Russia

Members of Russia's World Junior hockey team were removed by police from a New Year's Eve flight from Calgary, Canada, to Frankfurt, Germany, for causing a disturbance, according to Michael Rodriguez of the Calgary Herald. 

Several passengers on the flight tweeted about the incident, alleging members of the Russian team were "trying to smoke cigarettes, not wearing masks, not listening to attendants." 

In addition, the Russian team's coach allegedly tried to vape on the plane, and was listening to Russian rock music on "full blast." 

"Two Russian coaches were in business class across from me," Kathleen Scherf, a passenger on the flight, told CTV News. "I noticed right away it was tough for the flight attendants because they had to be told to sit down, not to vape, to stop playing their really loud, hard rock music on iPhones, like out loud, not with any earplugs."

The incident resulted in everyone on board the flight being deplaned. Scherf added members of the Russian team were still wearing masks below their chin once they were back in the terminal. 

"I think they were just really impolite, rude young people, and it doesn't speak well for their country or for their hockey team," Scherf said. 

In addition, the Czech Republic World Juniors team was reportedly kicked off the flight. However, some on Twitter said the "team was removed from the flight by mistake," per the Calgary Herald. They allege the Russian team only caused the disruption. 

The cabine crew was unable to distinguish the inscriptions "Russia" and "Czechia" on the same gray IIHF sweatshirts. AirCanada apologized for the expulsion of the Czech team and, at its own expense, secured the hotel and tickets for the next plane.

— Robert Záruba (@robertzaruba) January 1, 2022

The Finnish World Junior team was also reportedly on the flight and was allowed to reboard the plane after a delay of more than three hours. 

Russian coach Sergei Zubov said in a statement to a Russian newspaper that his team was kicked off the flight for not abiding by the mask policy. 

"The team of the Czech Republic and Russia was removed from the flight for violating the mask regime. Very strict rules," Russian coach Sergei Zubov said in an interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia (h/t Calgary Herald). 

In a statement on Saturday, the International Ice Hockey Federation, which is in charge of the World Junior Championship, said it was "gathering further information on this incident from the relevant authorities and will refer the incident to the IIHF Ethics Board to determine if the Russian National Team's actions violated the IIHF Ethics Code. Upon the IIHF Ethics Board decision, the incident will be referred to the IIHF Disciplinary Board for sanctioning."

The 2022 men's World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, was canceled on Dec. 29 after three games resulted in forfeits due to positive COVID-19 cases. The cancellation marked an end of 44 straight years of the world U20 men's tournament.   

Russia have been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency from competing in all major sporting events for the next four years.

Per BBC Sport, the ban includes the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as well as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where "the Russia flag and anthem will not be allowed."

It does not, though, include UEFA Euro 2020, because UEFA is not classed as a "major event organisation."

Russia have already qualified for next summer's European tournament, and Saint Petersburg is one of the 12 host cities.

WADA's executive committee reached a unanimous decision to sanction Russia in Lausanne, Switzerland, after repeated offences:

Significant punishment for repeated deceptions: World Anti-Doping Agency imposes 4-year ban on Russia using its flag, anthem and team names at Olympics and others sports events

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) December 9, 2019

The organisation's vice-president, Linda H. Helleland, said she is not satisfied with the ban:

This is my speech at the WADA-meeting in Lausanne today.

I wanted sanctions that can not be watered-down.

I am afraid this is not enough.
We owe it to the clean athletes to implement the sanctions as strong as possible pic.twitter.com/Vh99KQsO3z

— Linda H. Helleland (@Lindacath) December 9, 2019

As at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, individual athletes who can prove they are clean will be allowed to compete but not under the Russian flag.

https://twitter.com/jellingworth/status/1203986571084664834

Russia's Anti-Doping Agency, which was declared noncompliant back in January, has 21 days to appeal the ban.

USADA Chief Executive Officer Travis T. Tygart has taken aim at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the "global anti-doping system" following Russia's failure to provide the necessary anti-doping information ahead of a December 31 deadline.

Tygart called the situation a "total joke and embarrassment" in a statement:

Statement from USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart on WADA Failure to Enforce Deadline for Russia Data Submission pic.twitter.com/tjY1Imt5iY

— USADA (@usantidoping) January 1, 2019

According to Eddie Pells of the Associated Press, WADA lifted a ban on Russia's athletes in September. As part of that decision, the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) was required to turn over data and samples, but Russian authorities overruled a WADA team of scientists in December, citing noncompliant lab equipment as the reason.

Per BBC's Dan Roan, the International Olympic Committee's statement appeared to indicate Russia won't be banned from the 2020 Olympics:

IOC President Bach seems to suggest here that despite missing WADA’s deadline & risking suspension, Russia is not in danger of being banned from Tokyo 2020...
“With its suspension from PyeongChang 2018, the Russian Olympic Committee has served its sanction” https://t.co/zgJ9ak59yB

— Dan Roan (@danroan) January 1, 2019

The Russian team was banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, after the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee for its part in a state-sponsored doping scandal.

