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☆ Murray says focus must be on Ukraine war, not Wimbledon U-turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MONTE CARLO, April 13 (Reuters) - The war in Ukraine and the plight of its tennis players must be at the forefront of discussions at Wimbledon, not the Grand Slam's decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, former world number one Andy Murray said. "It's a difficult decision for Wimbledon. Several Ukrainian players have spoken about how difficult it is to continue competing while their country is at war. "You need to understand their perspective as well, and not just the players that weren't allowed to play last year. "There are Ukrainian players whose families (are affected) and they're going through unbelievably difficult times.

☆ Taekwondo-Russians, Belarusians set to return at world championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian taekwondo athletes are set to compete at next month's world championships after the sport's global governing body said it would allow them back as neutrals following the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) guidance. Table tennis, fencing and judo are the other Olympic sports which have readmitted Russians and Belarusians as neutrals. World Taekwondo said a review committee will oversee a verification process to "ensure strict neutrality" of individual athletes and support personnel after its ruling council met remotely for an extraordinary meeting on Monday. "World Taekwondo will continue to support Ukrainian athletes in ensuring they can participate in taekwondo events," the organisation said. The world championships are scheduled to begin on May 29 in Baku.

☆ IOC stance on Russians, Belarusians 'painful', says Wlodarczyk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bronze medalist Malwina Kopron of Poland watches gold medalist Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland celebrate on the podium REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File PhotoApril 3 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation to let Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competition is painful, three-times hammer throw champion Anita Wlodarczyk said on Monday, hoping the decision would change. The IOC sanctioned Russia and Belarus after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 but recommended last week that their athletes compete internationally as neutrals. It should be a top-down message that athletes from both countries should not compete," added the 37-year-old Wlodarczyk. "I will still stand by my decision that they should be excluded (from all international competitions)," Wlodarczyk said. "I hope that this decision will change in the coming months and that the Russians and Belarusians will not be allowed in."

☆ War has killed 262 Ukrainian athletes, sports minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 2 (Reuters) - Russia's war against Ukraine has claimed the lives of 262 Ukrainian athletes and destroyed 363 sports facilities, the country's sports minister, Vadym Huttsait, said on Saturday. "They all support this war and attend events held in support of this war," Huttsait said, according to a transcript on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's website. The International Olympic Committee has recommended the gradual return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition as neutrals. Reuters could not independently verify the number of Ukrainian athletes killed or how many facilities have been destroyed. In the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, a number of Ukrainian national-level athletes have taken up arms voluntarily to defend their country.

☆ Rybakina backs Wimbledon move to allow Russians, Belarusians to play as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 2 (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said the grasscourt Grand Slam had taken the correct decision to reverse its ban on Russian and Belarusian players and allow them to compete at this year's tournament as "neutral" athletes. The 23-year-old said that she had no problem with Russian and Belarusian players competing without their national flags. "They have been playing like this for all the tournaments, so it (Wimbledon) was only Grand Slam they were not allowed," Rybakina told reporters. Players will be prohibited from expressing support for the invasion and must not receive funding from Russian or Belarusian states, Wimbledon organisers added. Twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who stunned world number seven Rybakina 7-6(14) 6-2 in the Miami Open final on Saturday, had opposed the Grand Slam's decision.

☆ Ukrainian diver joins boycott of events with Russians as war takes its toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Stanislav Oliferchyk, the European diving champion from Mariupol, practices in a pool at the training base for divers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 27, 2023. Oliferchuk had been eagerly awaiting the reopening of Neptun swimming pool in Mariupol, which underwent two years of costly, major restoration. "The swimming pool was just incredible, I really enjoyed training there after it was renovated. It is very sad that the swimming pool as well the rest of the city was destroyed," Oliferchuk told Reuters. No way Russians should be allowed to take part in the competitions - if it happens, we will boycott."

☆ Wimbledon to accept Russian and Belarusian players as 'neutral' athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

March 31 (Reuters) - Wimbledon will allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete at the grasscourt Grand Slam as 'neutrals' this year, having banned players from the two countries last year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "Our current intention is to accept entries from Russian and Belarusian players subject to them competing as 'neutral' athletes and complying with appropriate conditions," the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) said in a statement. Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine says athletes not allowed to compete against Russians in Paris qualifiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 31 (Reuters) - Ukrainian athletes will not be allowed to take part in qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics if they have to compete against Russians, government minister Oleh Nemchinov said. Huttsait is also president of Ukraine's Olympic committee. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations Tuesday for the gradual return to international competition for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. The IOC is to make a separate decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in Paris at a later date. Some federations have readmitted Russians and Belarusians in competitions but there is also considerable opposition to the IOC's plans from athletes and some European governments.

