tass--2019-11-25--Russian anti-doping chief believes WADA is set to impose serious sanctions

The WADA Compliance Review Committee recommended the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee on November 23 to strip RUSADA of its compliance status. The WADA Executive Committee is scheduled to convene on December 9 in Paris to discuss this issue.  MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS, Artyom Kuznetsov/. The Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is set to impose a number of serious sanctions against the Russian sports and the list of these sanctions will be announced on December 9, Yury Ganus, the head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), told TASS on Monday.  RUSADA has nothing to do with WADA’s ‘further responses’ list on Moscow Lab data  "We will learn later about the draft list of sanctions, while the final list of sanctions will be announced on December 9, therefore it is still early to speak about this issue," Ganus said.  "However, sanctions will follow in any case and they will be very serious," the president of RUSADA added.  The WADA Compliance Review Committee’s recommendations last week were based on the reports by the WADA Intelligence and Investigations team and by independent forensic experts. The reports relate to several inconsistencies found in the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory data transferred to WADA, which the Committee examined at its meeting on November 17.  WADA announced on September 23 that it had initiated a probe into the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency with the Code of the world’s governing anti-doping body based on the inconsistencies reportedly discovered in the data of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.  The WADA Executive Committee reinstated the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on September 20, 2018 on condition that before December 31, 2018 WADA experts would be granted access to doping samples at the Moscow Anti-Doping Lab, which was sealed off in connection with a federal investigation.  Specialists from WADA were granted access to the database of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory in January this year and copied 24 terabytes of information on Russian athletes’ doping samples collected between 2012 and 2015. WADA experts finished their work to retrieve doping samples from the Moscow Lab on April 30 having collected 2,262 doping samples in 4,524 containers (Samples A and B).  The new international standard on the compliance status states that athletes coming from countries, where national anti-doping agencies are non-compliant with the WADA Code, may be barred from all international tournaments, including the Olympic Games.


tass--2019-11-26--FIFA is in permanent contact with WADA on Russian sports issues

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body FIFA is in permanent contact with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) on possible sanctions against Russian sports, FIFA's press service told TASS on Tuesday.  No hasty conclusions should be made in the light of recommendations to WADA — Lavrov  "We will await the final considerations of the WADA Executive Committee on this matter until any potential material decision is taken by FIFA. FIFA is in permanent contact with WADA and ASOIF in this regard," the press service said in a statement.  The WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) advised the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee on November 23 to strip RUSADA (the Russian Anti-Doping Agency) of its compliance status and on Monday, the CRC came up with an extended list of recommended sanctions against Russian sports.  The CRC recommended barring Russia from international competitions for a four-year period. The Committee also issued a recommendation to deprive Russia of the right to host international sports events during this period. The WADA Executive Committee will pass a final decision on Russia at its meeting on December 9 in Paris.  St. Petersburg is due to host four matches of the 2020 Euro Cup.


tass--2019-11-26--Russian Olympic official rules out conspiracy in WADA Committee’s recommendations

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) Compliance Review Committee’s recommendations to bar Russian athletes from all international sports tournaments should not be linked with some sort of conspiracy, Honorary President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Vitaly Smirnov told TASS on Tuesday.  The WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) advised the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee on November 23 to strip RUSADA (the Russian Anti-Doping Agency) of its compliance status and on Monday, the CRC came up with an extended list of recommended sanctions against Russian sports.  The CRC recommended barring Russia from international competitions, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, for a four-year period. The Committee also issued a recommendation to deprive Russia of the right to host international sports events during this period. The WADA Executive Committee will pass a final decision on Russia at its meeting on December 9 in Paris.  "I believe that we need to wait for WADA to make a decision and I do not have an impression that there is some sort of conspiracy to deprive us of our participation in the Games and of our role on the sports arena," Smirnov, who is also an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said.  "I think that WADA will be thoroughly studying this issue," he said. "On the other hand, there is also the International Olympic Committee, which will be also discussing this issue at a meeting of the Executive Committee and at the session and we [Russia] have also an option of going to court."  WADA announced on September 23 that it had initiated a probe into the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency with the Code of the world’s governing anti-doping body based on the inconsistencies discovered in the data from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.  The WADA Executive Committee reinstated the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency on September 20, 2018 on condition that before December 31, 2018 WADA experts would be granted access to doping samples at the Moscow Anti-Doping Lab, which was sealed off in connection with a federal investigation.  Specialists from WADA were granted access to the database of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory in January this year and copied 24 terabytes of information on Russian athletes’ doping samples collected between 2012 and 2015. WADA experts finished their work to retrieve doping samples from the Moscow Lab on April 30 having collected 2,262 doping samples in 4,524 containers (Samples A and B).  The new international standard on the compliance status states that athletes coming from countries where national anti-doping agencies are non-compliant with the WADA Code may be barred from all international tournaments, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games.


tass--2019-12-09--FIFA to ask WADA to ‘clarify the extent’ of sanctions against Russian sports

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The world’s governing football body, FIFA, intends to turn to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to specify the details of the sanctions imposed against Russian sports earlier in the day, a spokesperson for FIFA told TASS in a statement on Monday.  The WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) approved on Monday recommendations of its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) to annul the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) as well as to strip Russia of the right to participate in major international sports tournaments, including the Olympics and World Championships, for the period of four years.  The WADA ExCo also ruled that Russia must not host, or bid for hosting any major international sports tournament in the four-year period. Russian state officials as well as the staff of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) have been also banned from attending all major international sports tournaments for the period of four years.  "FIFA has taken note of the decision taken by WADA Executive Committee today," the statement from FIFA reads.  "FIFA is in contact with WADA and ASOIF [the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations] to clarify the extent of the decision in regards to football," the spokesperson added.  Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Compliance Review Committee (CRC) Jonathan Taylor told a news conference in Lausanne on Monday that in case the Russian national football team qualifies for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, its players will have to play in the so-called neutral status that bans the right of participating in the world championship under the national flag and anthem.  "If they qualify, a team representing Russia cannot participate, but if there is a mechanism put in place, then they can apply to participate on a neutral basis, not as representatives of Russia," Taylor told journalists.  In March 2015, FIFA officially announced that the 22nd edition of FIFA’s flagship event would be played in November and December 2022, with the final match set for December 18, 2022 — Qatar National Day — and with the objective, in principle, of holding the tournament for 28 days.  Qatar is set to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup between November 21 and December 18 at seven venues across the country, namely in Doha, Lusail, Al-Wakrah, Al-Khor, Al-Rayyan, Umm Salal and Madinat ash Shamal.


tass--2019-12-19--RUSADA to provide WADA with its official disagreement in 10-15 days, says official

MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. In 10-15 days, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) will provide the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) with an official disagreement against the decision of the global organization on sanctions in regard to Russian sports, Alexander Ivlev, the head of the RUSADA Supervisory Board, said on Thursday.  Earlier in the day, the RUSADA Supervisory Board recommended the agency’s Board of Founders to disagree with WADA sanctions against Russian sports and to turn this case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne.  "I believe it will happen in 10 or 15 days," Ivlev told journalists. "After that the ball will be in the court of WADA and the situation will be developing within the legal boundaries."


tass--2019-12-24--CAS hearings on WADA sanctions against Russia may last until 2020 Olympics, says official

"The question about the timeframe of the appeal can be answered by lawyers, who will be representing our interests in CAS," the ROC president continued. "There are preconditions indicating that the whole story would be over either on the brink of the [2020] Olympics or after the Games."  "Regulations do not state in particular the timeframe for WADA to turn to CAS, but the previous experience shows that it should take the period of between one and two weeks," Pozdnyakov told journalists.  MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Court hearings on Russia’s appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) may last until the opening of the 2020 Olympics, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), said on Tuesday.  The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo are scheduled to be held between July 24 and August 9.  "It will take approximately three months after the appointment of CAS arbitrators before the verdict is announced," the ROC president added.  Today, members of the ROC Executive Committee unanimously supported a decision of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) Supervisory Board to appeal against a slew of sanctions proposed by WADA against Russian sports.  ROC President Pozdnyakov stated earlier in the day that the Executive Committee upheld a decision on the organization’s participation as a third party in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of WADA’s proposed sanctions.  Last Thursday, the RUSADA Supervisory Board recommended the agency’s Founders Council to disagree with WADA sanctions against Russian sports and to take this case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne.  On December 9, the WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) approved the recommendations of its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) to revoke the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and to strip Russia of the right to participate in major international sports tournaments, including the Olympics, Paralympics and world championships, for a period of four years.  The WADA ExCo also ruled that Russia must not host, or bid for hosting any major international sports tournament in the four-year period. Russian state officials, as well as the staff of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), were banned from attending all major international sports tournaments over this four-year period.  On November 25, the WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) reiterated its previous recommendation for the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee to strip RUSADA of its compliance status and came up with a recommendation of additional sanctions against Russian sports.  The world’s governing anti-doping body announced on September 23 that it had initiated a probe into the compliance status of RUSADA with the organization’s Code based on inconsistencies found in the data from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.


tass--2019-12-24--Russian Paralympic Committee to act as third party in CAS hearing of WADA sanctions

