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LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Russian athletes have been excluded from another sport, which has become extremely popular at home since the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was banned from participating in international ice skating competitions on Tuesday, a day after it was expelled from football and hockey, President Vladimir Putin’s favorite sport. The decisions follow a request from the International Olympic Committee not to allow Russian athletes to participate in sporting events around the world.

The International Skating Union, the body that manages the sport around the world, said athletes from Russia or Belarus “will not be invited or allowed to participate” in events of another order.

“The ISU Council reaffirms its solidarity with all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine and our thoughts are with the entire Ukrainian people and state,” the ISU said in a statement.

Belarus was a key ally of Russia in its attack on Ukraine.

The World Figure Skating Championships are scheduled for later this month in Montpellier, France. ISU’s decision means that Olympic champion Anna Shterbakova and 15-year-old teammate Kamila Valieva, who was at the center of a still unresolved doping dispute at last month’s Winter Olympics, will be excluded from the competition.

Also Tuesday, the International Volleyball Federation said it had deprived Russia of hosting the Men’s World Cup in August and September and would look for another country or host countries.

“It would be impossible to prepare and organize the World Cup in Russia due to the war in Ukraine,” said the FIVB board.

However, the sport of swimming has so far chosen to ignore the IOC’s recommendation to ban Russians. The governing body of the sport, known as FINA, said on Tuesday that it would allow Russian and Belarusian swimmers to participate “as neutrals, competing under the FINA flag and with the FINA anthem”.

The FINA website still lists Russia as the host of the World Short Course Championships in December.

However, the swimming authority said it had withdrawn the federation’s award to Putin in 2014.

The International Ski Federation has also decided to allow the Russians to continue competing, but the Norwegian Ski Federation said on Tuesday it would block Russians from competing in upcoming World Cup events in their country.

“We hoped that the FIS would reach the same conclusion on behalf of all ski nations, but now the Norwegian Ski Federation can no longer wait. That is why today the executive board decided to inform the FIS that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not have the right to participate in upcoming events in Norway, “said the President of the Norwegian Ski Federation Eric Roste.

It is unclear whether Russian athletes will be eligible to compete in this month’s indoor world championships in Serbia. The country remains excluded from the sport for doping, but many Russians compete as “neutral athletes” without flags or national emblems.

“In this regard, the World Taekwondo has decided to revoke the honorary black belt of the 9th dan, awarded to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013.”

The world taekwondo added that Russian or Belarusian national flags or anthems will not be displayed or played at its events.

In addition, no taekwondo events will be organized or recognized in Russia and Belarus.

The decision comes after the International Judo Federation (IJF) said on Sunday that it would suspend Putin’s status as honorary president and ambassador.

The European Judo Union also withdrew Putin’s status as honorary president on Monday.

On Tuesday, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) followed suit, withdrawing the FINA Order previously awarded to the Russian president in October 2014.

Putin was honored with the highest FINA award as a result of his “important support” in organizing major FINA events in Russia.

FINA said that although no athlete or team from Russia or Belarus can compete under the names of countries or national flags, they can be considered neutral.

FINA on Sunday canceled the World Junior Championships to be held in Kazan, Russia, in August.

The World Short Course Championships (25m), to be held in the same city in December, remains.

“FINA remains deeply concerned about the impact of the war on the water sports community and the wider population of Ukraine,” the statement said.

“FINA will continue to closely monitor the difficult situation and make additional decisions if necessary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the construction site of the National Space Agency on the premises of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2022. Satellite / Sergei Guneev / Kremlin FACE.

February 28 – Russian President Vladimir Putin was stripped of his black belt in taekwondo over his country’s invasion of Ukraine, a personal rebuke in addition to international economic and sporting sanctions.

Citing its motto “Peace is more precious than triumph”, World Taekwondo condemned Russia’s military action in Ukraine, saying “brutal attacks on innocent lives” violate the sport’s values ​​of respect and tolerance.

“In this regard, the World Taekwondo has decided to revoke the honorary black belt of the 9th dan, awarded to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013,” the governing body said in a statement.

He added that he would join the International Olympic Committee in banning the Russian flag and anthem at its events.

The decision comes after the International Judo Federation said on Sunday it would suspend Putin’s status as honorary president and ambassador “in light of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine”.

Other sports organizations such as FIFA and UEFA have stopped Russian national teams and clubs from competing. Read more

Putin demonstrated a capable technique as he appeared in martial arts uniforms, projecting an image of strength, as in other carefully staged events, such as riding barefoot on horseback or playing ice hockey.

Russian forces bombed Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, on Monday, imposing new sanctions on the United States and its allies as part of Russia’s international isolation. Read more

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” which it says is not intended to occupy territory, but to destroy the military capabilities of its southern neighbor and capture dangerous nationalists.

