Russia, whose track and field athletes were banned from the Rio Olympics after disclosures of a state-sponsored doping scandal, has reportedly "brought in a law which makes inducement to doping a criminal offence." Coaches and specialists in sports medicine and training who induce athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs "now face heavy punishment, including imprisonment, according to the law which was approved by Russia's lower house of parliament." Punishments could range from a fine of up to 300,000 rubles ($4,713), to a prison sentence of up to one year and a ban from taking up certain professional posts for up to three years, "depending on the seriousness of the offence" (REUTERS, 11/3).
Former All Blacks Dan Carter and Joe Rokocoko are to "take their case to the French public prosecutor after confidential medical records were made public by media," according to their club, Racing 92. Carter, Rokocoko and Argentina wing Juan Imhoff were the "target of an investigation by the medical commission of the French Rugby Federation after testing positive for corticosteroids following last season's Top 14 final." However, the trio, as well as Racing's medical staff, "were all cleared of any wrongdoing" (STUFF, 11/1).
Indian Olympic Association President N. Ramachandran and IOA Associate VP Narinder Batra have "decided to bury the hatchet and work for the common good of the National Olympic Association," according to a statement from Ramachandran's office. They have agreed to "withdraw all allegations, accusations, complaints, litigations made/instituted against each other, both individually and in official capacity, and will not pursue the same in the future" (THE HINDU, 11/3).
The NBA announced the launch of the #MyNBAstory contest, a competition for fans to tell their stories of what inspires them about the NBA. Fans using the #MyNBAstory and #Contest hashtags can express their passion for the game through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The top three U.K. fan stories will be made into NBA-produced short films shown on the NBA's U.K. digital and social channels. Fans will vote for the most inspiring story, with the fan submitting the winning story receiving a trip to NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans (NBA).
