BEIJING: Chinese athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs will receive criminal punishments and jail terms from next year, as China cracks down on doping ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, state media reported.
China's sports administration and top judicial authority are drafting rules that would apply criminal law to doping cases, official news agency Xinhua said Friday.
Citing remarks made at a Friday meeting by Gou Zhongwen, director of China's sports administration, Xinhua said that the new anti-doping punishments will be put into effect "probably in early 2019".
"It is our will to show the world we are really serious about anti-doping, and are taking concrete measures on fight against doping," Gou said.
China's sports administration told AFP it could not confirm Xinhua's report.
Doping scandals have riddled China's international sporting record in the past decade, with some athletes stripped of Olympic gold medals.
In January 2017, three Chinese women's weightlifting gold medallists at the 2008 Beijing Olympics were disqualified and stripped of their medals for doping following a reanalysis of their drug tests.
Later that year, a Chinese doctor claimed that there had been a systematic doping programme in China during the 1980s and 1990s across a range of sports, in an interview with German media.
All medals won by Chinese athletes at major international tournaments in the last two decades of the 20th century are tainted by doping, alleged the whistleblower, Xue Yinxian.
This year, China banned several of its own athletes who were found to have used performance-enhancing drugs, as Beijing works to clean up its international sporting reputation.
In January, a Chinese speed skater was handed a two-year ban and struck off the national team ahead of the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea.
That same month, China's national marathon champion and Olympian Wang Jiali was banned for eight years after failing a drugs test, her second violation.
China to punish athletic doping as criminal offence
China to punish athletic doping as criminal offence
- Doping scandals have riddled China's international sporting record in the past decade, with some athletes stripped of Olympic gold medals
- "It is our will to show the world we are really serious about anti-doping, and are taking concrete measures on fight against doping," Gou Zhongwen, director of China's sports administration, said
Curran and Rutherford shine as Desert Vipers secure second consecutive ILT20 win
- Vipers bowling unit set the tone early, as captain Lockie Ferguson and Mohammad Amir dismantled the Giants’ batting order
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers cruised to a six-wicket victory over the Gulf Giants in a low-scoring contest at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday.
It was the second consecutive win in DP World ILT20 this season for the Vipers, who won with an unbeaten 42-run knock from all-rounder Sam Curran anchoring the chase.
Sherfane Rutherford added fireworks with 40 runs off just 18 balls, ensuring the Vipers reached their target of 120 in 17.4 overs.
The Vipers bowling unit set the tone early, as captain Lockie Ferguson and Mohammad Amir dismantled the Giants’ batting order.
Ferguson claimed three wickets, while Amir picked up two, restricting the Giants to 119/9 in 20 overs. Gulf Giants skipper James Vince fought valiantly, scoring an unbeaten 76 runs off 62 balls, but lacked support as wickets fell at regular intervals.
The Gulf Giants struggled after losing early wickets. Mohammad Amir trapped Adam Lyth LBW in the first over, and Lockie Ferguson soon removed Rehan Khan and Shimron Hetmyer. By the sixth over, the Giants were reeling at 32/3.
Wanindu Hasaranga bowled Ollie Robinson for a duck, while Amir and Ferguson continued to dominate, leaving the Giants at 50/6.
Vince, however, provided a measure of stability, rotating the strike and finding late boundaries. Aayan Afzal Khan (15 off 18) briefly supported him in a 36-run stand, but Khan's dismissal by Luke Wood in the 15th over dashed hopes of a competitive total. Vince reached his half-century off 47 balls, adding crucial runs in the final overs to give his side a fighting chance.
Chasing 120, the Vipers faced early setbacks as Mark Adair dismissed Fakhar Zaman and Dan Lawrence in the second over. Curran and Alex Hales then steadied the innings, adding 49 runs for the third wicket. Curran broke free in the seventh over, smashing a six and a four off Daniel Worrall. Hales fell for 20 runs off 30 balls, and Azam Khan departed for just seven, leaving the Vipers at 66/4 in 12.2 overs.
