Russia to elect new body

Russia's sports and Olympic chiefs have agreed to elect a new national rowing body in order to avoid a four-year ban on their athletes. Last week, the International Rowing Federation (FISA) threatened Russia with the ban, which would keep the entire...

Russia's sports and Olympic chiefs have agreed to elect a new national rowing body in order to avoid a four-year ban on their athletes. Last week, the International Rowing Federation (FISA) threatened Russia with the ban, which would keep the entire rowing team out of the Beijing Olympics, after nine Russian athletes were found guilty of doping violations in a 12-month period.

FISA offered the Russians a chance to avoid suspension by electing a new national rowing federation. It gave them until today to accept the offer and until March 31 to appoint a new rowing board and team staff.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.