―It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.‖

–Paul ―Bear‖ Bryant

TEAM PLAWYERED

Editorial Board

.

Content Editors

Gaurav Misra , Publishing Editor , Plawyered

He is currently pursuing B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) from

Chanakya National Law University, Patna. A

voracious reader and an ardent Arsenal supporter,

Plawyered is his way of bringing his love for law and

sports on one single platform.

Tejaswini Ranjan, Managing Editor, Plawyered

She is currently pursuing B.A. LL.B. from Chanakya

National Law University, Patna. She is a sports

enthusiast and a big fan of cricket. It is her love for

sports that made her come up with this portal. Apart

from this, she also holds the experience of working

with several legal portals and research journals.

Vishakha Srivastava is currently pursuing B.A. L.L.B.

(Hons.) from Chanakya National Law University, Patna. She

is an avid reader and has a special corner for fiction. She is

also a Student Editor at CNLU Law Journal.

*The views expressed in the articles are solely the views of the respective

authors.

**The copyright of the magazine vests with www.plawyered.com . All

communications are to be made at plawyered@gmail.com.

Ashutosh Kashyap is currently pursuing B.A. LL.B.(Hons.)

from Chanakya National Law University, Patna. He is a keen

reader and an enthusiast orator. His love for poems can be

reflected through his blog.

#1 FIFA HUMAN RIGHTS

COMMITMENT: FIFA PUBLISHES

LANDMARK HUMAN RIGHTS

POLICY

Image Courtesy:newsweek.me.org

Following the adoption by FIFA

Council in May 2017, FIFA has

published a new, landmark Human

Rights Policy. The document embodies

article 3 of the FIFA Statutes,

according to which ―FIFA is committed

to respecting all internationally

recognised human rights and shall

strive to promote the protection of

these rights.‖ It further specifies and

strengthens FIFA‘s human rights

commitment and will serve as

guidance for FIFA‘s human rights

work.

FIFA‘s Human Rights Policy was

developed by the FIFA administration

in collaboration with FIFA‘s

Governance Committee. The document

was reviewed by FIFA‘s Human Rights

Advisory Board and a wide range of

external stakeholders from

international organisations, trade

unions, civil society organisations,

academia and FIFA sponsors. It is in

accordance with the UN Guiding

Principles on Business and Human

Rights, the authoritative international

standards on the topic developed by

Prof. John Ruggie.

FIFA‘s Human Rights Policy is

published alongside a Activity Update

Report on FIFA‘s work on human

rights. The report focuses on FIFA‘s

activities taken in the first year after

the entering into force of FIFA‘s

statutory human rights commitment in

April 2016.

Some of the main achievements

highlighted in the activity update are:

- the development and approval of

FIFA's Human Rights Policy:

- FIFA‘s Anti-Discrimination

Monitoring System for the 2018 FIFA

World Cup qualifiers and the FIFA

Confederations Cup 2017;

- the monitoring and enforcement

mechanisms for labour rights on

stadium construction sites for the 2018

and 2022 FIFA World Cups in Russia

and Qatar in collaboration with the

Building and Woodworkers‘

International (BWI);

- The creation of the Human Rights

Advisory Board , comprised of experts

from the UN System, trade unions,

civil society and FIFA sponsors.

FIFA is committed to respecting

human rights in accordance with the

UN Guiding Principles on Business

and Human Rights (UNGPs). FIFA‘s

commitment embraces all

internationally recognised human

rights, including those contained in the

International Bill of Human Rights

(consisting of the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights, the

International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights and the International

Covenant on Economic, Social and

Cultural Rights) and the International

Labour Organization‘s Declaration on

Fundamental Principles and Rights at

Work. Where FIFA may have adverse

impacts on the human rights of people

belonging to specific groups or

populations that require special

attention, it will also consider other

international standards and principles

that elaborate on the rights of such

individuals, including in particular

those standards concerning indigenous

peoples, women, national, ethnic,

religious and linguistic minorities,

children, disabled people, migrant

workers and their families and human

rights defenders. Moreover, where

FIFA‘s operations extend to situations

of armed conflict, it will also respect

the standards of international

humanitarian law. In line with the

UNGPs, FIFA is committed to taking

measures, based on in-depth due-

diligence processes, to avoid causing or

contributing to adverse human rights

impacts through its own activities and

to addressing and remediating such

impacts when they occur. In addition,

FIFA seeks to prevent or mitigate

adverse human rights impacts that are

directly linked to its operations,

products or services by its business

relationships, even if FIFA has not

contributed to those impacts. In line

with the UNGPs, FIFA will exercise its

leverage, and seek to increase said

leverage where necessary, in

connection with adverse human rights

impacts arising through its business

relationships. To this end, FIFA will

explore and make use of all options

available to it within the said

relationships.

FIFA will strive to go beyond its

responsibility to respect human rights,

as enshrined in the UNGPs, by taking

measures to promote the protection of

human rights and positively contribute

to their enjoyment, especially where it

is able to apply effective leverage to

help increase said enjoyment or where

this relates to strengthening human

rights in or through football. Given the

nature of its operations, FIFA‘s

involvement with adverse human

rights impacts is most likely to occur

through its relationships with other

entities. FIFA‘s salient human rights

risks include, for example: – Labour

rights: FIFA‘s operations are labour-

intensive. FIFA directly employs

several hundred people. Moreover, it is

linked to workers through its

engagement with other entities and

through supply chains as part of, for

instance, the construction of stadiums

and infrastructure, the provision of

accommodation and food and

beverages or the production of licensed

goods. FIFA strives to uphold and

promote the highest international

labour standards, in particular the

principles enshrined in the eight core

International Labour Organization

conventions. It implements relevant

procedures in relation to its own staff

and seeks to ensure respect for labour

standards by its business partners and

in the various activities directly linked

to its operations, including through its

supply chains. – Land acquisition and

housing rights: the construction of

infrastructure for FIFA competitions,

as well as of infrastructure built by

member associations with FIFA funds,

often involves the acquisition of land.

While recognising that land acquisition

is primarily the responsibility of the

government hosting the respective

competition or of the respective

member association responsible for

the project, FIFA expects and

promotes the respect of international

human rights standards where land

acquisition involves expropriations

and in particular where people are

resettled in the process. –

Discrimination: discrimination

is an issue in the world of

football both on and off the

pitch. FIFA strives to create a

discrimination-free

environment within its

organisation and throughout all

of its activities. It is committed

to addressing discrimination in

all its forms as described in

article 4 of its Statutes through

effective monitoring and

enforcement mechanisms.

Article 4 of the FIFA Statutes

prohibits discrimination of any

kind against a country, private

person or group of people on

account of race, skin colour,

ethnic, national or social origin,

gender, disability, language,

religion, political opinion or any

other opinion, wealth, birth or

any other status, sexual

orientation or any other reason.

Furthermore, FIFA places

particular emphasis on

identifying and addressing

differential impacts based on

gender and on promoting

gender equality and preventing

all forms of harassment,

including sexual harassment.

Security: providing for the

safety and security of people

who are attending or are

otherwise involved in or

affected by FIFA‘s events may

impact certain fundamental

human rights, such as freedom

of movement, expression and

assembly. FIFA commits to

engaging with relevant host-

country governments and

private-sector entities in its

ongoing efforts to minimise any

such impact, ensuring it is

necessary and proportionate,

while taking into account

legitimate security concerns.

FIFA will strive to use its

leverage with relevant

authorities to ensure that all

those providing safety and

security services for FIFA

events, whether from the public

or private sector, receive

appropriate training to ensure

that they perform their duties in

line with international

standards on security and

human rights. Furthermore,

FIFA includes such standards in

its relationships with private

security companies that are part

of its supply chain.

Players‘ rights: in the often

short-lived career of a

professional football player, the

human rights of players may be

at risk, particularly in

connection with their

employment and transfer. This

includes issues such as timely

payment of salaries, doping and

match manipulation. Moreover,

the strong desire to become a

professional footballer and the

lure of financial benefits can

create fertile ground for adverse

human rights impacts, in

particular with regard to

trafficking and other issues

relating to minors. FIFA is

committed to helping protect

the rights of football players and

will continually evaluate

existing regulations and

processes and, if necessary,

consider additional measures to

address respective risks.

Guided by its human rights approach,

FIFA embeds its commitment

throughout the organisation and

engages in an ongoing due diligence

process to identify, address, evaluate

and communicate the risks of

involvement with adverse human

rights impacts. FIFA is committed to

providing for or cooperating in

remediation where it has caused or

contributed to adverse human rights

impacts and will seek to promote or

cooperate in access to remediation

where it is otherwise linked to adverse

impacts through its relationships with

third parties, including by exploring all

options available to it. Where national

laws and regulations and international

human rights standards differ or are in

conflict with each other, FIFA will

follow the higher standard without

infringing upon domestic laws and

regulations. Where the national

context risks undermining FIFA‘s

ability to ensure respect for

internationally recognised human

rights, FIFA will constructively engage

with the relevant authorities and other

stakeholders and make every effort to

uphold its international human rights

responsibilities.

FIFA implements its human rights

commitment through a four-pillar

approach:

Pillar I Commit and embed : FIFA

publicly commits to upholding its

human rights responsibilities and

takes measures to embed respect for

human rights within its bodies and the

administration as well as among its

member associations. In this respect,

FIFA has adopted this policy

commitment at the highest levels of

the organisation and will actively

communicate and promote it both

internally and externally. Furthermore,

FIFA will set up the necessary internal

structures and processes to implement

its human rights commitment under

the operational leadership of the FIFA

Secretary General, adapt internal

codes, policies and guidelines in line

with this policy, engage in the

sensitisation and capacity building of

relevant staff and third parties and

embed respect for human rights in all

of its relationships.

Pillar II Identify and address:

FIFA continuously identifies potential

and actual adverse human rights

impacts associated with its activities

and addresses such risks through

adequate prevention and mitigation

measures. As part of these efforts,

FIFA incorporates risks to people in its

risk assessments and identifies its

most salient risks. It also encourages

and, where appropriate, requires

entities tasked with organising FIFA

competitions, confederations, member

associations, commercial affiliates and

entities in its supply chains to do the

same with respect to activities directly

linked to their relationship with FIFA.

In particular, FIFA appropriately

reflects its human rights commitment

in the requirements for the bidding

and hosting of FIFA competitions,

notably by including in such

requirements a clause committing to

the principles of this policy, and takes

human rights into account in the

selection of host countries. Moreover,

FIFA defines and implements action

plans to address salient human rights

risks and tracks the effectiveness of

measures taken.

Pillar III Protect and remedy:

FIFA helps protect those who advocate

respect for human rights associated

with its activities and is committed to

contributing to providing remedy

where individuals have been adversely

affected by activities associated with

FIFA. In this respect, FIFA will respect

and not interfere with the work of both

human rights defenders who voice

concerns about adverse human rights

impacts relating to FIFA and media

representatives covering FIFA‘s events

and activities. Where the freedoms of

human rights defenders and media

representatives are at risk, FIFA will

take adequate measures for their

protection, including by using its

leverage with the relevant authorities.

Moreover, FIFA will implement its

commitments regarding remedy, such

as outlined in paragraph 6 of this

policy, in close collaboration with

entities with whom it has

relationships, including those

established to prepare and host FIFA

tournaments, and its commercial

affiliates and suppliers. In meeting

these commitments, FIFA also

considers, as appropriate, internal and

external as well as local and

international mechanisms and follows

guidance from the effectiveness

criteria for non-judicial grievance

mechanisms outlined in principle 31 of

the UNGPs. In particular, FIFA will

require from those organising FIFA

tournaments that competent and

independent structures are put in place

for reviewing human rights issues and

complaints in the context of the

organisation of such tournaments. The

nature, appointments and specific

tasks entrusted to such structures will

take into account the nature of the

tournament and its organisation and

will be done by the organizing entity in

consultation with FIFA and, in

particular, the Governance & Review

Committee.

