The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday lifted life bans on 28 of the 43 Russians accused of doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, meaning some could still compete at this month's Pyeongchang Games.

Sport's top court ruled there was "insufficient" evidence that the athletes had benefited from a system of state-sponsored doping at the last Winter Games, hosted by Russia.

CAS said in its judgment: "In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned." It added: "The evidence put forward by the IOC in relation to this matter did not have the same weight in each individual case."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said he was "very glad" about the ruling.

The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from competing at Pyeongchang as a team over the doping scandal, although 169 Russian competitors have been cleared to take part as neutrals.

Forty-two Russians - bobsleighers, cross-country skiers, competitors in the skeleton and ice hockey players - appealed against the bans at CAS.

In addition to lifting the bans on the 28, CAS also lifted the life bans of another 11 Russians but barred them from competing at the Pyeongchang Olympics that start on February 9.

Among those whose life bans were scrapped is Alexander Legkov, 34, who won gold in Sochi in the 50-kilometre freestyle cross-country skiing event and silver in the 4x10km relay, only to have his results annulled over the doping allegations.

AFP

Suzann Pettersen, the 15-time LPGA Tour winner and a golfing partner of Donald Trump, says the president “cheats like hell” on the golf course.

Pettersen, who has known Trump for a decade and says she is fond of the president even though she does not agree with his policies, was speaking to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.

“He cheats like hell ... so I don’t quite know how he is in business,” said Pettersen. “They say that if you cheat at golf, you cheat at business. I’m pretty sure he pays his caddie well, since no matter how far into the woods he hits the ball, it’s in the middle of the fairway when we get there.”

Trump is listed as having a three handicap, a phenomenal achievement for a man in his 70s who also has to find time to run a country. Pettersen is a little skeptical of that figure.

“He always says he is the world’s best putter. But in all the times I’ve played him, he’s never come close to breaking 80,” she said. “But what’s strange is that every time I talk to him he says he just golfed a 69, or that he set a new course record or won a club championship some place. I just laugh. I’m someone who likes being teased and I like teasing others, and Trump takes it well, and that must be why he likes me.”

The Norwegian, who reached No2 in the world rankings and has career earnings of $14m, said that Trump was a more complex figure than his public persona suggests and “cares” about issues important to him. She did, however, say she did not agree with his politics.

“I’m not a supporter of what he says or stands for,” Pettersen said. “I thought it was very strange during the presidential campaign that he wasn’t smarter about how he communicated. He could have won more easily, but made some blunders with his statements. That’s because he is so stubborn. He has not changed five millimetres since becoming president.”

Cheating in golf is not restricted to Republican presidents, however. Bill Clinton was famed for taking “mulligans” or uncounted strokes if he was displeased with his initial effort. “Playing partners don’t just give [Clinton] gimme putts,” wrote Don Van Natta Jr in a book about golfing presidents. “They give him gimme fairway shots, and gimme drives, and gimme chip shots. If someone makes a par, Clinton gets a par, too. If everyone makes a triple-bogey, Clinton gets a double-bogey.”

The Guardian

The entire board of the US gymnastics governing body have resigned in the wake of this week's sentencing of the former national team doctor for molesting female athletes, USA Gymnastics said on Friday, complying with a demand by the US Olympic Committee (USOC).

The doctor, Larry Nassar, was sentenced on Wednesday to between 40 and 175 years in prison by a judge in Lansing, Michigan.

It followed a week of blistering statements in court by his victims including Olympic gold medal-winning gymnasts Aly Raisman and Jordyn Wieber and other female athletes.

He had pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges.

The USOC had threatened to strip USA Gymnastics of its power to run its sport if all 21 board directors had not resigned by next Wednesday.

At least five members already had said they had resigned as a result of the scandal.

“USA Gymnastics will comply with the USOC requirements,“ Leslie King, a spokeswoman for USA Gymnastics, said in an email.

The senior sports official at Michigan State University, where Nassarpreviously worked, retired on Friday.

The departure of athletic director Mark Hollis came two days after university president Lou Anna Simon stepped down under pressure.

Both said they were unaware of Nassar's abuse until public reports.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, whose office prosecuted Nassar, confirmed on Twitter that the office is investigating the university.

The national outcry over Nassar has prompted the US House of Representatives, Senate, the Department of Education and the USOC to announce further investigations this week.

Those investigations seek to establish if other sports officials turned a blind eye to Nassar's abuses.

The House investigation will also examine allegations of sexual harassment by officials in other sports, including swimming and taekwondo.

Ms Raisman vowed to keep the pressure on sports organisations, to see who knew about Nassar's abuse.

Nassar worked for the federation through four Olympic Games, but the allegations did not become public until 2016 in an investigative report by the Indianapolis Star.

“Everyone stood up for him,” Ms Raisman told the ABC programme The View.

“My work, and the army of survivors, we're not done yet. We still have to hold these organisations accountable.”

“My heart breaks for the survivors of Larry Nassar's disgusting crimes,” said US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, whose department will investigate the role of Michigan State.

“What happened at Michigan State is abhorrent.”

The USOC's investigation into how Nassar was able to abuse victims for years will include looking at whether any USOC officials themselves looked the other way.