☆ IOC issues recommendations for Russian athletes' return to competitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The IOC Executive Board's recommendations concern the return of those athletes to international competitions but not the 2024 Paris Olympics where a separate decision will be taken at a later date. He said the recommendations for events organisers and sports federations to follow included that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as neutrals, with no flag or anthem. "I am disappointed by the IOC recommendations," Lipavsky wrote on Twitter. "The parameters as announced are absolutely unacceptable," Russian Olympic Committee president Pozdnyakov told a news conference, according to Russian news agencies. PARTICIPATION WORKSBach had earlier told the IOC Executive Board that Russian and Belarusian athletes were already competing daily in many sports without facing problems.

☆ Russian forces making no headway in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] A damaged building is seen, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 28, 2023, in this still image obtained from a social media video. But the military said Ukrainian fighters continued to successfully repel Russian forces and claimed that Russia was suffering high combat deaths in the offensive. Britain's defence ministry said Russian forces had made only "marginal progress" in an attempt to encircle Avdiivka in recent days and had lost many armoured vehicles and tanks. Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed leader of the part of Donetsk region under Moscow's control, said most Ukrainian forces had pulled back from a metals factory in western Bakhmut. "In principle, we cannot speak of them (Russian forces) having achieved any strategic advances in the last few hours or even days," Ukrainian spokesman Cherevatiy said.

☆ F1 needs Perez to keep performing at his best
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Sergio Perez may have had his best race yet in Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix but Formula One desperately needs the Mexican to keep it up in a season turning into a tale of two Red Bull team mates. Verstappen won 15 of the 22 races last year to Perez's two triumphs. "We've had those years where we were as strong, but it's a meritocracy," the Austrian told reporters when asked about the sport's popularity taking a hit if Red Bull kept winning everything. Perez agreed: "I think we did a great job," he said of the race in Jeddah. "I don't know if it's my best weekend so far with the team, but I'm sure Melbourne will be even better."

☆ Keep Russian, Belarusian athletes banned-German Olympic Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, March 17 (Reuters) - Germany's Olympic committee (DOSB) said on Friday it was in favour of maintaining a ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes but opposed any plans to boycott the Paris 2024 Olympics over their participation. Ukraine has spearheaded a call to ban athletes from Russia and its close ally Belarus from the Paris Games next year after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in January said it was open to including them as neutrals. "We remain in favour of a ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes and sports administrators from international competitions," the DOSB said in a statement. "Russia and Belarus must not get the chance to misuse the participation and successes of their athletes at international competitions for war propaganda purposes." Athletes from Russia and its neighbour Belarus, which aided Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago, have been banned from many international competitions since then.

☆ Games cannot exclude and divide says IOC amid Russian athletes row
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The Olympics cannot be divisive and exclude athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday, defending its plan to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to qualify for the Paris 2024 summer Olympics. "The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world," the IOC said in its statement. But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another." The IOC remains committed to this mission to unite the entire world in peaceful competition to this day," the IOC said.

☆ Australia aligned with other nations on Russia, Belarus athlete ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are also of clear concern. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Feb. 11 that calls from other countries to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Olympics were an "unacceptable" interference in the activities of independent sports bodies. Other international sports federations have allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete on a similar basis since last year's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Paris Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes compete. The two statements by the 35 nations last year called for a ban on all Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition.

☆ UK, 30 others vow support for ban on Russian, Belarusian athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - More than 30 countries, including the United States, Britain and France, on Monday pledged their support for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in international sporting events, a British government statement said. Monday'sstatement follows recent proposals from the IOC which suggest a pathway is being explored to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition as neutrals, including at next year's Olympics. "There are serious concerns about how feasible it is for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete on a neutral basis given they are directly funded and supported by their states," added the British government statement. Paris 2024 organisers insisted at the beginning of the month that they would abide by the IOC decision on Russian and Belarusian athletes' participation in the Games. He pointed out that 228 Ukrainian athletes and coaches died as a result of the Russian aggression.

☆ The 10 Best Wayfair Deals to Shop This Presidents Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

By Madeline DiamondPlenty of Presidents Day deals are live right now at Wayfair. Keep reading for our top picks from Wayfair‘s Presidents Day sale; we’ll be updating throughout the week to help you stay on top of the latest deals. They’re all on sale right now, but the best deal is on the rose gold version, which is currently discounted to just $80. A comfortable desk chair (that isn’t an eyesore) is a great place to start, especially while standout options are on sale for Presidents Day. Plus see our guide for more tips on shopping for an ergonomic desk chair.

☆ World Athletics will address Russian doping before Ukraine - Coe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Feb 17 (Reuters) - World Athletics will look at the issue of Russian athletes competing while the Ukraine war continues only after it has been decided whether the country has cleaned up its act on doping sufficiently to be reinstated, Sebastian Coe said on Friday. The Russian Athletics Federation (RAF) has been banned from athletics since 2015 as a result of the country's widespread doping, although some athletes from Russia were allowed to compete at the last two Summer Olympics as neutrals. World Athletics President Coe said doping would still take precedence when the governing council meets next month to decide whether the RAF has made sufficient progress along its "road map" to warrant reinstatement. "It was decided by the council it was inconceivable that Russia athletes (could compete) ... International Federations such as World Athletics, however, have the final decision on which athletes are allowed to compete in qualifying events and at the Olympic Games.

