WADA suspends UCLA Laboratory accreditation for specific prohibited substances

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has partially suspended its accreditation of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory (UCLA Laboratory) as it relates to analysis of specific prohibited substances, effective 14 June 2017 for a period of three months. The suspension of these analyses by the UCLA Laboratory — which is located in Los Angeles, California, United States — is a result of WADA’s quality assessment procedures that identified non-conformities with best practice.

The Agency’s procedures focus on consistent analysis being carried out by WADA-accredited laboratories in order to ensure comparable, valid and reliable results; which, in turn, is intended to give athletes greater confidence and trust in the global anti-doping system.

It is important to note that, during the suspension, the UCLA Laboratory can continue carrying out all its regular anti-doping activities.  However, the Laboratory must obtain a second opinion from another WADA-accredited laboratory prior to reporting any Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for the glucocorticoids ‘prednisolone’ and ‘prednisone’; and, the anabolic steroids ‘boldenone’ and ‘boldione’.

This type of suspension, which is limited to certain substances or classes of substances and that has been applied to other WADA-accredited laboratories in the past, allows for appropriate monitoring of the UCLA Laboratory to ensure full implementation of necessary improvements with the objective of return to full compliance.

On 14 June 2017, an independent WADA Disciplinary Committee, which was advised by WADA’s Laboratory Expert Group (LabEG), delivered its recommendation to the Chair of the WADA Executive Committee that was accepted.  On 16 June, the UCLA Laboratory was notified of the Decision.

The UCLA Laboratory may appeal the Decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of notice.

As part of the process, WADA will conduct a UCLA Laboratory site visit within a timeframe that reasonably allows the Laboratory to finalize implementation of all remedial actions.

According to the International Standard for Laboratories (ISL), WADA is responsible for accrediting and re-accrediting anti-doping laboratories, thereby ensuring that they maintain the highest quality standards. This monitoring process is conducted in conjunction with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assessment by independent national accreditation bodies that are full members of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).  Whenever a laboratory does not meet ISL requirements, WADA may suspend the laboratory’s accreditation.

Cycling president Brian Cookson responds to news of challenge from David Lappartient

UCI president Brian Cookson has reiterated his desire to continue developing cycling following the confirmation that European Cycling chief David Lappartient will challenge him for election in September.

Frenchman Lappartient announced his candidacy this week, saying he wanted to improve governance at the UCI.

In a statement, Cookson responded to the challenge from Lappartient as follows:

“I learned that David Lappartient, UCI Vice President and President of the UCI Professional Cycling Council has decided to run against me for the Presidency of the UCI.

“I strongly believe that my track record of restoring integrity and credibility to the UCI, and developing cycling over the past four years, together with my plans for a final four year term as president, will be judged favourably by the cycling family at the UCI Congress in Bergen in September.

“My plans can be read on my campaign website www.briancookson.org together with some of the messages of support I have been proud to receive from across the cycling world, from those most familiar with the work of my administration.

“That website also contains a summary of the many things which have been achieved over the last four years of my leadership of the UCI across anti-doping, governance, transparency, women’s cycling, communication and the development of the sport.

“Having recently had confirmation from the IOC that at the Tokyo Games we will have additional medals for men’s and women’s events in both the Madison and BMX Freestyle, I am proud that cycling is now the third largest Olympic sport.

“Having changed the constitution of the UCI to introduce term limits and improve the election process after the controversial events of four years ago, I respect other people’s right to announce their candidature. I note that so far David Lappartient has not set out very much detail in his plan or any vision he may have beyond his well known personal ambition for the role.

“I look forward to debating what matters for the future of cycling over the coming months.”

IOC unveils Intel as new Olympic top sponsor through to 2024

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has officially unveiled global technology giant Intel as a new Olympic top sponsor through to 2024.

In a ceremony in New York, Bach was joined by Intel ceo Brian Krzanich to announce the partnership where new technology was the focus of the proceedings.

The IOC said the partnership would “enhance the Olympic Games through to 2024”.

Intel will focus primarily on implementing its 5G platforms, VR, 3D and 360 content development platforms, artificial intelligence platforms and drones into the existing technology strategy of the Olympic Games.

Bach said he was looking forward to seeing how fans would interact with the Games in new ways.

“As a result of Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC is forging ground-breaking partnerships,” Bach said. “Intel is a world-leader in its field and we’re very excited to be working with the Intel team to drive the future of the Olympic Games through cutting-edge technology.

