Russia Faces New Problem With IAAF -- Federation Focus

(ATR) The ruling IAAF Council holds two days of meetings in Monaco June 8 and 9 with the possibility of new trouble for the still suspended Russian Athletics Federation.

A report in the Sunday Times of London says that RAF officials were involved with covering up possible doping by a contender for a high jumping gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The newspaper reports that world indoor high jump champion Danil Lysenko escape sanctions by violating whereabouts rules last year. The newspaper says the RAF helped throw off drug testers looking for Lysenko.

The Russian federation has been suspended by the IAAF since 2015 over charges that drug testing at the Moscow laboratory has been compromised with fake results and bribes to former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

The IAAF has granted permission for 42 Russian athletes to compete in 2019 based on a review by the federation’s Doping Control Board. High jumper Lysenko is not on that list. He was cleared to compete in 2018, but then suspended for allegations of violating whereabouts rules.

The Russian federation has been working to lift the IAAF suspension in time for athletes to compete at the Tokyo Olympics next year. The IAAF council is expected to review the status of Russia this weekend.

Burson Cohn & Wolfe Building IAAF Profile

The IAAF has signed with Lausanne-based Burson Cohn & Wolfe to run global promotional campaigns for the athletics federation.

"The campaigns are aimed at raising global awareness around the sports of running and walking as easy and accessible ways for everyone to stay fit and healthy," says the announcement from BCW.

Last weekend’s IAAF Run 24:1 event was the first handled by the agency. The event included 24 mile long runs in 24 cities across 24 hours.

Billie Jean King Becomes Fed Cup Global Ambassador

The International Tennis Federation announces four-time Fed Cup winner Billie Jean King as the first global ambassador for the world’s largest annual women’s team sports competition and figurehead of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas brand.

"It’s simple. I love Fed Cup. My memories of playing Fed Cup and the friendships I forged at that time, remain many of my strongest and most cherished,"said King, the founder of the WTA and a pioneer for gender equality.

"This is a unique competition and a powerful global brand built upon the value of team performance and spirit. I am proud to be a driver of this movement and work together with the ITF to champion equality in tennis."

The ITF has committed itself for more inclusion and equality in tennis, having funded several initiatives which promote women in leadership, coaching and officiating. The federation has combined its foremost women’s team competition with the federation's gender equality initiative, Advantage All. The ITF Gender Equality in Tennis Committee launched the Advantage All initiative at the 2018 ITF AGM.

Through this initiative, the ITF’s objective is to build the Fed Cup as a platform to grow awareness about gender equality in tennis and empower future women leaders.

World Taekwondo President Joins Hall of Fame

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue is inducted into the La Fondazione Matera Basilicata 2019 Hall of Fame for Sport Culture for his commitment to promote peace through sport.

Choue is the chairman of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and also a member of the IOC Olympic Refuge Foundation.

He also received the Puglia Region Award for his contribution to social and humanitarian development through THF and for his contributing efforts towards the reunification process of the two Koreas.

Choue is currently touring Italy with the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team. The Demonstration Team has been a key tool in promoting peace in recent years, performing many joint-demonstrations with the North Korean-based International Taekwondo Federation (ITF). The team has performed at the pre-Opening Ceremony at PyeongChang 2018 and more recently at the United Nations office in Geneva and Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

Written by Ed Hula and Greer Wilson

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