(ATR) Shamil Tarpischev may face an IOC ethics investigation over derogatory comments he made about U.S. tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
Tarpischev called Serena Williams "one of the Williams brothers" on a Russian television show earlier this month. She reacted by saying his remark was "sexist" and "racist."
Despite an apology, the 66-year-old head of the Russian Tennis Federation was on Saturday handed a one-year ban by the Women's Tennis Association and fined $25,000.
WTA CEO Stacey Allaster said Tarpischev’s remarks were "insulting, demeaning and have absolutely no place in our sport."
The IOC has yet to decide if the case will be referred to its ethics commission.
"The IOC will directly contact Mr. Tarpischev to ask him for a full explanation of his comments," a spokesman told the Press Association.
A member of the IOC since 1994, Tarpischev has been a member of the Russian Olympic Committee’s executive committee for 20 years.He sits on the IOC’s sport and environment and entourage commissions.
Reported by Mark Bisson
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
Últimas Noticias
Utah’s Olympic venues an integral part of the equation as Salt Lake City seeks a Winter Games encore
Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation chief of sport development Luke Bodensteiner says there is a “real urgency to make this happen in 2030”. He discusses the mission of the non-profit organization, the legacy from the 2002 Winter Games and future ambitions.
IOC president tells Olympic Movement “we will again have safe and secure Olympic Games” in Beijing
Thomas Bach, in an open letter on Friday, also thanked stakeholders for their “unprecedented” efforts to make Tokyo 2020 a success despite the pandemic.
Boxing’s place in the Olympics remains in peril as IOC still unhappy with the state of AIBA’s reform efforts
The IOC says issues concerning governance, finance, and refereeing and judging must be sorted out to its satisfaction. AIBA says it’s confident that will happen and the federation will be reinstated.
IOC president details Olympic community efforts to get Afghans out of danger after Taliban return to power
Thomas Bach says the Afghanistan NOC remains under IOC recognition, noting that the current leadership was democratically elected in 2019. But he says the IOC will be monitoring what happens in the future. The story had been revealed on August 31 in an article by Miguel Hernandez in Around the Rings
North Korea suspended by IOC for failing to participate in Tokyo though its athletes could still take part in Beijing 2022
Playbooks for Beijing 2022 will ”most likely” be released in October, according to IOC President Thomas Bach.
