Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva resigned as chair of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, a move that "may help Russian athletes" return to int'l competition. Isinbayeva was "under pressure to quit as head of RUSADA's supervisory council" after the World Anti-Doping Agency called for her removal, "one of four steps it said were necessary for RUSADA to retrieve its right to oversee the testing of Russian athletes" (REUTERS, 5/31).
Twenty-eight Russian athletes "had their requests to compete as neutrals rejected" by the IAAF, which approved three others. The IAAF doping review board accepted the appeals of 400m runner Kseniya Aksyonova, javelin thrower Vera Rebrik and 400m hurdler Vera Rudakova (BBC, 5/31).
England Cricket Dir Andrew Strauss believes the "vital experience" gained from sending the country's players to the Indian Premier League "far outweighs the risk of them picking up injuries during the Twenty20 tournament." Strauss said, "That is the slight risk you take when you make people available for a chunk of cricket that is outside the international schedule. Injuries are part and parcel of life" (REUTERS, 5/31).
The Japan Volleyball Organization announced on Wednesday it will launch a new league but said that "there would be no professional competition coming anytime soon." The new league is tentatively called the "Super League," and starts in the fall of '18 to replace the V. Premier League and sub-divisional Challenge League. The Super League "will have 10 men's teams and 12 women's clubs in each top division" (JAPAN TIMES, 5/31).
Sport Ireland CEO John Treacy warned the Irish Athletic Boxing Association that its funding "could be at risk" if it does not allow High Performance Dir Bernard Dunne to "do his job without interference from the IABA's Central Council." IABA officials were supposed to meet with Ireland Minister for Sport Patrick O'Donovan on Tuesday but the meeting was "aborted due to the non-attendance" of IABA President Pat Ryan (IRISH INDEPENDENT, 5/31).