Nassar, 54, was sentenced for sexually assaulting girls under the guise of medical treatment. 

More than 150 accusers recounted their stories in the courtroom.

USOC Chief Executive Officer Scott Blackmun called on Thursday for the full USA Gymnastics board to resign with a new interim board named by the end of February. He outlined six reform steps the gymnastics governing body must take.

Dick Pound, a Canadian member of the International OlympicCommittee, said he may raise the Nassar abuse scandal at next week's IOC session in South Korea, comparing it to revelations of Russia manipulating doping tests to conceal its athletes' use of banned drugs in an elaborate cheating program.

Russia was formally barred from the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea though some Russian athletes will be permitted to compete.

Independent

Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach believes IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) has packed on too much muscle for his own good.

When Joshua made his pro debut in October of 2013, he weighed 230-pounds and he's been as low as 229.

For his last fight, against Carlos Takam in October of 2017, Joshua was very muscular and weighed a career high 254-pounds. He secured a tenth round stoppage, but looked sluggish in the fight and seemed to tire in the second half as Takam was pushing him to the limit.

Joshua is back on March 31, at Principality in Cardiff, Wales. That night, he will collide with WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (24-0, 18 KOs) in a unification fight.

If Joshua prevails, he would be in line for a mega-fight with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs).

Wilder has to get past Luis Ortiz on March 3rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

In order to overcome the challenge of Wilder, Roach believes Joshua would have to shed off some of that muscle mass before their anticipated showdown takes place.

"I think that's a great fight. Joshua is a really great fighter. He asked me if I could train him one time and I hope that comes true one day. I think he's in good hands. The thing about him right now, is that I think he's working too much on the weight lifting and he's got a lot of muscle around [his body] and he looked sluggish. He looked great against Klitschko, but in his next fight he didn't look that great," Roach told BoxingScene.com.

"He needs to loosen up and get rid of some of that weight I think, to beat a guy like Wilder - because Wilder can really punch and he will be there for twelve rounds."

Boxingscene

José Mourinho has signed an extension to his contract at Manchester United in a move that sees him commit his future to the club until at least 2020, with the option of activating a further year.

United won the Europa League in the Portuguese’s maiden season with the club last term, to become the first manager to win a major trophy in his first year in charge. United are second in the Premier League, behind rivals Manchester City.

“José has already achieved a great deal as Manchester United manager and I am delighted that he has agreed to extend his commitment until at least 2020,” said executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. “His work rate and professionalism are exceptional and he has embraced the club’s desire to promote top quality young players to the first team. He has brought an energy and a sense of purpose to everything that he does and I am sure that will continue to bring results for the fans and the club.”

Mourinho has confirmed Alexis Sánchez will go straight into the Manchester United squad for Friday’s FA Cup tie at Yeovil and believes “one of the best attacking players in the world” can only complement an already impressive front line.

“I have known Alexis for many years. I was in Italy when he was at Udinese, I was in Spain when he was at Barcelona and in England when he was at Arsenal. He can play on the left and on the right, as a striker and behind the striker. So he can play in four different positions, and as we have all seen, Alex has been successful in every role, in every country, for every manager. We want the best players possible and he is one of the best attacking players in the world.”

So is Cristiano Ronaldo, though Mourinho was unwilling to add to speculation that a possible return to United might be on the cards. “I think with the moment Real Madrid are having now I should be the last one to add fuel to the fire,” the United manager said. “I care about the club, I worked there for three years, so to put water on the fire instead I would say Cristiano is the kind of player every manager and club wants but only Zidane and Real Madrid can have him.”

The Guardian

The home-based Super Eagles on Tuesday whipped Equatorial Guinea 3-1 after coming from behind in Agadir, to advance into the quarter-finals of the 5th African Nations Championship (CHAN) holding in Morocco.

The Nigerian side dominated the game with many goal scoring chances being wasted as they had earlier done in each of their first two matches against Rwanda and Libya.

They had only Sunday Faleye’s 79th minute goal in the 1-0 win against Libya to point to before Tuesday’s match, and they soon looked like having to regret their wastefulness.

From a corner kick, Equatorial Guinea took the lead with five minutes to half time when Nsi Eyama’s powerful header flew past goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa into the net.

Faleye had a great opportunity to level up three minutes later as Anthony Okpotu chested down a pullout for him, but he fluffed it with only the goalkeeper to beat.

But, after bungling two further opportunities to level up within seven minutes of the second half, Okpotu sneaked in to head home Osas Okoro’s in-swinger in the 59th minute.

Ten minutes later, substitute Rabiu Ali found Dayo Ojo whose shot from about 25 metres out gave Nigeria their second goal and the lead.

Ali then scored from the penalty kick spot seven minutes from time to put the game beyond their foes, after Okpotu was upended in the box.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the result meant Nigeria finished as Group C winners, and will return to the Grand Stade in Tangier for the quarter-finals.

They will meet the runners-up from Group D on Sunday.

Already, the other quarter-final fixtures have hosts Morocco taking on Namibia in Casablanca on Saturday afternoon, while Zambia play Sudan in Marrakech on Saturday evening.

(NAN)