• The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has circulated a new Draft Constitution, which it hopes will be adopted at the IWF Constitution Reform Congress in Doha. Schedule 6.1(k) of the Constitution bans candidates from standing for election to the IWF Executive Board if they have been convicted of an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) in the past five years. The Draft Constitution prevents Maxim Agapitov, President of the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF) from standing due to a 1994 ADRV. Agapitov, who is also President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation, successfully challenged the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) refusal to accredit him for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to the 1994 ADRV at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which determined that such a measure was ‘disproportionate’. 

• Austrian handball player Jana Novakovik has been sanctioned with a three month ban after retuning an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) for cannabis at a 1 May match, the Austrian anti-doping rights commission (ÖADR) announced (click here to download). The ÖADR said that two months of the three are suspended, dependant on completion of a treatment programme. The ban will run from 1 August.

• Samira Asghari, IOC Member for Afghanistan, has deleted a tweet calling for support in evacuating female athletes after the Taliban took control of the country. The 18 August tweet was reported by InsideTheGames, but has since been removed. Afghanistan was due to send Zakia Khudadadi (Taekwondo) to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics alongside Hossain Rasouli (Discus). Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), told Reuters that a lack of flights from Kabul has meant that both athletes have failed to make it to Tokyo.

• Remi Amadi, Coach of Cofine FC, has been sanctioned with a two year ban for being the ‘mastermind’ behind an attempt to fix a 15 March match against Bussdor FC, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) announced. Cofine FC has also been sanctioned with a N500,000 (€1,000) fine. The Coach of Bussdor FC, Emeka Okoronkwo, failed to respond to the NFF’s requests for him to attend a hearing.