"The decision was made to join the hearings between WADA and RUSADA [the Russian Anti-Doping Agency] as an interested party [the third party] in line with regulations and timeframe stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Code and the International Standard for Code Compliance by Signatories [ISCCS]," the statement added.  "The Russian Paralympic Committee has made this decision since the decisions of WADA have a direct impact on the rights and interests of the Russian Paralympic Committee and its representatives," the statement reads.  MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. The Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) will act as a third party in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case of proposed sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against Russian sports, the RPC said in a statement on Tuesday.  Members of the RPC Executive Committee upheld earlier in the day a decision of the Supervisory Board of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) to appeal against a slew of sanctions proposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against Russian sports.  On December 9, the WADA Executive Committee (ExCo) approved the recommendations of its Compliance Review Committee (CRC) to revoke the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and to strip Russia of the right to participate in major international sports tournaments, including the Olympics, Paralympics and world championships, for a period of four years.  The WADA ExCo also ruled that Russia must not host, or bid for or be granted the right to host any major international sports tournament in this four-year period. Russian state officials, as well as the officials of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), were banned from attending all major international sports tournaments for this four-year period.  Last Thursday, the RUSADA Supervisory Board recommended the agency’s Founders Council to disagree with WADA sanctions against Russian sports and to take this case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne.  On November 25, the WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC) reiterated its previous recommendation for the world anti-doping body’s Executive Committee to strip RUSADA of its compliance status and came up with a recommendation of additional sanctions against Russian sports.  The world’s governing anti-doping body announced on September 23 that it had initiated a probe into the compliance status of RUSADA with the organization’s Code based on inconsistencies found in the data from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.


tass--2019-12-27--RUSADA chief notifies WADA he disagrees with anti-Russian sanctions

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) Yury Ganus has notified the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that he disagrees with sanctions against Russian sports.  Participants of the RUSADA General Meeting on December 24 approved a recommendation of the agency’s Supervisory Board to issue a disagreement to sanctions against Russian sports proposed by WADA. RUSADA needed to send this notification to WADA by December 30. Now WADA will take this case to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).


theguardianuk--2019-12-12--Victoria Aggar resigns from Wada and says it is now ‘silencing athletes’

The World Anti-Doping Agency has been rocked by the resignation of Victoria Aggar, a highly respected member of its own Athlete Committee, who said she quit after Wada broke its promises and failed to protect clean athletes.  The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that Aggar, a retired British Paralympian who has served six years on the committee, was on the brink of going because of Wada’s “spineless and appalling” decision not to issue a blanket ban on Russia.  Echoing the views of many athletes, she also argued that allowing Russians to compete at Euro 2020 – and under a neutral flag at the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup despite a four-year ban imposed on Monday – made a mockery of the system.  But in her written resignation letter Aggar went further still – revealing that Wada had suppressed the voices of its Athlete Committee, which is supposed to reflect the views of thousands of sportsmen and women on anti-doping matters.  “I do not feel that Wada exists any more,” said Aggar. “Too many political games (or machinations), too many conflicts and too much self-interest has led to too many bad decisions, compromises and broken promises.  “Most recently the biggest blow to athletes is the decision by Wada to ignore calls from its very own Athlete Committee for Russia to be banned from competing at the next Olympic and Paralympic Games, despite promising earlier this year to enforce the toughest sanctions available if the retrieved data from Moscow was found to be manipulated,” she added.  Aggar also revealed that Wada had refused to publish recent Athlete Committee’s statements on its website.  “I am a firm believer that all athletes have the right to an unfiltered voice,” she added. “The concept of silencing athletes is one of the reasons why we are seeing so much abuse in sport and it only serves to reinforce the imbalance of power.  “Events over the past two years have fundamentally shaken my belief in an organisation that I felt initially served a great purpose in protecting the integrity of sport – protecting clean athletes on their journey of pursuing their dreams.”


theindependent--2019-12-13--Former British Paralympian Victoria Aggar resigns from Wada over handling of Russian doping ban

Former British Paralympian Victoria Aggar has resigned from the World Anti-Doping Agency's (Wada) Athlete Committee over the organisation's handling of the Russian doping scandal.  Wada has banned Russia from all major sporting events for four years for tampering with doping tests, but left the door open for its athletes to compete at next year's Tokyo Games as neutrals under the Olympic flag.  Russia's Olympic Committee has described the sanctions as "illogical and excessive" while President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow could appeal Wada's decision.  However, Aggar, who won a rowing bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008, said Wada had not gone far enough and had broken promises by not imposing a blanket ban on Russian athletes.  "I do not feel that Wada exists any more," she said on Twitter. "Too many political games (or machinations), too many conflicts and too much self-interest has led to too many bad decisions, compromises and broken promises.  "Most recently the biggest blow to athletes is the decision by Wada to ignore calls from its very own Athlete Committee for Russia to be banned from competing at the next Olympic and Paralympic Games."  Aggar, one of 17 committee members, said Wada had refused to publish several Athlete Committee statements on its website.  "The concept of silencing athletes is one of the reasons why we are seeing so much abuse in sport," she said.  "I believe every athlete has the right to clean sport and in such an environment I don't believe Russian athletes will have this choice.  "Yes, they will suffer in the short term with a blanket ban but in the long term we may be able to contribute to a change of culture for the future young generations."  Wada director-general Olivier Niggli told the BBC in response to Aggar's resignation that the decision not to publish the statements was due to the lack of a "clear majority" among committee members.  "Nine members were in favour of issuing a statement objecting to the (independent compliance review committee's) recommendation (on Russia), while eight were against and had prepared an alternative statement," he said.  "Therefore, there was no consensus, and it would have been very strange - to say the least - for Wada to publish two different statements from its own Athlete Committee. In my view, it is simply not correct to mislead in this fashion."


theindependent--2019-01-23--Athletes and experts criticise Wada for double standards over Russia

The World Anti-Doping Agency's decision to let Russia go unpunished for missing a deadline to allow access to the laboratory that ran its state-sponsored doping programme has been strongly criticised by athletes and experts.  British Paralympian Ali Jawad, a member of UK Anti-Doping's athlete commission, said it proves there is "one set of rules for athletes, and another for Russia".  Jim Walden, the lawyer acting for the former head of the Moscow laboratory turned whistle-blower Dr Grigory Rodchenkov, said he hopes the decision "represents the straw that broke the camel's back" in terms of galvanising calls for an overhaul of the global anti-doping system.  Having suspended the Russian Anti-Doping Agency and its Moscow laboratory in November 2015, Wada controversially reinstated Rusada in September on two conditions: the Russian authorities would let independent experts retrieve the lab's underlying testing data by December 31, and then release any stored samples needed for anti-doping cases by 30 June.  But the first deadline was missed when the Russian authorities blocked a five-member Wada team from using the data retrieval and storage devices they brought with them - a move that provoked outrage from those already angry about the September reinstatement deal.  That prompted Wada to fast-track a process which involved its Compliance Review Committee meeting in Montreal last week to make a recommendation on whether Rusada should be suspended again and the agency's executive committee holding a teleconference on Tuesday to discuss that recommendation.  The Russians, however, had already forestalled the possibility of fresh sanctions by compromising on the devices Wada's experts would use in the laboratory, which allowed a smaller team to obtain the lab's secrets last week and get them out of Russia for verification.  This made Tuesday's decision a foregone conclusion, as Wada had never punished a laboratory, national anti-doping agency or sports federation for missing a deadline, providing they had taken quick "corrective action" to comply with the initial request, and so it proved, with Wada opting to uphold the September agreement.  In a statement, Wada president Sir Craig Reedie acknowledged "several members of the ExCo voiced their disappointment that the deadline had been missed" but said he hoped "athletes and others see that we are making good progress".  British sports minister Mims Davies was among the first to react to Tuesday's decision to spare Russia, for now, describing the retrieval of the data as "positive" but urging Wada "not to take their foot off the pedal".  US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart echoed those sentiments but warned "there is still a long way to go", while Usada's general counsel Bill Bock tweeted that Wada had "missed a massive chance to demonstrate it means business".  Jawad, a world and European powerlifting champion who won a silver medal at Rio 2016, agrees with Bock.  In a statement released to Press Association Sport, he said: "Athletes are constantly reminded about strict liability, about rightly sticking to the rules.  "Russia has denied any strict liability in their state-run doping programme, which has become the biggest doping scandal in history - if not the biggest scandal in sporting history. They have consistently made the process difficult and have missed deadlines - 'hard deadlines' as stated by the WADA president.  "How will athletes trust the integrity of Wada ever again, when they are constantly failed by the organisation that claims to protect them? Far from a breakthrough for clean sport, today Wada's credibility is in tatters.  "Wada has imposed one set of rules for athletes, and another for Russia. Given this, the international athlete community is furious with Wada."  Walden also believes Wada's handling of the crisis has revealed a double standard: one for Russia and another for everyone else.  "Clean athletes have suffered many bad days, but I hope today's decision represents the straw that broke the camel's back," he said.  "Wada said Rusada needed to be treated as 'other' signatories, but this ignores the well-documented history: systematic doping, systematic lying, retaliation against whistle-blowers and hacking WADA itself."  Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news, rumours and done deals throughout the January window


themoscowtimes--2019-01-15--Doping-Clock Ticking on Russia as WADA Prepares for Report

