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The United States Golf Association faces calls to move the
upcoming U.S. Women’s Open scheduled for July 2017 at
Donald Trump’s National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey
following Trump’s insulting remarks about women .
Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, Edward Markey, of
Massachusetts, and Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania, made the
request in a letter, asking USGA executive director Mike Davis
to consider suspending further events at properties owned by
the President elect because of what they describe as a “pattern
of degrading and dehumanizing women” over decades.
Trump was recorded in a 2005 video using vulgar language and
apparently boasting of sexual assault. He has been accused of
unwanted sexual advances by a group of women. He has called
them liars and threatened to sue.
Other advocates and sports writers have also called for
the tournament to be moved off the Trump property for
the upcoming U.S. Women’s Open. The call is an echo from
demands over other, past events, as well. Back in June, for
instance, the PGA announced a move of the WGC-Cadillac
Championship Tournament from its 53-year home at Trump’s
Doral resort near Miami, Florida, to Mexico City for 2017.
CALL TO MOVE US WOMEN’S OPEN FROM TRUMP COURSE
WADA REPORT HIGHLIGHTS SERIOUS ANTI-DOPING FAILINGS AT RIO
The anti-doping programme at the 2016 Rio Olympics included
“some impressive advances” but was also marred by “a number
of serious failings”, according to a report released by the World
Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
In a report by its Independent Observer team, WADA said
several athletes earmarked for testing in Rio “simply could not
be found” while there was “little or no in-competition blood
testing in many high-risk sports” at the Games.
Many of the problems stemmed from staffing issues, resource
constraints and other logistical difficulties, and there was also
“an apparent breakdown in the transfer of knowledge from
previous Games”, WADA said.
The IO team expressed surprise that there was no out-of-
competition testing conducted in football, and little or no
in-competition blood testing in many high risk sports and
disciplines, including weightlifting.
“The WADA IO Team noted that some IF delegates and even
athletes and athlete support personnel were surprised that
only urine samples and not blood samples were being collected
in-competition,” the report continued.
Additional concerns were expressed over inadequate support
for and training of the chaperones employed to notify athletes
of drug tests, with many of them failing to turn up at all at the
designated time.
Overall, though, IO team chair Jonathan Taylor said that the
anti-doping program in Rio, which was implemented and
overseen by the IOC, was able to achieve a number of positive
outcomes in the face of very challenging circumstances.