Latest news with #dopingban
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
From doping to damaged goods: Russian athletics' long road to reintegration
After almost 10 years in the international wilderness, Russia's track-and-field athletes appear little closer to a return to competing under their country's flag than they were at the height of their doping ban. Advertisement That suspension – imposed on Russia in November 2015 after state-sponsored doping was uncovered – was lifted in 2023, but it has remained ostracised over the invasion of Ukraine. And it was only in March that World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said sanctions would stay in place until a 'peace agreement was reached'. And yet, there is a sense of optimism internally that the world governing body could be ready to bring Russia out of the international wilderness. On the sidelines of the Russian Track and Field Championships in Kazan last weekend, the Russian Athletics Federation's chairman, Petr Fradkov, and its new general secretary, Alexander Djordjadze, discussed changing the culture from within, the steps they were taking towards reintegration and the clean bill of health they have received from the global governing body's Athletics Integrity Unit. Painful history Convincing the world that Russia can change – has changed – might be Fradkov's biggest task, but he and Djordjadze consider a level of trust to have already been established between their federation and World Athletics. Petr Fradkov at the Russian Track and Field Championships in Kazan. Photo: Russian Athletics Fradkov said his organisation was 'quite pragmatic' in its approach and understood that for athletes to return to international competition, little steps and a gradual approach were probably necessary.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The best transfer announcements of the summer window (and the worst)
Sometimes it's best not to overcomplicate things. The former Atalanta playmaker Alejandro 'Papu' Gómez loves a dance (his hit single Dance Like the Papu went viral in 2017) and Padua is an absolutely gorgeous city in northern Italy, so this Saturday Night Fever-inspired transfer announcement video for the Argentinian that showcases both works a charm. In what feels like a high-quality production, the 2022 World Cup winner struts around the city in 1970s clobber: a leather jacket, an enormously lappelled shirt and a vintage pair of Copa Mundials, all to the sound of the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive. The context of this transfer to the Serie B side is that Gómez is finishing a two-year doping ban after taking a banned substance, which the now 37-year-old claimed came from his son's cough medicine. Gómez, fifth on the all-time list of Serie A assists, continues to train independently but can start training with his new Padova teammates on 19 August. A slightly different one in that this was not an announcement video but a farewell, as Bryan Mbeumo issued an Interstellar-themed message to Brentford supporters before his move to Manchester United. This could have gone badly wrong (and the thought of another Interstellar-themed video in the future where Mbeumo is shouting 'Don't let me leave, Brentford' to himself is a tempting one) but the Cameroon forward pitches it perfectly here, as he recreates the incredible scene where Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, looks back over years of messages left by his children. There are some heartfelt moments in Mbeumo's video: his first Brentford goal, his special relationship with supporters and teammates and his memories of Brentford's promotion to the Premier League. '6 years that felt like 6 minutes,' reads the accompanying caption to the video. 'It's time to take off and to leave the Bees Planet. But before I go, I want to thank all of you. It was an incredible journey full of emotion, smile, laugh and you made every moment very special. You'll always have my heart. We'll meet again in this dimension and in the others.' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. A fairly obvious pun was the catalyst for this Better Call Saul-themed poster, with Saúl's head neatly photoshopped on top of Saul Goodman's body. The image might also be a veiled nod to the call that Saúl received from his former Atlético Madrid teammate Filipe Luís, now head coach at Flamengo. Saúl was on the verge of signing for Trabzonspor after verbally agreeing a deal with the Turkish club but backed out at the last minute, citing 'personal stuff', leading to a furious statement from Trabzonspor's head coach Fatih Tekke: 'Let those who don't want Trabzon have their fun. We will find a better one.' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Another World Cup winner back from a lengthy doping ban, Paul Pogba's return to football with Monaco struck a very different vibe to Alejandro Gómez. Pogba's announcement video, entitled La Renaissance, is more pensive but still slick, with his unmistakeable energy and confidence on show. 'Like a kid all excited for his first day of school,' narrates the Frenchman. But a secondary video showing a tearful Pogba actually signing his contract has far more impact. In contrast to the first choreographed video, Pogba's raw emotion comes to the fore here as his doping ban, injuries and legal cases seem to melt away with the resumption of his career. 