Access to the data before a Dec. 31 deadline was a condition of WADA's September decision to provisionally reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA). Russian authorities finally relented and last Thursday allowed a WADA inspection team into the tainted Moscow lab but the extraction process has been slow as inspectors work to retrieve data from outdated servers described as decades old. The inspection team will use equipment purchased in Russia while a Russian forensics team will remove the hard drives under supervision.  A game of brinkmanship between WADA and Russian authorities continued as the CRC met at WADA's Montreal headquarters to discuss a report from a five member inspection team that last month was denied access to data inside the Moscow lab for using equipment not certified under Russian law.  The Russian doping scandal is set for a messy end with the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Compliance Review Commission (CRC) considering possible new sanctions on Monday even as an inspection team was retrieving data from a Moscow laboratory.  Once the hard drives have been removed they will, according to protocol, be handed over to the WADA inspection team who will carry out the actual copying of files. The mirroring of a server must be conducted by the WADA forensic expert.  "There is no interference by the Russians in the forensic retrieval process and WADA has complete control of the data extraction," emphasized Gunter Younger, WADA's Director of Intelligence and Investigation.  While Russia scrambles to meet its obligations the CRC is preparing a report on RUSADA's code compliance status, to be presented to the executive committee by Thursday, that could recommend new sanctions. The executive committee said it will deliver its ruling on Jan. 22.  If the inspection team, however, completes its work in Moscow before Jan. 22 it could trigger a chaotic rewrite with the CRC informing the executive committee it needs to take back its recommendation.  As a result WADA, again, finds itself in an awkward position caught between anti-doping hardliners who believe they are being played and Russian authorities who will argue they have met all the responsibilities laid out in the Road Map to Compliance.  Athletes groups and anti-doping organizations already outraged by WADA's patience and compromising are unlikely to be impressed with the data extraction process.  Despite the delays and conditions imposed by the Russian authorities, Younger told Reuters he is confident the data extraction will be clean.  "They (Russia) complicated it because of the equipment but on the other side we have to understand," said Younger.  "I come from law enforcement and if a private organization would come and say we want to have access to your evidence and would say I bring my own equipment to download on your equipment, I think 99 percent of the law enforcement in the world would say, 'no way'.  "This is the same. All the (Moscow) data is under the custody of (Russia) law enforcement.  "What they said, if we give you access with your equipment not certified under Russian law, then our accused person will come and say, 'so you telling me you gave someone outside of Russia access to the evidence which you are now going to use against me'.  "Is there any possibility this information could be compromised by WADA?"


unian--2019-11-26--Reuters: WADA committee recommends four-year Russia Olympic ban

The final decision is to be taken in December.  Russia should be hit with a four-year Olympic ban and barred from all world championships for the manipulation of data retrieved from a tainted Moscow laboratory, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Monday.  The recommendations were made by WADA's independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC) and will be put to the executive committee at meetings in Paris on December 9, Reuters said.  In a 26-page report CRC said the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) should be declared non-compliant after an investigation found data handed over from a tainted Moscow laboratory was neither complete nor fully authentic.  Read alsoRussia could be banned from Euro 2020 in doping row – media  Weary of a doping saga that has dragged on since 2015, WADA looks prepared to follow through on threats it made to come down hard on Russia if it failed to get control of the doping crisis.  A four-year ban would prevent Russia from taking part in next year's Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.  The CRC recommendations did, however, leave the door open for the participation of Russians as happened at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games where some of the country's athletes competed as neutrals under the Olympic flag.  These athletes would have to demonstrate that they are clean and meet a number of other strict conditions.  The CRC also recommended that Russia not be allowed to host or bid for any major sporting event and any events that have already been awarded should be moved to another country, unless it was legally or practically impossible to do so.  In addition, Russia may not bid for the right to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, irrespective of whether the bidding takes place during a ban.  For a four-year period athletes and officials representing Russia, including the president, secretary-general, CEO and any member of the executive board of the Russian Olympic Committee, would not be welcome at any major sporting event.  Russia can appeal any sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.


eveningstandard--2019-05-08--Chelsea to take their appeal against transfer ban to CAS after Fifa stand firm

Chelsea have confirmed they will take their appeal against a two-window transfer ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.  A statement released by Fifa on Wednesday confirmed the club have failed with their appeal against the ban.  The Blues were initially punished by world football's governing body in February for breaking rules over the acquisition of 29 foreign minors.  “Chelsea FC has today received the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee,” a statement from the club read.  “The Club notes that the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to partially uphold the appeal lodged by Chelsea FC against the decision of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.  "However, the Club is very disappointed that the transfer ban of two consecutive registration periods was not overturned.  “Chelsea FC categorically refutes the findings of the FIFA Appeal Committee. It acted in accordance with the relevant regulations and will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).”


eveningstandard--2019-06-28--AC Milan banned from Uefa Europa League for FFP breach CAS confirms

AC Milan banned from Uefa Europa League for FFP breach, CAS confirms

AC Milan have been removed from the 2019-20 Europa League season for breaching Uefa's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed on Friday.  CAS consented to Milan's voluntary decision to remove themselves from next season's competition to pay for FFP breaches.  Uefa had already fined Milan 12 million euros (£10.77m) of Europa League prize money in the case, which included a CAS ruling to overturn a ban from last season's Europa League.  Milan hope that this wipes the slate clean ahead of ongoing monitoring of their often troubled finances.  "AC Milan is excluded from participating in the Uefa club competitions of the sporting season 2019/2020 as a consequence of the breach of its FFP break-even obligations during the 2015/2016/2017 and the 2016/2017/2018 monitoring periods," CAS said in a statement.  CAS says it will invite Uefa's cub financial control body "to issue a procedural order acknowledging the outcome of the present arbitration(s) and terminating the proceedings relating to the 2016/2017/2018 monitoring period, which have become moot."  Although Italian giants Milan are seven-time European champions, their finances have taken a hit during a six-year failure to qualify for the Champions League.  Additional reporting by Reuters and the Associated Press.


eveningstandard--2019-11-19--Chelsea transfer ban appeal to be heard by CAS on Wednesday

Chelsea's appeal against their two-window transfer ban will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday.  The Blues were initially sanctioned by world governing body FIFA in February of this year.  FIFA found the London club guilty of breaching article 19 of its regulations on the status and transfer of players (RSTP), which concerns the protection of minors.  They were also found to have breached article 18, concerning third-party influence.  Chelsea appealed to FIFA and the case was heard in April, but documents published by FIFA at the end of October showed its appeals committee found the Blues had committed 150 breaches of regulations.  The appeals committee agreed with the disciplinary committee that the breaches were "inexcusable".  CAS will not make a decision on the day, but it has been reported that the verdict should come in time for the club to know whether they can be involved in the January 2020 transfer window.  Chelsea declined to comment on the CAS appeal when contacted by the PA news agency on Tuesday.  The club have made a good start to life under new head coach Frank Lampard despite not being able to sign any new players in the summer.  The likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori, all Chelsea academy products, have returned to the club from loans elsewhere to make a big impression on the first team at Stamford Bridge.  All three have also been capped at England senior level by Gareth Southgate since the start of the season and the Blues are in third place in the Premier League table, behind second-placed Leicester only on goal difference.


tass--2019-01-11--Russias curler Krushelnitsky decides against his appeal with CAS on four-year ban

Russia’s curler Krushelnitsky decides against his appeal with CAS on four-year ban

© EPA-EFE/Javier Etxezarreta  MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. Russia’s curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has decided against filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against his four-year ban over doping abuse allegations, his agent Andrei Mitkov told TASS on Friday.  Krushelnitsky initially submitted documents for an appeal with the Swiss-based court against his four-year suspension on December 25, however, he had to pay a fee of 1,000 Swiss francs (over $1,000) before January 11 for his appeal to be heard in the court.  "Alexander has decided against his appeal with the CAS," Mitkov said.  The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne ruled on December 4 to impose a four-year ban in regard to Russian Olympic curler Alexander Krushelnitsky citing violations of anti-doping regulations. According to the court’s ruling, the four-year ban came into force as of February 12, 2018.  The Swiss-based court announced on December 4 that the decision on the four- year ban could be appealed within 21 days since the notification of the athlete at the issue. The Russian athlete submitted documents for the appeal, but was unable to pay a required fee of 1,000 Swiss francs.  Krushelnitsky won the 2018 Olympic bronze with his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova in mixed doubles curling at the Winter Games in PyeongChang. On February 18, it was made public that the athlete tested positive for banned performance enhancing drug meldonium.  On February 19, the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) opened a case against Krushelnitsky for a doping violation. The CAS found Krushelnitsky guilty of breaching the anti-doping rules and annulled his results from the Olympic Games.  Both Krushelnitsky and Bryzgalova were stripped of the bronze medals.  In other media


tass--2019-01-18--Russias bobsleigh chief Zubkov may appeal IBSFs suspension with CAS before February 6

Russia’s bobsleigh chief Zubkov may appeal IBSF’s suspension with CAS before February 6