“The Olympic Games provide a connection between fans and athletes that has inspired people around the world through sport and the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Thanks to our new innovative global partnership with Intel, fans in the stadium, athletes and audiences around the world will soon experience the magic of the Olympic Games in completely new ways.”

“We are excited to join the Olympic Movement and integrate Intel’s innovative technologies to advance the Olympics Games experience for fans around the world,” Krzanich said. “Through this close collaboration with the Olympic family, we will accelerate the adoption of technology for the future of sports on the world’s largest athletic stage”.

The news comes shortly after it was announced that McDonald’s would be ending their sponsorship of the Olympics three years early, in a move that was seen as surprising by many.

With Intel joining up with the Olympic movement, they become the 13th member of the Top partnership group.

By Christian Radnedge

FIA Formula E reveals new venues for 2017/18 championship calendar

FIA Formula E has revealed new venues for the 2017/18 Championship, following the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) meeting in Geneva.

Santiago, Sao Paulo and Rome will be added to the calendar, which also features a more compact schedule with three double-headers.

Formula E is set to stop at new locations in both South America and Europe – with races in the Chilean capital of Santiago in February, the first race in Brazil on the streets of Sao Paulo in March, and Rome in mid-April.

The fourth edition of the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series comprises the most races to appear on the calendar since its inception in 2014.

The Formula E cars will take to the track in the season-opener in Hong Kong for the second year running on 2-3 December.

Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “It’s exciting news to welcome a number of new host cities on the Formula E calendar, as well as seeing existing locations build on the success of previous events. Our priority is to consolidate a calendar with long-term agreements with host cities – the schedule for season four is a step in the right direction.”

FIA President Jean Todt, said: “The FIA Formula E Championship continues to break new ground bringing motorsport and electric mobility to new urban centres around the world. The impact of this exposure to millions of potential new fans will be fantastic, and the desire of the cities to be involved in the championship shows how much of a success Formula E has been over its first three seasons.”

 

Chinese Super League clubs face paying 100 per cent tax on foreign player transfers

Chinese Super League clubs face paying double for their transfer targets following a proposal to include a 100 per cent tax on all future signings.

The measure, put forward by the Chinese Football Association, is intended to limit the inflated spending of “loss-making” clubs, who have already made expensive acquisitions from Europe’s top leagues.

The new rule should be in force from this week when the mid-season transfer window officially opened.

The CFA said: “Clubs signing players through capital expenditure will be charged the same amount, with the full sum going to the Chinese Football Development Foundation, to train young players, promote social football and soccer charity activities.”

In the previous transfer window, Chinese clubs spent £331m on players. That included Shanghai SIPG spending a reported £60m on Brazil international Oscar from Chelsea, and the £40m Shanghai Shenhua spent on Carlos Tevez.

Premier League stars such as Wayne Rooney and Diego Costa have also been linked with big money moves to the Far East.

China is dedicated to rapidly improving its own footballing infrastructure, and also brought in a rule this year limiting the number of foreign players allowed in a CSL matchday squad to five.

Last month however, CFA vice-president Zhang Jian denied that foreign footballers were harming the development of China’s own talent.

“China’s national team is a problem,” Zhang said. “Obviously we haven’t been very good over the past few years.

“But the Super League is a very important base for the national team and you can notice we’re trying to make our national team much better.”

The Asian nation is also already planning a bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030.

By Christian Radnedge

International Paralympic Committee confirms four candidates in the running to succeed Sir Philip Craven as president

The International Paralympic Committee has confirmed that four candidates have been shortlisted to succeed Sir Philip Craven as president.

Craven, only the second president of the organisation since its inception in 1989, will end his 16-year tenure in September at the IPC general assembly in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The quartet bidding to become the third president of the IPC are Patrick Jarvis (Canada), Andrew Parsons (Brazil), John Petersson (Denmark) and Haidi Zhang (China).

Petersson is also standing for vice president, along with Duane Kale and Majid Rashed.

Craven assumed office in 2001 and has overseen a significant period of growth within the Paralympic movement, with London 2012 and Rio 2016 the most attended Paralympic Games ever.

There have also been more troubling times and Craven was widely praised for his leadership in enacting a total ban of Russian athletes from Rio 2016 due to the widespread doping scandal in the country.

This was in stark contrast to International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach’s more relaxed approach to allow the international federations to rule on Russian participation.

The IPC said last month that Russia’s ban would continue following a taskforce’s recommendation that key criteria still needed to be met before reinstatement of membership could happen.

