Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law on Friday an anti-doping bill "required to avoid a ban from the Rio Olympics for a nation famed for its runners but tainted by a spate of doping cases in recent years." Kenya had been given a one-month extension on April 7 to comply with WADA regulations or "face sanctions that could include a ban from this year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro." Flanked by senior government officials and sportsmen and women, Kenyatta was "shown signing the bill into law in a video released by the president's office." Kenyatta: "Kenya is 100 percent committed to ensuring total compliance with international regulations on sports and athletics. This law is the continuation, not the end, of our efforts to stand against cheating and corruption in the sporting and athletics arena" (REUTERS, 4/22).
DEVILS GO TO COURT: Super Rugby side Salford Red Devils' alleged salary-cap breach "will go in front of a judge" on Monday. The Red Devils’ bid for a first top-eight finish under Marwan Koukash’s regime "could hinge on the outcome of the hearing, which is being held by an independent off-field operational rules tribunal of the Rugby Football League." Salford was charged by the RFL on March 4 of exceeding Super League’s £1.8M wage ceiling in '14 and '15 but Koukash has "consistently vowed to prove the innocence of his club." Bradford Chair Marc Green "raised questions" over Salford’s use of the cap in the two years in question and in particular the signing of Tony Puletua from St. Helens in '14. Koukash said that Green’s intervention "put pressure on the RFL" and at a press conference on March 10 accused the governing body of "treating his club unfairly." Koukash: "I have nothing to worry about. If necessary I will go to the highest court in the land. I have the means to do so in order to protect the interests of my club, its fans and our players" (PA, 4/24).
LEAGUE BRIEFS ...
The Tennis Integrity Unit is publishing statistics "about suspicious betting patterns over the first three months of the year." The TIU reported that it had "received alerts from betting companies concerning 48 matches, which represents 0.2 percent of the 24,110 matches played in the first quarter of the year." Of the 48 matches, "one was at the Australian Open; one was at a WTA Tour event; 12 were at ATP Challenger events; 24 were at the lowest level I.T.F. men’s events, known as Futures; and 10 were at I.T.F. women’s events." The report "did not name specific matches or the players involved" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/22).
A new world championship for Test cricket will "come a step closer this weekend when the International Cricket Council debates how to save the most traditional form of the game," but England & Wales Cricket Board President Giles Clarke’s hopes of becoming the board’s next chairman "are over." Proposals for a new, simplified Test championship, with possibly four points for a Test win and two for a draw, "will be discussed along with big prize money for winning a match and a series to try to persuade players not to swap the long form of the game for riches on offer in Twenty20 leagues." Clarke’s hopes of becoming the ICC chair "are at an end after he failed to gain enough support to sustain a campaign." Instead it looks "increasingly likely" current Chair Shashank Manohar, from India, will carry on in the role and "will be elected unopposed if he agrees to stand" (London TELEGRAPH, 4/21).