Pillar IV Engage and

communicate: FIFA will engage with

external stakeholders in a structured

manner and will communicate

regularly and transparently with its

stakeholders and the general public

about its efforts to ensure respect for

human rights. In this regard, FIFA will

work constructively with an

independent, expert Human Rights

Advisory Board and consult a wide

range of stakeholders, including

potentially affected groups and

individuals and their legitimate

representatives, on a regular basis.

Furthermore, FIFA will communicate

on its human rights-related efforts in

line with international reporting

standards, including via reports linked

to specific FIFA events, take part in

international and national debates on

human rights in sport and participate

in specialist platforms to share lessons

learnt.

Responsibility for implementing

FIFA‘s commitments as outlined in

this policy is assumed at both strategic

and operational level. Human rights

commitments are binding on all FIFA

bodies and officials when exercising

their respective powers and

competences, including when

interpreting and enforcing FIFA rules.

The FIFA Council is responsible for the

overall strategic direction. It adopts

and decides on amendments to FIFA

regulations, with the exception of the

FIFA Statutes, which are the

responsibility of the FIFA Congress.

Furthermore, the FIFA Governance &

Review Committee provides strategic

guidance to the FIFA Council on

matters of human rights and may

propose to the Council amendments to

FIFA rules. The human rights aspects

of the Governance & Review

Committee‘s work are dealt with, in

the first instance, by its human rights

working group. Operationally, overall

responsibility for the implementation

of FIFA‘s statutory human rights

commitment lies with the FIFA

Secretary General, who heads the FIFA

administration. The responsibility for

ensuring the day-to-day management

of FIFA‘s human rights work rests with

the Head of the Sustainability &

Diversity Department, who reports

directly to the FIFA Secretary General

and who receives, and forwards to the

competent FIFA body, any enquiries

regarding human rights. Furthermore,

the Sustainability & Diversity

Department coordinates the work of all

other FIFA divisions whose activities

are relevant to the implementation of

FIFA‘s human rights commitment.

#2 WADA FOUNDATION BOARD

TAKES DECISIVE ACTION ON THE

WAY FORWARD FOR THE AGENCY

AND FOR CLEAN SPORT

Image Courtesy:wada.ama.org

The World Anti-Doping Agency‘s

(WADA‘s) Foundation Board took

decisive action on a number of key

priorities for WADA that will shape the

Way Forward for the Agency and for

Clean Sport. The full-day meeting

included Board approvals related to:

development of a graded

sanctioning framework for non-

compliance by Code

Signatories;

host city selection for the 2019

World Conference on Doping in

Sport;

next steps for the Russian Anti-

Doping Agency (RUSADA);

an Investigations Policy and

Framework;

principles to assist the

International Olympic

Committee (IOC) for

establishing an Independent

Testing Authority (ITA);

development of an International

Standard for Education and

Information; and

the 2016 year-end accounts.

The day kicked off with a presentation

by Jonathan Taylor, the Chair of

WADA‘s Independent Compliance

Review Committee (CRC), who

received Board approval for

development of a framework that

specifies a range of graded,

proportionate and predictable

consequences for non-compliance with

the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) by

a Signatory. With this approval, WADA

will be required to amend a very

limited number of Code provisions

related to compliance; and, will

develop an International Standard for

Compliance by Signatories. All this will

involve a robust stakeholder

consultation process starting in early

June with the view to seeking approval

at the next Board meeting in

November 2017 and the changes

entering into effect in early 2018.

It is very important that all Signatories

are held to the same standards within

the Code. Athletes are expected to

uphold a very high standard of

compliance and now is the time for all

members of the clean sport movement

to do the same. The WADA Athlete

Committee believes this is a critical

step towards ensuring a level playing

field.‖

On the topic of Code review, the Board

will consider, in November 2017, a

third revision process of the Code – the

scope of which will be discussed at that

time. In addition to the above-noted

amendments concerning compliance,

the review will take into account other

recommendations that emerged from

the November 2016 Board related to

WADA‘s governance and creation of

the ITA. The review would require

stakeholder consultation, which would

culminate with approval and

acceptance at the next World

Conference on Doping in Sport.

In this regard, after hearing from

Poland‘s Minister of Sport and

Tourism, Witold Bańka and Katowice‘s

Mayor, Marcin Krupa, the Board

approved Katowice, Poland as host for

the fifth World Conference, which is to

be held in November 2019. Messrs.

Bańka and Krupa gave Members a

preview of what they could expect from

Katowice – a European destination

that has a depth of experience in

hosting major events. Addressing the

room, they said, ―There are many

reasons for holding this event in

Poland, not the least of which is our

country‘s long-held, strong,

commitment to the fight against

doping in sport. We look forward to

welcoming Members in numbers for a

successful Conference in our vibrant

sporting country with modern

infrastructure and dynamic,

welcoming people.‖ The Board also

approved a recommendation by the

CRC that RUSADA be permitted to

plan, coordinate and execute testing

using its trained Doping Control

Officers (DCOs) under the supervision

of two WADA-appointed international

experts and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)

once a number of conditions have been

met.The Board noted that these

conditions are to be met within a

matter of weeks.

―WADA will keep working with Russia

to help them return to compliance as

soon as possible, which we are

resolutely focused on doing,‖ said

Olivier Niggli, Director General,

WADA. ―WADA, UKAD and our

independent experts have been

working tirelessly with RUSADA and

firmly believe that allowing them to

restart testing, under supervision, is a

right step, in the right direction,‖

Niggli continued. ―Then, it will be a

matter for RUSADA to meet the

remaining reinstatement criteria that

is outlined within an agreed roadmap.‖

The Board was updated on WADA‘s

strengthened Intelligence and

Investigations (I&I) Department and

gave their approval on a Policy and

Framework that grants the department

with full independence in its work;

along with, approval of an

Independent Supervisor that will audit

its performance. Gunter Younger,

Director of I&I walked members

through their activities, highlighting

WADA‘s new Whistleblower Program

Speak Up!, which is getting significant

traction worldwide. Combined, these

new tools are equipping the Agency to

better detect and deter doping. During

this portion of the meeting, the Board

heard from Johann Koss, four-time

Olympic gold medalist and founding

partner of Fair Sport, an independent

foundation that supports confidential

sources who speak up to unmask

doping, and educates the public on the

value of honesty and integrity in sport.

At the conclusion of the Meeting,

WADA signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) with Fair Sport

aimed at supporting whistleblowers

through an effective framework

including; in particular, legal advice

and financial support.

The Board also approved the

mechanism for appointment of the ITA

Board; along with, principles which

were agreed earlier this month by a

WADA Working Group comprised of

the Sports Movement and

Governments. The ITA, which was first

proposed by the Olympic Summit in

November 2015, will assist

International Federations (IFs) that

wish to delegate their anti-doping

programs to an independent body.

Importantly, the Board approved that

WADA explore development of an

International Standard for Education

and Information, which would elevate

the importance of values-based

education within the World Anti-

Doping Program and guide

stakeholders in developing and

carrying out effective programs. A

Working Group will now be formed to

determine the parameters of such a

Standard for consideration by WADA‘s

Executive Committee and Board in

May 2018, followed by stakeholder

consultation and inclusion within a

broader Code and Standard review

process.

The Board also approved the 2016

year-end accounts and was informed

on the status of a draft 2018 budget

based on the Agency‘s priority

activities foreseen for 2018 and

beyond. The Board heard initial

analysis suggesting that substantial

additional financial resources will be

required to accomplish the list of

priorities established by the Board and

management. This will be discussed

further by the WADA Finance

Committee at its meeting in July 2017;

and, it is then expected that a draft

2018 Budget will be presented to the

Agency‘s Executive Committee in

September before being submitted to

the Foundation Board for approval in

November.

Finally, the Board was updated on the

progress of the two other WADA

Working Groups that were established

following WADA‘s November 2016

Board meeting in Glasgow. The

Governance Working Group, which

was established to ensure

independence of the anti-doping

system from sports organizations and

national governments, staged its first

meeting in March and will hold its next

meeting in July before reporting

recommendations to the Board in

November. Meanwhile, WADA‘s

Laboratory Accreditation Working

Group, which was established to look

at potential enhanced models for the

laboratory accreditation system,

presented preliminary conclusions to

the Board, with final recommendations

set to be presented to the next Board

meeting in November 2017.

#3 OLYMPIC HIGHLIGHTS: MAY

2017

Image Courtesy:etimg.com

The President met the representatives

of the nine European NOCs taking part

in the competition every two years and

the Acting President of the European

Olympic Committees (EOC), Janez

Kocijančič. The IOC President was able

to watch some of the early

competitions, including volleyball,

basketball and swimming. The next

Games of the Small States of Europe

will be held in Montenegro in May

2019. Earlier in the visit, the President

had an audience with the two Captains

Regent, Mimma Zavoli and Vanessa

D‘Ambrosio, who are the heads of state

of the small country. Also present were

IOC Members Princess Nora of

Liechtenstein, Sovereign Prince Albert

II, Mario Pescante and Ivo Ferriani.

Throughout the visit, President Bach

was accompanied by the President of

the San Marino NOC, Gian Primo

Giardi. Whilst in Italy, he visited the

headquarters of Technogym, where he

was presented with the concept of ‗the

Wellness Valley‖ and informed about

the concept‘s great success in the local

region. In Lausanne, the President met

IOC Member Nat Indrapana, with

whom he discussed the preparations

for the next editions of the Olympic

Games and other topics of mutual

interest.

The President also discussed the

WADA reforms and the Youth Olympic

Games with IOC Member Kirsty

Coventry. He congratulated Ms

Coventry on her appointment by the

NOC of Zimbabwe as Chef de Mission

for the country‘s delegation at the

Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires

2018. The President held a dinner for

the members of the IOC Evaluation

Commission for the Olympic Games

2024, who were meeting in Lausanne.

ITTF

President Bach attended the World

Table Tennis Championships in

Düsseldorf. He watched third-round

matches of the men‘s doubles and

enjoyed playing some table tennis

himself with athletes attending the

World Championships. Joined by

Romania‘s Bernadette Szocs, the IOC

President played a game of doubles

against Kanak Jha from the United

States and ITTF President Thomas

Weickert, who was elected for a four-

year term at the ITTF Congress on the

occasion of the World Championships.

Speaking at the meeting of the newly

elected Executive Committee and the

Olympic and Paralympic Commission

of the ITTF, President Bach

emphasised the universality of table

tennis: ―You can be proud to have a

membership of 226 countries. It is

important that in all of these countries

the sport is also practised. You are

giving a good example in this respect.‖

MEMBERS

IOC

IOC Vice-President John Coates was

re-elected President of the Australian

Olympic Committee (AOC) at the

AOC‘s Annual General Meeting. He

has been AOC President since 1990.

HONORARY MEMBERS

Tamás Aján was re-elected President

of the International Weightlifting

Federation (IWF) at the IF‘s Electoral

Congress in Bangkok (Thailand). He

has held this position since 2000 (see

―IFs‖ section).

COMMISSIONS

The Evaluation Commission for the

Olympic Games 2024 met in Lausanne

under the chairmanship of IOC

Member Patrick Baumann.

OLYMPIC MUSEUM

For the first time, The Olympic

Museum is organising a photo

competition to bring together

thousands of sports images from

ordinary people all over the world. ―My

DIY sports venue‖ is part of the

Museum‘s ―The Art of Sports

Photography‖ programme. To

publicise this event among the general

public, The Olympic Museum has

named two exceptional ambassadors:

American photographer David

Burnett, a global star of sports

photography, and Swiss tennis player

Timea Bacsinszky, silver medallist at

the Olympic Games Rio 2016. You can

sign up via a dedicated page on The

Olympic Museum website between 24

May and 11 July 2017.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTS

FEDERATIONS

SUMMER IFS

NBC Sports Group and the World

Rowing Federation (FISA) have

partnered in an exclusive US media

rights agreement for the 2017 World

Rowing Championships, both parties

announced on 1 June. NBC Sports

Group will present more than ten

hours of coverage of the 2017 World

Rowing Championships, from

Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida,

beginning 28 September. All rowing

events will be presented by the

Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA,

part of a comprehensive content and

distribution partnership formed in

2016 by the IOC, USOC, and NBC

Universal. The centrepiece of the

partnership is a US linear cable

channel, which will launch this

summer.