Brazil’s nominee Parsons already got a jump on his rivals by releasing a statement shortly after the candidate confirmation, saying: “I am delighted that my candidacy to become the next IPC President has been confirmed and I would like to thank the Brazilian Paralympic Committee for the trust and support they have placed in me by nominating me as a candidate.”

His official campaign launch will take place in London this week. As of yet there has been no news of when the other candidates will be launching their campaigns.

On 6 September each candidate will have the opportunity to make a presentation on their candidature to the IPC membership attending the IPC General Assembly in Abu Dhabi.

By Christian Radnedge

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho accused of tax evasion by Spanish authorities

Jose Mourinho has been accused of evading tax by Spanish prosecutors, who are investigating his time spent as Real Madrid manager.

Spanish prosecutors said in a statement this week that they had filed the claim against Mourinho on two counts of tax fraud from 2011 and 2012.

The statement added that the Portuguese is alleged to owe tax authorities €3.3m (£2.9m).

Mourinho, currently manager of Manchester United, spent three years in Madrid from 2010 to 2013.

It follows the news that Cristiano Ronaldo is to testify in his own tax fraud case next month.

The Champions League winner is accused of defrauding Spanish authorities of €14.7m (£12.9m) between 2011 and 2014, something the player strenuously denies and has led to reports of him wanting to leave Real Madrid as soon as possible.

Ronaldo is due to testify on July 31, where he will defend his tax activities in Spain.

The Portugal star is currently in Russia with the national team at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said he would talk to Ronaldo about his future upon his return from the tournament which finishes on July 2.

Lappartient announces he will challenge Cookson for UCI presidency in September

European Cycling Union president David Lappartient has announced that he will challenge Brian Cookson for the presidency of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

The Frenchman confirmed the news on Tuesday, just 24 hours before the deadline for candidates to put themselves forward for the election in September.

Cookson himself was elected as UCI president in September 2013, taking over from the troubled era of Pat McQuaid.

However, the Briton has not found himself resistant to criticism as he has attempted to revive cycling’s reputation amid continuing doping scandals and allegations.

Lappartient said in a statement on his website that he wished to restore cycling’s “influence in the Olympic movement”.

“I have great passion for cycling and have clearly demonstrated it through my vision, my achievements, my leadership capabilities, and my commitment to make cycling a sport of the 21st century,” Lappartient said.

“I want to make UCI a strong and well-respected federation by improving its governance and regain its capacity of influence in the Olympic movement,” Lappartient added.

“We must be unshakable when dealing with technological fraud, doping or the potential manipulation of results related to sports betting.”

The election will take place on September 21 during the UCI road world championships in Bergen, Norway.

By Christian Radnedge

NBA and Gatorade announce new NBA Development League name

The NBA and Gatorade announced that beginning today the NBA Development League (NBA D-League), the NBA’s minor league, will officially become the NBA G League.

The NBA G League will collaborate with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) on programs to enhance player sports performance and recovery. Gatorade will begin to incubate its latest product and equipment innovations into NBA G League locker rooms, and teams will have the opportunity to collaborate with Gatorade to help players maximise their athletic potential and on-court performance.

Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the NBA G League will feature 26 teams, an expansion of four teams since last season, 22 of which are owned and operated by NBA franchises.

For the first time this coming fall, NBA teams can sign up to two “two-way” players to NBA contracts. These contracts allow “two-way” players to be with their NBA parent team for up to 45 days, spending most of the season in the NBA G League.

“This is a pivotal moment for the NBA G League,” said NBA G League President Malcolm Turner. “The league is experiencing unprecedented success both on and off the court, and our partnership with Gatorade is helping to drive momentum and create exciting opportunities for innovation, sports performance and player development.”

Gatorade was a founding partner of the league, dating to the inaugural 2001-02 season.

Juventus to enter Women’s Serie A from 2017-18 season onwards

A Juventus women’s football team will compete in the Serie A Femminile from the 2017-18 season, the club officially confirmed this week.

It’s the first time Juventus have launched a senior women’s football team, in addition to their already existing female youth teams. The club made the news official via their Twitter account this week.

It is not yet known how the league will accommodate the new addition. Since its inception in 1971, the league has ranged from 10 to 16 teams competing, with 12 contesting the latest campaign which was eventually won by Fiorentina.

The top-scorer in this season’s campaign was Scottish international Lana Clelland of UPC Tavagnacco with with 23 goals.

By Christian Radnedge