INVESTIGATION CONFIRMED

MOSCOW (RUS): After first report of daily Sport Express now also RUSADA confirms there is an investigation going on in connection with discus olympic silver medalist Darya Pishchalnikova. Nikita Kamayev, the executive director of Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA), said the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was conducting an investigation after one of Pishchalnikova’s samples tested positive for an anabolic steroid. He also confirmed for Russian media that if confirmed she will be facing a lifetime ban as this would be her second offence. Kamayev also said that in two weeks more should be known. Final verdict should in any case come from All-Russia Athletics Federation. President Valentin Balakhnichev admitted that this news is shocking but all rules and confidentiality should be followed.

HOTSUL NEW FLAU PRESIDENT

KYIV (UKR): At the electoral conference of Ukrainian Athletics Federation on Thursday new president was elected. It is former hurdler Ihor Hotsul with 22 votes out of 27. Olympic winner Olha Bryzgina withdrew and current president Valeriy Borzov together with other officials went away before the vote as a protest against the open procedure in the voting. Bryzgina together with heptathlon olympic gold medalist 2008 Natalya Dobrynska were elected as vice presidents. “I knew what kind of pressure our delegates had from Ukrainian Sport Committee. I insisted on secret vote when each delegate has ability to express his own opinion but my proposal was refused. I think secret vote was the most democratic way of election considering very difficult current situation in Ukrainian athletics, ” commented legendary sprinter and olympic winner Valeriy Borzov. He also added that he doesn’t see reputable successor in the FLAU’s presidential chair. “Moreover I’ll not help people who took up the leading post with using administrative resource and infringed upon Fair Play’s rules. I wish them all the best but only time will show who is who,” he added.

KENYAN TAX PROBLEMS

NAIROBI (KEN): Kenyan paper The Star says that an exodus of Kenyan athletes is likely as the taxman is on their case over unpaid tax. Athletes could change citizenship and run for other countries if the Kenya Revenue Authority continues to demand tax arrears from athletes. Athletics officials and coaches have warned that the sport would suffer a serious talent drain if KRA follows through the demand for its share in the athletes’ foreign earnings. Double world long distance champion Abel Kirui on Sunday said the move by KRA to slap him close to Sh13 million tax arrears was tantamount to punishment for doing good work for the country. Kirui, who is an Administration Police officer, said he was shocked when he received letters from KRA asking him to clear a five-year tax arrears a few weeks ago. The athletes received letters from the Kenya Revenue Authority two weeks ago, which required them to pay tax from their race earnings abroad. Athletes could even face triple taxation. First paying taxes on their investments in Kenya and then taxed abroad in different countries and now a third taxation would be required. Coming to the athletes defence, Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said he will do everything possible to ensure the government shelves its plans to tax athletes.

A. BEKELE MISSED THREE TESTS

BRUSSELS (BEL) : European cross country champion from Belgium Atelaw Bekele has missed three out of competition anti-doping tests and is facing a ban reports sporza.be. According to Belgian journalist Marc Willems does the Ehtiopean born Bekele not know how to work with a computer and therefore has somebody else fill in his whereabouts, causing the three missed tests. It is most likely Bekele will not be able to defend his European Cross country title this year.

OTHER NEWS

AMSTERDAM (NED): Following the cancellation of the ING New York City marathon, Dutch Hilda Kibet has confirmed she will run the Turin Marathon on November 18th. According to her partner and coach Hugo Van den Broek is Turin the best next step for Kibet, while he also confirmed his athlete is hoping to win the Turin marathon with a time around 2:25 reports De Telegraaf.

AMSTERDAM (NED): Herman Ram, Director of the Dutch anti-doping institute, has admitted they do not have enough resources to catch hard core doping users and now only are able to punish minor offences. Ram has a
sked to collaborate with police and other law enforcement officers in the hopes of better investigating large doping schemes writes Trouw.

NASSAU (BAH): Six Bahamian athletes have signed endorsement deals with BTC and will be used in campaigns and commercials for the company in the coming year. The deal will feature 4x400m specialists Ramon Miller, Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder and Michael Mathieu as well as Olympians Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace and Anthonique Strachan writes The Eleutheran.

LONDON (GBR): Olympic bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz is among many athletes looking to sport a cracking moustache this month as part of Movember – an annual event to raise funds and awareness of men’s health, in particular prostate and testicular cancer. Also Martyn Rooney and Steven Lewis are supporting the event.

FUKUOKA (JPN): Brett Larner informs on his blog that Fukuoka International Marathon (December 2) announced the elite field for this year’s Moscow World Championships selection race edition. The domestic field of four consists of London Olympian Arata Fujiwara and 2011 Daegu World Championships team members Hiroyuki Horibata, Yuki Kawauchi and Yoshinori Oda. Eleven athletes from seven countries including former world record holder Haile Gebrselassie and, in his marathon debut, 2007 World Championships 10 000 m bronze medalist Martin Mathathi are headlining the international field. Also in the field Ukrainian Dmytro Baranovskyy who was second here in 2006 with national record 2:07:15. Another top European entry is Poland´s Henryk Szost who with 2:07:39 is the second best European of the 2012. Also debuting US Mohamed Trafeh with 1:00:39 half best.

KINGSTON (JAM): Jamaican media are informing that sprint superstar Yohan Blake was quite the hit at Jones Town Primary School this week, as his YB Afraid Foundation, in partnership with the Sandals Foundation and Coca-Cola’s Live Positively campaign, announced details of the islandwide ‚Let’s Play’ initiative. The project, which is aimed at fostering the development of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle among the nation’s youth, kicked off in the Trench Town community, but will stretch to 10 schools across the country. Blake, who was flocked by students of the school and members of the community before and after the event, was extremely excited about the project.

MAMMOTH LAKES (USA): After Morgan Uceny also 2008 Olympian Anna Pierce informed she will follow her coach Terrence Mahon to England. Informs runnersworld.com. Pierce informed Runner’s World Newswire by e-mail, „I’m staying with Terrence as my coach; it never even occurred to me to switch coaches. Through this whole process my mindset has been ‚how can we make this work?’. I believe Terrence is one of the best coaches in the world, and he deserves to be compensated correctly for his tireless efforts on behalf of his athletes. Morgan and I are in full support of his decision and will be heading over to the UK in December.”

SOCHI (RUS): Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi, Russia will benefit from free Wifi in all media areas for the first time at an Olympics. The decision to give free Internet access to the media was announced by Dmitry Chernyshenko, president of the Sochi organising committee, at the World Press Briefing on Thursday. Wifi will be available in all areas used by the media including the MPC, venues, mixed zones and accommodation. It will give journalists free access to the Games Info system. Members of the media who need a more robust service than can be provided by wifi will be able to buy a package costing 125 US dollars for cabled access at the MPC and venues.

NAIROBI (KEN): Kenyan media are informing that World Marathon record holder Patrick Makau and 2010 Hong Kong Marathon champion Cyprian Kiogora will join over 500 athletes expected to compete in this year’s Safaricom Imenti South road race. The Safaricom Imenti South road race will be held on December 15 in Nkubu area, which is in Meru.

MACAU (MAC): Vietnam´s Hanoi has won the right to host the 2018 Asian Games, beating Indonesian city Surabaya in a vote at the Olympic Council of Asia’s general assembly. Surabaya was the other candidate and Dubai withdrew its bid. Next Games will be held in Korean Incheon in 2014.