Russia Sports News:

US declares "war without borders" on Russian sport, by Victoria Nikiforova for RIA NOVOSTI. 27/08/2021.

Did you think that by successfully performing at the Tokyo Olympics and passing the most severe doping control, Russian athletes have solved all their problems? Unfortunately no. It seems that the problems for our sport are just beginning.

American congressmen have rolled out a new bill, compared with which even the surreal "Rodchenkov Act" looks like flowers. The "Golden Act", a creation of the Helsinki Commission of the US Congress , proposes to equate doping violations with serious criminal offenses - money laundering and racketeering.

If the law is passed, the whole world will be the sphere of its application. The US intelligence services will look for "organizers of doping schemes" at any international sports competition in which at least one American athlete takes part, sponsored by at least one American company or broadcasted by at least one American television company.

The anti-money laundering and racketeering (RICO) package of laws was passed in the United States in 1970 to combat the mafia. He assumes that the suspects in these crimes can be tapped, monitored, and used wiretapping materials in court. RICO was used to land the godfathers of New York and the corrupt cops of Los Angeles and Key West on the bunks . Many of them are still spinning their "huge deadlines".

The "Golden Act" - like the "Rodchenkov Act" - is completely extraterritorial. He assumes that American intelligence services will hunt for citizens of other countries around the world. Track them, wiretap, request arrest and extradition to the United States, block bank accounts. And also to carry out some mysterious "special operations". I don’t even want to suggest what the American partners mean.

Nobody hides who exactly this law is directed against. "For authoritarian countries like Russia , doping remains an asymmetric weapon with which it breaks the law," said Joe Wilson, co-author of the Golden Act, a member of the Helsinki Commission.

Congressman Steve Cohen , co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission, explained that the need for the bill was proved by complaints from American athletes at the Tokyo Olympics . "Our athletes suspect that doping continues to be used," Cohen said.
This is a clear reference to the whining of the American swimmer Ryan Murphy , from whom our Evgeny Rylov snatched gold at a distance of 200 meters on his back. “Well, I don’t know if everything was 100 percent clean here,” the loser said in Tokyo. Then his colleague on the national team, Lily King, began to speak on the same topic. "There (at the Olympics. - Ed.) There are a lot of people who shouldn't be here, " she said.

The absurdity of the situation is simply off scale. Both WADA and the IOC have repeatedly confirmed that no prohibited substances were found in the Russian winners. They just fought and won honestly. But the defeated Americans cannot come to terms with this, and now they are calling for the help of their security officials, it is good that the army is not yet.

Why not just issue Olympic medals at the State Department - exclusively to American citizens, of course? Or drive an aircraft carrier with full escort to the coastal border of the country - the organizer of some championship? To keep an eye on him to see if the American athletes are being offended. Like - someone who won there on the sixth track? Russian? Exactly? Nope ... You better count.

The fact that absolutely all high-profile doping scandals of recent times are associated with American athletes gives a special intensity to the madness. Runner Sha'Karrie Richardson just got suspended for marijuana. Gymnast Simone Biles was unable to perform at the Olympics because she was not given a ride to Ritalin. Three years ago, the legendary swimmer, multiple Olympic champion and world champion Ryan Lochte was disqualified for doping . Do you remember the famous cyclist Lance Armstrong , who spent his entire career on corticosteroids?

These are only the loudest scandals. But at the same time, the world community does not know at all what is going on, for example, in professional sports in the United States. These are the world famous National Basketball, Baseball, Hockey Leagues. Thousands of famous athletes, trillions of dollars in business, iconic competitions. And the American anti-doping committee USADA does not control all this blooming complexity from the word at all.

Each league has its own organization, which seems to monitor the use of doping, but the money is spinning there so that no one catches anyone on illegal substances. More dear to yourself. In 2012, WADA CEO David Howman publicly criticized the NBA (National Basketball Association) for "gaps" in doping control . He even suggested that the legendary basketball players be tested for growth hormone. But they all majestically ignored the idea.

