• UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have been unable to clarify the details behind four ‘Corrective Actions’ that WADA has instructed UKAD to implement, three of which are judged ‘Critical’. ‘The Corrective Actions refer to procedural aspects of our operations’, explained a UKAD spokesperson via email. ‘Unfortunately, we can’t share more information on them as that could impact the operational integrity of those processes’. WADA said that it does not reveal the details of ‘Corrective Actions’ following its audits of anti-doping organisations (ADOs). ‘This is mainly because we would not wish to say anything that might compromise the ADO’s operational integrity’, explained a WADA spokesperson via email. ‘Compliance audits are a collaborative process and WADA works with the ADOs to correct any issues that are highlighted’.

• The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has sent a complaint to the international gymnastics federation (FIG) alleging that judging during the rhythmic gymnastics at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was biased. “What happened was a great injustice towards our gymnasts”, said Stanislav Pozdnyakov (Станислав Поздняков), ROC President, at a press conference. “We believe that the judging was biased. Expert assessments confirm this. The ROC prepared and sent a detailed request to the FIG and the IOC.”

• Nikolai Danielov Danov has had a Gold Medal won at the Italian Roller Games cancelled, due to an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) involving cannabis. The skateboarder was provisionally suspended in July after returning an adverse analytical finding (AAF – or ‘positive test’) for the substance after the skateboarding final at the 19 June event. He has been sanctioned with a three month ban expiring on 7 October.

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has adopted amendments to the Olympic Charter that allows it to remove a sport from the Olympic programme if ‘the relevant International Federation (IF) governing such sport does not comply with the decisions of the IOC EB, or if the relevant IF acts in a manner likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic Movement’. The amendment was proposed by the IOC Executive Board and was adopted at the end of the 138th IOC Session on 8 August. The proposed amendments can be viewed here.

• UEFA has confirmed that the public prosecutor at the Canton of Vaud has initiated an investigation into activities conducted by former staff members of its IT department. ‘The investigation is in relation to arrangements with external ICT service providers to the detriment of UEFA, and does not concern the sales of rights or any commercial arrangements with official partners’, clarified a spokesperson in an email. ‘UEFA terminated the employment contracts with the staff concerned with immediate effect. Our organisation cooperated immediately and fully with the Swiss authorities when contacted on the matter and will continue to provide every possible assistance to the authorities with their investigation. As an injured party, UEFA has constituted itself as a private claimant in the preliminary proceedings. We are very satisfied with the way the investigation is conducted by the prosecutor of the Canton of Vaud.’