BWF

The Athletes‘ Commission of the

Badminton World Federation (BWF)

has three new female members. During

a vote organised on the sidelines of the

Sudirman Cup, which was taking place

in Gold Coast (Australia), Pusarla V.

Sindhu (Olympic silver medallist),

Kirsty Gilmour and Akvilė Stapusaityte

were elected to the Commission, along

with Marc Zwiebler. They join the

other Athletes‘ Commission members

Shintaro Ikeda, Koen Ridder and Saina

Nehwal. Read the full story here. In

addition, at the BWF Annual General

Meeting, which was also held in Gold

Coast, seven new members were

elected to the BWF Council, which is

chaired by IOC Member Poul-Erik

Høyer.

AIBA

As part of the ―Year of Africa‖ project,

the International Boxing Association

(AIBA)‘s HeadsUp Truck made its first

stop in Lomé (Togo). Some 120 young

people took part in a boxing initiation

course that was held using the truck,

which converted into a mini-boxing

ring and initiation centre. Ninety-six

people took part in the first course of

this tour of Africa. The course is aimed

at coaches, technical personnel, judges

and referees. A World Anti-Doping

Agency (WADA) conference also took

place during this event. Read the full

story here.

IWF

Meeting in Bangkok, the Electoral

Congress of the International

Weightlifting Federation (IWF) elected

the IF‘s Executive Board. Mohammed

Jaloud was elected Secretary General.

For the first time in the history of the

IWF, a female Vice-President – Ursula

Papandrea – was elected, while

Karoliina Lundahl was elected as a

Board Member.

IJF

The International Judo Federation

(IJF) and the Hungarian Judo

Association held a special media event

on 1 June in Budapest – the 2017

World Judo Championships host city –

to promote the sport‘s annual seven-

day competition. With 88 days to go

until #JudoWorlds2017, 1,000 judoka

gathered at Heroes Square in the heart

of the city to launch 2,017 homing

pigeons bearing 2,017 messages, in a

unique event which delighted the

teeming crowd. Marius Vizer, IJF

President, and László Tóth, Hungarian

Judo Association President, were

present alongside members of the

Hungarian national team, including

Olympic and world medallists as well

as young beginners and veteran and

visually impaired judoka.

FINA

The International Swimming

Federation (FINA)‘s 2017 scholarship

programme is already producing

positive results. At the San Juan

International Swimming Open in

April, the young scholarship holder

from Costa Rica, 16-year-old Helena

Morena, achieved qualifying times to

be able to take part in the upcoming

Summer Youth Olympic Games

Buenos Aires 2018, where she will

compete in the 200m, 400m and

800m freestyle. In 2017, this

scholarship programme will be

providing financial support to 36 new

young athletes and giving them access

to international-standard training

facilities, in the hope that they will

qualify for the FINA World

Championships in Budapest (Hungary)

in July and other international

competitions.

UIPM

After Tbilissi (Georgia), the

International Modern Pentathlon

Union (UIPM) continued to roll out its

new Laser-Run concept, with three

legs of the tour taking place in Africa,

including one in Abidjan (Côte

d‘Ivoire) in mid-May. The aim of the

tour is to offer aspiring athletes an

entry point into UIPM sports and to

serve as a development tool. This year,

there will be more than 60 stops in

different cities around the world, and

the UIPM expects more than 100 cities

to sign up for the 2018 edition.

The International Table Tennis

Federation (ITTF) recently launched

the ITTF Administration Course – the

IF‘s first certified educational course,

which can be taken online. The course

is designed for administrators within

table tennis associations, and will

provide them with the skills and

knowledge to manage their

associations more effectively. The key

areas of learning are governance,

finance, working with partners, human

resources, organising competitions,

marketing and promotion, and values.

This year, the International Triathlon

Union (ITU)‘s Science and Triathlon

World Conference will be taking place

from 5 to 8 December in Edmonton

(Canada). The 2017 edition will bring

together the world‘s top experts and

researchers in the sport, who will focus

their attention on how to apply the

latest science and research into

triathlon coaching best practices.

WINTER IFS

The Council of the International Ski

Federation (FIS) held its Spring

Meeting in Portoroz (Slovenia) on 28

May. The agenda included regular

items such as reports from the

Organising Committees for the FIS

World Championships and Olympic

Winter Games, the appointment of

technical officials, proposals from the

FIS Technical Committees, FIS World

Cup calendars and updates to various

rules.

NATIONAL OLYMPIC

COMMITTEES

Mustapha Berraf was re-elected

President of the Algerian NOC at the

NOC‘s recent elective General

Assembly in Algiers. The members of

the Executive Committee for the

period 2017-2020 were also elected at

the General Assembly.

BELARUS NOC

On 30 May, a new interactive

exhibition was opened at the Belarus

NOC Olympic Museum. As well as

learning about the history of the

Olympic Movement, visitors can get

acquainted with the process of physical

culture establishment in the country

and see the unique artefacts of the

Belarusian athletes, from sports

apparel and equipment to medals and

cups. An interactive component is

given pride of place in the exhibition –

visitors can test their accuracy in pistol

and rifle shooting, visit the Olympic

host cities by having photos taken on

the podium, and check their

knowledge of the Olympic Movement

and anti-doping rules via electronic

quizzes. The Museum exhibition and

software were created by the Belarus

NOC Marketing and Communications

Directorate.

HUDSON MALTA

The Brazilian Olympic Committee

reports that about 120 athletes

competed in the State Track Cycling

Championships in the Rio Velodrome,

marking the reopening of the venue

following the Olympic Games Rio

2016. The athletes were competing for

important points for their national and

state track cycling ranking.

Approximately 3,000 people were

present at the Velodrome. The State

Cycling Federation of Rio de Janeiro

(FECIERJ) organises weekly sports

clinics on Tuesdays, Thursdays and

Saturdays at the Velodrome.

CHINESE TAIPEI OLYMPIC

COMMITTEE

The Chinese Taipei Olympic

Committee hosted the 30th edition of

the Olympic Day Run on 7 May at

Yilan Sports Park. The main theme for

this year‘s edition was ―30 Years of

Glory; Begin from the heart‖. NOC

President Hong-Dow Lin, Yilan County

Magistrate Ze-Cheng Wu, Ministry of

Education Sports Administration

Director General De-Fu Lin, and Yilan

County Sports Association President

Long-hui Tsai got the run – which paid

tribute to the global Olympic

Movement – underway. This year‘s

programme included a 21km half-

marathon, a 10 km run and a 3km fun

run, with nearly 6,000 people taking

part in total. Various other activities

were also organised to mark the 30th

anniversary of the run.

COLOMBIAN NOC

On 25 May, the Colombian NOC

headquarters hosted its first discussion

group of the year, with the theme

―Mothers of Colombian Sport‖

(―Madres del Deporte Colombiano‖).

Leading current and former sporting

figures took part in the event,

including Olympic medallist Ingrit

Valencia; NOC member Ana Edurne

Camacho; former athlete and teacher

Yanet Lucum; and former athlete

Sandra Zapata. They all shared their

experiences as mothers, athletes and

sports leaders. In his opening speech,

the NOC President, Baltazar Medina,

highlighted the important role of

women and mothers in the

development of sport in Colombia.

HELLENIC NOC

Two major international sporting

figures – pole vault Olympic champion

and IOC Executive Board Member

Sergey Bubka, and European long

jump record-holder Robert Emmiyan

– recently travelled to Athens, where

they met Hellenic NOC President

Spyros Capralos. The three men

recalled moments from the past and

discussed the future of the Olympic

Movement. They also attended an

athletics event held in Kallithea,

Athens.

MONGOLIAN NOC

The President of the Mongolian NOC,

Demchigjav Zagdsuren, and the Mayor

of Incheon, Yoo Jeong Bok, signed a

memorandum of understanding in the

framework of the ―Vision 2014

Invitational Training‖ programme,

during a ceremony at Olympic House

in Ulaanbaatar. The MoU aims to

foster close cooperation between the

two institutions in pursuing and

implementing off-season training in

Incheon by Mongolian wrestlers sent

by the NOC. The Korean city of

Incheon has been running the Vision

2014 programme since 2007 with a

view to achieving a balanced

development of sports in Asia, playing

a leading role in the progress and

exchanges of international sports.

NOC OF SINGAPORE

The NOC of Singapore has announced

that 335 student-athletes have been

awarded a Singapore Olympic

Foundation Peter Lim Scholarship.

Sport climbers and ice skaters are

represented in the under-18 high

performance category for the first

time. Since the programme was

launched in 2010, scholarships have

been awarded to more than 2,000

young athletes. The Minister for

Education, Ong Ye Kung, was guest of

honour at the ceremony, which was

also attended by Peter Lim, the

scholarship‘s largest donor; Ser Miang

Ng, Chair of the Singapore Olympic

Foundation and IOC Executive Board

Member; and another guest of honour,

Abhinav Bindra, Indian Olympic and

world champion in shooting.

TURKISH OLYMPIC

COMMITTEE

The 2016/2017 ―Free Sports School‖

season came to a close with an event

held by the Turkish Olympic

Committee (TOC) for 500 children in

the Pendik district of Istanbul. The

children, who were joined by 250

parents, took part in volleyball,

basketball and athletics activities, after

which each of them received a medal.

The coaches were presented with

certificates from the TOC for their

work over the course of the 2016/17

academic year. The aim of the

programme, which was launched in

1996 and is run by a TOC sub-

committee, is to keep disadvantaged

children from urban areas off the

streets and in school, practising sports.

The schools open on weekends during

school terms, from October to May.

The programme provides sports

facilities and equipment to 7 to 15-

year-olds, while also promoting the

Olympic values of excellence,

friendship and respect.

VENEZUELAN NOC

The Venezuelan NOC hosted the first

―Let‘s talk about baseball‖ (―Hablemos

de Béisbol‖) forum. Speakers at the

event included Sol Domínguez,

Jefferson Quintero, Giner García and

Humberto Acosta, all of whom are

recognised sports writers. The forum,

organised under the auspices of the

District Capital Baseball Association

and the NOC, was opened by NOC

Executive Committee member Ángel

Delgado.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES

FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES

PYEONGCHANG 2018

As part of the build-up to the Olympic

Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the

last week of May saw the launch of the

Peace Education Festival. This event

has been jointly organised by the

PyeongChang 2018 Organising

Committee (POCOG) and the

Gangwon Provincial Office of

Education (GPOE). Embracing the

slogan ―I Love Peace, I am a Peace

Maker‖, the festival aims to support

and educate young people in their

efforts to engage in meaningful

dialogues and initiatives that can help

make the world a more peaceful place

and enable them to develop a better

understanding of Olympic and

Paralympic values. As part of the

festival, over 400 schoolchildren and

teachers from seven countries – the

Republic of Korea, Japan, China,

Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and the

Philippines – have been invited to

participate in a variety of activities in

the city of Gangneung. Read the full

story here. Sumi Jo, the Grammy

Award-winning Korean soprano, has

been appointed as an honorary

ambassador for the Olympic Winter

Games PyeongChang 2018. The

POCOG made the announcement on

22 May at a special event, held at the

Foreign Press Centre in Seoul.

TOKYO 2020

Following overseas visits to all five

Continental Associations of NOCs, the

Organising Committee for the Olympic

and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020

(Tokyo 2020) continued on its mission

to ensure athletes enjoy the best

possible Olympic Games experience by

organising a workshop for members of

the NOCs. Held on 25 and 26 May, in

cooperation with the IOC, the

workshop was designed to help Tokyo

2020 fine-tune its preparations for the

Games. Gunilla Lindberg, ANOC

Secretary General and IOC Executive

Board Member, joined IOC and NOC

representatives in providing guidance

and recommendations to Tokyo 2020

on topics including accreditation, the

Olympic Village, food services and

transport.

