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HONG KONG, May 8 (Reuters) - China wants to work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to oppose the politicisation of sports, Premier Li Qiang said, amid demands on the sporting body to exclude athletes from Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Premier Li made the comments at a meeting with IOC head Thomas Bach in Beijing over the weekend, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has already offered to let Russian and Belarusian athletes compete at the Asian Games in China this year. "Li said that China is willing to work together with the IOC to oppose the politicisation of sports and to make greater contribution to the Olympic movement," Xinhua reported. Bach said China plays an important role in maintaining world peace and promoting mutual development and IOC is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to promote the development of the Olympic movement.

☆ Russian, Belarusian golfers allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 6 (Reuters) - The International Golf Federation (IGF) has said Russian and Belarusian athletes can return to competing in international competitions as neutrals. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sanctioned Russia and its ally Belarus after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but in March recommended that their athletes be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals. Table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among the Olympic sports to have readmitted athletes from the two countries. The field for men's and women's golf at the Olympics consists of 60 players with qualification determined through the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR). There are no Russians or Belarusians in the top 60 of the men's or women's rankings.

☆ Australia chief calls for more govt funding for Brisbane success
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Nick Mulvenney | Thomson Reuters | Leads Coverage Of Sport Across The Asia-Pacific. Still Reports On The Full Panoply Of Sport. Many Olympics World Cups World Championships Grand Slams Grands Prix | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chesterman told the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) annual general meeting national sporting bodies were already financially stretched and that the groundwork for Brisbane success needed to be laid now. "It is clearly understood that a successful home Games requires a successful home team. But the clock is ticking and the strain within the system is showing," the AOC chairman said. "We come off a hugely successful Tokyo Games, but that is nearly two years ago, and the system that helped to produce those performances is understandably struggling. "Results also don't come at the flick of a switch, so if Australia is to have a successful team in Brisbane 2032, the system, the people, that took us to that success in Tokyo need nurturing now."

☆ Russian, Belarusian cyclists allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian cyclists will be allowed to compete in international competitions as neutrals after being banned last year, the sport's governing body (UCI) said on Wednesday. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in which Belarus has been used as a staging post, most international sports federations adopted recommendations by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes. But last month the IOC recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals. The UCI said in a statement that it had decided "to authorise, under strict conditions, the participation of athletes of Russian and Belarusian sporting nationality... as neutral individual athletes". Table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo, taekwondo, archery, and canoeing are among the Olympic sports to have readmitted athletes from the two countries.

☆ Russians approved for world championships, Ukraine pulls out in protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BERLIN, May 2 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian judokas can take part as neutrals at this month's world championships in Doha, the International Judo Federation (IJF) said, prompting Ukraine to pull out of the May 7-14 event in protest. Ukraine has barred its national sports teams from competing in events that include competitors from Russia and Belarus while Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. "The Executive Committee of the IJF has voted to permit neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the World Judo Championships 2023 in Doha, Qatar, as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)," the IJF said in a statement on Tuesday. Athletes must not have links to the Russian military or have made pro-war statements. The Ukrainian federation alleged on its website that many of the Russian judoka registered for the championships are from the army.

May 1 (Reuters) - International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlev blasted the national federations who broke away from the body to form a new world boxing federation, describing the officials as 'black sheep' and 'hyenas' who do not belong in sport. But Russian Kremlev, who is in Tashkent for the IBA men's world championships, said the IBA is the only international association that governs the sport. Someone tried to register an international association from their garage, why should we even consider them," Kremlev told a news conference. "We did not terminate the (Gazprom) contract as there were obligations to complete... Most federations were against Gazprom being sponsor, but at the (IBA) Congress there were no objections."

☆ Kasatkina thankful Russian players still able to compete
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 1 (Reuters) - Daria Kasatkina said she is thankful that Russian tennis players are still able to compete in international tournaments while other sports have banned them due to the war in Ukraine. Some sports have recently begun to readmit Russian and Belarusian athletes following recommendations issued by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month. Wimbledon banned players from the two countries last year but said in March it would accept them as neutral athletes. "I'm happy that we will be able to come back this year and to be honest we are (in) the luckiest sport as we are able to compete still." "The saddest part is the war is still going on, so of course the players from Ukraine have got a lot of reasons to not shake our hands," Kasatkina said.

☆ Russian athletes say IOC participation plan 'excessive and discriminatory'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 30 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition as neutrals is "excessive and discriminatory", the Russian Olympic Committee's (ROC) athletes' commission said. The recommendations include that Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete with no flag or anthem, while athletes who support the war or are contracted to military or national security agencies are excluded. In March, ROC head Stanislav Pozdnyakov denounced the recommendations, a position backed by the athletes commission chaired by former Olympic 800 metres champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy. The IOC is to decide separately on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Games at a later date, while Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Games if Russians are allowed to compete there. Though the Russian athletes' commission believes the IOC's recommendations to be excessive, others have argued that they are too lenient.