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. An appeal against the decision of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to suspend the head of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation (RBF) and three bobsledders may be filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) before February 6, sports lawyer Artyom Patsev said on Friday.  The IBSF announced on January 16 its decision to suspend from all sports- related activities until 2020 RBF President Alexander Zubkov, citing violations of anti-doping regulations. The international organization added that three Russian bobsledders, namely Alexander Kasyanov, Ilvir Khuzin and Alexei Pushkarev, were also slapped with suspensions until 2020 for violating anti-doping rules.  "The term for filing an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation is 21 days," Patsev said. Therefore, February 6, 2019 is the deadline for submitting the appeal.  "I have just returned to Russia and had no opportunity to speak with the disqualified athletes to find out whether they intended to file an appeal," he said. "However, we still have time to discuss everything in detail and to make a decision on the issue."  The statement from the IBSF on Wednesday said that "… Mr. Alexander Kasyanov, Mr. Ilvir Khuzin, Mr. Alexei Pushkarev and Mr. Alexander Zubkov will each be sanctioned with a period of ineligibility of two years, starting from the day of their provisional suspension, for the first 3 Athletes mentioned this being December 13, 2018, therefore ending on December 12, 2020, for Mr. Zubkov this being December 19, 2018 and therefore ending on December 18,2020, during which period they are not entitled to participate in any competition or activity."  The world’s governing body of bobsleigh and skeleton added in its statement that "The term ‘activity’ also includes, for example, administrative activities, such as serving as an official, director, officer, employee, or volunteer of the national organizations."  The decision of the IBSF means that Zubkov is ineligible to serve as the president of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation until his suspension term expires on December 18, 2020.  Zubkov wrapped up with his sports career in 2014 and was then elected to take charge of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation. The IOC Disciplinary Commission, chaired by Denis Oswald, announced in 2017 that Zubkov was guilty of anti- doping rules violations.  The Oswald-led commission ruled to annul his results from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, namely the gold in the two-man’s bobsleigh event and the gold in the four-man’s bobsleigh event. The IOC commission also ordered a life-timer ban for Zubkov from all Olympic activities.  Zubkov appealed the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne and it was partly upheld as the Swiss-based court ruled against his life-time ban.


tass--2019-01-25--RusAF withdraws its appeal with CAS against IAAFs decision to extend sanctions

RusAF withdraws its appeal with CAS against IAAF’s decision to extend sanctions

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The All-Russia Athletics Federation (RusAF) has withdrawn its appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the decision of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to extend the national federation’s suspension term, RusAF President Dmitry Shlyakhtin told TASS on Friday.  The Swiss-based CAS registered the appeal from RusAF in late September, however, no definite date was set for its consideration. RusAF claimed that an implementation of a number of requirements set out by the IAAF was beyond the authority of the Russian athletic federation. One of the requirements was to grant access to the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.  "We have made a decision to withdraw our appeal, which was filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on September 25, 2018 against the IAAF Council’s decision as of July 27, 2018 to extend sanctions in regard to RusAF," Shlyakhtin said in an interview with TASS.  The RusAF president said that a decision to recall the appeal was made following the ruling of the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on January 22 to uphold the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).  "A part of the required criteria for the RusAF’s membership reinstatement with the IAAF has been already implemented therefore there is no more need of appealing against them," Shlyakhtin stated.  "I strongly believe that at the moment we need to consolidate our efforts on negotiations with IAAF regarding RusAF’s reinstatement, instead of wasting our time and strength on court hearings," the RusAF president said.  The IAAF Council decided at its session on December 4 in Monaco to extend the membership suspension of the RusAF citing a number of criteria, which were still needed to be implemented by the Russian side, including the repayment of the $2.76 million debt.  The world’s governing body of track and field athletics suspended RusAF’s membership in late 2015 following a wave of anti-doping rules violations and put forward a host of criteria, which the Russian ruling body of track and field sports was obliged to implement in order to restore its membership in the global federation.  The IAAF, however, permitted clean athletes from Russia to participate in the international tournaments under the neutral status or the Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) until the membership of the RusAF was reinstated. IAAF’s previously issued neutral-status permissions for Russian athletes expired on December 31, 2018.  The IAAF Doping Review Board approved on December 18 an updated version of the Guidance Note for Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) status applications and sent the document to the RusAF. According to the document, "Athletes who were granted ANA status in 2018 are able to re-apply for eligibility in 2019 by completing a simplified application form.".


tass--2019-04-17--WADA files appeal with CAS against 2-year suspension of Russian bobsledders

MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a decision of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) to suspend four Russian athletes over alleged anti-doping violations, a spokesperson for WADA told TASS on Wednesday.  The IBSF announced on January 16 that three Russian bobsledders, namely Alexander Kasyanov, Ilvir Khuzin and Alexei Pushkarev, were slapped with two- year suspensions until 2020 for violating anti-doping rules during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. The IBSF also suspended from all sports-related activities until 2020 former RBF (Russian Bobsleigh Federation) President Alexander Zubkov citing the same violations.  "There is an appeal filed by WADA against the four athletes, plus IBSF: we already have four appeals by each of the four athletes against the IBSF," the spokesperson stated.  "No hearing date has been fixed yet," the spokesperson for the global anti- doping regulator added.  According to TASS information, WADA decided to file an appeal with the court in Lausanne since it believed that the previously handed two-year suspension for the Russian bobsledders was insufficient.  Commenting on the recent news, Zubkov told TASS: "Yes, I do know that WADA has submitted an appeal against the decision of the international federation [IBSF] in regard to us."  "It is difficult for me at the moment to predict what comes next, but our lawyers do their job," Zubkov added.  Three Russian bobsledders - Kasyanov, Khuzin and Pushkarev - filed appeals with the Swiss-based CAS against their-two year suspensions in early February. Zubkov, who served as the president of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation (RBF) until January 22, told TASS on February 5 that he had also filed an appeal with the CAS against the IBSF’s decision.  The decision of the IBSF meant that Zubkov was ineligible to serve as the president of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation until his suspension term expired on December 18, 2020. On January 22, Zubkov announced that he temporarily resigned from his post. Yelena Anikina, a member of the RBF Presidium, was appointed the acting president of the national bobsleigh federation.  Zubkov wrapped up with his sports career in 2014 and was later elected to take charge of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation. The IOC Disciplinary Commission, chaired by Denis Oswald, announced in 2017 that Zubkov was guilty of anti- doping rules violations.  The Oswald-led commission ruled to annul his results from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, namely the gold in the two-man’s bobsleigh event and the gold in the four-man’s bobsleigh event. The IOC commission also ordered a life-timer ban for Zubkov from all Olympic activities.  Zubkov appealed the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne and it was partly upheld as the Swiss-based court ruled against his life-time ban.


tass--2019-09-17--Swiss-based CAS rules to reduce ban of Russian basketballer Balandin from 4 to 2 years

MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled to halve the four-year suspension term of Russian basketball player Roman Balandin, imposed earlier in the year by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) for violations of anti-doping rules, SILA International Lawyers law company, which represented the athlete in the Swiss-based court, announced on Tuesday.  The Russian anti-doping body announced on April 2 that Balandin, who played for Russian basketball club Avtodor Saratov, was disqualified for the term of four years starting May 19, 2017, "for the use of banned performance enhancing drug meldonium."  "CAS reduced the period of suspension imposed by RUSADA on basketball player Roman Balandin from four to two years," the law company said in its statement on Tuesday.  "In Award the Sole Arbitrator specifically noted that this case appears to be one of very few, in which an ADRV involving a non-Specified Substance was found not to be intentional," the statement from SILA International Lawyers added.  Balandin joined Avtodor club in 2015 and debuted on the club’s main roster in December 2016 in a match against Khimki club from the Moscow Region.  The drug meldonium (mildronate) was included in the list of preparations banned by WADA from January 1, 2016. The presence of the meldonium substance in the athlete’s blood during and between competitions is a violation of anti-doping rules. The substance belongs to S4 class on the WADA blacklist (hormones and metabolic modulators).  Meldronate is a cardiovascular medication freely available for purchase at pharmacies across Russia without a doctor’s prescription.


tass--2019-12-06--Swiss-based CAS rules to halve FIFA’s sanctions against England’s FC Chelsea

In February, FIFA announced its decision to impose sanctions on Chelsea FC banning the English football club from registering new players, both at the domestic and international levels, for the period of the next two transfer windows. FIFA also ordered Chelsea FC to pay a fine of 600,000 Swiss francs (over $600,000).  MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled to reduce by half sanctions imposed by the world’s governing football body, FIFA, in regard to England’s football club Chelsea, a statement from the Swiss-based court announced on Friday.  According to the statement from CAS on Friday, the court in Lausanne decided that: "CFC [Chelsea Football Club] is banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for one entire registration period, which the club already served during the 2019 summer registration period."  "CFC is ordered to pay a fine to FIFA of the amount of CHF 300,000 (three hundred thousand Swiss Francs)," the statement reads. "The [FIFA’s] warning and the reprimand are confirmed."  "A CAS arbitration procedure was initiated in June 2019, following the receipt of CFC’s appeal, and conducted by a Sole Arbitrator (Prof. Massimo Coccia (Italy))," the statement continued. "The club did not file any application for provisional measures but requested that a final decision be rendered before the end of 2019. A hearing was held at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 20 November 2019."  The statement added that after the hearing the arbitrator in the case "reduced the sanction to one single transfer ban (which Chelsea FC already served during the 2019 summer registration period), and halved the monetary sanction."  FIFA stated in February that its Disciplinary Committee sanctioned English club Chelsea for breaches relating to the international transfer and registration of players under the age of 18.  According to the statement from FIFA, the club has breached regulations "in the case of twenty-nine minor players and to have committed several other infringements relating to registration requirements for players." The statement adds that Chelsea FC also breached regulations in "connection with two agreements it concluded concerning minors and which allowed it to influence other clubs in transfer-related matters."  Chelsea FC, which is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, is currently ranked 4th with 29 points in this Premier League’s season after having played 15 matches. The club is also third with eight points in its Group H of the UEFA Champions League tournament.


