Sport

According to reports, IOC chief said Thursday he did not know when the decision on whether Russian athletes could go to the 2018 Winter Olympics would be taken.

Russia’s participation in the 2018 Olympic Games should not depend on the vision of any country on this issue, but on the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), as it is the authority on doping, International Olympic Committee head Thomas Bach told Sputnik.

During one of the last rounds of 2017 Dakar Rally Russian pilot Anastasia Nifontova lost control of her bike and dramatically toppled over on one of the turns in the middle of high plains. None the racers stopped to help her, except for one “true gentleman,” French racer Grégory Morat, who then called his act of self-denial “natural.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and China have asserted strong ties in promoting sport and have discussed ways to further strengthen the relationship during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, the organization said Wednesday.

Many out of the Anglo-Saxon sphere of influence may not have heard of cricket. But it is India's biggest sport and its players enjoy cult status. India will now build the world's biggest stadium for cricket in Ahmedabad city.

The Dakar 2017 motorbike rally has seen some exciting moments. One of them was when Russian pilot Anastasia Nifontova together with her bike toppled over in the middle of high plains and was unable to lift the heavy bike all by herself. None of the other pilots stopped to help her, except for one “true gentleman.”

A number of Russian cities, including St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi, can host the 2028 Olympics if Russia participates in the bidding process.

As the football sector involves large amounts of money, particular attention should be paid to such areas as the transfer market, hosting contracts for sports events as well as the purchase of football clubs by wealthy individuals, according to the report of the Dutch Central Bank.

The sport committee of Russia's lower house of parliament has established an expert commission to analyze the documents in a report accusing the country of state-sanctioned doping, the committee chair said Friday.

Russia can be stripped of the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup if important national teams refuse to participate in the event, yet the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) will take the final decision, Richard Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), said Thursday.

ROC First Vice President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said that the information attacks against Russian sports, as well as calls to ban Russia from international sports competitions are emerging due to successful results of the Russian athletes.

The final decisions on holding various international sports competitions in Russia remain with the respective international athletes' federations, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Head of Media Relations Emmanuelle Moreau said Wednesday.

The Russian Sport Ministry is ready to discuss anti-doping policy issues with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) but urges to disregard "strange" statements from national organizations, Minister of Sport Pavel Kolobkov said Wednesday.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko denied Wednesday claims of a state-run doping program of Russian athletes, saying that the country's sport is one of the cleanest in the world.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said that NADO, calling for banning Russian athletes from competitions and depriving the state of participating in international sports events should do their work rather than interfere in politics.

Leaders from 19 National Anti-Doping Organizations urged to ban Russia from competing and hosting any international sports events.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach was annoyed by the decision of the Russian Presidentto appoint Vitaly Mutko as the deputy prime minister, Hajo Zeppelt, a journalist with the German ARD broadcaster and the author of documentaries on alleged doping abuse in Russian athletics, said Tuesday.

The Council of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) approved on Tuesday a plan to expand the number of World Cup final tournament participants to 48 teams from the current 32.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) expressed its readiness to discuss the proposal to scrap the world records list, as some of them could have been achieved not legitimately, in a response letter to the International Sports Press Association (AIPS).

The victory of Russian skier Sergey Ustyugov in the prestigious Tour de Ski race showed that any allegations of state-run doping program in Russia are groundless, Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said Sunday.