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Biathlete Olga Zaitseva has today (Friday) become the latest Russian medallist at the Sochi 2014 winter Olympic Games to be handed a life ban, as Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko again issued strong denials regarding the existence of a state-backed doping system.

The International Olympic Committee has today (Thursday) concluded its reanalysis of Russian drug tests from the 2012 summer Olympic Games and sanctioned two further athletes.

Multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group has launched a $30m (€25.3m) investment fund that will target US and European online gaming companies.

The Asian Football Confederation has elected to maintain the current home and away format for its Champions League club competition amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis in the Gulf region, but will change the process by which it will assign its next set of commercial rights.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has opted to maintain its ban on the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) stating two key criteria have yet to be met for its reinstatement, while Nanjing has held off competition from two other cities to be awarded the 2020 World Indoor Championships.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has reassigned hosting rights for its 2018 World Championships to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, while the body’s Executive Board has also unanimously approved recommendations made by the Clean Sport and Sports Programme Commissions to eradicate doping in the sport.

Kevin Roberts believes that video technology is now a necessity in professional football, but argues that players must adapt their behaviour to ensure it is a success. 

Spanish Formula One motor-racing star Fernando Alonso has launched his own esports team through a partnership with Swiss consumer technology brand Logitech and Spanish organisation G2 Esports.

French Rugby Federation (FFR) president Bernard Laporte has said he will stand for a second term in office, but added that this will be his last spell in charge if he gains re-election.

Rugby League Ireland chairman Richard Egan has said that the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is planning to launch a Six Nations tournament next year as part of an effort to enhance the presence of Northern Hemisphere countries on the sport’s global stage.

Jean Todt is set to be re-elected as president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) after motorsport’s world governing body confirmed he will face no competition in next month’s elections.

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) and World Mixed Martial Arts Association (WMMAA) have commenced merger talks amid an ongoing drive for the sport to gain wider acceptance in governance circles and ultimately press for a place at the Olympic Games.

World football’s governing body Fifa has today (Tuesday) issued life bans to three officials who pleaded guilty in US courts to accepting bribes as part of the wide-ranging investigation into corruption in the game.

NBA basketball franchises the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will enter teams in next year’s League of Legends North American League Championship Series, it has been confirmed.

Nigel Eccles has announced he is quitting as the chief executive and co-founder of daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel in order to launch a new esports company.