Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 19 March 2020
Doping tests around the world wind down because of virus

By JAMES ELLINGWORTH testing out of competition,
DÜSSELDORF, Germany often at home or a training
(AP) — Although anti-dop- camp.
ing organizations around The slowdown at the world's
the world are dialing back anti-doping agencies
on testing because of the could also affect efforts to
coronavirus outbreak, sanction athletes who test
Olympic athletes can still positive for banned sub-
expect a knock on the stances.
door. WBA welterweight boxing
The International Olympic champion Alexander Bes-
Committee has said it re- putin tested positive in De-
mains "fully committed" to cember after a title fight in
opening the Tokyo Games Monaco. A second sam-
on July 24, so testers are still ple was due to be tested
visiting some athletes at a in France on Tuesday but
time when many people that was canceled amid
are trying to avoid social the virus outbreak, he told
contact. Russian state news agency
"Starting immediately, test- Tass. Besputin, a Russian
ing done by USADA will be who fights out of California,
focused only upon mission- Snow falls on the Olympic rings near the New National Stadium in Tokyo, Saturday, March 14, 2020. denies any wrongdoing.
critical testing of those in The World Anti-Doping
sports still competing and as that the athletes have a deputy CEO Margarita recover from the new virus. Agency doesn't have an
needed for those preparing fair chance of Tokyo. This Pakhnotskaya told The As- According to the World overall policy on when
for the Tokyo Olympic and also includes the necessary sociated Press in a text Health Organization, peo- agencies can wind down
Paralympic Games," Travis doping controls and the message on Wednesday. ple with mild illness recover testing and other activi-
Tygart, the CEO of the U.S. pre-Olympic test program," Various agencies have said in about two weeks. Those ties. It says it is monitoring
Anti-Doping Agency, said the German agency said. they will respect an ath- with more severe illness the situation and will share
in a video statement an- Britain and Austria's agen- lete's wish to self-isolate but may take three to six weeks information about "an ab-
nouncing cuts to its testing cies have also announced different countries require to recover. sence or diminished level of
program. significant reductions. different types of proof. Doping tests are split into testing on athletes in areas
The National Anti-Doping The Russian anti-doping For most people, the coro- two main categories. Ath- of higher risk" with bodies
Agency of Germany is also agency, known as RUSA- navirus causes only mild letes are tested at compe- including the IOC and the
cutting its testing, and sig- DA, said it is still running a or moderate symptoms, titions, so when events are International Paralympic
naled that calling off the full program of out-of-com- such as fever and cough. canceled — including most Committee.
Olympics would allow it to petition tests despite hav- For some, especially older remaining Olympic quali- "WADA is prioritizing the
cut further. ing its office staff work from adults and people with fiers — it naturally means health and safety of its
"As the Olympic and Para- home. existing health problems, it a drop in testing. Athletes staff and doing its part to
lympic Games have so "Actually, we haven't re- can cause more severe ill- also have to give regular prevent the spread of CO-
far not been canceled or duced yet, but I suppose ness, including pneumonia. updates on their where- VID-19," WADA said in an e-
postponed, it is important we will have to," RUSADA The vast majority of people abouts to allow surprise mailed statement.q

Kerr says USA Basketball still planning for Tokyo 2020

By TIM REYNOLDS are going to be delayed or last month a list of 44 play-
AP Basketball Writer anything. We're all kind of ers — most of the league's
The USA Basketball coach- wondering what's going to biggest American stars
ing staff for the Tokyo Olym- happen and so is the rest of among them and 15 of the
pics is still preparing as if the world." 16 U.S.-born NBA All-Stars
there will be a gold medal The Olympics are sched- from this season — who are
to try and defend this sum- uled to start July 24. The In- under consideration for the
mer, even in highly uncer- ternational Olympic Com- Olympic team.
tain times caused by the mittee said Tuesday that The original plan was to
global coronavirus pan- the uncertainty of things pick a 12-player roster by
demic. right now is "an unprec- early June, and for that
U.S. men's assistant coach edented situation for the team to gather in Las Ve-
Steve Kerr, the coach of whole world." gas in early July to begin
the Golden State Warriors, "The IOC remains fully com- training camp.
said on a conference call mitted to the Olympic Officially, no part of that
Tuesday that he has had Games Tokyo 2020, and plan has changed yet. Like
some recent contact with Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gestures toward with more than four months the NBA and the rest of the
an official during the first half of his team's NBA basketball game
U.S. head coach Gregg against the Toronto Raptors in San Francisco, Thursday, March to go before the Games sports world, USA Basketball
Popovich of the San Anto- 5, 2020. there is no need for any is very much in wait-and-
nio Spurs as plans for the Associated Press drastic decisions at this see mode.
Olympics continue. stage," the IOC said, add- "We're just going to plan as
Kerr is slated to be on a staff Wright. Those were the Cup in China. ing that any other "specu- if it's going to happen and
that also includes Atlanta three assistants under "Everything's just up in the lation at this moment would we're going to try to put to-
Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce Popovich last summer as air," Kerr said. "There's no be counter-productive." gether a roster," Kerr said.
and Villanova coach Jay well at the Basketball World sense of whether things USA Basketball revealed "That's all we can do."q