Report by Daniel Trot; Edited by Peter Rutherford

Our standards: ‘ principles of trust.

Seasons of consecutive losses led to the dismissal of Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer in January.

The quarterback leading these teams remains. It turned out that Zimmer was not so hot with him.

According to Chad Graf of The Athletic, Zimmer “complained openly” in coaching meetings for Kirk Cousins, who defended the Vikings for half of Zimmer’s eight seasons in Minnesota. According to the report, Zimmer did not believe that Cousins ​​had promoted his teammates, used enough chances or made enough “winning plays”.

Zimmer was clearly not alone. According to the report, members of his coaching staff shared his opinion of Cousins. Front office members are reportedly blaming Zimmer, believing he hasn’t done enough to get the most out of his quarterback. The facts confirm the latter. Zimmer left. It’s not the cousins, at least not yet.

Will Cousins ​​stay in Minnesota?

Zimmer’s reported disappointments with Cousins ​​are related to Vikings fans, who have witnessed a playoff victory since Cousins ​​arrived from Washington in 2018. Cousins ​​joined the Vikings the same year, welcomed by some making a difference in the quarterback after he appeared from drafting colleague Robert Griffin III Shadow in Washington.

Cousins’ historic, fully guaranteed three-year, $ 84 million contract suggests the Minnesota front office believes so. Former general manager Rick Spielman oversaw the deal and the subsequent two-year extension of Cousins ​​by $ 66 million. Like Zimmer, he is no more.

Cousins ​​have solid results in Minnesota, making 68.3% of their passes for 260.1 yards per game with 7.7 yards of experience. He has an average of 31 touchdowns and nine touchdowns per season with the Vikings.

But the only appearance in the playoffs looms over Cousins, as well as a violation that has never been confused among the league’s elite. A unit ranked with playmakers in Justin Jefferson, Dalwin Cook and Adam Tylen failed to break the league’s top 10 in yards (12th) or points (14th) during the 8-9 campaign in 2021. The unit 2020, involving the same players, finished fourth in yards but 11th in points. Final 7-9 this season also left Minnesota out of the playoffs.

The story continues

New head coach Kevin O’Connell, who coached Cousins’ quarterbacks in Washington, praised Cousins ​​as a playmaker after taking a job in Minnesota. Because of course there is. While Cousins ​​is scheduled to meet the Vikings, O’Connell will not drag him out in public.

That doesn’t mean O’Connell isn’t sincere in his praise. But as the free agency and the draft approach, it makes sense for Minnesota to at least test the waters to upgrade the quarterback, even if Cousins’ $ 45 million salary hit makes the move unlikely. If the Vikings do that, it will be a year too late for Zimmer.

“Nothing has been done, but they are having discussions.” Rapoport said (via Michael Buck of NFL.com). “They are negotiating to make a deal, I hope for them, ready to go if and when Aaron Rodgers firmly decides and finally wants to return.

Here are some similarities with 2018, when the Packers had to make a record deal to keep Rodgers with the Packers. We recently heard that Rodgers is looking for a contract to pay him $ 50 million per season, although QB quickly dispelled these rumors. Although this would be a monstrous number and represents a seismic increase in quarterback salaries over the past two years, Rodgers is now negotiating with successive MVPs in his resume.

Of course, there is still an obvious wrinkle that is hampering the negotiations. Rodgers has not informed the Packers that it wants to stay in Green Bay, and many teams have reportedly sent trade offers to the Packers. Rodgers intends to inform the pack soon of his decision,

Russian billionaire businessman Roman Abramovich, who owns the Premier League Chelsea football club, has accepted Ukraine’s request to help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, a spokesman said.

The news of Abramovich’s involvement in the talks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine first came from Jewish News, which said Kyiv had contacted it through Jewish contacts to seek his help.

“I can confirm that the Ukrainian side has contacted Roman Abramovich to support a peaceful solution and that he has been trying to help ever since,” a spokesman for Abramovich said.

“Given what is at stake, we would like to know why we have not commented on the situation as such or its involvement.

There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian government.

Abramovich, a Jew with Israeli citizenship, was one of the most influential businessmen to earn a fortune since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Forbes ranked him net at $ 13.3 billion.

A commodity trader thriving in the chaos of then-President Boris Yeltsin, Abramovich acquired stakes in oil company Sibneft, aluminum maker Rusal and airline Aeroflot, which were later sold.

Under Russian President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich was governor of the remote Arctic region of Chukotka in Russia’s Far East.

It was not immediately clear what role, if any, Abramovich would play in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials, which began Monday on the border with Belarus.

Earlier, the Ukrainian president’s office said Ukraine’s goal in the talks was an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. The Kremlin has not said explicitly what its purpose is in the talks.

Abramovich, 55, said on Saturday that he was giving Chelsea’s trustees control of the club.

