• The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) has replaced almost its entire squad for the men’s U18 World Championship, which begins in North Dakota on 14 April, it announced today. The RIHF President said yesterday that he was “surprised” about rumours that it has decided to replace the U18 team due to the danger of them testing positive for meldonium. “I am surprised by the intense rumours and guesses being made about the under 18 national team”, said RIHF President Vladislav Tretyak in a statement. The U18 tournament is organised by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rather than the US-based National Hockey League (NHL), which means that players will be subject to testing under the World Anti-Doping Code.

• The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) confirmed via email that Tatyana Beloborodova has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for an unnamed substance. Beloborodova, who competed under her maiden name Lysenko, won world titles in the hammer throw in 2011 and 2013, as well as taking gold in the London 2012 Olympics. In 2008, she received a two-year ban after testing positive for 6α-methylandrostendione. The IAAF was forced to confirm the positive test at a press conference yesterday, following questions from the media.

• An Italian court has called for Chelsea’s new manager, Antonio Conte, to receive a six-month suspended prison sentence over match-fixing allegations, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). Conte, who currently manages the Italian national team, has been accused of failing to expose a fixed second-division match in 2011.

• The IAAF has launched a working group to study the use of prosthetics in athletics. ‘The objective of the working group will be to agree a recommendation for the approval of the IAAF Council regarding IAAF Rule 144.3(d) which governs that athletes using a mechanical aid cannot be allowed to compete at major championships unless they can establish that the use of an aid would not provide them with an overall competitive advantage over an athlete not using such an aid’, read an IAAF statement issued today.

• The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee has launched an inquiry into homophobia in sport. Written submissions can be accepted until 29 April via this link.

• The IAAF will host its 2017 Congress at ExCeL in London on 2 and 3 August. The IAAF Congress is expected to welcome 800 international delegates from more than 200 nations. ExCeL was chosen in part due to its close proximity to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where IAAF World Championships London 2017 take place following the Congress.