If we talk about state support for doping, then the problems of American athletes in the United States are well known at the very top. These are systemic processes, they are only aggravated from generation to generation, crippling tens of thousands of children and young people. And no, this is not the speculation of Russian propaganda. Let's hear the President of the United States.

"American athletes at all levels - professionals, amateurs, and those who represent university sports <...> - all of them cannot resist the temptation to use steroids or other prohibited substances <...> The pressure is especially great at the highest level, there, where you need to stake out a place in the national team <...> because you come to the locker room and see an opponent who gained 20 pounds (nine kilograms - Ed.) of muscle mass over the summer, and you think: hey, wait a minute, I have to do that too otherwise he will get my spot on the national team <...> This is a huge problem ... "

This is a quote from a speech by Joe Biden - in 2008, he was a US Senator from Delaware, and like this, he spoke temperamentally in front of his colleagues, urging them to ratify the International Convention against Doping.

As you can see, the American authorities are fully aware of what is happening in American sports. However, for some reason they want to catch violators of anti-doping laws in Russia. Kafka is resting.

https://ria.ru/20210827/sport-1747378328.html

Russia may bid to host 2036 Summer Olympic Games, says President Putin

The Russian president also stressed that "it is too early to discuss this issue and everything will have to undergo a thorough evaluation".

VLADIVOSTOK, September 3. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country has the right to submit bids to host the Olympic Games, even on the territory of Russia’s Far East, but it is still early to speak about it as a number of conditions must be observed.

"Regrettably, there have been ever fewer contenders in the world for hosting the Olympics," Putin said at Friday’s plenary meeting of the Far Eastern Economic Forum.

"We have long supported the [Olympic movement], and I hope that the principles of Olympism will not be distorted and that politics won’t be involved," Putin said.

"If it happens the way I am describing now, we are not excluding the possibility of Russia hosting the Olympic Games," he continued.

"The Far East and Vladivostok are one of the likely venues," he said, when asked about the possibility of Russia hosting the 2036 Olympics in the port city on the Pacific coast.

The Russian president also stressed that "it is too early to discuss this issue and everything will have to undergo a thorough evaluation."

Speaking on the sidelines of the 6th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on September 2, Mayor Konstantin Shestakov of Vladivostok said that Russia’s Far Eastern port city was planning on submitting a bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last month that Russia eyed the possibility of organizing the 2036 Summer Olympic Games and several cities have already prepared bids. Russia’s top diplomat said at that time that the country’s second largest city of St. Petersburg and the city of Kazan have already submitted their bids to host the Olympics in 2036.

The Russian capital of Moscow hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 1980 and the country’s southern resort city of Sochi hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014.

The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan’s capital of Tokyo were held this year between July 23 and August 8. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the spread of COVID-19.

Following the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Paris will host the Summer Games in 2024, while Los Angeles will have the Games in 2028. At the 138th IOC (the International Olympic Committee) Session in Tokyo last month, Australia’s Brisbane was selected to host the 2032 Summer Olympic Games.

https://tass.com/sport/1333763

Daniil Medvedev wins Novak Djokovic in US Open final, 12/09/2021.

Daniil Medvedev, the current number 2 in the ATP rankings, won in the final of the US Open against number 1, Serbian Novak Djokovic, in three sets: 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

Throughout the match, which lasted just over two hours, the Russian tennis player was superior to Djokovic, who was physically and emotionally tired. It is the first Grand Slam tournament for Daniil Medvedev, who was already in the final of the US Open in 2019, where he succumbed in a fast-paced game against Manacorí Rafael Nadal. In 2020 Medvedev only reached the semifinal.

But the final of the 2021 edition has been equally interesting, as it was the first time in which the two best tennis players in the world came to face each other in the final of this tournament. In addition, it could have been the twenty-first Grand Slam for Djokovic, who currently equals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the total number of tournaments of this caliber won.

