But Russia threatens to close down some federations
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – SportAccord has its work cut out for it, keeping governments’ hands off sports federations. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Friday 26 March opened a meeting in Sochi, where preparations are underway for the 2014 Olympics Games. Russian media described him as “seething” over the poor performance of Russian athletes and the over-budget spending for the Vancouver Games. He noted that state auditors are already checking on the use of funds.
SportAccord, which regroups 104 sports federations, opened a head office in Lausanne in 2009, with a staff of 10, and one year on President Heim Verbruggen says it is making headway helping federations work together to meet their goals, including ensuring their independence from governments.
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - French tennis player Richard Gasquet was exonerated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport Thursday 17 December from any fault or negligence over cocaine in his system, which he says was from kissing in a nightclub. The CAS agreed his assertion is the most likely explanation for the minute amount of the drug found in his system 28 March during the ATP tournament in Miami, Florida, USA.
The amount was so small that it did not reflect social use of the drug, but rather incidental contamination, the court says. “It was also established that the player was clearly not a regular cocaine user, even in very small amounts.”
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has stripped three athletes of their medals and diplomas after reviewing results of drug tests in August in Beijing. Samples from the Games, which under new rules will be held for eight years, have all been returned to Lausanne for storage and another 500 tests will be run in January.