From there, Curran and Rutherford took control, with Rutherford striking two sixes and a four in the 18th over to seal the win. Curran remained unbeaten on 42 from 43 balls, including four fours and a six.
“It is nice to be here for the start of the tournament and it is nice to win on a tricky pitch,” said Curran, who was named Player of the Match. “It was almost a bit of a Test match out there, trying to trust your defence. I knew they are going to go for their best seam bowlers at the top, so I had to adjust accordingly.”
Reflecting on the defeat, Gulf Giants skipper Vince said: “It was a tough gig batting first; there seemed to be a bit more moisture in the wicket than the last game. 120 is always going to be tough to defend. We needed a bit of luck going our way on a wicket like that. If we had held onto our chances, it could have been a bit tricky for them.”
Man City and Chelsea both draw in Premier League after late goals
- City conceded in the 82nd minute and again two minutes into stoppage time in a 2-2 draw
MANCHESTER: Manchester City showed more fallibility in squandering a two-goal lead to draw at Brentford in the Premier League on Tuesday as Chelsea's slump deepened despite a last-gasp equalizer.
City conceded in the 82nd minute and again two minutes into stoppage time in a 2-2 draw after Phil Foden scored twice for the struggling champions, who are battling to simply qualify for the Champions League this season.
Chelsea salvaged a 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth thanks to Reece James' free kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time but saw their winless run in the league extend to five games.
West Ham beat Fulham 3-2 for a first win under new manager Graham Potter.
First-place Liverpool were playing third-place Nottingham Forest in the late game.
Pressure builds on Dortmund boss Sahin after loss at Kiel
- Dortmund were heavily favored against their promoted opponents
- Kiel have now won two of their last three to boost their chances of avoiding a direct relegation
KIEL, Germany: Borussia Dortmund’s struggles in the league continued with a 4-2 loss at Holstein Kiel on Tuesday, raising the heat on under-fire coach Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund were heavily favored against their promoted opponents, who sit second-last in the table, but were overrun as Kiel scored three goals in 22 first-half minutes.
Shuto Machino, Phil Harres and Alexander Bernhardsson found the net to have Kiel up by three at half-time.
Dortmund’s Gio Reyna and Jamie Gittens scored in the second half but the visitors could not pull off an unlikely comeback, with Jann-Fiete Arp scoring Kiel’s fourth in stoppage time.
Kiel have now won two of their last three to boost their chances of avoiding a direct relegation.
With half the season played, Dortmund sit eighth, 14 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich.
Questions will continue to be asked of coach Sahin, who replaced Edin Terzic in the summer, despite the latter taking Dortmund to the Champions League final in June.
With want-away forward Donyell Malen joining Aston Villa just an hour before kick-off, Sahin handed teenage forward Julien Duranville a starting XI debut.
In cold, foggy conditions on Germany’s northern coast, Dortmund dominated possession for much of the first half-hour, but were unable to break through the dogged hosts.
With 27 minutes gone, Kiel forced Julian Brandt into an error near his own penalty box, Bernhardsson then found Machino who blasted in the opener.
Harres, a fourth-division player this time last season, doubled Kiel’s lead with a clever header on the counter shortly afterwards.
Kiel hit a third just before half-time, Bernhardsson tapping in a Harres cross to have Dortmund reeling.
Sahin made four attacking changes in the opening 15 minutes of the second half as Dortmund pursued an unlikely comeback.
But despite goals by Reyna and Gittens, the visitors were unable to find a third, with local boy Arp scoring in the dying moments to seal a famous Kiel win.
Later on Tuesday, champions Bayer Leverkusen can close the gap on league leaders Bayern Munich with a victory at home against fifth-placed Mainz.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus to undergo surgery for ACL injury
- “Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery,” Arsenal said
- He is expected to miss the rest of the season
LONDON: Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus will undergo surgery for an ACL injury sustained in the team’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United on Sunday.