pinknewsuk--2019-03-22--UN rights council condemns IAAF testosterone rule for female athletes

Signup to receive a daily roundup of the top LGBT+ news stories from around the world  The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has passed a resolution condemning the imposition of medical procedures on female athletes showing high levels of testosterone.  The resolution, brought by South Africa and titled “Elimination of Discrimination against Women and Girls in Sport,” was adopted by consensus without vote on Thursday (March 21).  The resolution called on governments to ensure sports organisations “refrain from developing and enforcing policies and practices that force, coerce or otherwise pressure women and girl athletes into undergoing unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedures,” wading into a controversy around new rules for female athletes presenting intersex characteristics.  Last year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) proposed new restrictions on the testosterone levels of female athletes in running events.  The rules would require athletes with particularly high levels of testosterone to compete in the male category or take hormones to lower their testosterone levels.  One of the athletes directly affected by the new rules is South African runner Caster Semenya, who has naturally high levels of testosterone due to hyperandrogenism and has been the subject of intense scrutiny for the past decade, ever since she dominated the 800 metres event at the 2009 world championships in Berlin.  The 28-year-old, who is a lesbian and married to fellow runner Violet Ledile Raseboya, has mounted a court challenge against the new rules, delaying their implementation until a verdict is reached.  As the Geneva-based UNHRC adopted the resolution on Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Lausanne delayed a decision on Semenya’s case until late April.  South Africa welcomed the UNHRC decision in a statement: “This is the first time that the human rights system holds international sport associations to account for their obligations under international human rights law. South Africa is pleased that the Human Rights Council struck a blow for Caster Semenya and athletes like her.”  The resolution also instructs the UNHRC Commissioner to prepare a report on the intersection of race and gender discrimination in sports to be presented in June 2020.  Intersex campaigners welcomed the adoption of what they called the “first resolution on the rights of people born with intersex variations.”  Morgan Carpenter, co-executive director at Intersex Human Rights Australia, said in a statement: “Access to sport is a litmus test for the rights of intersex people, highlighting the ways that our legal birth classifications can be disregarded, how our bodies are sites of public scrutiny and stigmatisation, and our right to bodily integrity disregarded.”  Carpenter noted that there is no scientific basis in support on IAAF’s proposed rule.  He said: “There is no published, transparent, and reproducible evidence of a clear or unethical advantage by women athletes born with variations of sex characteristics over other women athletes.  “Exclusion from women’s competitive sport is discriminatory under such circumstances; it is not reasonable, proportionate and non-arbitrary. Sporting authorities and associations must now recognise a need for procedures to meet international human rights standards.”  Tony Briffa, newly elected Chair of the Intersex Committee at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), added: “We recognise the tremendous work from South Africa has in presenting this groundbreaking resolution and also acknowledge the importance on bringing this topic to the Council for the first time.”


rferl--2019-02-21--IAAF Allows More Russian Athletes To Compete As Neutrals

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) says it had cleared 21 Russian athletes to compete in coming international competitions -- albeit not under their national flag.      The world governing body for track and field’s doping review board ruled that the 21 Russians have met "exceptional eligibility criteria" to compete as neutral athletes in 2019, a statement said on February 21.      In January, the IAAF had already approved 42 Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag this year.      Athletics' governing body banned Russia in November 2015 after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency outlined evidence of systematic, state-backed doping in Russian athletics.      Another report a year later documented more than 1,000 doping cases across dozens of sports, most notably at the Winter Olympics that Russia hosted in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in 2014.      Russian athletes have had to meet strict criteria such as undergoing regular doping tests outside Russia in order to be allowed compete as neutrals.


rferl--2019-09-25--IAAF Votes To Extend Russias Suspension From World Athletics Body

IAAF Votes To Extend Russia's Suspension From World Athletics Body

The governing body for world track and field has voted to keep a ban on Russian athletes amid concerns the country may have manipulated data from its Moscow anti-doping laboratory.  The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said on September 25 that 164 of its 194 members had voted to keep the suspension of Russia, with 30 votes against.  In June, the IAAF had given Russia three months to demonstrate it was making progress in cleaning up its drug-monitoring systems.  But on September 23, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said it had begun compliance proceedings against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) over "inconsistencies" in the data it supplied at the start of the year.  "We have a non-negotiable position. We set out criteria and they have to be met in full. There must be a real understanding when a suspended federation comes back into the international fold," IAAF President Sebastian Coe, who was reelected to a second term earlier in the day, said.  Russia has been suspended from international track-and-field competitions since 2015, after revelations of widespread doping. Russia's hosting of the 2014 Sochi Olympics was tarnished by revelations of a government-organized effort to mask samples from athletes using banned substances.  RUSAF President Dmitry Shlyakhtin argued ahead of the vote that "RUSAF has changed and supports all initiatives." However, the WADA proceedings appeared to undermine that claim.  About 30 "clean" Russian athletes have been cleared to compete as neutrals at the World Championships in athletics starts on September 27 in Qatar.


tass--2019-01-25--Russian Athletics Federation withdraws appeal with CAS against IAAFs decison on sanctions

Russian Athletics Federation withdraws appeal with CAS against IAAF's decison on sanctions


tass--2019-09-06--Head of All-Russia Athletics Federation invited to IAAF Congress to deliver report

MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/. President of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (RusAF) Dmitry Shlyakhtin has been invited to the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) Congress this month in Doha to deliver report on Russia’s progress in the implementation of reinstatement criteria, IAAF Communications Manager Yannis Nikolaou told TASS.  The IAAF Council meeting will be held on September 23 and the IAAF Congress on September 25-26 in Qatar’s Doha, which is hosting the 2019 IAAF World Championship between September 27 and October 6.  "Also, as we did at the last Congress in 2017 we have invited RusAF president to speak and present to the Congress the progress RusAF made to fulfil all the criteria of reinstatement," Nikolaou told TASS on Friday.  Later in the day, Shlyakhtin confirmed to TASS that he had accepted the invitation from IAAF.  "I have accepted the invitation to speak at the IAAF Congress," the RusAF president said. "Just like two years ago I intend to deliver a report, which I am working on at the moment."  The IAAF suspended RusAF’s membership in November 2015, following a wave of anti-doping rules violations and formed a special mission on the issue. The IAAF Taskforce Group, led by Norwegian expert Rune Andersen, was set up to oversee Russia’s implementation of requirements for RusAF’s membership reinstatement with the IAAF.  However, the IAAF permitted clean athletes from Russia to participate in the international tournaments under the neutral status or the Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) until the membership of the RusAF was reinstated. The ANA status prohibits Russian athletes from participating under the national flag.  The IAAF Doping Review Board approved on December 18, 2018 an updated version of the Guidance Note for Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) status applications and sent the document to the RusAF.  The RusAF started accepting neutral status applications from national track and field athletes on December 19, 2018. The world’s governing athletics body has already granted neutral-status participation permits to almost 120 Russian track and field athletes.


tass--2019-09-19--Russian Olympic chief optimistic about prospect of RusAFs reinstatement with IAAF

Russian Olympic chief optimistic about prospect of RusAF’s reinstatement with IAAF

MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is optimistic about the perspective of the All-Russia Athletics Federation’s (RusAF) membership reinstatement with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), ROC President Stanisalv Pozdnyakov said on Thursday.  "We look at the perspective of RusAF’s reinstatement with optimism. With cautious, but a very pronounced optimism," Pozdnyakov said.  The issue of RusAF’s reinstatement will be discussed at the IAAF Council and Congress sessions this month. The IAAF Council Meeting will be held on September 23 and the IAAF Congress on September 25-26 in Qatar’s Doha, which is hosting the 2019 IAAF World Championship between September 27 and October 6.  Rune Andersen, the head of the IAAF Taskforce Group will deliver a report on the progress of RusAF’s membership reinstatement at the IAAF Council and Congress sessions next week. RusAF President Dmitry Shlyakhtin has been also invited to deliver a report on the progress of the set requirements implementation.  "All issues, which were raised by the Taskforce Group in June, has been taken into account during our [ROC’s] joint work with RusAF and we received a positive response regarding the majority of them," Pozdnyakov continued.  "It is not in our authority speeding up the reanalysis of doping samples from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, but we have implemented all set criteria," the ROC president added.  Last month, Aditya Kumar, a spokesman for the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) told TASS that IAAF continued studying data retrieved from the former Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory and is unable to provide at the moment the names of suspected Russian track and field athletes.  The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced in early July that it suspected 298 Russian athletes of violating anti-doping regulations based on the LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) data retrieved from the Moscow Anti-Doping Lab.  The IAAF suspended RusAF’s membership in November 2015, following a wave of anti-doping rules violations and formed a special mission on the issue. The IAAF Taskforce Group, led by Norwegian expert Rune Andersen, was set up to oversee Russia’s implementation of requirements for RusAF’s membership reinstatement with the IAAF.  However, the IAAF permitted clean athletes from Russia to participate in the international tournaments under the neutral status or the Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) until the membership of the RusAF was reinstated. The ANA status prohibits Russian athletes from participating under the national flag.  The IAAF Doping Review Board approved on December 18, 2018 an updated version of the Guidance Note for Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) status applications and sent the document to the RusAF.  The RusAF started accepting neutral status applications from national track and field athletes on December 19, 2018. The world’s governing athletics body has already granted neutral-status participation permits to 128 Russian track and field athletes.


