Seven more Russian athletes have been "cleared to compete as neutrals while their country remains suspended" from int'l athletics. The doping review board of the IAAF agreed the seven athletes had met "exceptional eligibility criteria." The group "includes world champions Sergey Shubenkov and Mariya Kuchina" (BBC, 4/11).
Aboriginal players from the Australian Football League "issued an open letter to fans of the code demanding an end to racist abuse after two of their number were insulted over the weekend." Port Adelaide Power's Paddy Ryder and Eddie Betts of the Adelaide Crows, both indigenous Australians, were "subjected to racial abuse from the crowd during the top flight match at Adelaide Oval on Saturday." The AFL Players' Indigenous Advisory Board responded with a "plea for an end to the abuse." The letter read, "Racial vilification has been a part of our game for too long. That both Eddie and Patrick were abused because of the colour of their skin is absolutely unacceptable and we ... have had enough" (REUTERS, 4/11).
The Pakistan Cricket Board charged former Test cricketer Nasir Jamshed on Tuesday with obstructing and failing to cooperate in an investigation into a spot-fixing case "which rocked this year’s Pakistan Super League." Jamshed, 27, is the fifth player charged in the scandal, "which saw a one-year ban -- six months suspended -- and a fine meted out to fast bowler Mohammad Irfan last month." Three other players -- Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif and Shahzaib Hasan -- will "fight the allegations before a three-member tribunal headed by a retired judge" (AFP, 4/11).
