April 10 "looms as D-Day for the central figure in the most scandalous drugs probe in Australian sport." The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority's decision-making body will be "set to make a critical ruling on Stephen Dank." This follows ASADA's move last month "to issue the biochemist who has worked with footballers" from several Australian Football League and National Rugby League clubs with a ''show cause" letter for 34 alleged anti-doping rule breaches understood to focus almost entirely on his work at AFL club Essendon. Dank "did not respond to the show-cause letter within the 10-day window allowed, and does not intend to co-operate with ASADA under any circumstances" (THE AGE, 4/2). ... The New Zealand Rugby Union's integrity unit has made its first statement "issuing a directive for all players and administrators involved in the professional game to sign a pledge against corruption." Close to 2,000 people involved in the pro and semi-pro game, including players, coaches and managers, "have been warned against betting on rugby, regardless of whether it is played here, or overseas" (FAIRFAX NZ NEWS, 4/2). ... Just days after members of Korea’s female curling team resigned, citing verbal abuse and sexual harassment by coaches, women of the short track speed skating team of Hwaseong city government "reported to police that their former coach, surnamed Lee, sexually harassed them during training." In response, the coach "filed a countercharge accusing the skaters of libel" (KOREA JOONGANG DAILY, 4/2).