Meanwhile, the official mascot of the

Games of the XXXII Olympiad will be

the subject of a national design

competition, which was presented on

22 May 2017. In addition to

professional illustrators and designers,

the whole of Japan is invited to put

forward their personal creations

through websites in Japanese and

English. The entry period will run from

1 to 14 August 2017 through a

dedicated website. In 2018, the panel

of experts will draw up its shortlist of

mascots, which will then be put to

Japanese schoolchildren. Once a

choice has been made, the panel of

experts will decide on the names of the

Olympic and Paralympic mascots.

Read the full press release here.

ORGANISING COMMITTEES

FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC

GAMES

BUENOS AIRES 2018

On 24 May, i.e. exactly 500 days before

the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd

Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG)

Buenos Aires 2018, some of the key

members of the team organising the

YOG took stock of how the

preparations were going: Buenos Aires

2018 Chairman and IOC Member

Gerardo Werthein; CEO Leandro

Larrosa; and the Minister of

Modernisation, Innovation and

Technology, Andy Freire, who is

supporting the organisation.

RECOGNISED ORGANISATIONS

EOC

The annual seminar of the European

Olympic Committees (EOC), which

was organised in conjunction with the

IOC Olympic Solidarity Regional

Forum, was held on 19 and 20 May in

Skopje (Former Yugoslav Republic of

Macedonia), at the invitation of Vasil

Tupurkovski, the Macedonian NOC

President, to mark the NOC‘s 25th

anniversary. Chaired by EOC Secretary

General Raffaele Pagnozzi, the seminar

covered a number of highly topical

issues and brought together some 200

delegates from the 50 European NOCs.

The seminar‘s working programme

also included two workshops on the

themes ―Preparation of future sports

events‖ and ―Evolution of digital

technology in sports communications‖.

Read the full story here. In addition,

the Piotr Nurowski Prize for Best

European Young Athlete in winter

sports was awarded to the 15-year-old

Estonian freestyle skiing champion

Kelly Sildaru. She was chosen as the

winner by the NOC delegates present

in Skopje.

Experts from 23 IFs took part in the

fifth edition of the Forum on Sports

Development and Education organised

by the Association of Summer Olympic

International Federations (ASOIF).

They agreed on a detailed action plan

to be applied across the different

sports. The forum was held from 17 to

18 May 2017 at the World Archery

Excellence Centre in Lausanne. The

joint approach will support the IFs in

the implementation of their projects,

ensure a certain consistency across the

sports and thereby maximise the

impact of development and education

activities overall.

United under a common objective of

promoting physical and sporting

activities to all for the well-being of

society, the IOC has signed an

unprecedented Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with the World

Transplant Games Federation

(WTFG). The agreement between the

two sporting bodies creates an

important link between the IOC‘s

Sport and Active Society Commission

and its related programmes, which

endeavour to get people of all ages and

abilities around the world moving, and

the WTGF‘s ‖Fit for Life! Programme‖,

which aims to motivate and support

the worldwide transplant population

into leading an active life and

practising sport at all levels post-

transplantation surgery.

#4 RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS 10TH

FRENCH OPEN

Image Courtesy:telegraph.co.uk

It has certainly been a reverse cycle for

a tennis fan this year. With Roger

Federer winning the Australian open it

has agin happened. Rafael Nadal, the

master of clay court, has done it again.

A crushing 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory over

Stan Wawrinka on Court Philippe

Chatrier made the 31 year old Spaniard

the most successful player at a single

Slam in the professional era.

―Rafa, this is one of the most beautiful

exploits in the history of sport,‖

Fabrice Santoro, the former French

star turned French Open interviewer,

said as he approached Nadal on the

court just after his quest for a 10th title

, La Décima, in his native Spanish.

It is no doubt a sporting achievement

for the ages: No other men‘s tennis

player has won more than seven

singles titles at the same Grand Slam

event. And it is also surely time for a

new favorite number for Nadal.

―In 2005, I thought in 2017 I‘d be

fishing on my boat in Majorca,‖ Nadal

said. ―Back then, of course, I couldn‘t

think even for a second that this would

ever happen to me.‖

Nadal added: ―I try my best in all

events ,that‘s the real thing. But the

feeling I have here is impossible to

describe and difficult to compare to

another place. For me, the nerves, the

adrenaline that I feel when I play in

this court is impossible to compare to

another feeling. Just for me, it‘s the

most important event in my career,

without a doubt.‖

This was Nadal‘s one of the most

dominant performance at Roland

Garros. It was the third time he won

the event without dropping a set, but

he lost only 35 games this time ,the

second fewest by an Open era men‘s

champion at a Grand Slam event in

which all the matches were best of five

sets.

#5 ANTI DOPING UPDATES

Image Courtesy:kirstycoventry.com

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND FOUNDATION

BOARD MEETINGS: SUMMARY OF OUTCOMES

Director General‟s Report

Updates from „Way Forward‟

(Recommendations from

November 2016 Board)

Consequences of Non-Compliance:

The Foundation Board (Board)

approved development of a

framework proposed by the

independent Compliance Review

Committee (CRC) that specifies a

range of graded, proportionate and

predictable consequences for non-

compliance with the World Anti-

Doping Code (Code) by a Signatory.

With this approval, WADA will be

required to conduct a stakeholder

consultation process, starting 1

June, with the view to seeking

approval at the next Board meeting

in November 2017 and the changes

entering into effect in early 2018.

The goal is to reach consensus on:

review of a limited number of

Code articles related to Code

compliance; and

a new International Standard

for Code Compliance by

Signatories (ISCCS).

Governance Working Group

The Board was updated on the

progress of the Governance

Working Group that was

established following WADA‘s

November 2016 Board meeting in

Glasgow. The Working Group

staged its first meeting in March

and will hold its next meeting in

July, and possibly another one,

before reporting recommendations

to the Board in November 2017.

Laboratory Accreditation Working

Group The Board was updated on

the progress of the Laboratory

Accreditation Working Group that

was established following WADA‘s

November 2016 meeting in

Glasgow. The Working Group,

which was established to look at

potential enhanced models for the

laboratory accreditation system,

presented preliminary conclusions

to the Board, with final

recommendations set to be

presented, after a stakeholder

consultation, to the next Board

meeting in November 2017.

Independent Testing

Authority (ITA)

The Board approved the

recommendation of the ITA

Steering Group concerning the

structure and process of

establishing the ITA Board. These

include the following:

The ITA would be established with

full independence, constituted

through a new Swiss Foundation.

The IOC, on behalf of the Sports

Movement, would be the founding

body of the ITA and would be

responsible for the initial capital.

Once created, the Statutes (after

approval by the Steering Group)

will reflect the agreed structure; the

mechanisms of Board appointment;

and, indicate initial Board

members put in place. The

composition of the ITA Board

would be as follows -

1. A Chairperson (Independent/

Neutral)

2. An IOC representative

3. An IF representative

4. An Athlete

5. An Expert

(Independent/Neutral)

A representative of WADA would

be invited in an ex-officio, non-

voting position. The Sport

Movement would propose the five

members to a Selection Committee

comprised of three persons. The

Selection Committee would be

appointed by WADA Management

and would include persons with

appropriate expertise. The

Selection Committee would be

responsible for reviewing

nominations put forward by the

Sports Movement to the positions.

The two independent/neutral

positions could also be suggested

by anyone from sport, government,

WADA or the wider anti-doping

community. Once vetted by the

Selection Committee, the proposed

composition of the ITA Board

would be presented to the WADA

Executive Committee for

ratification. The Steering Group

acknowledged that WADA cannot

be responsible for or directly

involved in the ITA, given its

position as the independent global

anti-doping compliance regulator.

The above recommendation on

structure/composition provide for

that separation while also allowing

the ITA Board to access and benefit

from WADA expertise. The ITA

Board itself would be responsible

for appointing a Director General

who would be autonomous. The

Director General, in consultation

with his/her Board, would be

responsible for structuring the

organization. The ITA, which was

proposed by the Olympic Summit,

is intended to assist International

Federations (IFs) that wish to

delegate their anti-doping

programs to an independent body.

The ITA would not change IFs

responsibilities under the Code,

they would ultimately remain

responsible for compliance with the

Code.

Institute for National Anti-

Doping Organizations (iNADO)

Grant Funding

The Executive Committee approved

one year $100,000 funding extension

to iNADO for one year. New

Executive Committee

Appointment : The Board appointed

Mr Witold Bańka, Minister of Sport

and Tourism, Poland, as the European

member of the WADA Executive

Committee for the remainder of the

2017 calendar year. Mr Bańka was put

forward by European public

authorities to replace Ms Thorhild

Widvey of Norway.

2019 World Conference on

Doping in Sport – Host City

Selection

The Board approved Katowice, Poland

as host for the fifth World Conference,

which is to be held in November 2019.

On 1 June 2016, WADA issued a call

for expressions of interest to host the

next World Conference with a deadline

of 25 November 2016. Submissions

were received from Oman (Muscat),

Switzerland (Geneva) and Poland

(Katowice). During the review phase,

Muscat and Geneva opted to withdraw

their submissions; which, left Poland

as the sole candidate. Per due process,

WADA conducted a thorough review of

Poland‘s bid and can confirm that it

meets all the requirements required by

WADA, both logistical and financial.

WADA will now enter into an

agreement with Polish authorities

confirming the responsibilities of each

party concerning the finances,

organization and running of the

Conference. The Agency will form an

organizing team, made up of

representatives from Poland and

WADA staff, and commence the

planning process.

Finance

The Board approved the Agency‘s 2016

Audited Financial Statements. The

Board was also informed on the status

of a draft 2018 budget based on the

Agency‘s priority activities foreseen for

2018 and beyond. The Board heard

initial analysis suggesting that

substantial additional financial

resources will be required to

accomplish the list of priorities

established by the Board and

management. This will be discussed

further by the WADA Finance

Committee at its meeting in July 2017;

and, it is then expected that a draft

2018 Budget, and a forecast for

subsequent years, will be presented to

the Agency‘s Executive Committee in

September 2017 before being

submitted to the Foundation Board for

approval in November 2017. Education

The Board approved that WADA

explore development of an

International Standard for Education

and Information. This proposal, made

by WADA‘s Education Committee,

would elevate the importance of

values-based education within the

World Anti-Doping Program and guide

stakeholders in developing and

carrying out effective programs. A

Working Group will now be formed to

determine the parameters of such a

Standard for consideration by WADA‘s

Executive Committee and Board. The

development of the Standard will

involve a stakeholder consultation and

potential inclusion within a broader

Code and Standard review process.

Health, Medical and Research

The Executive Committee approved

the following four TDs:

1. TD2017CG/LH - Reporting and

Management of Urinary Human

Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) and

Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Findings in

Male Athletes along with the Summary

of Modifications.

2. TD2017MRPL - Minimum Required

Performance Levels for Detection and

Identification of Non-Threshold

Substances along with the Summary of

Modifications.

3. TD2017DL version 2 - Decision

Limits for the Confirmatory

Quantification of Threshold

Substances along with the Summary of

Modifications.

4. TD2017NA- Harmonization of

Analysis and Reporting of 19-

Norsteroids Related to Nandrolone

along with the Summary of

Modifications. All WADA accredited

Laboratories are required to

implement these TDs in their

procedures by 1 September 2017.