However, the 34-year-old Serbian failed to make history on the night of September 12 in New York by becoming the tennis player with the highest number of Grand Slam titles in history. At the same time, he did make history by equaling Swiss leyeda Roger Federer in the number of Grand Slam tournament finals he played in.

On his way to the final the Russian tennis player showed a practically perfect game, losing only one set in six matches. Four of these matches ended in less than two hours, which is very little for five-set matches. Thus, Medvedev spent a total of 11 hours and 51 minutes, compared to 17 hours and 26 minutes of Nole.

Yandex Translate from Spanish

https://mundo.sputniknews.com/20210912/medvedev-se-impone-a-djokovic-en-la-final-de-us-open-1115982502.html

Russian chess queens beat India to win World Women’s Team Championship

A quintet of Russian female chess stars claimed the World Women’s Team Championship title as they beat India in Saturday’s final in Spain.

Competing under the banner of the Chess Federation of Russian (CFR) in the tournament in the Catalan town of Sitges, Russia ran out winners 2.5-1.5 in the first game and 3-1 in the second.

The CFR team was represented by stars Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, Alina Kashlinskaya, and Polina Shuvalova.

Russia had previously romped through the pool stage of the competition before seeing off the FIDE Americas team in the quarterfinal and then Ukraine in the semifinal.

India had reached the final by overcoming Kazakhstan and Georgia in the knockout stages but came up against an insurmountable challenge in the form of Russia’s formidable stars.

The Indian players were still hailed for a first-ever women's medal at this level.

Others to take part in the tournament were Azerbaijan, Armenia, Germany, Spain, Poland, and France.

The triumph is the second time Russia’s women have been crowned world team champions, after their victory on home soil in Khanty-Mansisk in 2017.

This year’s victory also makes up for the heartache of losing to China in the final in 2019.

China – who have won the title a record four times – were not among the contenders in Spain this time round.

https://www.rt.com/sport/536441-russia-win-womens-chess-world-team-championship/

Spartak wished Nepomniachtchi good luck in the championship match with Carlsen, 15/11/2021.

MOSCOW, November 15 - RIA Novosti. The footballers of the Moscow “Spartak” appealed to the Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi and wished him luck in the match for the title of world chess champion.

Alexander Sobolev, Nail Umyarov, Ruslan Litvinov and Artem Rebrov, who earlier announced the retirement of a player, made their speeches from the red-and-white camp. The video message was posted on the Twitter account of the Russian Chess Federation.

The match for the chess crown will be held in Dubai from November 24 to December 16. Nepomniachtchi's rival will be the current Norwegian title holder Magnus Carlsen, who has held the title of world champion in classical chess since 2013.

https://rsport.ria.ru/20211115/shakhmaty-1759117144.html

Nepomniachtchi's superiority in classics and Carlsen's power in rapid and blitz: what you need to know about the match for the chess crown.

On November 26, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi will play the first game of the match for the title of world chess champion. The Norwegian has consistently prevailed over all his rivals in decisive confrontations and has held the title for eight years. However, in Dubai, he will come face to face with a grandmaster, who is inferior in terms of head-to-head statistics with classical time control. At the same time, the current crown holder is superior to the Russian in rapid chess.

Only a few days are left until the main chess event of the last three years - the match for the title of world champion. Current crown holder Magnus Carlsen will be challenged by Candidates' Tournament winner Ian Nepomniachtchi. On November 26, the first classic game between a Norwegian and a Russian will take place in Dubai, and the dispute between the two best players on the planet will end on December 14 or 15.

According to the regulations, the applicant was supposed to challenge the title last year, but the match was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This circumstance allowed Carlsen to extend his hegemony on the chess throne to eight years. Only in April 2021 was his opponent identified , and for the first time in five years the Russian chess player Nepomniachtchi became him.

This championship match will differ from several previous ones in format. It is planned to hold not 12 classical games, but 14. This is due to the fact that last time Carlsen and the American Fabiano Caruana, who challenged him, drew all the fights. In order to increase the chances that fans will still see successful games, it was decided to lengthen the match until a tie-break winner is revealed.