tass--2019-09-23--IAAF rules to keep in force membership suspension of All-Russia Athletics Federation

MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has ruled to keep in force the membership suspension of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (RusAF), Rune Andersen, the head of the IAAF Taskforce Group, said on Monday.  The decision was made at the IAAF Council Meeting in Doha today and it means that Russian track and field athletes will be taking part in the 2019 IAAF World Championship, which is hosted by Qatar between September 27 and October 6, in the status of the Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA).  Speaking at a news conference after the Council’s meeting, Andersen stated that today’s decision was influenced by a statement from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regarding suspected inconsistencies in the data retrieved from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.  "We are aware of the allegations of manipulation of the data and that an investigation is ongoing," Andersen stated addressing a news conference. "In the light of that TF [Taskforce Group] recommended that RusAF not be reinstated and the IAAF Council unanimously agreed."  WADA announced earlier in the day that it initiated a fast-track probe into the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) with the Code of the world’s governing anti-doping body based on the reported inconsistencies discovered in the data from the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory. WADA also informed the Russian side that it had a three-week time to provide explanations on the issue.  Andersen also said that Russia has repaid the IAAF all debts, which was one of the requirements for RusAF’s membership reinstatement.  RusAF President Dmitry Shlyakhtin said earlier in the day addressing the IAAF Council that the Russian governing body of track and field athletics had repaid the IAAF a debt of $3.2 million.  The IAAF suspended RusAF’s membership in November 2015, following a wave of anti-doping rules violations and formed a special mission on the issue. The IAAF Taskforce Group, led by Norwegian expert Rune Andersen, was set up to oversee Russia’s implementation of requirements for RusAF’s membership reinstatement with the IAAF.  However, the IAAF permitted clean athletes from Russia to participate in the international tournaments under the neutral status or the Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) until the membership of the RusAF was reinstated. The ANA status prohibits Russian athletes from participating under the national flag.  The IAAF Doping Review Board approved on December 18, 2018 an updated version of the Guidance Note for Authorized Neutral Athlete (ANA) status applications and sent the document to the RusAF.  The RusAF started accepting neutral status applications from national track and field athletes on December 19, 2018. The world’s governing athletics body has already granted neutral-status participation permits to 128 Russian track and field athletes.  Specialists from WADA were granted access to the database of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory in January this year and copied 24 terabytes of information on Russian athletes’ doping samples collected between 2012 and 2015. WADA experts finished their work to retrieve doping samples from the Moscow Lab on April 30 having collected 2,262 doping samples in 4,524 containers (Samples A and B).  The WADA Executive Committee reinstated the compliance status of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on September 20, 2018 on condition that WADA experts would be granted access before December 31, 2018 to doping samples at the Moscow Anti-Doping Lab, which was sealed off in connection with a federal investigation.


theguardianuk--2019-02-18--Caster Semenyas lawyers accuse the IAAF of underhand tactics

Caster Semenya’s lawyers accuse the IAAF of underhand tactics

Caster Semenya’s lawyers have accused the International Association of Athletics Federations of using underhand tactics to gain public support at the start of their contentious dispute at the court of arbitration for sport in Lausanne.  The two-times Olympic 800m champion is challenging the introduction of revised eligibility rules for athletes with disorders of sexual development in a case that could have enormous implications.  With so much at stake, it is unsurprising that both sides have been sniping at each other over the last week.  On Friday, the South Africa sports minister, Thokozile Xasa, launched a social media campaign to back her compatriot and accused the IAAF of racism. World athletics’ governing body responded with a press release that restated its case and listed five of the experts it intends to call at CAS. An hour later, Semenya’s lawyers issued a statement that strongly criticised the move and questioned the IAAF’s motives.  They said: “Ms Semenya believes the IAAF press release is a clear breach of the confidentiality provisions that was orchestrated in an effort to influence public opinion.” Semenya’s lawyers added they have raised this issue with Cas and, “as a matter of fairness”, they will be revealing the names of their experts supporting their case on Tuesday .  A spokesperson for the IAAF said: “The IAAF does not believe the list of witnesses it will be calling is confidential, just their evidence at Cas. Cas left the decision for all parties to release their witness list to the parties involved. This was agreed.”  The IAAF said it was acting because it wants to “empower girls and women” by maintaining a level playing field. “The female category in sport is a protected category,” it said.  “For it to serve its purposes, which include providing females opportunities equal to males, it must have eligibility standards that ensure athletes who identify as female but have testes, and testosterone levels in the male range, at least drop their testosterone levels into the female range in order to compete at the elite level in the female classification.  “This standard is necessary to ensure fair competition for all women. Indeed, without it, we risk losing the next generation of female athletes, since they will see no path to success in our sport.”  The IAAF named three leading professors of endocrinology, a sports law expert and a transgender medical physicist as being among the experts it will call on this week.  The IAAF is adamant it has evidence to support its testosterone limit and is intending to introduce the rule on 26 March, six months later than planned to allow for Semenya’s challenge. If the rule survives Semenya’s challenge, athletes wishing to compete in the relevant events will need to reduce their testosterone levels to five nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) for at least six months before racing.  Cas has promised to make a ruling on the matter within a month. PA


bbc--2019-01-03--Storm Pabuk Tourists flee Thailand after weather warnings

Storm Pabuk: Tourists flee Thailand after weather warnings

Thousands of tourists and residents have reportedly fled islands off Thailand's south-east coast to escape an approaching tropical storm.  Authorities have also been preparing shelters for those deciding to stay put.  Thailand's Met Office says Tropical Storm Pabuk will bring strong winds and 7 metre (22 ft) waves but it is unlikely to become a typhoon.  A weather warning has been issued but no evacuation order is in place.  The storm is expected hit the country's southern coast from Thursday, causing heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding.  Thailand's Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the military was on alert to assist people affected.  Among those areas in the path of the storm is Surat Thani, home to the popular tourist islands of Koh Phangnan, Koh Samui and Koh Tao.  Visitor numbers to the islands usually peak over the Christmas and New Year period.  "I think the islands are almost empty," Krikkrai Songthanee, Koh Phangnan's district chief, told AFP.  Images are circulating on social media of tourists and residents leaving various islands by boat for the Thai mainland.  However, bans on boats have been enforced in several areas including Phi Phi Island because of safety concerns. As a result, many tourists have been forced to stay put.  Swimming has also been banned in Koh Samui. But videos on social media showing people swimming in the island.  Bangkok Airways said it had cancelled some flights, whilst other airlines said they were monitoring the weather.  Authorities on some islands are have avoided enforcing bans or advising evacuations altogether.  Chaiyan Thurasakul, mayor of the Koh Tao Subdistrict Municipality, told BBC Thai the island had prepared for risks of floods, landslides and strong waves.  "If the storm is severe for two to three days, we may have to ask for help from the main land for shipment of necessary items," said Chaiyan.  Pabuk - which means giant catfish in Lao - is the first storm in nearly thirty years to hit the region outside monsoon season, which ends around November.  In 2011, devastating floods in Thailand killed 600 people and displaced thousands of others in more than a third of the country's provinces.


bbc--2019-07-26--Tour de France 2019 Stage 20 cut by 71km because of landslides and weather warnings

Tour de France 2019: Stage 20 cut by 71km because of landslides and weather warnings

Saturday's penultimate stage of the Tour de France will be shortened by 71km because of landslides and severe weather warnings.  The leg will start from Albertville at 13:30 BST, instead of 11:30 BST, and conclude with the final 33km ascent to Val Thorens - a total distance of 59km.  Friday's stage was halted by a hailstorm and a landslide about 20km from the finish.  Ineos rider Egan Bernal leads the Tour by 48 seconds from Julian Alaphilippe.  Bernal's team-mate and defending champion Geraint Thomas remains third overall.  The stage will skip one major climb - the Cormet de Roselend, a 19.9km ascent at 6%.  Race organisers said: "Following difficult weather and landslides forecast for tomorrow [Saturday], the route of the 20th stage of the Tour de France has been modified."


bbcuk--2019-11-13--Snow weather warning in place for much of Wales

A yellow be prepared warning for snow is in place for much of mid and east Wales, the Met Office said.  The warning is in place until 10:00 GMT on Thursday and covers higher roads in Wales and the far west of the Midlands.  A second warning for rain covers areas of south-east Wales until 23:45 on Thursday.  Falling snow caused disruption and blocked roads on Wednesday evening, with police in Ystradgynlais describing conditions as "treacherous".  They said on Twitter people should "only go out if absolutely necessary".  A multi-vehicle accident and snow has forced road agencies to close a 12 mile (19km) stretch of the A470 between Merthyr Tydfil and Libanus in Powys in both directions.  Traffic analysts Inrix said the A465 Heads of the Valleys road in both directions was partially blocked, as was the A4061 Station Road in Hirwaun, due to the snow.  In Ceredigion, the A482 between Lampeter and Llanwrda has also been partially blocked by snow, with reports of some vehicles stranded.  South Wales Police said it was "receiving a high number of calls about weather-related incidents" and advised people to allow extra time if travelling.  BBC Wales weatherman Derek Brockway said conditions meant Wales was experiencing "heavy rain, sleet and snow".