☆ USA Boxing withdraws from Russian-led world body IBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 27 (Reuters) - USA Boxing, representing the most successful country in the sport's Olympic history, has left the International Boxing Association (IBA) and will join the breakaway federation World Boxing. Mike McAtee, chief executive of USA Boxing, wrote in a letter to members on Wednesday that the withdrawal was effective immediately. "USA Boxing will immediately begin the World Boxing application process and submit the required application on the first day of acceptance, on or about May 1, 2023," he added. "USA Boxing is committed to work tirelessly with World Boxing, like-minded national federations and worldwide Olympic-style boxing community to earn the privilege to be part of the Olympic Movement now and in the years to come." USA Boxing is certified by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee as the national governing body for Olympic-Style boxing in the United States.

☆ IBA files complaint to integrity unit against breakaway world body
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - The International Boxing Association has filed an official complaint to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit against the individuals and entities involved in the creation of a new world boxing federation, it said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, a group including the United States and Britain announced a new world boxing federation in a breakaway aimed at securing the troubled sport's Olympic future. Leaders of Swiss-registered World Boxing said they would seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee. Reuters has requested comment from World Boxing. The IBA -- suspended over governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues -- was stripped of involvement in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the qualifiers for Paris 2024.

☆ Vitalia Diatchenko: Poland's state-owned airline refuses boarding to Russian tennis player
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sammy Mncwabe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Poland’s state-owned airline LOT refused to board Russian tennis player Vitalia Diatchenko in line with restrictions introduced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the carrier said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday without naming her. Diatchenko was denied boarding a LOT flight departing from Cairo on Monday as she was traveling to Calvi in Corsica via Warsaw and Nice to play at a tournament. “The provisions of the regulation introduce restrictions at certain border crossings, including airport crossings, in relation to citizens of the Russian Federation traveling from outside the Schengen area,” the airline said. IOC president Thomas Bach defended the latest recommendations citing tennis as an example that participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes “works” despite the war. Bach also blasted some European governments as “deplorable” for what he calls their “negative reactions” to the organization’s stance on Russia

☆ IOC stance on Russians, Belarusians 'confusing' - Swiatek
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 21 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) recommendation to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition as neutrals is "confusing" because Ukraine is still under attack, tennis world number one Iga Swiatek said. Russian and Belarusian tennis players have been competing on the tours and at the other Grand Slams as neutrals since March last year. "Right now the situation is pretty complicated because at the beginning of the war there weren't many decisions one way. At first they (Russian and Belarusian athletes) were kind of banned in other sports, not in tennis," Swiatek told reporters on Thursday. "Many Ukrainian athletes are fighting in the war and losing their lives.

☆ Russian and Belarusian archers to be allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 21 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian archers will be allowed to compete in individual international competitions as neutrals this year, the sport's global federation said on Friday. The World Archery Federation (WA) first banned Russian and Belarusian competitors in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, initially using its ally Belarus as a staging ground in what Russia called a "special military operation". In March, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus be allowed to return to competition as neutrals, if they did not support the war or were not affiliated to the military. "The board expressed its support and agreed to explore a timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility," WA said in a statement. Table tennis, pentathlon, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among other Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from Russia and Belarus as neutrals.

☆ Germany appoints commission to re-appraise 1972 Munich Olympics attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, April 21 (Reuters) - Germany has appointed an eight-person commission to re-appraise the attack on Israeli athletes and team members at the 1972 Munich Olympics to answer unresolved questions, said German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in a statement on Friday. "For too many years, there was a lack of understanding or reappraisal of the events, transparency about them or acceptance of responsibility for them," she said. Palestinians from the Black September militant group took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage on Sept. 5, 1972. Eleven Israelis, a German policeman and five of the Palestinian gunmen died after a stand-off at the Olympic village and the nearby Fuerstenfeldbruck airfield. ($1 = 0.9131 euros)Writing by Miranda Murray; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Badminton federation extends ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 20 (Reuters) - The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has maintained its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in international tournaments, the governing body said on Thursday. The BWF first banned Russian and Belarusian athletes in March last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, initially using its ally Belarus as a staging ground in what Russia called a "special military operation". Table tennis, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among the Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from the two countries as neutrals. The BWF said in a statement that the decision to extend the ban was taken at its council meeting on Tuesday. "However... BWF is not convinced there is satisfactory justification to lift the suspensions on Russian and Belarussian players and officials at this time.

☆ Pentathlon-Russian and Belarusian pentathletes allowed to return as neutrals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Russian and Belarusian athletes can return to international pentathlon events as neutrals after being banned last year in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the sport's global federation (UIPM) said on Thursday. In the wake of the invasion, most international sports federations adopted recommendations by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes. However last month the IOC issued new guidelines for a gradual return to international competitions by Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. "UIPM will now work to develop the necessary independent review processes to facilitate the return of these athletes, in consultation with the IOC and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations." Table tennis, fencing, judo and taekwondo are among other Olympic sports which have readmitted athletes from Russia and Belarus as neutrals.