In recent days, two other Russian billionaires, Mikhail Friedman and Oleg Deripaska, have called for an end to the war.

Putin used an early morning address to the nation on February 24 to order a “special military operation” against Ukraine just three days after recognizing two Russian-backed rebel regions in Ukraine.

Putin said he was ordering a military operation to protect people, including Russian citizens, from “genocide” – an accusation that Ukraine and the West reject as baseless propaganda.

Not only did Syracuse not cover. That is, there was never a danger of not covering up, to overtime.

Syracuse was an outsider with 8 or 8.5 points at BetMGM against North Carolina on Monday night and almost won straight. Somehow, Orange didn’t cover the spread.

There are bad beats from garden varieties like the pointless 3-pointer that goes into the buzzer, but the worst type of beat can be having a healthy outsider play well for two halves and then somehow not covering overtime. Syracuse bettors know.

The Oranges took a 9-0 lead to start the match and while UNC made a few series after that, the Syracuse bettors had to feel good until the end of the second half. North Carolina hit with 3 points, remaining 11 seconds to take the lead with 2 points. If he had missed, Orange would probably be covering (and UNC would probably be on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble, but that’s a different conversation). Syracuse then rushed down and struck a nice blow to level it. The Orange bettors at this point found themselves in a strange place in the hope that Syracuse missed this shot and lost by 2, covering the spread. However, having 8 or 8.5 points in your pocket is usually good for overtime and especially after how well Syracuse plays.

On the other hand, experienced bettors probably knew exactly what was coming.

The sequels began and everything went to hell. UNC hit the first four shots at OT to take a 9-point lead. Cole Swider from Syracuse, who was great with 36 points, fouled. The Oranges did not commit a foul in the last minute to prolong the game. A late turnaround from North Carolina, when it increased by 88-79, gave life to bettors in Syracuse. It’s not like North Carolina trying so hard to defend.

Then, with 10.4 seconds left, a long orange pass was a long way off. Brutal. UNC dribbled the time and won by 9, somehow covering the spread.

The good news is that Syracuse bettors are unlikely to have as bad a hit in March. Hopefully though.

Troy Aikman spoke as an analyst who will work for a new corporation next season, but failed to receive public confirmation. So let’s approach this from another angle.

Will we see him share beef breast and potato salad with colleagues at Fox’s next picnic?

“Well,” Aikman said with a sly smile, “if I’m invited as a guest, so can you.”

It looks like Fox will have to find another lead analyst for its NFL broadcasts. After more than two decades in this position, Aikman is ready to leave the network to fulfill this role in ESPN.

“I have a pretty good idea of ​​what will happen to me,” said the former Cowboys quarterback. “There is still a lot of dust that needs to be settled and all this is waiting to happen before final announcements are made.

“But yes, it was an interesting journey. Twenty-one years with Fox, a great 21 years.

“Whatever happens in the end, when everything is said and done, still being a leading analyst for the next five years, is something I’m really proud of because there are a lot of guys coming out of the game,” he continued. . “I think there are a lot of networks that are always looking for the latest and shiny toy. So I’m proud of the way I’ve prepared, the way I’ve worked and the way my work is perceived. “

Reports indicate that Aikman will move to ESPN for a five-year, $ 90 million contract. That’s an average of $ 18 million a year.

His best contract as a player has never averaged more than $ 9.5 million.

“When I retired, I didn’t really know what my future was,” Aikman said. “I knew I would be broadcasting for a year or two and I would know what I wanted to do with myself.

“And now, here, 21 years later, to be in this situation and the salaries to get to where they came from was quite incredible. We had people on the referee’s side, for example, who left the league’s office because they could make more money on TV than they could do with the league.

“Everything looks a little backward, but I’m not complaining about that.”

Aikman made his comments Monday afternoon at the NorthPark Center, where he and Cowboys legend Roger Staubach attended as honorary co-chairs of the Children’s Cancer Foundation’s 2022 Gala Concert in April. Before the press conference, Candice Crawford Romo passed by the event.

Her husband Tony’s huge contract with CBS shocked the industry and probably laid the groundwork for Aikman’s departure.

Speculation is now focused on who will be paired with Aikman on ESPN. His Fox partner, Joe Buck, has one year left on his contract. But Aikman spoke of their close friendship Monday and hinted that what they provide as a team could be underestimated.

“You know, I think something else can probably be said, and I think it might happen at the right time,” Aikman said. “It simply came to our notice then. But he was a fantastic partner.

“I think he’s the best in the business and there’s nothing I want more than to keep working with him.”

The official announcement will come soon. Just one more question.

What does ESPN serve at its corporate picnic?

“There’s been a lot of talk about what’s going to happen to me, and most of it is pretty accurate,” Aikman said. “But I still can’t make a final statement.”

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