World Anti-Doping Code

Compliance Review Committee

(CRC) Chair Report –

The Board approved a

recommendation by the CRC that the

Russian Anti-Doping Agency

(RUSADA), which was declared non-

compliant in November 2015, be

permitted to plan, coordinate and

execute testing using its trained

Doping Control Officers (DCOs) under

the supervision of the two WADA-

appointed international experts based

in Moscow and UK AntiDoping

(UKAD) once the following conditions

have been met:

Changing the RUSADA Statutes

to require that the Chair and

Vice Chair are selected from the

independent members of the

RUSADA Supervisory Board;

Providing the CRC with a

RUSADA conflict of interest

policy for approval;

Releasing all Athlete Biological

Passport (ABP) Blood samples

at the Russian Antidoping

Centre on demand to the anti-

doping organizations that had

those samples sent there for

testing; and Providing access to

‗Closed Cities‘ for doping

control officers.

The Board noted that these

conditions are expected to be

met shortly. Then, it will be a

matter of the remaining

reinstatement criteria, which

are outlined within the agreed

roadmap, being fulfilled.

The Board mandated WADA‘s

Management to conduct an analysis of

the current Code articles that may

warrant revision as part of a potential

third revision process of the Code. The

scope of this potential review, which

would go well beyond the specific

amendments to the Code related to

Signatories‘ compliance to be

considered as part of the consultation

process to be launched in early June

2017, will be discussed at the next

Board meeting in November 2017 once

this analysis has been completed. The

review would require stakeholder

consultation, which would culminate

with approval and acceptance at the

next World Conference on Doping in

Sport (noted above).

Technical Document for Sport

Specific Analysis (TDSSA) –

Amendments Following the approval

of the TDSSA Version 3.0 at the

November 2016 WADA Executive

Committee meeting, WADA received

requests from the World Underwater

Federation (CMAS) and the

International Paralympic Committee

(IPC) to review the list of

sports/disciplines included in the

TDSSA list. The CMAS requested the

addition of two new disciplines in their

sport, and the IPC advised that they

had rebranded the 10 sports in which

they act as the International

Federation and had adopted new

names and new identities. Accordingly,

the Executive Committee approved,

with immediate effect, the following

revised Appendices that include the

necessary changes requested by these

two International Federations.

Intelligence and Investigations :

The Board approved the proposed

WADA Investigation policy and

framework that grants the Intelligence

and Investigations (I&I) department

with full independence in its work. The

Policy, which will be published on the

Agency‘s web site shortly, outlines how

I&I will perform its work and conduct

investigations. It encompasses the

following and will be subject to regular

review and assessment: Investigative

process, Investigative principles,

Independence, Finance, Legal,

Independent supervisor and Audits,

Storage, Communication,

Confidentiality, Post-Investigative

actions.

The investigative process of any given

investigation is determined using the

Investigative Framework. It must be

applied with respect of Code and

International Standards as well as

internationally recognized best

practices and investigative and legal

principles. The Intelligence and

Investigations Department will

conduct investigations independently

from the rest of the Agency within the

limits of its budget. With the purpose

of ensuring adherence to the

Investigation Policy, the Executive

Committee approved (and the Board

endorsed) the appointment, for a

three-year term, of Mr Jacques

Antenen (SUI) as Independent

Supervisor in accordance with the

WADA Investigation Policy. The

Independent Supervisor will conduct

annual audits of the I&I Department

and submit an audit report prior to the

first annual meeting of the WADA

Executive Committee. A summary of

this report will be published in due

time.

Speak Up! and FairSport WADA‘s

Executive Committee and Board were

informed about the success of WADA‘s

new Whistleblower Program Speak

Up!, which is getting significant

traction worldwide. Board members

heard from Johann Koss, four-time

Olympic gold medalist and founding

partner of FairSport, an independent

foundation that supports confidential

sources who speak up to unmask

doping, and educates the public on the

value of honesty and integrity in sport.

At the conclusion of the Meeting,

WADA signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) with FairSport

aimed at supporting whistleblowers

through an effective framework

including; in particular, legal advice

and financial support. The Executive

Committee was asked to decide on the

next steps WADA should take in

relation to the Operation Puerto case.

The Committee asked WADA to

continue pursuing all possible legal

and other options with the aim to seek

justice for clean athletes.

#6 ICC WOMEN‟S WORLD CUP: FIXTURE & HISTORY

Image Courtesy:amazonaws.com

The International Cricket Council

(ICC) announced the full match

schedule for the ICC Women‘s World

Cup in England and Wales on

Wednesday, March 8.

The tournament will get underway on

Saturday, 24 June as 28 matches will

be held over 21 days, including four

weekends, meaning more

opportunities for fans to attend. A

round-robin between the world‘s eight

best teams will conclude with the semi-

finals at Bristol and Derby before the

final at Lord‘s on 23 July.

Schedule :

New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka

Women, 1st Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

England Women vs India Women, 2nd

Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jun 25, Sun

Pakistan Women vs South Africa

Women, 3rd Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jun 26, Mon

Australia Women vs West Indies

Women, 4th Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jun 27, Tue

England Women vs Pakistan Women,

5th Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jun 28, Wed

South Africa Women vs New Zealand

Women, 6th Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jun 29, Thu

West Indies Women vs India Women,

7th Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sri Lanka Women vs Australia

Women, 8th Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 02, Sun

England Women vs Sri Lanka Women,

9th Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Australia Women vs New Zealand

Women, 10th Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

India Women vs Pakistan Women, 11th

Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

South Africa Women vs West Indies

Women, 12th Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 05, Wed

England Women vs South Africa

Women, 13th Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Sri Lanka Women vs India Women,

14th Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Pakistan Women vs Australia Women,

15th Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 06, Thu

New Zealand Women vs West Indies

Women, 16th Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 08, Sat

New Zealand Women vs Pakistan

Women, 17th Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

South Africa Women vs India Women,

18th Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 09, Sun

England Women vs Australia Women,

19th Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

West Indies Women vs Sri Lanka

Women, 20th Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 11, Tue

West Indies Women vs Pakistan

Women, 21st Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 12, Wed

Sri Lanka Women vs South Africa

Women, 22nd Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Australia Women vs India Women,

23rd Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

England Women vs New Zealand

Women, 24th Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 15, Sat

South Africa Women vs Australia

Women, 25th Match

The Cooper Associates County Ground,

Taunton

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

England Women vs West Indies

Women, 26th Match

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

India Women vs New Zealand Women,

27th Match

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Pakistan Women vs Sri Lanka Women,

28th Match

Grace Road, Leicester

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 18, Tue

TBC vs TBC, 1st Semi-Final

County Ground, Bristol

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 20, Thu

TBC vs TBC, 2nd Semi-Final

County Ground, Derby

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

Jul 23, Sun

TBC vs TBC, Final

Lord's, London

2:00 PM

09:30 AM GMT / 10:30 AM LOCAL

ICC Women's World Cup History

1973, England

Winner: England

The first winner at a limited-overs

World Cup was, in fact, not West

Indies, but the England women‘s team,

at the first Women‘s World Cup in

1973, two years before the first men‘s

event.

Seven teams – England, Australia,

New Zealand, Jamaica, Trinidad and

Tobago, an International XI and Young

England – participated in the event. It

was held in a round-robin format, with

each team playing the others once, and

the top team on points lifting the title.

―The tournament created huge public

awareness of the very existence of

women's cricket,‖ Rachael Heyhoe-

Flint, the England captain, said years

later.

England‘s Enid Bakewell and Lynne

Thomas hit the first centuries of the

tournament in its opening match

against International XI. Its total of

258 for 1 in that game was the highest

until its last game, against Australia,

when another century by Bakewell and

a fifty by Heyhoe-Flint took England to

279 for 3 in 60 overs and a 92-run win.

England won five of its games, losing

only to New Zealand in a rain-affected

match. It was closely followed by

Australia, with four wins and one no

result.

New Zealand and International XI had

three wins each, Trinidad and Tobago

two, and Jamaica and Young England

one each.

Top run-scorer: Enid Bakewell

(England) – 264 runs in 6 matches

Top wicket-taker: Rosalind Heggs

(Young England) – 12 wickets in 6

matches

1978, India

Winner: Australia

India made its debut in the

tournament at the event hosted in the

country. Only four teams participated:

Australia, England and New Zealand

joining the home side. Each team

played the others once, with the

winner being decided on points. The

games were played before large,

enthusiastic crowds.

Australia was undefeated in the

tournament, winning against New

Zealand by 66 runs, India by 71 and

getting its revenge over England from

the 1973 edition with an eight-wicket

win in Hyderabad. Put in, the

defending champion was reduced to 28

for 6 by the pace of Sharon Ann

Tredrea, who finished with 4 for 25,

before finally putting up 96 for 8.

Glynis Hullah then struck twice as

Australia fell to 6 for 2, but a patient

effort from Sharon‘s sister Janet (37

not out) and Margaret Jennings, the

captain (57), completed an eight-

wicket win.

England finished the tournament with

two wins, while India couldn‘t open its

account.

Australia‘s good form was underlined

by the fact that three of the top five

batters (Jennings – 1, Sharon – 4,

Wendy Hills – 5) and top five bowlers

(Sharyn Hill – 1, Sharon – 2, Peta

Verco – 5) were all from the cup-

winning side.

Top run-scorer: Margaret Jennings

(Australia) – 127 in three matches

Top wicket-taker: Sharyn Hill

(Australia) – seven wickets in three

matches

1982, New Zealand

Winner: Australia

There were five participants this time

around, including an International

Women‘s XI, but what was noteworthy

was the number of matches played.

Each team played 12 matches in the

round-robin stage, with the two teams

at the top of the pile taking each other

on in the final.

It was therefore fitting that the most

consistent team won the title. In its 12

matches, Australia won a stunning 11.

The one it didn‘t win was a tie, against

England in Christchurch. England,

having posted 167 for 8, managed to

bowl Australia out with the scores

level. Remarkably, it was the second

tied contest in the tournament – the

clash between England and New

Zealand, the second of the edition, had

also ended with spoils shared.

The final was again a closely-contested

affair. Opting to bat, England posted

151 for 5, largely thanks to Jay Allen‘s

53. In response, Australia put in a fine

team performance. Jen Jacobs‘s 37 was

the highest in the innings, and she was

closely followed by Karen Read (32),

Sharon Ann Tredrea (25) and Marie

Cornish (24). Their combined effort

ensured Australia sailed home with

three wickets and an over to spare.

Top run-scorer: Janette Brittin

(England) – 391 in 12 matches

Top wicket-taker: Lyn Fullston

(Australia) – 23 wickets in 12 matches

1988, Australia

Winner: Australia

It was once again a five-team

tournament, but instead of an

International Women‘s XI, there were

two associate nations making their

debuts – Ireland and the Netherlands,

while India was missing. The number

of matches played also drastically

reduced, with each team playing eight

games.

The main scrap was once again

between Australia and England.

Australia won seven and lost one –

against England – to finish at the top

of the table. England came second, its

two losses coming against New

Zealand and in its other clash against

Australia.

As for the newbies, the Netherlands

struggled and lost all eight of its

matches. Ireland fared a bit better,

winning both its clashes against the

Netherlands to avoid the wooden

spoon.

The final between the arch-rivals –

England and Australia – wasn‘t quite

the thriller it was in the previous

edition. England, batting first, was

restricted to 127 for 7, with Janette

Brittin‘s unbeaten 46 largely

responsible for that total. Lyn Fullston,

the left-arm spinner, was the pick

among the Australian bowlers,

returning 3 for 29.

England started the chase spiritedly,

reducing Australia to 14 for 2.

However, Lindsay Reeler scored an

unbeaten 59 and put on an unbroken,

decisive 115-run stand with Denise

Annetts (48) to seal an eight-wicket

victory and Australia‘s third title.

Top run-scorer: Lindsay Reeler

(Australia) – 448 runs in eight

matches

Top wicket-taker: Lyn Fullston

(Australia) – 16 wickets in eight

matches

1993, England

Winner: England

The fifth edition was played in

England. The tournament was very

close to being cancelled until a

£90,000 donation from the

Foundation for Sport and the Arts

allowed it to go on. A total of eight

teams featured in the competition,

with Denmark and West Indies making

their debuts. India, too, made a

comeback to the championship.

After the round-robin stage of seven

matches for each team, New Zealand

and England made the final, the three-

time champion Australians losing out.