bbcuk--2019-11-14--Snow weather warning: Hazardous driving conditions reported

Heavy snow has stranded vehicles and made some roads impassable in mid and south Wales.  A Met Office yellow weather warning for snow was issued for 11 of Wales' 22 counties but ended at 10:00 GMT.  A second yellow warning for rain covers 13 counties and is in place until 23:45 on Thursday.  Traffic analysts Inrix warned of hazardous driving conditions on some roads in Powys, Ceredigion and Neath Port Talbot.  No school closures have been reported.  It said snow was completely covering all the lanes on the A465 Heads of the Valleys road between the Glynneath interchange and Cefn Coed roundabout in Neath Port Talbot and drivers should approach with care.  Vehicles were left stranded along the A4109 between Seven Sisters and Banwen in Neath Port Talbot and the road is impassable, Inrix said.  BBC Wales weather presenter Derek Brockway said "a huge swirl of low pressure" was causing the unsettled conditions.  The A482 in Lampeter, Ceredigion, was partially blocked by snow and stranded vehicles, Inrix said.  The A4221 between Abercrave and Coelbren in Powys is also impassable following heavy snowfall.  The weather warning for snow covered Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea and Torfaen.  The rain warning is in place in Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan.  On Wednesday, a multi-vehicle accident and snow forced the closure of a 12-mile (19km) stretch of the A470 between Merthyr Tydfil and Libanus in Powys.  South Wales Police said it was "receiving a high number of calls about weather-related incidents" and advised people to allow extra time if travelling.  Brecon Mountain Rescue said it was called in to assist police on Wednesday evening with a "minor incident" caused by snow on the A470 near the Cantref reservoir in the Brecon Beacons, Powys.  The team also helped a woman whose car had lost forward momentum on the Hirwaun Road in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff.


birminghammail--2019-01-16--Met Office issues yellow weather warning for Birmingham as UK faces snow and ice

The Met Office has issued an urgent yellow weather warning for Birmingham.  But there's some good news for Birmingham - as the alert does NOT relate to snow.  Instead, meteorologists are warning Brum could be set for ice across Thursday.  The agency has issued alerts for snow and ice spanning almost the entire country.  Met Office maps show almost the whole of the UK - except for the south east and Cornwall - will be affected.  The yellow alert from the agency reads: "Icy patches developing with wintry showers also affecting some areas.  "Expect some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.  "Probably some ice on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths."  The warning adds: "Icy patches are expected to develop later Wednesday evening or overnight over southern Scotland and Northern Ireland and during the early hours of Thursday over England and and Wales.  "There will also be some wintry showers about, mainly over hills and mountains, but also to some lower levels at times, most likely in parts of Scotland and northern, eastern and central England.  "With the exception of high ground, most places will not see any snow settling."  The alert runs until 11am on Thursday.  The Arctic blast is set to bring travel chaos as roads, railways and airports struggle with the freezing conditions.  Forecasters say there is a risk of snow and ice between midday today and the same time tomorrow.  Forecasters predict there will be snow showers, with strong winds and icy conditions that will make travelling difficult, especially over the hills and in northern coastal areas.  Some roads and railways are likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train.


birminghammail--2019-01-27--Met Office issues yellow weather warning for snow in Birmingham across two days this week

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow.  The alert has been issued by forecasters for Birmingham this week.  The weather warning stretches across two days - Tuesday and Wednesday - and runs from 9pm on January 29 to 12noon on January 30.  The yellow weather alert warns: "Snow, possibly heavy at times, developing overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday."  There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers.  This is along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel, the Met Office say.  There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off, forecasters also state in the weather warning.  There is a small chance that power cuts will occur.  And other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.  The southeast, including Greater London, will bear the brunt of the latest Arctic blast.  The alert adds: "A band of rain pushing east across parts of England is likely to turn to snow during Tuesday evening, with snow continuing into Wednesday.  "Accumulations of 1-3 cm are likely quite widely, with accumulations of 5 cm in places.  "There is a small chance that some areas could see up to 10 cm, more especially over the higher ground."  The Home Counties are likely be affected, as are some parts of the East of England, including Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.  Most of Greater London will see dustings of around 3cm, forecasters say.  Speaking yesterday, Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: "There will be some very strong winds associated with it [a low pressure system] on Sunday morning, these could reach gale-force.  "There will be a risk of snow showers in the north with much of the UK turning unsettled as the low passes across the country.  "The start of next week will be on the cold side with the potential for more snow in parts of the UK."  Strong northerly winds will bring a significant wind chill as well as plenty of showers through the morning, but these should become further and fewer between by the afternoon, as winds gradually ease.  A few showers drifting into northern counties at times, leading to a few icy patches.  Elsewhere, plenty of clear sky allowing a widespread frost to develop.  A bright and cold start for most, with sunshine lasting longest the further east you are.  Thicker cloud and perhaps a few showers moving into western areas in the afternoon.  Mostly dry for much of Tuesday, ahead of the potential for disruptive snow overnight into Wednesday morning.  Some further transient snow is likely on Thursday.


birminghammail--2019-01-30--This is exactly when the Met Office is forecasting snow in Birmingham as weather warning extended

The Met Office has issued an updated yellow weather warning for snow and ice on Thursday and Friday.  The forecaster is now warning of more snow and ice between 1pm on Thursday and 9pm on Friday across much of England and Wales.  Rail, road and air travel could be disrupted by the wintry weather, the Met Office said.  Temperatures will plunge to -14C - making it the coldest night of winter so far - before heavy snow sweeps in from the west on Thursday afternoon.  Snow is expected to fall through the day on Thursday and into Friday morning, with further wintry showers likely at the weekend.  The Met Office warned: "Areas of rain and snow are expected to move into the UK from the southwest from Thursday and through Friday.  "Any single period of rain and snow is not expected to last more than 6 to 9 hours but some snow accumulations are likely with 1-3 cm likely in places within the warning area and the potential for 5-10 cm, perhaps particularly over Wales and southwest England.  "Snow amounts will vary markedly across England and Wales with many places seeing very little accumulating snow.  "With cold air in place along with areas of rain and snow icy stretches are likely to form."  In Birmingham, under often clear skies temperatures will fall sharply to give a very cold night on Wednesday evening.  Some icy stretches will develop, as well as some patchy freezing fog.  Cloudier and windier in the afternoon, with outbreaks of sleet and possibly some disruptive snow spreading in from the south by evening.  Cold on Friday with outbreaks of sleet and snow clearing to leave a dry afternoon.  On Thursday, a few snow showers are forecast by The Weather Channel in Birmingham from 3pm.  Snow showers will give way to persistent, albeit light, flurries of snow from 6pm.  Snowfall is then expected through until 8am on Friday morning.  We have compiled the hour by hour weather forecasts below.  Accumulations of 1-3cm are possible and ice is likely to form on untreated surfaces.  Snow and ice were causing major problems in northern and western parts of the UK on Wednesday.  Manchester and Liverpool airports closed their runways for hours, resulting in cancellations and delays for thousands of passengers.  More than 100 schools in England and Scotland were shut, giving thousands of children a snow day.  Mr Burkill said: "It's what happens on Thursday that has the potential to be more disruptive.  "It does have the potential to bring some very significant snow. We have already got a warning out in force for it.  "It's currently just a yellow warning, but it's not out of the question that will be ramped up nearer the time.  "It's looking like it will be a spell of persistent snow."  The year's record low of minus 10.8 C (12.6F) recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on January 18 is also likely to be beaten, most probably in the north of Scotland, but parts of England could also see negative double figures, Mr Burkill said.  Benton, in Oxfordshire, and Santon Downham, Suffolk, are among parts of England which could be coldest, and temperatures across southern areas are forecast to dip to around minus 8 C (17.6F).  "It's worth bearing in mind there will be some disruption, particularly to travel. If you're heading out on the roads, be aware your journey will take a lot longer than normal," Mr Burkill added.  "There's an ice risk which is going to cause some problems so even if there is no snow it could be icy on the roads and pavement which people need to be aware of."


birminghammail--2019-02-07--Birmingham faces 30 HOUR weather warning as UK braces for 80mph storm