☆ The Club's top 10 things to watch in the stock market Tuesday: CPI, volatile market, oil dips
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The analysts have buys on Palo Alto Networks (PANW), with the most upside to price target, as well as CrowdStrike (CRWD), Check Point (CHKP) and Fortinet (FTNT). They increase price target to $255 per share from $215. But they think any pullback in shares of the Club stock would be short-lived ahead of the chip company's March 20 to 23 GTC developer conference . The analyst say Club holding TJX Companies (TJX) is best positioned and raise price target to $88 from $85. Industrial gas company and Club holding Linde 's (LIN) price target was increased to $378 per share from $370 at BMO Capital.

☆ IOC not on wrong side of history over Russia, says Bach
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 13 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said his organisation is not on the wrong side of history after opening the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in next year's Summer Games in Paris. Athletes from Russia and its neighbour Belarus have been banned from many international competitions in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago. In a letter to Bach last week, Ukrainian athletes said the IOC was "on the wrong side of history" after Bach had urged Ukraine to drop threats of a boycott. When asked if the IOC was on the wrong side of history, Bach told reporters on Sunday: "No, history will show who is doing more for peace. Bach, speaking at the Alpine skiing world championships in Courchevel, France, said the IOC stood in "solidarity" with Ukraine's athletes.

☆ Moscow says calls to ban Russian athletes from Olympics 'unacceptable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Saturday that calls from ministers of more than 30 countries to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics were unacceptable, TASS news agency reported. A group of 35 countries, including the United States, Germany and Australia, will demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Olympics, Lithuania's sports minister said on Friday, deepening the uncertainty over the Paris Games. The move cranks up the pressure on an International Olympic Committee (IOC) that is desperate to avoid the sporting event being torn asunder by the conflict unfolding in Ukraine. "This is a direct interference of ministers in the activities of independent international sports organizations, an attempt to dictate the conditions for the participation of athletes in international competitions, which is absolutely unacceptable," Matytsin was quoted as saying by TASS. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals.

☆ 'Not so rosy': Russian athletes face prospect of Olympics ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Olympic Rings are pictured in front of The Olympic House, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the opening of the executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Lausanne, Switzerland September 8, 2022. Since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Games, calls to have them excluded have snowballed. At an indoor track in northeastern Moscow on Friday, hurdler Sergey Shubenkov said he was avoiding reading the news about Russia's Olympic prospects. The measure was taken as part of wider sanctions against the Russian athletics federation, which has been suspended since 2015 over doping offences. "I think those who don't support (Russia's special military operation in Ukraine) have already left.

☆ Olympics row deepens as 35 countries demand ban for Russia and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics. "At the same time, we know that 70 percent of Russian athletes are soldiers. He said that most participants had been in favour of an absolute exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of host city Paris, has said Russian athletes should not take part, Paris 2024 organisers have said they will abide by the IOC's decision on the issue.

The Baltic nations and Poland earlier Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics and other events while the war in Ukraine continues. "Efforts to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports competitions under the veil of neutrality legitimize political decisions and widespread propaganda of these countries," it added. They called on "all international sports organizations and federations" to remove Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until the war ends. Latvia joined Kyiv on Wednesday in threatening to boycott the 2024 Olympics and qualifiers if Russian and Belarusian athletes are included while the war continues in Ukraine. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11 next year and the Paralympics from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.

At his funeral in the western Ukrainian town of Letychiv, friends of the 22-year-old, who volunteered for the military and was hit by shrapnel in Bakhmut last week, were vehement that Russians should be excluded from the Olympics. Fellow decathlete Dmytro Korbenko, who described himself as Androshchuk's best friend, said of Russian athletes: "It's obvious they're not supposed to be in sports, nor at the 2024 Olympic Games." As mourners laid bouquets near Androshchuk's feet or kissed his forehead, Korbenko described his friend as a strong-willed athlete. In response, Ukraine has threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics if the year-long war is still raging and if Russians are allowed to compete. Russia, which denies committing atrocities in Ukraine, said attempts at banning it from international sports were "doomed to fail."

☆ Ukraine's Elina Svitolina calls for ban on Russians and Belarusians
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's sports minister said on Tuesday that his country was seeking to secure widespread international support for banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from 2024 Olympics because of the war. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals in Paris. They are the largest platform for inclusion and diversity in sports, capturing the attention of the world," Svitolina said in a statement on Twitter. "Their lives cannot continue as normal and the world, nor the Russian and Belarusian people, can be ignorant of the atrocities they are committing in Ukraine." Svitolina, married to fellow tennis player Gael Monfils, reached her career-high ranking of world number three in 2017 and has not played since giving birth to her first child last year.

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