At the same time, all games must still fit into a three-week interval, so chess players will have to play according to a not quite usual schedule: they will have to play three times at the board for three days in a row, and only after that they will receive a day of rest. The day off will also be announced before the final classical game, and after it a tie-break will be played immediately.

Nepomniachtchi is famous for being the best in the first half of the tournaments. In Dubai, eight games will be held in the first ten days at once. During this time, the Russian chess player will be able to seize the advantage before Carlsen plays and smells the blood. But if this plan does not work, Nepomniachtchi will be left without a day to prepare for a tie-break, in which the Norwegian will just be the undisputed favorite - he has already twice become the world champion based on the results of games in rapid chess.

Their regulations have remained unchanged. In the event of a draw based on the results of classical games (120 minutes - for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes - for the next 20 moves, and another 15 minutes for the remaining + additional 30 seconds for each move), the chess players will play four rapid games (25 minutes + 10 seconds for move), and then, if necessary, up to five two-match blitz games will be organized (5 minutes + 3 seconds per move). If in this case the players do not identify the strongest, the only game of Armageddon will be played (5 minutes for White and 4 minutes for Black + an additional second, starting from move 61).

Carlsen is rightly considered the favorite and the main contender for the bulk of the prize pool, which will amount to $ 2 million. First, he is noticeably ahead of Nepomniachtchi in the Elo rating - 2855 points against 2782 for the Russian. Secondly, the Norwegian has been holding the title of world champion for a long time not only in classical chess, but also in rapid and blitz. If in 14 games Ian will not be able to seize the advantage, then Magnus will hardly have to worry about the outcome of the entire match.

However, it should not be ruled out that a tie-break will not be needed this time. Nepomniachtchi is one of those rare chess players who have a positive balance of meetings with Carlsen in the classics. In total, they played 13 matches in this format, and the Russian celebrated victory four times with eight draws and one defeat. True, most of the productive meetings took place when both players were still very young and were just beginning their sports path.

For the first time, Nepomniachtchi beat Carlsen in 2002 at the European U12 Championship. The following year, the Russian again took over the world championship. In 2011, two years before Carlsen's first coronation, Nepomniachtchi beat him with black pieces, and six years later he repeated his success. The Norwegian took revenge only in 2019. Since then, they have played three more classic games - and all ended in a draw. As for rapid chess, Carlsen's advantage is undeniable - 22 wins against ten defeats.

One of those who helped Nepomniachtchi prepare for the match for the world title was Sergei Karjakin, who himself fought the Norwegian in 2016 and even took the lead. In his opinion, Carlsen is inferior to the Russian in psychological preparation and can give weakness due to more serious pressure.

“We held several training camps. I share my experience, advice, play a lot of training games. After all, I have already fought Magnus and practically beat him in New York. So I definitely have a story to tell. I think the most important thing is not to be afraid of an opponent. Do not be afraid that something will go wrong. Better to let him be afraid. Magnus has a lot to lose. He has a bunch of sponsorship deals. If he loses and loses the title of world champion, it will hit his image hard. Carlsen will try hard not to lose. We need to psychologically pressure this moment, "Karjakin said in an interview with Sport-Express.

At the same time, the ex-challenger believes that the new format of the match will still give some advantage to Karslen, who will have extra room for maneuver.

“The increase in the number of games is in favor of the reigning world champion. The longer the distance, the psychologically easier it will be for Magnus. When you know that there are still many games ahead, then in one of them you can take a risk. Even if something goes wrong, you still have a chance to win back. For Yan, the main thing is to pass this distance without sharp drops. And I am almost sure that the opponent will give chances to win. It cannot be otherwise in 14 games. The main thing is to realize this chance, to use your chances to score, as they say in football," added Karjakin.

https://russian.rt.com/sport/article/931358-karlsen-nepomnyaschiy-prevyu