Banka re-elected for third and final term as WADA president
May 29 (Reuters) - Witold Banka was re-elected for a third and final three-year term as president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the organisation said on Thursday.
The third term for Banka, a former middle-distance runner, will begin in January and run until the end of 2028. WADA vice president Yang Yang was also re-elected for a third and final three-year term.
In a virtual address to the WADA Foundation Board following his re-election, Banka said he and Yang are committed to elevating the athlete experience, strengthening the global anti-doping system and expanding the impact of their science, education and intelligence work.
"We are energized by innovation, collaboration, and the unwavering belief that clean sport matters," said Banka. "I can assure everyone here that we will work harder than ever to protect the integrity of sport and the dreams of the most important stakeholder of all, the athletes."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russian pipeline gas exports to Europe rose 10% m/m in May, data shows
MOSCOW, June 2 (Reuters) - Russian energy giant Gazprom's ( opens new tab average daily natural gas supplies to Europe via the TurkStream undersea pipeline increased by 10.3% in May from a month earlier, Reuters calculations showed on Monday. Turkey is the only transit route left for Russian gas to Europe after Ukraine chose not to extend a five-year transit deal with Moscow when it expired on January 1. Calculations based on data from European gas transmission group Entsog showed that Russian gas exports via the TurkStream pipeline rose to 46.0 million cubic metres (mcm) per day in May from 41.7 mcm per day in April. That was down from 47.2 mcm in May 2024. Total Russian gas supplies to Europe via TurkStream stood at around 7.2 billion cubic metres (bcm) in the first five months of this year, compared to 6.6 bcm during the same period a year earlier, according to Reuters calculations. The company, which has not published its own monthly statistics since the start of 2023, did not respond to a request for comment. Russia supplied about 63.8 bcm of gas to Europe by various routes in 2022, Gazprom data and Reuters calculations show. That plummeted by 55.6% to 28.3 bcm in 2024, but increased to around 32 bcm in 2024. At their peak in 2018-2019, annual gas flows to Europe reached between 175 bcm and 180 bcm.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
The Simon Yates lesson that Isaac del Toro must learn from unforgettable Giro d'Italia
One year on from Tadej Pogacar 's demolition job of the competition at his maiden Giro d'Italia, another young climber was having his moment in the sun. The comparisons were inevitable as soon as Isaac Del Toro appeared on the scene: lean, explosive, with a natural gift for spotting his moment, an obvious thrill for racing. But as the Mexican progressed through this Giro d'Italia it felt like the Tadej Pogacar comparisons weighed lightly on his shoulders. The 21-year-old seemed a changed figure from the wide-eyed figure who pulled on the maglia rosa in disbelief on stage nine, at the end of an audacious attack on one of the race's toughest stages, the gravel-dotted run into Siena. The UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider grew into the race, seeming to grow in confidence and stature with each day in head-to-toe pink. It proved difficult for the likes of Richard Carapaz to dislodge him as he marked every one of his rivals' moves, never missing a beat. He outlasted both Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates, in theory the squad's official co-leaders going into the race. There were echoes of another prodigious talent's youthful enthusiasm in his attacking racing style, and like with Pogacar's Tour de France in 2022, it proved insufficient to win the Giro d'Italia. Jumbo-Visma isolated Pogacar in the French Alps, wearing the Slovenian down through an all-out assault, as his tremendous efforts over the course of the race told and he finally buckled. A similar situation happened the following year. In Italy, Del Toro appeared at ease closing gaps when other GC contenders attacked, but there were raised eyebrows at his decision to do it all himself, rather than letting his teammates do the dirty work. Question marks remain over UAE Team Emirates' tactics at this race, from their unwillingness to throw the full weight of the squad behind one or the other of del Toro and Ayuso when the Mexican was in the ascendancy, to the failure to work to bring back Yates on the Colle delle Finestre, instead letting the race win ride away into the clouds. Ironically, it was partially a reversion to conservative tactics that cost Del Toro the win – but his exhaustion on the penultimate stage will only have been compounded by the unnecessary energy he spent earlier in the race. Inevitably, Del Toro will be back; his class and ability were apparent as a youngster and have only been emphasised by his near two-week stint in the pink jersey. He is the youngest podium finisher at the Giro since Fausto Coppi 85 years ago, and second on his Giro debut. Grand Tour wins are in his future. But rather than youthful enthusiasm and star power, this Giro was won on patience and experience. Simon Yates raced his 2018 Giro in the aggressive way Del Toro began his stint in pink, before cracking spectacularly with the finish line in sight, losing 38 minutes on the Finestre as he watched Chris Froome ride away to glory. This time Yates, 21st on stage one, kept a low profile until the last possible moment. It was a win seven years in the making. While Del Toro stole the show for much of this race, and the complex politics among UAE's young cohort of starlets made for drama, this race was one for a generation of old-timers. Comparatively, at least. For Primoz Roglic, the overwhelming pre-race favourite, it was a disappointment. In his last twelve Grand Tours, going back to his maiden Vuelta victory in 2019, he has either finished on the podium (seven times) or abandoned the race (five). But this was the redemption tour for the 32-year-old Simon Yates; the exhilarating comeback of 28-year-old Egan Bernal, seventh on GC in Rome and back to attacking ways, three years on from the crash that nearly killed him; the unexpected renaissance of one of cycling's canniest racers, 32-year-old Richard Carapaz. Last year's Giro was a story of untempered dominance, of one of the most brilliant riders to ever grace the sport. This year's was a story of romance, of incredible perseverance, of a rider returning triumphant to the scene of one of his lowest moments. On the other side, it was a story of a young man with the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders, making history for Mexico and breaking new ground. Lit up by the attacks of the 2019 and 2021 winners, won by a rider who may have thought his chances of another victory at the corsa rosa had passed him by, and the scene of Del Toro's coming of age, this Giro was the sport's past, present and future, all in one.