'I'm sorry – thank you for your trust,' blurts out Pogba to Monaco's sporting director, Thiago Scuro, with the midfielder barely able to get the words out. 'It is very rare to see me cry like that, so I hope you enjoyed it,' Pogba later reflected. 'There were so many images that came into my mind. We know the doping story, my injury. Everything came back to me during the signing and I couldn't hold back.' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. The most surprising transfer announcement of this transfer window is Porto's signing of Luuk de Jong, whose arrival was kept completely under wraps until an in-person, real-time reveal in front of the fans at the Estádio do Dragão before a pre-season friendly. In an age when journalists and fans are seemingly privy to transfer detail, De Jong's deal was a complete secret, and the idea of Porto's president, André Villas-Boas. With a baseball cap pulled over his head, the 6ft 2in De Jong was lucky not to be seen at Porto airport when he arrived on Sunday, but was smuggled into a taxi without anyone noticing. Even De Jong's medical was booked as a new player for Porto's handball team (De Jong's parents were both professional volleyball players) as the club scrambled to keep his arrival from leaking. After meeting his new teammates in the dressing room before the match, the Dutch striker walked out of the tunnel around 6pm to shock the fans. Burnley have carved out a niche in creating unique transfer announcements in the recent past but their Lionel Richie-themed one for Kyle Walker this summer is quite something. Excruciating acting by the England defender and a bizarre concept. Nope.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The best transfer announcements of the summer window (and the worst)
Sometimes it's best not to overcomplicate things. The former Atalanta playmaker Alejandro 'Papu' Gómez loves a dance (his hit single Dance Like the Papu went viral in 2017) and Padua is an absolutely gorgeous city in northern Italy, so this Saturday Night Fever-inspired transfer announcement video for the Argentinian that showcases both works a charm. In what feels like a high-quality production, the 2022 World Cup winner struts around the city in 1970s clobber: a leather jacket, an enormously lappelled shirt and a vintage pair of Copa Mundials, all to the sound of the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive. The context of this transfer to the Serie B side is that Gómez is finishing a two-year doping ban after taking a banned substance, which the now 37-year-old claimed came from his son's cough medicine. Gómez, fifth on the all-time list of Serie A assists, continues to train independently but can start training with his new Padova teammates on 19 August. A slightly different one in that this was not an announcement video but a farewell, as Bryan Mbeumo issued an Interstellar-themed message to Brentford supporters before his move to Manchester United. This could have gone badly wrong (and the thought of another Interstellar-themed video in the future where Mbeumo is shouting 'Don't let me leave, Brentford' to himself is a tempting one) but the Cameroon forward pitches it perfectly here, as he recreates the incredible scene where Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, looks back over years of messages left by his children. There are some heartfelt moments in Mbeumo's video: his first Brentford goal, his special relationship with supporters and teammates and his memories of Brentford's promotion to the Premier League. '6 years that felt like 6 minutes,' reads the accompanying caption to the video. 'It's time to take off and to leave the Bees Planet. But before I go, I want to thank all of you. It was an incredible journey full of emotion, smile, laugh and you made every moment very special. You'll always have my heart. We'll meet again in this dimension and in the others.' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. A fairly obvious pun was the catalyst for this Better Call Saul-themed poster, with Saúl's head neatly photoshopped on top of Saul Goodman's body. The image might also be a veiled nod to the call that Saúl received from his former Atlético Madrid teammate Filipe Luís, now head coach at Flamengo. Saúl was on the verge of signing for Trabzonspor after verbally agreeing a deal with the Turkish club but backed out at the last minute, citing 'personal stuff', leading to a furious statement from Trabzonspor's head coach Fatih Tekke: 'Let those who don't want Trabzon have their fun. We will find a better one.' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. Another World Cup winner back from a lengthy doping ban, Paul Pogba's return to football with Monaco struck a very different vibe to Alejandro Gómez. Pogba's announcement video, entitled La Renaissance, is more pensive but still slick, with his unmistakeable energy and confidence on show. 'Like a kid all excited for his first day of school,' narrates the Frenchman. But a secondary video showing a tearful Pogba actually signing his contract has far more impact. In contrast to the first choreographed video, Pogba's raw emotion comes to the fore here as his doping ban, injuries and legal cases seem to melt away with the resumption of his career. 'I'm sorry – thank you for your trust,' blurts out Pogba to Monaco's sporting director, Thiago Scuro, with the midfielder barely able to get the words out. 