Birmingham has been hit by a staggering 30-hour weather warning by the Met Office.  The agency has issued a yellow weather warning for wind from 12noon on Friday to 6pm Saturday.  Expect a windy start to the day on Thursday with outbreaks of rain in places, with winds easing in the afternoon with sunny spells and perhaps the odd shower.  Largely dry at first this evening before cloud and outbreaks of rain arrive overnight, turning very windy with outbreaks of heavy rain.  Rain should ease later in the afternoon on Friday but it will stay windy with sunshine and blustery showers.  Windy again on Saturday with sunny spells and scattered showers.  The alert from the Met Office reads: "A spell of very strong winds is expected to affect large parts of the UK leading to some travel disruption."  "Expect some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.  "Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely.  "Some short term loss of power and other services is possible  "It’s possible that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities could be affected by spray and/or large waves."  A deep area of low pressure is expected to track across northern Britain later on Friday and through early Saturday.  Gales will become widespread later on Friday, persisting well into Saturday whilst becoming more westerly.  Whilst some places may miss the worst of the winds, inland gusts of 50 mph are expected quite widely, with some places having gusts in excess of 60 mph, more especially across the north of the warning area on Saturday.  Gusts of up to 70 mph are likely around some coasts exposed to the west or southwest.  Winds will gradually ease on Saturday, with the strongest winds becoming confined to Scotland on Saturday afternoon.  These winds will lead to large waves affecting coasts and the possibility of waves overtopping some coastal routes, especially in the west and south of the warning area.  In addition, bands of heavy rain sweeping eastwards on Friday in particular will present an additional hazard.  Gusts approaching 80mph have hit England and Wales with weather warnings for further strong winds set to come into force for the weekend.  A yellow warning for wind has been issued by the Met Office for most of the UK on Friday and Saturday, meaning delays are likely to road, rail, air and ferry travel.  Tall vehicles travelling on exposed roads and bridges should also expect to be delayed by the weather, according to forecasters.  Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said: "Through Friday and Saturday there are going to be some more strong winds and heavy rain."  The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing, a major commuter route across the River Thames, was closed for around three hours on Thursday morning due to unsafe wind speeds, Highways England said.  Essex Police warned motorists to expect long delays on roads in the area.  A 76mph gust was measured on Thursday morning in Capel Curig, north Wales, as well as a 67mph gust in Aberdaron on the country's west coast.  In the south east of England, 54mph winds were measured in Langdon Bay in Kent and gusts of 52mph in Thorney Island, West Sussex.  The strongest wind measured by the Met Office overnight was 79mph on the Isle of Wight.  Winds are expected to ease off later on Thursday ahead of the blustery weekend.  Mr Wilson said on Thursday: "There is going to be a wet and windy feel this morning but through the rest of the day winds will ease a little bit.  "There will be a mixture of sunshine and showers, with the showers mainly in the west."  The yellow weather warning runs from 12pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday.


birminghammail--2019-03-11--Severe weather warning issued as Storm Gareth set to bring heavy wind and rain

The Met Office has announced severe weather warnings for the rest of this week as Storm Gareth sweeps across the UK.  It has issued the yellow warnings for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Storm Gareth has been named by the Irish Meteorological Service and is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK.  After a slight reprieve in conditions on Monday, the wild weather is expected to make a return towards the middle of the week.  The Met Office has issued two further yellow weather warnings for wind, the first of which will begin at 3pm on Tuesday and last until midnight.  Another is in place for much of England from around midnight on Wednesday until 3pm.  During the warning periods, across Northern Ireland there could be gusts of 60mph-70mph, with 50mph-55mph seen quite widely across England and 60mph-65mph in coastal areas.  A band of heavy rain will also push south-eastwards, and will be followed by some heavy showers during Tuesday and Wednesday.  In Birmingham, the warnings are in place for Tuesday (March 12) and Wednesday (March 13).  Birmingham is set for a day of rain on Tuesday, with wind speeds reaching 43mph in the early morning, calming a little during the afternoon and then picking back up again in the evening.  Wednesday will see cloud and light showers in Birmingham, with gusts reaching almost 50mph around lunchtime, say forecasters.  No warnings are yet in place for Birmingham on Thursday and Friday but both days will still be windy at times, with gusts of up to 40mph.  Gales and snow have already caused disruption and battered parts of Britain as winds of up to 65mph swept through southern parts of England.  Police forces reported closed roads due to snow on Sunday, while others said they had been called to a number of fallen trees.  The Queen Elizabeth II bridge across the Thames at the Dartford crossing was closed due to strong winds, while Highways England warned drivers of delays on the M25 as traffic was filtered into Kent using one of the tunnels which is usually used for Essex-bound traffic.  Kent County Council urged motorists to take care on the roads in "difficult conditions" as its highway teams worked to clear fallen trees as quickly as possible.  Essex Police said they had experienced "extremely high call demand" because of the weather and warned motorists to travel only where "absolutely necessary".  Wrapping on Grenfell Tower in London was dislodged as support group Grenfell United tweeted: "If you're in area u may have noticed some damage to the wrapping on the tower this is because of strong winds. A team is onsite at the moment who will put a temp cover as soon as safe to do so before replacing damaged part later this week."  Devon and Cornwall Police tweeted: "Police receiving exceptional number of calls from right across Devon and Cornwall re fallen trees across roads this morning due to the high winds. Please reduce speed and be vigilant when driving."  The Woodhead Pass in the Pennines was closed because of snow and a collision, South Yorkshire Police said, while Leicestershire Police said the fast lane of the M1 between junctions 22 and 23 was "unsafe" due to snowfall.  Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District was fully closed due to "hazardous weather conditions", said Cumbria Police. The force added that motorists should take care with snow and ice reported in some parts of the county.  A gritter overturned in snowy conditions in Dumfries and Galloway, with the driver suffering only a minor injury when the vehicle came off the A76 near Mennock at around 8.20am.


birminghammail--2019-04-04--Met Office forecasts ALL DAY rain hail and thunder in Birmingham amid UK snow weather warnings

Met Office forecasts ALL DAY rain, hail and thunder in Birmingham amid UK snow weather warnings

Birmingham faces hours of rain, sleet, and thunder today - as the Met Office issues urgent SNOW weather warnings across the UK.  Central and southern parts of England could see heavy thundery downpours throughout the day, while the best of the weather is likely to be across eastern England.  Temperatures are predicted to struggle to get above 10 or 11C, but could feel as low as 7 or 8C in the wind and rain.  It comes as spring got off to a wintry start across many parts of the country this week, with hill snow, hail and sleet.  Forecasters previously said a deep area of low pressure is centred over the UK, bringing with it the potential to drive showers and produce long spells of wet and changeable weather.  The Met Office predicts early hill snow possible in the far west on Thursday.  It will be otherwise wet for many with outbreaks of rain spreading slowly northeastwards.  Showers will follow, these heavy and thundery with the risk of hail.  The odd glimmer of sunshine and feeling cold, the agency adds, as maximum temperatures hit double digits.  The 10C highs will give way to a maximum of 13C tomorrow, with a few showers possible again.  Otherwise generally dry on Friday with some bright spells of hazy sunshine.  Showery outbreaks of rain will continue at first tonight, before easing to give some drier and clearer spells, with patchy frost possible. Further rain may return to the southwest later.  Generally drier, brighter and warmer than of late with a mixture of sunny spells and some cloud this weekend.  The cloud may be thick enough to give some light rain at times.  From April 8 to April 17, the Met Office predicts: "Initially, it will be bright in the west, but largely cloudy elsewhere.  "Some isolated showers are also likely, with light rain and drizzle in the east.  "There will be the chance of overnight frost, especially in the north, where it will feel cold.  "The brightest conditions will continue to be in the west, with mainly cloudy conditions in the east.  "Temperatures will be near the seasonal average to rather warm in the south and west, and it will feel cold in many eastern areas.  "There will be the greatest risk of showers across southern and some eastern areas, with many places dry.  "As we head towards mid month it will gradually become more settled though, with the driest weather towards the west and northwest."  And looking further ahead, the agency adds: "For the latter part of April, blocked and settled conditions are most likely to dominate the weather. These will bring a good deal of dry weather, especially across the north and northwest of the UK.  "There are still likely to be some wetter interludes from time to time, these perhaps mainly affecting the south and southwest.  "Temperatures are likely to be above the average for the time of year."


birminghammail--2019-06-19--This is when the Met Office thunderstorm weather warning ENDS in Birmingham

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm weather warning for Birmingham - and it is set to last the entirety of the day.  The alert, which is a yellow storm weather warning, has been issued by the agency and will expire at 9pm.  The alert ran from yesterday (June 18) and runs out at 9pm on June 19.  After a damp start with grey skies it will become brighter through the morning, according to forecasters.  There will be some sunshine, however, thunderstorms will be possible in the east.  Any lingering showers will ease and it will become dry by the late evening.  Issuing its warning, the Met Office told Brummies: "Thunderstorms may develop bringing torrential rain, hail and lightning to a few places, with potential disruption to travel and flooding."  There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.  Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.  Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.  There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.  After clear spells overnight, cloud will build through the early hours though, with spots of rain.  On Thursday, there will be sunny spells and scattered showers through the day. Some of the showers will be heavy, and it will be breezy.  Friday and Saturday will be dry and sunny. However, after a sunny start to Sunday, cloud will build from the southwest, perhaps with heavy rain later.


birminghammail--2019-07-27--Heavy rainfall and potential flooding as Met Office issues weather warning for Birmingham

A yellow weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for Birmingham over the weekend with heavy rainfall causing potential flooding.  There are fears that up to 100mm of rain could fall in some places in the country - leading to flash floods and travel chaos .  Forecasters say there could be travel disruption. The Met Office has issued an alert over rain for Birmingham, the Black Country and swathes of the Midlands.  The warning runs from 9am today (Saturday) and will last until Sunday, where it will expire at around 3pm.  The Met Office says there could be a chance of flooding and if this happens there may be a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services.  Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, too.  The agency has issued a yellow weather warning and say there  is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing dangerous conditions.  There is also a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.  The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for nearly all of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to last until 3pm on Sunday.  The Met Office forecast said: "Southern and western Scotland, along with northern, central and southeastern parts of England will be rather cloudy with outbreaks of rain, some heavy and thundery.  "Elsewhere it will be mostly dry with some reasonably warm sunshine."  For tonight, the forecast added: "Overnight, rain is likely to continue affecting southwest Scotland, parts of northern and central England, along with East Anglia, edging slowly into Northern Ireland too.