Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
SPORTS Tuesday 10 december 2019
‘FAIR’

Continued from Page 17 few years ago by a whistle-
blower — that have been
WADA, nothing more than manipulated or deleted.
a rubber-stamp extension Just imagine how busy
of Bach's IOC since his 2016 the Court of Arbitration for
declaration, approved Sport — another bought-
sanctions Monday that it and-paid-for offshoot of
insisted showed its "deter- the IOC — will be in han-
mination to act resolutely dling appeals from Rus-
in the face of the Russian sians whose names are
doping" — specifically, among those 145. Those
proof that Russia tampered athletes will find themselves
with data it was supposed involved in cases that tam-
to hand over to prosecute pering, according to WA-
athletes caught in the dop- DA's own investigators, has
ing scheme. "materially prejudiced (au-
Without the full-blanket thorities') ability to pursue."
ban, however, all it is is talk. WADA's inability to back
In the spirit of fairness, or up these cases, thanks to
so WADA reasoned, "in- some malicious handiwork
nocent" Russian athletes by agents of the Russian President-Elect of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Witold Banka, left, President of World Anti-
should not be penalized for government who were Doping Agency (WADA) Craig Reedie, right, and Director General of World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) Olivier Niggli, center, arrive for a press conference after the WADA’s extraordinary Ex-
the actions of their coun- destroying the data, will ecutive Committee (ExCo) on the Russian doping data manipulation, in Lausanne, Switzerland,
try's most sinister doping weaken, if not outright Monday, Dec. 9, 2019.
plotters. obliterate, the case for any Associated Press
Sounds fair, on paper. But sanctions against these returning to the world stage athlete to compete," said by extension, WADA so be-
in reality, it's (more of) a di- athletes. after the scandal can re- Jim Walden, the attorney holden to a country that
saster in the making. "In part, it's why they need- ally be trusted. That's not for Grigory Rodchenkov, cheats so much? Is it the
Part of WADA's reason- ed to put a full-blanket fair to those who should be the former Moscow lab di- $50 billion-plus Russia spent
ing for not instituting the suspension on," said Travis trusted, it's not fair to Rus- rector who blew the whistle to host the Sochi Games?
blanket ban was to give a Tygart of the U.S. Anti-Dop- sians who had nothing to on the Russian scheme and It's a topic worth pursuing.
chance for "innocent" Rus- ing Agency. "At the begin- do with 2014, and it's cer- is now in hiding in America. But for now, let's just take
sians to compete provided, ning, some people could tainly not fair to the clean "If the files were deleted, the leaders at their word.
among other caveats, that understand not doing that. athletes from other coun- how can any athlete cred- "While being tough on the
"there are no positive find- But this is the third Olympic tries who will wonder if the ibly prove (his or her) inno- authorities, this recom-
ings reported for them in Games that this is happen- Russian next to them is do- cence? mendation avoids pun-
the database and no data ing." ing things the right way or There could be reasons be- ishing the innocent and
relating to their samples All of which leads to the is simply another pawn in yond simple "fairness" and instead stands up for the
has been manipulated." ultimate body blow to fair- that country's wide-ranging the quest to protect the in- rights of clean athletes ev-
But according to WADA's ness: No matter how clean, conspiracy. nocent that might explain erywhere," said Jonathan
own investigation, there how stringently vetted, "Russia dug its own grave the mission to keep Russian Taylor, the chair of WADA's
are 145 cases in the da- how seemingly "innocent" and has ruined the chanc- in the Olympic circle. Why compliance review com-
tabase — handed over a they are, no Russian who is es for any clean Russian are Bach and the IOC and, mittee. q

Joshua set to defend heavyweight titles at Tottenham stadium

By STEVE DOUGLAS a big part in my career. here, bring him here,'"
AP Sports Writer Any time I'm on home Hearn said, sitting along-
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) soil, I can't lose." Joshua, side Joshua in a restaurant
— Anthony Joshua is set for who won the Olympic on one of the top floors of
a London homecoming to gold medal at the London a 5-star hotel in Riyadh.
start his second reign as Games in 2012, has fought "They've seen what we've
world heavyweight cham- twice at the 90,000-ca- done here and there's a
pion, with his next fight pacity Wembley Stadium, lot of options internation-
likely to take place at the beating Wladimir Klitschko ally, but he does want to
recently built stadium of and Alexander Povetkin. box back in the UK.
Premier League soccer But Eddie Hearn, Joshua's "We spoke to Spurs about
club Tottenham. promoter, says the nation- hosting this fight (the re-
Joshua reclaimed his WBA, al soccer stadium "doesn't match against Ruiz),
WBO and IBF titles early look great, date-wise" for which they were keen to
Sunday with a unanimous Joshua's next fight, which do, but unfortunately the
points decision over Andy is set to be in April or May dates didn't work out. They
Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia, against IBF mandatory would be keen to do it and
having lost to the Mexi- Britain's Anthony Joshua celebrates after beating Andy Ruiz Jr. contender Kubrat Pulev. it would be a nice stadium
can-American in New York to win their World Heavyweight Championship contest at the Hearn has turned his sights to do it in London."
Diriyah Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
in June for the first defeat Associated Press on the Tottenham Hot- Hearn said the UK pay-
of his career. spur Stadium, which was per-view numbers for
They were the Briton's first Saudi Arabia, but Joshua said Joshua, who was born opened in April and has a the Ruiz-Joshua rematch
two overseas bouts, with wants to defend his titles in in Watford just outside the 60,000 capacity. were "well over a million,"
Joshua earning a reported front of his home fans. capital. "The phone has gone which would break the UK
$70 million for fighting in "London's calling, I think," "British supporters do play crazy — it's like, 'Bring him record.q