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WORLD SPORT NEWS

RUSSIA BERMUDA

DECREE BARS DOPERS TEAM NEW ZEALAND

FROM RUSSIAN GRANTS REGAINS AMERICAS CUP

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree Emirates Team New Zealand trounced holder Oracle
barring athletes and coaches found guilty of doping Team USA to regain the America’s Cup on Bermuda’s
from receiving Kremlin grants. The decree comes as Great Sound.
Russia steps up its fight against doping in a bid to have The Kiwis took a 6-1 lead into the fifth day of racing in
the suspensions against its national anti-doping agency the 2017 event and landed the sucker punch with a win in
RUSADA, its athletics federation and its Paralympic race nine to clinch the oldest trophy in sport for the first
Committee lifted. time since the successful defence of 2000.
The payment of Kremlin grants will cease the month Four years ago and poised on match point at 8-1, the
after anti-doping authorities find an athlete, coach or Kiwis’ seemingly impregnable lead shrank day by day until
sports specialist guilty of involvement in the use of the Larry Ellison-bankrolled Americans completed one of
performance - enhancing drugs, Putin’s decree said. sport’s greatest comebacks.
They will remain ineligible for Kremlin grants “two years In the fallout from San Francisco, the New Zealanders
following the year in which the sanctions against them parted company with long-time skipper Dean Barker and
expire,” according to the decree. replaced him with Australian Glenn Ashby, one of the
The decree also stated that the measures apply world’s best multihull sailors.
to Olympic and Paralympic champions, as well as to Behind the scenes, and with a budget a fraction of
champions of the Deaflympics. Oracle’s approximate $100 million, the Kiwis were working
The Russian government has also approved a plan on a revolutionary design, replacing the traditional arm-
aimed at curbing doping through education programs powered grinders with cycling pedestals to generate
and the creation of a new anti-doping laboratory, among more power to fuel the hydraulic systems on the new
other measures. generation of foiling catamarans.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suspended Alongside that they developed highly efficient systems
RUSADA in 2015 in the aftermath of a report that found for marshalling the power to control the wingsail and
evidence of state-sponsored doping and accused it of daggerboards, designed a formidable package of foils and
violating anti-doping regulations. rudders to suit the conditions and brought in Olympic
Russian authorities deny there was a state- cycling bronze medalist Simon van Velthooven to lead
backed doping program, but have pledged to follow the “cyclor” training program.
international recommendations to have RUSADA The Kiwis were last to arrive in Bermuda, but they
reinstated. quickly dominated the challenger series, beating Swedish
WADA last month allowed RUSADA to plan syndicate Artemis in the final to earn the right to face the
and coordinate testing under the supervision of Americans again in the America’s Cup proper.
international experts, but said much remained to be As winner, Emirates Team New Zealand has earned the
done for the agency to retrieve its accreditation. right to take the competition back home and will decide
the format and timing of the next event.

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