The group stage was dominated by

New Zealand, which remained

unbeaten, while England‘s only loss

came against New Zealand, by 25 runs.

In the final, England rode on the 85-

runs partnership for the second wicket

between Janette Brittin (48) and

Carole Hodges (45) to get a good start.

In the process, Brittin became the first

woman to score 1000 World Cup runs.

After them, Jo Chamberlain

bludgeoned 38 runs from 33 deliveries

to take England to 195 for 5. New

Zealand‘s reply never took off and it

was shot out for 128, giving England a

67-run win.

Top run-scorer: Janette Brittin

(England) – 410 runs in 8 matches

Top wicket-takers: Karen Smithies

(England) and Julie Harris (New

Zealand) – 15 wickets in 8 matches

1997, India

Winner: Australia

This edition featured a record 11 teams

and was played over 50 overs for the

first time. High scores, the lowest total,

big crowds, this edition of the

tournament offered everything a

cricket fan could dream of.

Australian Belinda Clark's 229 not out

against Denmark and England‘s

Charlotte Edwards's 173 not out

against Ireland still remain the top two

individual scores in women‘s cricket

history. But, while the tournament

recorded four 300-plus totals, Pakistan

was dismissed for 27 in a mere 82

balls, still the shortest completed

innings in the women‘s game.

After some tough competition in the

group stages, England, Australia, New

Zealand and India made it through to

the semi-final. While Australia

defeated India by 19 runs in the first,

New Zealand took out England by 20

runs in the second game.

New Zealand could only put up 164 in

the final, courtesy Debbie Hockley's

brilliant 79. Australia got off to a solid

start, as Clark (52) led the side from

the front and it went past the target in

47.4 overs with five wickets remaining,

giving Australians its fourth

championship title in front of 80,000

spectators at Eden Gardens.

Top run-scorer: Debbie Hockley (New

Zealand) – 456 runs in 7 matches

Top wicket-taker: Katrina Keenan

(New Zealand) – 13 wickets in 7

matches

2000, New Zealand

Winner: New Zealand

The seventh edition was hosted by

New Zealand and was won by the

home side in a cliff-hanger of a final

against its Trans-Tasman rival.

The tournament, which featured eight

teams, was spread over 31 games in

Lincolnshire and Christchurch. Apart

from Australia and New Zealand,

India, South Africa, England, Sri

Lanka, Ireland and the Netherlands

took part. All the teams played each

other once in a round-robin format,

and India and South Africa made it

into the final four apart from New

Zealand and Australia.

Australia, which went unbeaten into

the semi-final, brushed South Africa

aside with a nine-wicket win. New

Zealand, which had lost to Australia in

the group stage, also won easily,

beating India by nine wickets.

In sharp contrast to the semi-finals,

which were lopsided affairs, the final

was a nail-biting affair. Australia, the

favourite, was set 185 for victory, and it

took a collective effort by the home

side bowlers to stop it four runs short

with Belinda Clark's 91 going in vain.

Top run-scorer: Karen Rolton

(Australia) — 393 runs in 9 matches

Top wicket-taker: Charmaine Mason

(Australia) – 17 wickets in 8 matches

2005, South Africa

Winner: Australia

The tournament format was exactly the

same as in the previous edition, and

had a new finalist in India, which took

on Australia, the pre-tournament

favourite.

Australia was the most dominant team

through the course of the competition,

winning five of its seven round-robin

games by big margins, the other two

being washed out. India also had two

of its games washed out, while it also

lost to New Zealand.

In the semi-finals, Australia defeated

England by five wickets with Cathryn

Fitzpatrick returning 3 for 27 to stop

England at 158 and Belinda Clark

leading the chase with a knock of 62,

while India beat New Zealand by 40

runs, Mithali Raj‘s 91 not out and

Amita Sharma‘s 3 for 24 standing out.

In the final, Australia posted 215 for 4

after Karen Rolton, the No. 3 batter,

scored an unbeaten 107. India didn‘t

stand a chance after that, and was

bowled out for just 117.

Highest run-getter: Charlotte Edwards

(England) — 280 runs in 6 matches

Highest wicket-taker: Neetu David

(India) — 20 wickets in 8 matches

2009, Australia

Winner: England

In this, the first edition of the

tournament to be organised by the

International Cricket Council, the

teams were split into two groups, with

each team playing the other once. The

top three teams from each group then

qualified for the Super Sixes. Both

England and New Zealand, the

eventual finalists, won all their group

stage matches and lost one match each

in the Super Sixes.

A lot was expected from the home side,

but Australia lost to New Zealand in

the opening match of the tournament

and was also beaten by India in a

crucial Super Sixes match. But it

bounced back to win the third-place

playoff, beating India by three wickets.

South Africa and Sri Lanka failed to

win any matches in the tournament.

In the Super Sixes match against

Pakistan, New Zealand‘s Suzie Bates

and Haidee Tiffen were involved in a

262-run second-wicket stand – the

second-highest partnership in

women's One-Day Internationals, and

the highest in a women's World Cup

match – that set up a massive 223-run

win.

In the final at North Sydney Oval,

Nicky Shaw, the England pacer, took 4

for 43 to restrict New Zealand to 166

and a solid batting performance then

took England to a four-wicket win.

Top run-scorer: Sarah Taylor

(England) – 324 runs in 7 matches

Top wicket-taker: Laura Marsh

(England) – 16 wickets in 6 matches

2013, India

Winner: Australia

The tenth edition of the tournament

proved to be a great advertisement for

the women‘s game. Four teams –

Australia, England, India and New

Zealand – had already qualified for the

main event and were joined by Sri

Lanka, South Africa, Pakistan and

West Indies, who qualified through the

2011 Women's World Cup Qualifier in

Bangladesh.

Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole

(England), Megan Schutt and Holly

Ferling (Australia) and Jhulan

Goswami (India), were the pacers who

dominated the bowling charts. While

the power-hitting of Eshani Kaushalya

(Sri Lanka), Stafanie Taylor and

Deandra Dottin (West Indies) was at

par with some of their male

counterparts.

Sri Lanka sprung a surprise by pulling

off a thrilling one-wicket win over

England, the defending champion, in

the group stage, and even went on to

beat India by 138 runs, thus scripting

the home side‘s exit from the

tournament, while Pakistan remained

winless.

After suffering heavy defeats to India

and England in the group stage, West

Indies did a turnaround in the Super

Sixes, winning all three games,

including first-time wins over New

Zealand and Australia.

But in the final, the Jodie Fields-led

Australians bounced back in style to

beat West Indies by 114 runs and

clinch its sixth World Cup title.

Top run-scorer: Suzie Bates (New

Zealand) – 407 runs in 7 matches

Top wicket-taker: Megan Schutt

(Australia) – 15 wickets in 7 matches.

#7 THE COURT OF ARBITRATION

FOR SPORT

Image Courtesy:performgroup.com

THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) CONFIRMS

THE TRANSFER BAN IMPOSED ON CLUB ATLÉTICO DE

MADRID FOR BREACHES OF THE FIFA RULES REGARDING

THE TRANSFER OF MINORS

The Court of Arbitration for Sport

(CAS) has issued its decision in the

arbitration procedure between Club

Atlético de Madrid SAD and the

Fédération Internationale de Football

Association (FIFA) regarding the

decision rendered by the FIFA Appeal

Committee (FIFA AC) dated 8 April

2016 in which the Spanish club was

sanctioned for breaches of the FIFA

regulations concerning the registration

of minor players. The CAS Panel has

confirmed the FIFA AC decision with

the exception of the fine of CHF

900,000 which has been reduced to

CHF 550,000. As a consequence, Club

Atlético de Madrid SAD remains

banned from registering players both

nationally and internationally for two

complete and consecutive transfer

periods. In September 2016, Club

Atlético de Madrid SAD filed an appeal

at the CAS against the FIFA AC

decision. The Spanish club sought the

annulment of the FIFA AC decision

and a finding that no sanctions should

be imposed on the club. The

arbitration was referred to a panel of

CAS arbitrators: Mr Efraim Barak,

Israel, (President), Mr Romano F.

Subiotto, Belgium/UK, and Prof.

Ulrich Haas, Germany. A hearing was

held at the CAS headquarters on 24

April 2017. The Panel found that not

all of the alleged violations of the FIFA

regulations concerning the registration

of minor players could be upheld,

which justified a reduction of the fine

from CHF 900,000 to CHF 550,000

but not of the transfer ban imposed on

the club by FIFA

THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS)

MAINTAINS THE TEMPORARY BANS IMPOSED ON

SIX RUSSIAN ATHLETES UNTIL 31 OCTOBER 2017,

AT THE LATEST

The Court of Arbitration for Sport

(CAS) has issued decisions in the

arbitration procedures involving six

Russian cross country skiers – Alexey

Petukhov, Evgenia Shapovalova,

Maxim Vylegzhanin, Alexander

Legkov, Evgeniy Belov and Julia

Ivanova. The CAS Panels in charge of

the matters have decided to maintain

the provisional suspensions imposed

on the athletes until 31 October 2017,

at the latest. In the absence of any anti-

doping rule violation (ADRV) having

been assessed against any of the

athletes so far, the temporary

suspension shall lapse and the athletes

shall be allowed to compete again. A

further provisional suspension may be

imposed on the athletes by the

International Ski Federation (FIS)

after that date, if the facts and

circumstances so merit, and would be

subject to appeal. On 22 December

2016, the International Olympic

Committee (IOC) opened investigation

procedures against the athletes further

to evidence presented in the second

McLaren Independent Investigation

Report that urine samples provided by

the athletes during the 2014 Sochi

Olympic Winter Games may have been

tampered with, by manipulation of

samples in the WADA-accredited

laboratory in Sochi. The same day, FIS

provisionally suspended the athletes.

The FIS Doping Panel confirmed such

suspensions on 25 January 2017

(Petukhov, Shapovalova, Legkov and

Belov) and 6 February 2017

(Vylegzhanin,and Ivanova). Shortly

afterwards, the athletes filed appeals at

the CAS against the FIS Doping Panel‘s

decisions. On 15 May 2017, the Panels

in charge of the cases involving Alexey

Petukhov, Evgenia Shapovalova,

Maxim Vylegzhanin, Alexander Legkov

and Evgeniy Belov held hearings at the

CAS headquarters in Lausanne,

Switzerland. The parties in the case of

Ms Ivanova did not request a hearing

and the Panel in charge of her case

issued its decision based on the written

submissions submitted by the parties.

The Panels in charge of these matters

have noted that the reports following

the investigations conducted by a

special IOC commission would be

delivered during the summer period

and found that it was necessary to

allow the FIS time to complete its own

investigation before issuing its final

decisions concerning the six athletes.

The CAS Panels have maintained the

provisional suspension imposed on

each athlete until 31 October 2017 at

the latest, unless any ADRV sanction is

imposed against them by FIS before

that date. Should the athletes not be

found to have committed any ADRV

before that date, then they will be

restored to the status quo ante

prevailing at the time of the imposition

of the temporary suspension.

#8 OLYMPIC AGENDA 2020:

RECOMMENDATIONS II

Image Courtesy:stillmed.olympic.org

This Olympic Agenda 2020 was

unanimously agreed at the 127th IOC

Session in Monaco on the 8th and 9th

of December 2014. The 40 detailed

recommendations are like individual

pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, which when

put together give us a clear picture of

what the future of the Olympic

Movement will look like. They give us a

clear vision of where we are headed

and how we can protect the uniqueness

of the Games and strengthen Olympic

values in society. The reforms follow a

year of discussion and consultation

with all stakeholders of the Olympic

Movement, as well as external experts

and the public. More than 40,000

submissions were received from the

public during the process, generating

some 1,200 ideas. Fourteen Working

Groups synthesised the discussions

and debates throughout the whole

Olympic Movement and wider society

before the recommendations were

finalised by the Executive Board ahead

of the 127th Session. Work has already

started on implementation. The IOC

has begun work on the Olympic

Channel. The new Invitation Phase has

already been launched for the 2024

bidding process, which allows cities to

present an Olympic project that best

matches their long-term sports,

economic, social and environmental

plans. Some of the reforms have

already been included in the 2022

process in close cooperation with the

bidding cities.

