#ICYMI: Slain Journalist Honored; RUSADA Compliance; Lima 2019 Seminar

(ATR) #ICYMI -- In Case You Missed It ... Sometimes the best stories don't get the attention we think they deserve. Here are our staff picks for articles this week they really want you to know about.

Slain Ghana Journalist Honored By AIPS

Murdered less than a week ago, a journalist who helped expose rampant corruption in Ghana football is honored with his colleagues for their award winning investigation.

Ahmad Husein was part of a team of Ghanaian writers and reporters who received the award for best investigative reporting at the inaugural Association of International Sports Press Media Awards.

Husein was gunned down January 16 in Accra. No suspects have been arrested. Anas Anas, producer of a documentary on the scandal in Ghana recognized Hussein’s sacrifice and says it will not silence the work of his colleagues.

"We will never surrender because journalism is not a crime," Anas said at the ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Anas led the audience of IOC members, federation leaders and sports journalists in a moment of silence for his murdered colleague, followed by a hearty round of applause for Husein.

The awards ceremony at the posh Beau Rivage Hotel honored journalists from around the world in 10 categories across audio, video, photography and writing. The event was carried live on Facebook and AFP.

Veteran Austrian TV journalist Michael Kuhn received a lifetime achievement award.

Top prize winners received $8000 .

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Russia Avoids WADA Penalty Despite Missed Deadline

Russia will face no sanctions for turning over data from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory late, but the World Anti-Doping Agency says the country could miss the 2020 Olympics, should the data be inauthentic.

WADA leaders defended the decision to uphold the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s compliance following the successful retrieval of data from the Moscow lab in a conference call with reporters.

"You will also see that in the letter [from the committee] we considered the fact that the data was provided late; it was provided after the deadline," Jonathan Taylor, chair of WADA’s Compliance Review Committee, said to reporters.

"In the usual case the signatory would be given three months to correct. In this case a fast-track procedure was used instead."

Russia was able to quickly deliver the data to WADA, meaning there would be no sanctions for the missed deadline. Taylor said that the CRC could not operate under "old rules", despite the gravity of the situation and lack of precedent surrounding the Russian doping scandal.

Reports will be produced for the CRC every two weeks during the authentication process, and an independent team will be verifying that the data was not manipulated after Nov. 10, 2015.

Severe consequences have been put on record by the CRC should data be found to be manipulated. The CRC will notify RUSADA immediately about a breach in compliance, and could recommend that Russia be stripped of hosting World Championships for a period, and barred from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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Lima 2019: COPAL Transmite Seguridad a 41 Jefes de Mision

Los organizadores de los próximos Juegos Panamericanos en Lima tomaron nota de las observaciones de los jefes de misión de los 41 países que competirán dentro de 183 días en la capital suramericana.

Los representantes de los Comité Olímpicos Nacionales de Norteamérica, Centroamérica y el Caribe y Suramérica se reunieron esta semana con los líderes del Comité Organizador (COPAL) quienes reiteraron que para el 31 de marzo tendrán listas la gran mayoría de las instalaciones, algo para muchos inimaginable dos años atrás por la incertidumbre en el inicio de las construcciones.

Las medidas de seguridad, el transporte, hospedaje, la infraestructura deportiva y el sistema de acreditaciones, fueron asuntos que centraron la atención de los visitantes, como es usual en estos contactos previos a algunos meses de la apertura, y que también incluyen en su momento a los jefes de las delegaciones a los Juegos Parapanamericanos.

Carlos Neuhaus, presidente de COPAL transmitió un mensaje de tranquilidad a los delegados, les aseguró que todos los detalles serán atendidos "para que cuando los deportistas lleguen al Perú tengan todos los problemas resueltos".

"Obviamente hay casos que se van presentando. Por eso este tipo de reuniones sirven para que los visitantes vayan conociendo a los equipos y haya una relación personal", subrayó.

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