Football's lawmakers "will decide whether to proceed with trials for
sin-bins as well as video assistance for referees next month."
The Int'l FA Board "will receive feedback from experiments by UEFA into
the use of sin-bins and decide whether to give the green light for
further trials." Initial trials of sin-bins took place at a U16 tournament "where players were sin-binned for 10 minutes for offences" (ESPN, 2/2). ... Teams in this year's Super Rugby competition "will have the opportunity to kick for touch after the full-time siren and take a lineout in a variation set to add late drama to matches."
The SANZAAR exec committee on Tuesday "approved a series of law variations in the lead-up to the start of this year's competition."
Among those already mooted that received confirmation "was the change to the try-scoring bonus-point law."
The bonus, previously awarded only to teams scoring four tries, "will now be added when a side scores three tries more than their opponent" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 2/2). ... Sebastian Vettel led the delegation of Formula 1 drivers "who have decided to join a meeting with Pirelli in Milan on Tuesday to discuss 2017 rules." F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone and FIA President Jean Todt were "both present."
Vettel was "joined by Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas" (MOTORSPORT, 2/2). ... Pakistan’s 456-strong contingent for the upcoming South Asian Games in India "has been cleared by its government to participate in the event" starting Feb. 5. The Games "are set to be held in two cities" -- Guwahati and Shillong -- from Friday to Feb. 16. Pakistan Sports Board General Dir Akhtar Ganjera said that "there would be no compromise on the security for the Pakistani contingent during the Games and the Indian Olympic Association had assured them of top notch arrangements for the athletes" (PTI, 2/2). ... Stephen Dank, the architect of Australian Football League side Essendon's injecting program, said that "he hopes his impending court cases help to clear the names of the 34 past and present players banned for being administered an illegal drug."
Dank insisted that "the players were not given the banned peptide thymosin beta-4, but rather the legal thymomodulin, and believes legal action against more than two dozen individuals and organisations will provide new evidence on a saga that is now into its fourth year." Dank:
"I feel deeply for the players. I am upset with the decision in respect to the players, in fact very upset and angry. We must do what we need to do to get the players off" (THE AGE, 2/2). ... Russian Sports Ministry spokespersons said that Russia's anti-doping agency (RUSADA) signed an agreement with the UK Anti-Doping, "outlining cooperation with drug-testing programs in Russia until RUSADA returns to its former status."
Natalia Zhelanova, an aide to the Russian sports minister, said, "In compliance with an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, RUSADA and UKAD will be responsible for planning the testing of Russian athletes." Zhelanova added that "the two nations will also make a joint decision over which laboratories are used to investigate doping."
She also confirmed that the agreement "was only for a limited period of time, until RUSADA's former status is reinstated" (MOSCOW TIMES, 2/1).