'It is very rare to see me cry like that, so I hope you enjoyed it,' Pogba later reflected. 'There were so many images that came into my mind. We know the doping story, my injury. Everything came back to me during the signing and I couldn't hold back.' This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'. The most surprising transfer announcement of this transfer window is Porto's signing of Luuk de Jong, whose arrival was kept completely under wraps until an in-person, real-time reveal in front of the fans at the Estádio do Dragão before a pre-season friendly. In an age when journalists and fans are seemingly privy to transfer detail, De Jong's deal was a complete secret, and the idea of Porto's president, André Villas-Boas. With a baseball cap pulled over his head, the 6ft 2in De Jong was lucky not to be seen at Porto airport when he arrived on Sunday, but was smuggled into a taxi without anyone noticing. Even De Jong's medical was booked as a new player for Porto's handball team (De Jong's parents were both professional volleyball players) as the club scrambled to keep his arrival from leaking. After meeting his new teammates in the dressing room before the match, the Dutch striker walked out of the tunnel around 6pm to shock the fans. Burnley have carved out a niche in creating unique transfer announcements in the recent past but their Lionel Richie-themed one for Kyle Walker this summer is quite something. Excruciating acting by the England defender and a bizarre concept. Nope.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Dream came true' - Paul Pogba gets to play with Zinedine Zidane & France's 1998 World Cup winners as Monaco new boy rediscovers his smile after doping ban
WHAT HAPPENED? Pogba has a World Cup winners' medal of his own, having helped Les Bleus to global glory in 2018. He has endured a tough time since then, with a difficult second spell at Manchester United coming to a close. Advertisement THE BIGGER PICTURE The 32-year-old was then stung with a four-year doping ban in 2023, which was later reduced to 18 months on appeal. Pogba finally has his smile back after completing that suspension. Pogba Monaco DID YOU KNOW? Having initially struggled to find a new club, following the termination of his contract at Serie A giants Juventus, Pogba has linked up with Ligue 1 outfit Monaco. He is busy settling into new surroundings. TELL ME MORE Opportunities are, however, being taken to relax and unwind away from the training ground and gym. Pogba has linked up with the likes of Zidane, Fabien Barthez, Emmanuel Petit and Lilian Thuram at a special adidas event. WHAT NEXT FOR POGBA? Pogba got to live the 'dream' there, while he will soon get the chance to resume his professional career - with Monaco confident that they can bring the best out of the mercurial midfielder.
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Why does Nicolas Jarry wear a plaster on his nose?
NICOLAS JARRY has made noise in the tennis world for several reasons - and his nose is one of them. The Chilean was given an 11-month doping ban by the International Tennis Federation in December 2019 after metabolites of two substances on WADA'S banned list. And he once featured on the ATP Uncovered's 'What I Eat' series, where he revealed that he will NEVER eat tomatoes. But ultimately, Jarry's three ATP singles title wins are what have made people stand up and take notice of his talent. However, the plaster that Jarry often wears on his nose has now taken over the headlines, and SunSport can reveal exactly why he wears this. Why does Nicolas Jarry wear a plaster on his nose? Nicolas Jarry wears nasal strips on his nose to help him with his breathing. The Chilean revealed that he used to struggle to breathe even after undergoing a nose operation at the end of 2020. Jarry also mentioned that the adhesive strips on his nose help him increase the air flow by more than 30 per cent and compensate for a condition that made him suffer for many years. Chilean superstar Nicolas Jarry told 'They help me breathe. If I don't use them, it's much harder. 'I always knew it was a disadvantage in my profession to have a deviated septum, inflamed turbinates and a lot of allergies because of it. 'I had quite a few problems. I had to breathe through my mouth, so I got tired very quickly when I was playing. Oxygen didn't reach the brain. There was nothing good about it.' He also added: 'I felt a very big change mentally. "It helps me focus on myself and calm myself down." Who else has worn plasters to help them? Carlos Alcaraz has also worn nasal strips to help him breathe but Serena Williams most famously wore plasters on the side of her face to share awareness on sinus problems. In 2007, Serena addressed reporters to launch a campaign for sinus medications and to help share the awareness around it. The tennis great said: "My secret's out. I'm a sinus sufferer. Playing tennis or pretty much doing anything every day is not easy when you have sinuses. "You feel a lot of pressure, congestion and pain and training from Grand Slams such the ones coming up like Wimbledon and the French Open, it's not easy. "It's not easy to play when you have all this pressure. The last thing I want to do is go out on a tennis court and play (sister) Venus and be tired. That's not fun at all, especially against her, she's so tough."