Some Russian athletes did compete under a neutral flag, and the team won two gold medals, including its first hockey title since the Unified Team did so in 1992.

Per BBC Sport, WADA's decision to reinstate RUSADA was a controversial one, with athletes and organisations from different countries voicing their criticism.

Sportswriter Nick Harris took to social media following the news Russia have missed their deadline:

And yes, of course, there's doping in ALL sports in ALL countries, decades of it in USA track n field and in British cycling etc ad infinitum. But the scale & organisation and Govt support of the Russian scam since 2010 (ish) is unprecedented in modern times.

— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) January 1, 2019

As reported by BBC Sport, the UK Anti-Doping Athlete Commission has joined USADA in calling for an immediate suspension.

The World Anti-Doping Agency reinstated Russia on Thursday even though the country didn't meet all of the conditions in its nearly three-year suspension related to widespread state-sponsored use of performance-enhancing drugs by its athletes.

Russia didn't publicly acknowledge its role in the scheme and has yet to provide WADA with access to evidence of the program stored in a Moscow laboratory, but the 12-member executive committee voted to end the ban anyway, according to the Associated Press.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency was suspended by WADA in November 2015 after an investigation into the country's use of PEDs when it served as host of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

After an extended stalemate, with Russia unwilling to meet those final conditions, the nation was reinstated despite opposition from inside and outside WADA, the AP reported.

WADA president Craig Reedie said there's a "clear timeline" for Russia to provide samples from the Moscow lab and noted the decision to reinstate the country is "subject to strict conditions."

Although Russia was allowed to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, the nation was banned from the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea by the International Olympic Committee after an investigation.

Russian athletes who passed drug tests were allowed to take part in the Games, but they were described as Olympic Athletes from Russia. The men's hockey team won the gold medal, arguably the top prize in the global event.

The IOC lifted its ban of the country following the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

FIFA World Cup 2018 hosts Russia welcome France to the St Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday for an international friendly.

Russia were well-beaten by Brazil in Moscow on Friday while Les Bleus threw away a 2-0 lead over Colombia to lose 3-2 at the Stade de France.

Here's how you can watch the game:

        

Date: Tuesday, March 27

Time: 4:50 p.m. BST/11:50 a.m. ET

TV Info: ESPN 3 (U.S.)

Live Stream: WatchESPN

        

Preview

France head to Russia having gone three games without a win after a disappointing defeat to Colombia last time out. Coach Didier Deschamps started with Paul Pogba on the bench but saw his side go ahead through goals from Olivier Giroud and Thomas Lemar.

However, Colombia hit back and a late penalty from Juan Fernando Quintero saw the visitors complete a dramatic turnaround. Opta highlighted some worrying defensive form for the French:

4/5 - The last 5 shots on target faced by Hugo Lloris with France:
⚽️
⚽️
👐
⚽️
⚽️
Worry. pic.twitter.com/Emayh1o06O

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 24, 2018

Giroud and defender Samuel Umtiti said after the game France must respond quickly, as shown by Goal:

A big wake-up call...

France internationals Olivier Giroud and Samuel Umtiti insist the team must respond quickly following their 3-2 collapse against Colombia. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/E6lYxK7BHz

— GOAL (@goal) March 25, 2018

As good as France were in the first half, they were poor after the break, and there was a real lack of leadership once Colombia began to get back into the game. Deschamps also seemed unable to change the game from the bench, and Tuesday's match against Russia now takes on extra significance.

Deschamps may have been wanting to rotate his team for Tuesday's match but could now go with another strong team in order to avoid another poor result that will further affect confidence.

Yet Russia also need to bounce back after going down 3-0 to Brazil. Tite's team produced a commanding second-half performance, and goals from Joao Miranda, Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho secured the win despite the absence of injured star man Neymar.

Robbie Dunne at AS summed up the Russian approach:

Brazil with 73% possession in that half but lacking creativity in the final third. Russia... are physical.

— Robbie Dunne (@robbiejdunne) March 23, 2018

Russia were comfortably beaten as they could not cope with the extra quality of the visitors. They did create chances, but their finishing was poor. European football writer Michael Yokhin was not too impressed with their attacking options:

Russia are now playing with a below average striker like Anton Zabolotny against Brazil.
Zabolotny literally means "from behind the swamp", and that pretty much sums up the situation.

— Michael Yokhin (@Yokhin) March 23, 2018

France have the stronger squad and are in a need of a win after a disappointing run of results. Much may depend on how strong a selection Deschamps goes for, but anything other than a win for France will place a few question marks over the team as we head towards this summer's tournament.

The International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday that Russia has been reinstated for future editions of the Games after being banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, following a widespread doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Games.

The IOC confirmed the decision in a statement released on the Olympic website.

