(ATR) Former Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) president Dmitry Shlyakhtin and former RusAF board member Artur Karamyan have been banned for four years for serious breaches of anti-doping rules.
The independent Disciplinary Tribunal of World Athletics confirmed the charges made in November 2019 by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in a decision announced on Wednesday.
The Disciplinary Tribunal found Shlyakhtin and Karamyan guilty of tampering, complicity, failing to report an Anti-Doping Rule violation, and failing to cooperate with the AIU during its 15-month investigation into the submission of forged documents and false explanations concerning the ‘whereabouts’ case against Russian high jumper, Danil Lysenko.
The four-year bans for Shlyakhtin and Karamyan are the maximum possible sanction for these charges under the Anti-Doping Rules.
Three other RusAF officials – executive director Alexander Parkin, senior administrator Elena Orlova and anti-doping coordinator Elena Ikonnikova – did not contest the same AIU charges against them and have also been banned for four years.
Orlova and Ikonnikova are already serving six and eight year bans respectively, handed out in October 2020 for other offenses. The latest sanctions will be served concurrently with the bans already in place.
The cases against Lysenko and his coach Evgeniy Zagorulko are still in process.
"The AIU was created to be a fearless and independent organization. Our work in uncovering the conspiracy and fraudulent behavior in this case demonstrates that the AIU is fulfilling its role to make cheats accountable, irrespective of their stature or standing," AIU chair David Howman said in a statement.
RusAF has been suspended by World Athletics since 2015 for doping offenses and is currently working to complete an extensive list of requirements for reinstatement into the world governing body.
FIFA President Begins African Tour
FIFA president Gianni Infantino is in Mauritania, the first stop on a trip that includes visits to several African countries and meetings with heads of state and African Union (AU) chair Félix Tshisekedi.
Infantino arrived on Tuesday and immediately travelled to the Stade Municipal de Nouadhibou to officially inaugurate the venue which was featuring a new artificial turf pitch that received FIFA Forward support.
On Wednesday, Infantino met with Mauritania president Cheikh El Ghazouani. They discussed the rapid progress of football development for both men and women in the country. Mauritania is currently hosting the U20 African Cup of Nations.
New Dates for 2021 IWF Junior Worlds
The 2021 IWF Junior World Championships will now be held from May 20-31 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The weightlifting event had been postponed from March due to the pandemic.
The International Weightlifting Federation says lifters who had already entered for the original dates do not need to go through the process again but the federation welcomes additional athletes who want to submit their names for the competition. The deadline for preliminary entries is Feb. 23.
The IWF has asked the International Olympic Committee for an extension of the Tokyo 2020 Qualification Period so that all planned qualifying events, including the Junior Worlds, will be counted.
This possible extension is still under review by the IOC.
Sambo, Wushu Apply to IWGA
The Fédération Internationale de Sambo (FIAS) and the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) are applying for membership to the International World Games Association (IWGA).
The decision on the two martial arts’ applications will be made by representatives of the 37 current IWGA member federations during the Annual General Meeting on May 27. A two-thirds majority of the existing member federations is needed to approve an application.
Membership does not guarantee a place in the official program of The World Games. Sambo was a part of the official program at The World Games in 1985 in London and 1993 in The Hague.
Wushu will be an invitational sport for the third time in 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama. It has previously been represented at The World Games as an invitational sport in 2009 in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei and 2013 in Cali Colombia.
Federation Focus is presented by the International Weightlifting Federation. Click here for more on the IWF.
Written by Gerard Farek
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