☆ Russia's men's basketball team banned from Olympic pre-qualification
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - Russia will remain banned from international basketball with its men's national team not being allowed to participate in this year's Pre-Olympic Qualification Tournaments, FIBA's Executive Committee announced on Tuesday. Russia who were 12th at the previous FIBA Men's World Cup in 2019, last qualified for the Olympics in 2012, winning bronze medal with a line-up that included former NBA player Andrei Kirilenko. "Following the IOC recommendations on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions published on 28 March, the FIBA Executive Committee has decided to not allow the registration of the Russian men's national team," the governing body said in a statement. Bulgaria will replace the Russian team as the next highest ranked European squad. The event will be held from August 12 to 20, with the five winners earning spots in the FIBA Olympic Qualification Tournaments in 2024.

☆ Ukraine bans its national teams from competing with Russians and Belarusians
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine has banned its national sports teams from competing in Olympic, non-Olympic and Paralympic events that include competitors from Russia and Belarus, the sports ministry said in a decree published on Friday. The decision, criticised by some Ukrainian athletes, comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) angered Kyiv by paving the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine had previously warned its sports federations that it would strip them of their status as governing bodies if their athletes competed on the international stage with Russians and Belarusians. Some Ukrainian athletes, including Olympian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, criticised the ban saying it would lead to the destruction of Ukrainian sports. The IOC sanctioned Russia and Belarus but in late March it recommended allowing their athletes to compete as neutrals in international competition.

☆ New world body to defend Olympic status in break from IBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - A group of national federations including the United States and Britain announced a new boxing world body on Thursday in a breakaway move aimed at securing the troubled sport's Olympic future. Leaders of the Swiss-registered body, World Boxing, told a news conference that they would seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The group includes federations who have already announced boycotts of this year's men's and women's world championships organised by the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA). Amateur boxing's governing body defied IOC guidance and lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers competing under their flags last October. The United States tops the all-time Olympic boxing medal table with 50 golds and 117 medals, ahead of Cuba and with Britain third.

☆ WTA set to return to China in September despite uncertainty over Peng Shuai’s situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced Thursday that it will return to hosting tournaments in China in the fall after suspending all events in the country in 2021 due to the uncertainty over tennis player Peng Shuai’s safety. Human Rights Watch called the WTA’s decision to return to China a “huge disappointment,” but “not surprising.”“International businesses need to work together to do the right thing,” said Yaqiu Wang, senior China Researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It’s hard to challenge the Chinese government alone, but if businesses band together to address China’s flouting of human rights, the power balance can shift. “After all, sports organizations and companies all want to operate in an environment where the human rights of their players, employees, and consumers are protected and there is rule of law. “The road to expose the Chinese government’s human rights abuses and hold it accountable is difficult and often incurs a cost, and it’s not a straight road.”

☆ India remains top destination for Russian Urals oil in April
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 10 (Reuters) - India remains the main destination for Russia's seaborne Urals oil, with about 70% of such exports heading to the country, Reuters monitoring and data from two industry sources showed on Monday. Last month Russia's Rosneft and Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS) announced a supply deal for up to 1.5 million tonnes of Russian oil (11 million barrels) per month from April 1. Urals oil shipments to China, meanwhile, have not increased significantly in April. "China is buying Urals, but not as actively as was expected," a trade source involved in Russian oil trading said. Russia's Gazpromneft shipped 140,000 tonnes of Urals from Novorossiisk to Myanmar in April, having supplied it for the first time in March.

☆ India-China competition, OPEC cuts nudge Urals above price cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW/SINGAPORE, April 5 (Reuters) - Russian Urals oil broke through the $60 per barrel price cap on Wednesday, boosted by strength in international benchmark Brent after OPEC+ announced an output cut, three sources involved in Russian oil trade said and Reuters calculations showed. The price cap was introduced in December by G7 countries and Washington said it would help to avoid supply disruptions by keeping Russian oil flowing, while limiting revenues for Russia's President Vladimir Putin. The Urals oil price for a particular deal is normally calculated on the basis of a monthly or several-days average of Brent differentials. Given current ICE Brent and dated Brent prices, Urals oil cargoes on Wednesday traded slightly above $60 per barrel on a FOB (free on board) basis in Russian western ports, according to Reuters calculations. If international prices fall, the actual price of the deal could still be below the cap.

Europe typically imported an average of 154,000 barrels per day (bpd) of diesel and jet fuel from India before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That increased to 200,000 bpd after the European Union banned Russian oil products imports from Feb. 5, Kpler data showed. OIL PRODUCTSAs Europe's ban kept Russian products out, India's diesel exports to the continent rose 12-16% to 150,000-167,000 bpd in the last fiscal year, the Kpler and Vortexa data showed. The key European buyers of Indian diesel are France, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands, the Kpler data showed. Indian oil products exportsBesides increasing exports to Europe, India has also boosted vacuum gas oil (VGO) shipments to the U.S.

☆ Britain confirms boycott of men's world championships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - British boxers will not take part in the men's amateur world championships in Tashkent after the country also boycotted last month's women's event in India amid mounting concern about the sport's Olympic future. The men's tournament starts on April 30 in the Uzbek capital and runs to May 14. GB Boxing had said in February when it announced a boycott of the women's championships that it was reviewing participation in the men's. GB Boxing will send a team to the European Games in Poland, an official qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The U.S. and Irish federations announced in February they would not be participating in either the women's or men's world championships.

☆ 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.

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