IPC to Decide Russian Paralympic Fate -- Monday Memo

(ATR) The International Paralympic Committee Governing Board convenes this week where Russia’s participation at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics is scheduled to be decided.

The Governing Board, led by IPC President Andrew Parsons, will utilize the information gathered by the International Olympic Committee’s Oswald and Schmid Commissions analyzing the extent of the Russian doping scandal at Sochi 2014.

The IOC Executive Board met on Dec. 5, suspending the Russian Olympic Committee yet allowing Russian athletes who can prove to be independent from the past doping schemes and comply with stringent anti-doping procedures before the Games to be eligible to compete as "Olympic Athletes from Russia".

The IPC has its own task force aiding the Russian Paralympic Committee regain compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and subsequently reinstatement into the Paralympic community.

Former IPC president Philip Craven suspended the RPC ahead of the Rio 2016 Games after analyzing the evidence provided in the WADA-backed investigation led by Richard McLaren.

IPC Vice President Duane Kale told Around the Rings at the World Adaptive Surfing Championships that the IPC would likely analyze the decision taken earlier this month by the IOC but come to its own conclusion during its Governing Board meeting set for Dec. 22.

"We haven’t come to a decision and nor should we. We need to understand and evaluate what has been done," Kale said earlier this month.

"It is fair to say that the Russian Paralympic Committee has done possibly all they can do at this point. There are still some aspects outside of the Paralympic Committee that we need as part of the task force program to be reconsidered and still need to be addressed so we’ll get a update on that in about a week’s time."

The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics are scheduled for March 8-18.

FIFA Verdict Awaits

Jurors deciding the innocence of three former South American football officials in a corruption trial that has spanned months will meet for deliberation once more this week.

The jurors began their deliberation on Dec. 15 and after three hours had yet to come to a conclusion.

The three football officials suspected of money laundering, racketeering and bribery in the awarding of coveted hosting and marketing rights of regional football tournaments are: Brazil’s Jose Maria Marin, Peru’s Manuel Burga and Paraguay’s Juan Angel Napout. They have all pleaded not guilty.

The three South Americans were among nearly two dozen FIFA officials charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2015, many arrested by Swiss officials in a pre-dawn raid at a hotel in Zurich where a FIFA meeting took place. A dozen have pleaded guilty.

The jury did not deliberate over the weekend and will resume discussing the case on Monday. The lengthy trial has featured celebrity testimony, accusations of bribery involving the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid and neck-slit death threats to witnesses.

ATR Ranks the Golden 25 for 2018

Around The Rings presents the 22nd annual Golden 25, which identifies and recognizes the thought-leaders, personalities and organizations projected to have the greatest impact on the Olympic Movement in 2018.

While other end-of-year rankings look back, the Golden 25 looks ahead. The final ranking is the product of a matrix of information assembled by the experienced ATR staff and includes an informational summary for each listing.

Unmatched reporting and comprehensive analysis make ATR the most respected and dominating leader in news coverage of the Olympic Movement. With more than 20 years of Olympic experience, ATR is uniquely positioned to provide insight into the individuals and factors that will influence global sport in 2018.

Click here to see who made the list in 2017.

Vote now for your favorite sports city! The Sports City Poll closes Dec. 31. The poll ranks the top 50 cities most strongly associated with sport. Results January 2018.

Written by Kevin Nutley

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