appeal 4-year athletic ban

Russia confirmed that it will appeal its four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data. The Russian anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, sent a formal letter Friday disagreeing with the sanctions imposed earlier this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The case now is heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be the third consecutive edition of the games preceded by a legal battle over Russian doping issues.

RUSADA said it “disputes the [WADA] notice in its entirety,” including the evidence of tampering with the data archive. The data was handed over in January and was meant to clear up past cover-ups, but has led to more legal tussles.

RUSADA’s own CEO, Yuri Ganus, attached his own note of protest to Friday’s letter. Ganus is critical of Russian officials and had disagreed with the decision to appeal. He was overruled by his agency’s founders, which include some of Russia’s most influential sports leaders.

The WADA sanctions ban the use of the Russian team name, flag or anthem at a range of major sports competitions over the next four years, including next year’s Olympics and the 2022 soccer World Cup. But Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutrals if they pass a vetting process which examines their history of drug testing, and possible involvement in cover-ups at the lab.

Baseball

The Kansas City Royals signed third baseman Maikel Franco to a $2.95 million contract to be their everyday third baseman in 2020. Franco, 27, hit .234 with 17 homers and 56 RBIs in 123 games for the Phillies in 2019. He has spent his past six seasons in Philadelphia, and hit at least 20 homers in three consecutive seasons but was non-tendered this offseason.

Hockey

Shane Pinto scored his third goal in two games and the United States rebounded from a loss to Canada with a 6-3 victory against Germany at the world junior hockey championship in the Czech Republic. Jordan Harris, Zac Jones, Curtis Hall, Bobby Brink and Oliver

Wahlstrom also scored one each for the U.S. team and Trevor Zegras had four assists in the Group B game at Ostravar Arena in the eastern city of Ostrava. Pinto added two assists and U.S. goaltender Dustin Wolf made 17 saves. The U.S. team next faces Russia Sunday. In Group A in Trinec, Slovakia opened the tournament with a 3-1 victory against Kazakhstan.

Tennis

Rio Olympics gold medalist Monica Puig, 26, had stitches removed after surgery for a nerve problem in her right elbow that will sideline her for the start of the tennis season. The right-hander had the operation in New York earlier this month and announced that she would be missing the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 20 in Melbourne. At the 2016 Summer Games, Puig earned Puerto Rico’s first Olympic gold medal in any sport. She also became the first woman representing Puerto Rico to win any medal. Puig was the first unseeded woman to win the singles title since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988.

Skiing

Dominik Paris became the first skier to win three consecutive downhill races on the Stelvio course in Bormio, Italy. The Italian won a shortened race on one of the World Cup’s most demanding courses, defeating Switzerland’s Beat Feuz and Austrian Matthias Mayer. It was Paris’ 13th downhill win, and fourth in Bormio. He also triumphed in 2017 and 2018, and won the first race of his career here, in 2012. The race replaced the downhill that was canceled in another Italian resort, Val Gardena, last week due to heavy snowfall.

Yachting

Comanche won the 75th edition of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race by claiming line honors for the third time. The Jim Cooneyand Samantha Grant-skippered super maxi made the most of strong overnight winds to cross the River Derwent finish line just after 7:30 a.m. Comanche earlier broke away from a five-strong pack of super maxis down Tasmania’s east coast. She stalled at one stage on a windless River Derwent before crossing the line in a time of 1 day, 18 hours, 30 minutes and 24 seconds.