Russian Agency Not Being Disbanded

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency will not be disbanded despite the scandal surrounding the systematic doping of Russian athletes, the country’s sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, said on Monday.

Rusada was heavily criticised in the independent commission report put together by Dick Pound on behalf of World Anti-Doping Agency earlier this month and was suspended after being declared “non-compliant with immediate effect” at a Wada meeting in Colorado.

The scandal has led to all Russian athletes being banned indefinitely by IAAF, a decision Russia decided last week to accept alongside the promise to cooperate with inspectors who will oversee changes to its drug-testing system. However, Mutko has insisted that it’s own testing authority will not be shut down.

“No doubt, Rusada will remain as an organisation,” he is quoted as saying by the Russian news agency, Tass. “We have started working [jointly with Wada].”

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Lance Settles 10 Year Case

Lance Armstrong has settled a 10-year dispute with an insurance firm over the repayment of $10m (£6.6m) paid to the cyclist before he admitted to doping.

The American, 44, received the money from SCA Promotions Inc in relation to his seven Tour de France victories.

He was ordered to pay it back after losing a lawsuit in February.

"I'm pleased to have this matter behind me and I look forward to moving on," said Armstrong, who also apologised to the Dallas-based company.

Armstrong has not revealed how much he has paid SCA as part of the settlement.

SCA initially refused to pay out money covering the bonus for Armstrong's sixth Tour de France win in 2004.

The cyclist won an arbitration hearing against the company in 2005, after the contract between the parties stipulated the insurance money would be payable if Armstrong was the "official winner" of the Tour.

He was awarded $2.5m (£1.65m) in damages and costs, in addition to the $7.5m (£4.94m) of payments he received from SCA.

SCA demanded repayment in 2013, after Armstrong was stripped all seven of his Tour de France titles and issued with a life ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

During a 2013 television interview with American talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong confessed he used banned performance-enhancing drugs throughout much of his cycling career.

After settling the dispute, Armstrong said: "I do wish to apologise to SCA, and its chief executive Bob Hamman, for any misconduct on my part in connection with our dispute and the resulting arbitration."

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Five Positive Premiership Players

Five players at Premiership clubs tested positive for recreational drugs last season.

In its annual anti-doping report, the Rugby Football Union said the cases would be treated confidentially and punished with a "first-strike fine".

The tests came under the RFU's Illicit Drugs Programme, a series of out-of competition tests for illicit drugs.

In 617 tests for performance-enhancing drugs, none were failed by Premiership players.

Testing for illicit drugs - cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines and ecstasy - was introduced in 2009 after four Bath players were suspended for substance use.

The players who returned positive samples will be offered counselling and will remain anonymous unless they transgress again.

Senior players who fail tests are fined £5,000, with a £1,000 fine given to academy players.

"The RFU, Premiership Rugby and the Rugby Players' Association are focused on protecting the health and welfare of the players and reputation of the game, which is why this was set up in 2010," said an RFU statement.

"We believe our strategy based on education, testing, deterrent and treatment will keep the number of test violations consistently low."

Five players of National League One level or below failed in-competition tests aimed at performance-enhancing substances.

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