"The final notification of all remaining test results from the Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) delegation has been received from the Doping-Free Sport Unit (DFSU).

"The IOC can confirm that all the remaining results are negative.

"Therefore, as stated in the Executive Board decision of 25th February the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee is automatically lifted with immediate effect."

Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said the news was of the "utmost importance" on the country's state TV, according to the Guardian.

"I would like to thank our athletes who were able to perform well even despite the provocations," he said. "I thank the fans who did not cross the line and what could result in sanctions. Today's IOC's decision is very important for us. The ROC is an absolutely full-fledged member of the Olympic family."

Although Russia was formally banned from this month's Games, 168 athletes from the nation were still allowed to compete under the neutral distinction of Olympic Athletes from Russia.

It even captured one of the Olympics' most prominent gold medals in men's ice hockey. Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk and Nikita Gusev led the team to five straight victories, including a 4-3 overtime triumph over Germany in the title game, after a shocking loss to Slovakia in its opener.

However, two Russian athletes, curler Alexander Krushelnitsky and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva, failed doping tests during the Games. Krushelnitsky returned his bronze medal from mixed doubles.

A spokesman for the Olympic Athletes from Russia has confirmed one of their athletes failed a drug test during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

According to James Ellingworth of the Associated Press, Russian state news agencies have reported the failure. The report made no mention of the athlete or sport, but Nick Butler of Inside the Games reports it is Alexander Krushelnytsky, a member of the mixed doubles curling team.

Sport Express (h/t Sean Ingle of the Guardian) also reported the athlete in question is Krushelnytsky. He and his wife Anastasia Bryzgalovoy won the bronze medal at the 2018 Olympics. Per the report, the drug in question is meldonium, a medication used to treat heart victims.

Russia have been banned from the 2018 Olympics as part of a massive investigation into systematic doping abuse, forcing hundreds of athletes to compete under a neutral flag.

Per Ellingworth, the International Olympic Committee have "taken note" of the statement from the Russian spokesman, but the case has not been confirmed. The Court of Arbitration for Sport has not yet been notified.

Meldonium was moved to the list of banned substances in 2016, and several top athletes have been punished for using the product since then. Heavyweight boxing contender Alexander Povetkin and tennis superstar Maria Sharapova are two of the biggest names who were caught using the drug.

Japanese speed skater Kei Saito was the only athlete removed from the 2018 Olympics for a doping incident so far.

Russia is set to hold an alternative Olympics and Paralympics for its athletes who were banned from competing at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

According to Russian news agency TASS, prime minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree to hold the competition, similar to the one held for the country's athletes before the 2016 Rio Games.

He said: "The Olympic Games are underway, and we are cheering for our athletes who are being in rather complicated conditions there. However, athletes who were not admitted to the Olympics on a spurious pretext, because of a vociferous political campaign unleashed against our country, suffered even more."

Medvedev added he "signed an order assigning the Sports Ministry to hold open sports competitions on some sports—both Olympic and Paralympic—with payment of appropriate rewards, which our president said about."

Russian athletes were banned from competing in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee after allegations of state-sponsored doping during the 2014 Sochi Games, with those who could prove they were clean allowed to compete as Olympic Athletes from Russia under a neutral flag.

The IOC also denied entry to 15 Russian athletes and coaches whose lifetime bans were overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Around 70 athletes across five disciplines—skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, short track and speedskating—were among those banned by the IOC and will compete in the alternative Games.

Deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko said the competition will be held "right after" the Pyeongchang Games over the course of "several weeks," with St. Petersburg and Khanty-Mansiysk among the cities to host the events.

The United States has been making intelligence investigations into Russia's hacking during the U.S. presidential election, and the United States National Intelligence Council believes Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hack in part because he thinks the United States was behind the uncovering of Russian athlete doping.

After the World Anti-Doping Agency's investigation, the International Olympic Committee banned 111 of Russia's 389 listed athletes from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, including the entire track and field team.         

"Putin publicly pointed to the Panama Papers disclosure and the Olympic doping scandal as US-directed efforts to defame Russia, suggesting he sought to use disclosures to discredit the image of the United States and cast it as hypocritical," the NIC report stated. 

Last July, WADA investigator Richard McLaren issued a report that said the Russian Sports Ministry oversaw the doping of athletes in 28 different sports from 2011 to 2015. He issued a follow-up report in December that found the scandal involved more than 1,000 Russian athletes in 30 sports. 

Anna Antseliovich, the acting director general of Russia's national anti-doping agency, told Rebecca R. Ruiz of the New York Times in December the doping scandal was "an institutional conspiracy."

In September, WADA announced a Russian cyber espionage group hacked its database to collect confidential medical information about athletes. Tom Ley of Deadspin noted the hacked documents showed notable American athletes such as Serena Williams and Elena Delle Donne were taking drugs on the banned substance list, but they had therapeutic use exemptions. 

Russia won 55 medals in Rio after capturing at least 62 in the previous five Summer Olympics.