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
Potential policy flashpoints between Poland's new president, pro-Europe government
WARSAW, June 2 (Reuters) - Polish nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki won the second round of the country's presidential election with 50.89% of the votes, the electoral commission said on Monday, in a blow to the reform agenda of the pro-European government. Prime Minister Donald Tusk swept to power in 2023 with a broad alliance of leftist and centrist parties, on a promise to undo changes made by the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) that the European Union said had undermined democracy and women's and minority rights. However, reforms have been slow, mainly because - the government contends - Poland's outgoing president, Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, has been vetoing bills. Nawrocki is expected to continue to block them. Below are the key issues on which the new president and the government may collide. Tusk won the 2023 parliamentary vote partly on promises to end a near-total ban on abortion introduced by the socially conservative PiS government. Tusk and the Left promised to allow abortion on demand until 12 weeks and restore the right to termination in case of foetal abnormalities, but the coalition was unable to agree on a bill. It also argued that Duda would veto any liberalisation. Nawrocki had said he would not sign any bill liberalising the right to abortion, even in the case of foetal abnormalities. He also opposes a bill on same sex partnerships proposed by the Left. Nawrocki campaigned on a promise to ensure that economic and social policies favour Poles over other nationalities, including refugees from neighbouring Ukraine. During its two terms in government from 2015 to 2023, PiS introduced judicial reforms which Brussels said undermined the rule of law and which critics blamed for chaos in the judiciary. The European Union's top court ruled that a new procedure for appointing judges did not guarantee their impartiality, opening the way for their rulings to be questioned. The Constitutional Tribunal issued rulings stating that Poland's constitution had primacy over EU law, undermining a key principle of the Union. Brussels took Poland to court over the ruling, and the current government does not recognise it. However, Tusk's efforts to roll back the changes have so far failed, blocked by Duda who keeps appointing judges under PiS rules. Nawrocki has signalled he supports PiS's changes, suggesting that the deadlock will continue. Duda also blocked the government's efforts to bring PiS politicians to justice, pardoning two members of the former government sentenced for abuse of power in their previous roles. Critics have said Nawrocki could come under pressure from PiS to pardon its politicians. Nawrocki's win may undermine Tusk's political project and could be a prelude to the return of PiS to power in 2027 or even earlier if the ruling centrist coalition crumbles and a snap election is held. Tusk had said he wants to renegotiate the coalition agreement and reshuffle his team after the presidential election to make it leaner and more efficient. Nawrocki will also get to nominate the new governor of the National Bank of Poland who leads the Monetary Policy Council (MPC) which decides on monetary policy, as well as other high-ranking officials. While Nawrocki supports giving military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia's invasion, he is opposed to Kyiv joining Western alliances such as NATO. He also declared he would not agree to the deployment of Polish troops on Ukrainian territory. Nawrocki rejects suggestions that his stance is pro-Russian, while also saying that Poland has the right to raise sensitive issues with Kyiv such as exhumations of the remains of Polish victims killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two. EU, U.S. Nawrocki vows to resist what he sees as efforts by Tusk and Trzaskowski to promote a European super-state, cede Polish national prerogatives to Brussels and undermine the country's security relationship with the United States. In a meeting with Slawomir Mentzen, the far-right candidate who was in third place in the first round of the election, he signed a declaration that he will not agree to any European treaties that would "weaken the position of Poland". Nawrocki prioritises closer security ties with the U.S., especially on defence. While his liberal opponent Rafal Trzaskowski played up his European credentials, Nawrocki met Donald Trump at the White House and received the U.S. president's backing for his bid for Poland's top job.
