The lawyer representing Kenya's suspended Boston and Chicago marathon winner Rita Jeptoo "has withdrawn her services a day before the start of a hearing into the athlete's doping case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport." In a letter to CAS, lawyer Sarah Ochwada said that "several obstacles would hinder her from defending Jeptoo" and the Int'l Association of Athletics Federations and CAS "had no sympathy for the athlete's situation." She added that the IAAF "would use Thursday's hearing to ask for Jeptoo's ban to be increased from two years to 12 and said the runner was not capable of representing herself" (REUTERS, 7/6).
Tournament organizers said that representatives from 102 local governments "attended an explanatory meeting about hosting team training camps during Rugby World Cup 2019." In addition to spelling out the requirements tournament organizers require the cities hosting training camps to meet, organizers "touted the benefits of publicity abroad and international exchanges." Another meeting "will be held in Osaka next Wednesday and in Fukuoka the day after that" (KYODO, 7/6).
A Korean baseball club owner "has been placed under a travel ban in an ongoing fraud investigation." The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said that Lee Jang-seok, who owns Korea Baseball Organization club Nexen Heroes, "was barred from leaving the country on June 20." Lee is facing fraud charges, after another business exec claimed that he did not get his stake of the ball club "that Lee had promised him" (YONHAP, 7/6).
Three Australian cricketers "have been sanctioned for gambling on matches." Cricket Australia said that women's cricketers Hayley Jensen and Corinne Hall, who were both on state and women's Big Bash League contracts, and Joel Logan -- a Futures League player for South Australia -- "admitted betting on separate games." All players "were banned for two years but Jensen and Hall had 18 months of that penalty suspended -- meaning they would serve six months -- while Logan's ban was wholly suspended" (AAP, 7/6).