Recommendation 19 Launch an

Olympic Channel:

The IOC to launch an Olympic

Channel.

Recommendation 20 Enter into

strategic partnerships:

The IOC to open up to cooperation and

network with competent and

internationally recognised

organisations and NGOs to increase

the impact of its programmes.

Recommendation 21 Strengthen

IOC advocacy capacity:

Strengthen IOC advocacy capacity:

The IOC to advocate to

intergovernmental organisations and

agencies.The IOC to encourage and

assist NOCs in their advocacy efforts.

Recommendation 22 Spread

Olympic values-based education :

1. The IOC to strengthen its

partnership with UNESCO to include

sport and its values in school curricula

worldwide.

2. The IOC to devise an electronic

platform to share Olympic values-

based education programmes of

different NOCs and other

organisations.

3. The IOC to identify and support

initiatives that can help spread the

Olympic values.

Recommendation 23 Engage with

communities:

1. Create a virtual hub for athletes.

2. Create a virtual club of volunteers.

3. Engage with the general public.

4. Engage with youth.

Recommendation 24 Evaluate the

Sport for Hope programme:

1. The IOC to evaluate the success and

impacts of the Sport for Hope

programme over the next two to three

years and, in the meantime, limit the

programme to the two existing centres

in Haiti and Zambia.

2. The IOC to develop a sustainable

operational model for the two existing

Sport for Hope centres and invite other

NGOs to contribute their particular

areas of expertise, with the goal of

having the centres become self-

sufficient, managed and operated by

another entity, and no longer reliant

on the direct heavy investment and

support of the IOC.

3. The IOC to define further strategy of

investment in locally adapted

grassroots sport facilities, building on

the experience and lessons learned

from the Olympafrica model.

Recommendation 25 Review

Youth Olympic Games

positioning:

The IOC to review with the

stakeholders the positioning of the

Youth Olympic Games.

1. The IOC Executive Board to set up a

tripartite commission with the NOCs

and IFs to review in depth the vision,

mission, positioning, sports

programme, Culture and Education

Programme (CEP), protocol,

organisation, delivery and financing of

the Youth Olympic Games, and to

come back to the IOC Session for final

discussions and decisions.

2. The IOC to move the organisation of

the YOG to a non-Olympic year,

starting with the 4th Summer Youth

Olympic Games, to be postponed from

2022 to 2023.

Recommendation 26 Further

blend sport and culture:

1. At Games time: Create the Olympic

Laurel award for outstanding

contributions to Olympism (culture,

education, development and peace) at

every edition of the Olympic Games.

The award ceremony to take place

during one of the ceremonies. The

recipient of the ―Olympic Laurel‖ to be

nominated by a jury including

independent highly respected

personalities. Study the development

of an Olympic House to welcome the

general public to engage in a dialogue

with the Olympic Movement. Study an

―Olympic Museum on the move‖

concept to introduce Olympic culture

to the general public in the context of

the torch relay, live sites and/or the

Cultural Olympiad. Develop an artists-

in-residence programme.

2. Between Olympic Games: Study

how to develop an impactful

commissioned artists programme to

engage a steady and authentic

interaction with global cultural players

and build a dynamic legacy.

Encourage NOCs to appoint an

―attaché‖ for Olympic culture.

Recommendation 27 Comply

with basic principles of good

governance:

All organisations belonging to the

Olympic Movement to accept and

comply with the Basic Universal

Principles of Good Governance of the

Olympic and Sports Movement

(―PGG‖).

1. Such compliance to be monitored

and evaluated. Supporting tools and

processes can be provided by the IOC

in order to help organisations become

compliant with the principles of good

governance, if necessary.

2. Organisations to be responsible for

running self-evaluation on a regular

basis. The IOC to be regularly

informed of the results of the

organisations‘ self-evaluations. In the

event of missing such information, the

IOC to request such an evaluation at its

discretion.

3. The ―PGG‖ to be updated

periodically, emphasising the necessity

for transparency, integrity and

opposition to any form of corruption.

Recommendation 28 Support

autonomy The IOC to create a

template to facilitate cooperation

between national authorities and

sports organisations in a country.

Recommendation 29 Increase

transparency:

To further increase transparency

1. The financial statements of the IOC

to be prepared and audited according

to the International Financial

Reporting Standards (IFRS), even if

these higher standards are legally not

required from the IOC.

2. The IOC to produce an annual

activity and financial report, including

the allowance policy for IOC members.

Recommendation 30 Strengthen

the IOC Ethics Commission

independence:

The Chair and the members of the IOC

Ethics Commission to be elected by the

IOC Session.

Recommendation 31 Ensure

compliance:

The IOC to establish within the

administration a position of a

compliance officer, to:

1. Advise the IOC members, IOC staff,

NOCs, IFs and all other stakeholders of

the Olympic Movement with regard to

compliance.

2. Give advice on new developments

with regard to compliance.

Recommendation 32 Strengthen

ethics:

The IOC Ethics Commission to review

the Code of Ethics and its Rules of

Procedure to be fully aligned with the

Olympic Agenda 2020 drive for more

transparency, good governance and

accountability.

Recommendation 33 Further

involve sponsors in “Olympism in

Action” programmes l

The IOC to adopt measures for TOP

Partners to be integrated into the

funding, promotion and

implementation of IOC ―Olympism in

Action‖ activities and to strengthen

sponsors‘ recognition in this respect.

1. The IOC to define specifically which

―Olympism in Action‖ programmes

would help drive the Olympic brand

2. The IOC to streamline ―Olympism in

Action‖ initiatives behind a few core

ones which sponsors can ―anchor‖ onto

and which align with the central vision

of ―building a better world through

sport‖.

3. The IOC to review and understand

what partnering with each TOP can

offer in terms of furthering the IOC

―Olympism in Action‖ goals.

4. TOP Partners to be engaged by IOC

TMS to co-construct future ―Olympism

in Action‖ initiatives.

5. Enhance recognition of partners‘

involvement in ―Olympism in Action‖

programmes.

Recommendation 34 Develop a

global licensing programme:

The IOC to develop a global licensing

programme, placing the emphasis on

promotion rather than on revenue

generation.

Recommendation 35 Foster TOP

sponsors‟ engagement with

NOCs:

The IOC to create a programme in view

of increasing engagement between

TOPs and NOCs.

1. The IOC to adapt tailor-made

measures to increase TOP local

activation and synergies with NOCs.

Support individual NOCs and sponsors

in developing and increasing

sponsorship activations on a local level

using the NOCs‘ assets.

2. The IOC to create IOC Marketing

Seminars for NOCs in collaboration

with Olympic Solidarity and ANOC to

provide information on Olympic

marketing and best practices. The

seminar programme for all NOCs will

enhance and develop the marketing

and servicing capabilities of NOCs to

engage with sponsors to better support

and maximise sponsorship activations.

The existing training pool for NOCs

will be a key component of the seminar

programme.

3. The IOC to consider contractual

obligations to be included in TOP

Partner agreements to facilitate TOP

engagement with NOCs.

Recommendation 36 Extend

access to the Olympic brand for

noncommercial use :

Extend access to the Olympic brand

for non-commercial use.

Recommendation 37 Address IOC

membership age limit:

Address IOC membership age limit:

The IOC Session, upon the

recommendation of the IOC Executive

Board, may decide a one-time

extension of an IOC member‘s term of

office for a maximum of four years,

beyond the current age limit of 70.

This extension to be applied in a

maximum of five cases at a given time.

The Nominations Commission to be

consulted.

Recommendation 38 Implement

a targeted recruitment process

Move from an application to a targeted

recruitment process for IOC

membership:

1. The Nominations Commission to

take a more proactive role in

identifying the right candidates to fill

vacancies in order to best fulfil the

mission of the IOC.

2. The profile of candidates to comply

with a set of criteria - to be submitted

by the Nominations Commission to the

IOC Executive Board for approval -,

inter alia: The IOC‘s needs in terms of

skills and knowledge (e.g. medical

expertise, sociological expertise,

cultural expertise, political expertise,

business expertise, legal expertise,

sports management expertise, etc.)

Geographic balance, as well as a

maximum number of representatives

from the same country. The existence

of an athletes‘ commission within the

organisation for representatives of

IFs/NOCs

3. The IOC Session to be able to grant a

maximum of five special case

exceptions for individual members

with regard to the nationality criteria.

Recommendation 39 Foster

dialogue with society and within

the Olympic Movement :

Foster dialogue with society and within

the Olympic Movement:

1. The IOC to study the creation of an

―Olympism in Action‖ Congress that

would take the pulse of society every

four years: Bring together

representatives of the Olympic

Movement, its stakeholders and

representatives of civil society. Engage

in a dialogue with representatives from

all walks of life and backgrounds on

the role of sport and its values in

society. Discuss the contribution of

the Olympic Movement to society in

fields such as education, cohesion,

development, etc.

2. The IOC to turn the Session into an

interactive discussion among IOC

members on key strategic topics, with

interventions from external guest

speakers.

Recommendation 40 Review

scope and composition of IOC

commissions:

1. The President to review the scope

and composition of the IOC

commissions, to align them with the

Olympic Agenda 2020.

2. The IOC Executive Board to

determine the priorities for

implementation of the

recommendations.

#9 CASE LAW ALERT

Image Courtesy:lessonsinlaaw.com

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol v. FIFA

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol brings an

appeal against FIFA, challenging the

decision of the FIFA Appeal

Committee rendered on 8 April 2016

and notified on 8 September 2016,

which confirmed the FIFA Disciplinary

Committee‘s decision communicated

on 14 January 2016 to impose on the

Spanish club (i) a registration ban of

two complete and consecutive transfer

windows, (ii) a fine of CHF 360,000,

and (iii) a reprimand, for the club‘s

violations of Articles 19, 9.1, 5.1, 19bis.1

and Annexes 2 and 3 of the FIFA

Regulations on the Status and Transfer

of Players (hereinafter the ―RSTP‖).

FACTS:

In October 2013, the Department of

Integrity and Compliance of Transfer

Matching System GmbH (the body in

charge of overseeing compliance with

the Transfer Matching System,

hereinafter referred to as ―FIFA TMS‖)

was made aware of Real Madrid‘s

potential breach of the RSTP with

regard to the transfer of three players

who were minors (i.e. under 18 years

old). These Players have been referred

to during the FIFA proceedings as

―Players 22, 23 and 25‖. From this

ensued an exchange of

communications from 20 January

2014 to 24 April 2014 between FIFA

TMS and Real Madrid concerning

several minors (including the three

aforementioned), where FIFA TMS

requested information and Real

Madrid provided it. In light of the

rumors and news about FIFA‘s

investigations against the RFEF and

the Fútbol Club Barcelona (―FCB‖)

over the international transfer and first

registration of minors under the age of

12 years (―U-12‖), Real Madrid wished

to confirm that it had been correctly

registering U-12 Players. To that end, it

sought confirmation from the RFEF

that U-12 players did not need

approval from the subcommittee of the

FIFA Players‘ Status Committee (the

―FIFA Subcommittee‖).

In response, on 10 March 2014, the

RFEF informed Real Madrid: ―Indeed,

children under 12 years of age do not

need the approval of the FIFA

Subcommittee for minors, which

means that it is the autonomous

federations themselves that register

those players without further action.