The Premier League club on Tuesday confirmed the Brazil international’s injury after completing scans of his left knee.
“Gabby will undergo surgery in the coming days and will soon begin his recovery and rehabilitation program,” Arsenal said in a team statement.
He is expected to miss the rest of the season, though no timetable was specified.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had earlier warned that the forward’s injury was “not looking good at all.”
Second-place Arsenal, which host Tottenham on Wednesday, are already without Bukayo Saka due to a hamstring injury.
The team are “actively looking in the market to improve the squad” during the January transfer window, Arteta added.
“It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances,” he said.
“So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let’s see what we are able to do.”
Jurgen Klopp says fans of Red Bull clubs ‘deserve good football’ as he defends new role
- “I thought, do they not deserve good football?” Klopp asked, referring to the Leipzig supporters
- Watzke said he remained friends with Klopp, but that they would no longer be able talk about Dortmund
SALZBURG: Jürgen Klopp’s charm offensive as Red Bull’s head of global soccer began in Salzburg, Austria on Tuesday when the former Liverpool manager was officially presented in his new role and hit back at critics of the move.
Klopp’s decision to join the energy drinks giant to develop its branded soccer clubs around the world has confounded fans of his previous clubs – particularly in Germany, where as coach he led Mainz to Bundesliga promotion in 2004, then Borussia Dortmund to Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012.
On Sunday, Klopp was in Leipzig to see the Red Bull-backed team reclaim fourth place with a 4-2 win over Werder Bremen.
“I thought, do they not deserve good football?” Klopp asked, referring to the Leipzig supporters. “I really felt they deserve it. And it’s not only there, it’s in Salzburg, the football fans in New York deserve it if they want to be part of that journey, in Japan, in Brazil, they deserve support, improvement, all these kind of things. That’s why I want to do it. I love football.”
But Klopp is joining an organization that’s seen by many soccer fans in Germany as the antithesis of everything they love about the game.
Supporters in Mainz responded with protests when Red Bull announced Klopp’s signing in October.
“Have you forgotten everything we gave you?” asked one banner during a match against Leipzig, referring to Klopp’s tearful farewell speech when he left the club after 18 years as a player and coach in 2008.
Klopp’s decision also stung in Dortmund.
“Jürgen knows full well he could have almost picked his job at Borussia Dortmund,” the club’s chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sport Bild last month.
Watzke said he remained friends with Klopp, but that they would no longer be able talk about Dortmund. Watzke had previously said that Leipzig only existed as a marketing campaign.
“Football is played there to get a drinks can to perform,” Watzke said in 2016.
The Red Bull website pays tribute to co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz for developing “not only a new product but also a unique marketing concept” when he launched the drink in 1987.
Red Bull, which announced record turnover of 10.5 billion euros in 2023, started locally when it began investing in extreme sports in Austria in 1988. It branched into motorsport in the following year by sponsoring Austrian Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger, and went international in 1994 by sponsoring windsurfers Robby Naish and Björn Dunkerbeck.
The company’s foray into soccer started in 2005 when it bought SV Austria Salzburg and rebranded the club with its own livery. Despite opposition from the club’s supporters, violet was discarded in favor of Red Bull’s red and white, and the club was renamed Red Bull Salzburg.
The company repeated the feat in Germany in 2009 when it purchased the playing license of fifth-tier SSV Markranstädt, and rebranded the club as it had Salzburg. The club was named Rasenballsport (lawn-ball-sport) Leipzig as the company was prohibited from using its name for the club. But it financed the team’s steady ascent to the Bundesliga, which it reached in 2016.
Klopp will oversee a stable of Red Bull-backed clubs around the world that also includes New York Red Bulls, Bragantino in Brazil and Omiya Ardija in Japan. The company also has a minority stake in second-tier English club Leeds, and is set to become a minority stakeholder in French second-division club Paris FC, which Klopp observed in action on Saturday.
“I think if you want to understand you can understand, if you don’t want to understand, you will not. That’s how it is,” Klopp said of the criticism.