Those who were registered before the

circular to which you make reference

shall be treated the same. Minors

under the age of 12 do not have to go

through the FIFA Subcommittee for

minors, and their registration is

automatically "validated" when they

turn 12 years old if they were already

registered before that age.‖

In view of the RFEF‘s confirmation,

Real Madrid went on to register

another U-12 minor in 24 September

2014, Player 24, following the same

method as before – registration with

the FFM and no additional approval

request from the RFEF or the FIFA

Subcommittee. On 10 April 2014, the

RFEF sought clarification from FIFA

about Article 19 RSTP. In reply, on 17

April 2014, FIFA informed the RFEF

that: ―(…) The Subcommittee of the

Players‘ Status in its meeting of

October 2009, clarified that there was

no need to seek approval under Article

19.4 of the FIFA RSTP before

requesting an ITC and/or effecting a

first registration of a player aged below

12 years (…). However, any association

intending to register minors aged

below 12 years for one of its affiliate

clubs carries a greater responsibility of

ensuring that the well-being of the

children in question is not under threat

and that they are treated in line with

the spirit and principles of the relevant

regulations on the protection of

minors. It is needless to say that the

associations must also take part in

avoiding that the relevant objectives

[of said regulations] are undermined.‖

On 11 November 2014, the Secretariat

of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee

notified Real Madrid, through the

RFEF, that it had launched a

preliminary investigation in order to

assess whether it had committed

violations of the rules on international

transfer and/or first registration in

connection with several minors. The

FIFA Disciplinary Committee also

requested additional information on

those minors, as well as information

on Real Madrid. The FIFA Disciplinary

Committee invited Real Madrid to

confirm whether any other minors

were registered with Real Madrid

through international transfer or first

registration and to introduce any other

information relevant to the

investigation. From this ensued

another exchange of communications

that lasted until March 2015, in which

Real Madrid provided FIFA with the

information requested and its position

on the matter. On 23 January 2015,

FIFA issued a circular letter, i.e.

Circular no. 1468, in which it notified

its members inter alia of the

amendment to the Article 9.4 RSTP

that would enter into force in March

2015. The Circular read in the relevant

part: ―[…] in order to strengthen the

protection of minors and due to the

increased number of international

transfers of players younger than 12,

the FIFA Executive Committee has

approved a reduction in the age limit

for which an international transfer

certificate (ITC) is required to the age

of 10.

In this regard, we would like to recall

that, while referring to the reasoning

behind the contents of art. 9 par. 4 of

the Regulations, on the occasion of its

meeting of October 2009, the sub-

committee appointed by the Players‘

Status Committee had clarified that no

application for approval according to

art. 19 par. 4 of the Regulations was

required prior to any request from an

association for an ITC and/or first

registration of players under the age of

12. On account of that decision,

bearing in mind the considerations

made by the FIFA Executive

Committee with respect to the factors

at stake (i.e. increased number of

international transfers of players

younger than 12 and the need to

reinforce the protection of minors) in

respect of art. 9 par. 4, the member

associations will be obliged to submit

applications for approval of any

international transfer of minor player

or first registration of a foreign minor

player to the sub-committee appointed

by the Players‘ Status Committee for

any player as of the age of 10 (cf. art. 19

par. 4 of the Regulations).

Furthermore, we deem it important to

point out and clarify that if a member

association intends to register under

the age of 10 (currently 12), despite the

fact that no ITC and no application to

the sub-committee appointed by the

Players‘ Status Committee will be

required, it is all the more

responsibility of this association to

verify and ensure that the

requirements for the protection of

minors established in art. 19 par. 2 of

the regulations are met.‖

Following this FIFA Circular no. 1468,

the RFEF issued two circular letters,

i.e. Circular no. 33 on 26 January 2015,

and Circular no. 37 on 3 February

2015, respectively, in order to explain

to its clubs FIFA‘s amendments to the

RSTP. With regard to the amendment

to Article 9.4 RSTP, the RFEF stated in

the Circular specifically the following:

―The clarification that FIFA made on

footballers under 10 years of age

(previously 12 years of age), modifies

the procedure for the registration of

foreign players who due to their age do

not require an International Transfer

Certificate, in that it clarifies that the

RFEF, as a member of FIFA, must

assume the responsibility of verifying

and ensuring that all the requirements

for the protection of minors – which

are stipulated in Article 19, para. 2 of

the Regulations on the Status and

Transfer of Players and Article 120 of

the RFEF General Regulations – be

fulfilled. In this respect and in order to

comply with FIFA‘s rule clarified in the

aforementioned Circular No. 1468, the

RFEF sets up a telematics system for

processing registration applications for

the registration of foreign or

nonnational players under 10 years of

age, which will enter into force on 1

March 2015. In no case will a foreign

or non-national player under 10 years

of age be registered without the prior

authorization of the RFEF. […] The

RFEF will decide on the registration

applications, which must comply

scrupulously with the requirements

established in Article 19 of the

Regulations on the Status and Transfer

of Players and Article 120 of the RFEF

General Regulations.‖

On 27 March 2015, the Secretariat of

the FIFA Disciplinary Committee

informed Real Madrid, through the

RFEF, that it had launched

disciplinary proceedings against it in

connection with possible violations of

the RSTP. 13. After further requests for

information with which Real Madrid

complied, FIFA communicated to the

Parties on 14 January 2016, the FIFA

Disciplinary Committee‘s decision in

the disciplinary proceeding against

Real Madrid. The FIFA Disciplinary

Committee found that of the 70

registration of minors investigated,

Real Madrid violated the RSTP with

regard to 39 of them. More specifically,

the FIFA Disciplinary Committee

found that Real Madrid had violated: -

Article 19.1 RSTP (the prohibition on

the international transfer of minors) in

4 cases: Players 2, 4, 24, and 38. -

Article 19.3 RSTP (prohibition on the

first registration of non-national

minors) in 4 cases: Players 3, 22, 23,

and 39. - Article 19.4 RSTP, together

with Annexes 2 and 3 RSTP, in 4 cases:

Players 22, 23, 38, and 39. - Article 9.1

RSTP (the obligation of waiting to

register a player at a new association

until receipt of the ITC from the

former association) in one case: Player

38. - Article 5.1 RSTP (the obligation to

register players before letting them

participate in organised football) in 33

cases: Players 1, 3-14, 16-24, 31, 37, 39,

56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 63, 68, 70; and -

Article 19bis.1 RSTP (the obligation to

report to the relevant association all

minors attending an academy that has

a legal, financial or de facto link to the

club) in the following cases: Players 1-

24, 27, 31, 37, 38, 39, 40, 58, 59, 61,

63, 66, 68 and 70. 14. In light of the

violations, the FIFA Disciplinary

Committee imposed a registration ban

of two complete and consecutive

transfer windows, a fine of CHF

360,000, and a reprimand.

The operative part of the decision of

the FIFA Disciplinary Committee

reads:

The club Real Madrid CF is found

guilty of violating Art. 19, para. 1 and

Art. 19, para. 3 of the FIFA Regulations

on the Status and Transfer of Players,

in relation to, respectively, the

prohibition on the international

transfer of players under 18 years of

age and the prohibition on registering

players under 18 years of age who have

never previously been registered and

are not nationals of the country in

which they wish to be registered for the

first time. The club Real Madrid CF is

found guilty of violating Art. 19.4 in

conjunction with Annexes 2 and 3 of

the FIFA Regulations on the Status

and Transfer of Players (the procedure

for the application for the first

registration and international transfer

of minors) and Art. 5, para. 1, 9.1, para.

1 and 19bis, para. 1 of the FIFA

Regulations on the Status and Transfer

of Players. Pursuant to Art. 12, letter a)

and Article 23 of the FIFA Disciplinary

Code, Real Madrid CF is banned from

registering players, either nationally or

internationally, for the next two (2)

entire and consecutive registration

periods following the notification of

the present decision. The club may

register players, both nationally and

internationally, as of the registration

period that follows the club‘s

compliance with the sanction.

Pursuant to Art. 10 letter (c) and of

Art. 15 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code,

Real Madrid CF is sanctioned with a

fine of CHF 360,000 (...)

Pursuant to Art. 10 letter (b) and of

Art. 14 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, a

reprimand is issued against the club

Real Madrid CF in view of its

misbehavior and misconduct in the

findings described herein. The club

Real Madrid CF is granted a period of

90 days to regularize the situation of

minors at the club. In particular, the

club shall submit, without delay, the

relevant applications to the

Subcommittee of the Players‘ Status

Committee and shall comply with all

other procedural guidelines relevant to

the specific cases. In the event that the

club obtains an approval of the

Subcommittee for the

registration/transfer of a particular

player, the club shall be exempt from

the prohibition imposed by the present

decision for the transfer/registration to

the club of said minor player. The

Disciplinary Committee decides to set

the costs and expenses at CHF 30,000

which in applying Art. 105, para. 1 of

FIFA‘s Disciplinary Code shall be

borne by Real Madrid CF (...).‖

On 15 January 2016, Real Madrid

informed FIFA that it intended to

appeal the FIFA Disciplinary

Committee‘s decision to the FIFA

Appeal Committee (the ―FIFA AC‖).

Real Madrid went on to appeal that

decision on 25 January 2016,

requesting the FIFA Appeal Committee

to set it aside or, subsidiarily, to reduce

the sanction imposed therein. 16. On 8

April 2016, after holding a hearing at

FIFA‘s headquarters, the FIFA AC

confirmed the FIFA Disciplinary

Committee‘s decision. While it

rendered the operative part of its

decision that same day, it did not issue

its grounds until 8 September 2016

(the ―Appealed Decision‖). The FIFA

AC ordered as follows: ―

The appeal brought by the Real Madrid

club is rejected. The decision of the

FIFA Disciplinary Committee taken on

23 July 2015 is fully confirmed. The

costs and expenses of this proceeding

in the amount of CHF 3,000 shall be

borne by RM. This amount is offset by

the amount of 3,000 CHF that was

paid as a deposit.‖

JURISDICTION, APPLICABLE

LAW AND ADMISSIBILITY

Jurisdiction

The jurisdiction of the CAS derives

from Article R47 of the Code and

Articles 57.1 and 58 of the FIFA

Statutes (2016 edition).

According to Article R47 of the Code:

―An appeal against the decision of a

federation, association or sports-

related body may be filed with CAS if

the statutes or regulations of the said

body so provide… and if the Appellant

has exhausted the legal remedies

available to it prior to the appeal, in

accordance with the statutes or

regulations of that body‖.

. Articles 57.1 and 58 of the FIFA

Statutes provide, respectively: – ―FIFA

recognises the independent Court of

Arbitration for Sport (CAS) with

headquarters in Lausanne

(Switzerland) to resolve disputes

between FIFA, member associations,

confederations, leagues, clubs, players,

officials, intermediaries and licensed

match agents‖; and – ―Appeals against

final decisions passed by FIFA‘s legal

bodies… shall be lodged with CAS…‖.

The Parties do not dispute the

jurisdiction of the CAS and, moreover,

confirmed it by signing the Order of

Procedure. Furthermore, the Parties

do not dispute the Appellant‘s

exhaustion of legal remedies. Finally,

the Parties had agreed to submit the

dispute to a sole arbitrator, instead of a

panel of three members, in accordance

with Article R50 of the Code. The Sole

Arbitrator thus holds that the CAS has

jurisdiction to hear the present

dispute.

Admissibility

According to Article R49 of the Code,

―[i]n the absence of a time limit set in

the statutes or regulations of the

federation, association or sports-

related body concerned, or in a

previous agreement, the time limit for

appeal shall be twenty-one days from

the receipt of the decision appealed

against…‖

The FIFA Statutes do provide a time

limit for an appeal to the CAS in Article

58: ―Appeals against final decisions

passed by FIFA‘s legal bodies… shall be

lodged with CAS within 21 days of

notification of the decision in

question.‖ FIFA notified the grounds of

the Appealed Decision to the Parties

on 8 September 2016. The Appellant

then lodged an appeal against that

decision on 27 September 2016, i.e.

within the 21 days allotted in Article 58

of the FIFA Statutes. It follows that the

Appellant‘s appeal is admissible.

Applicable law

Pursuant to Article R58 of the CAS

Code: ―[t]he Panel shall decide the

dispute according to the applicable

regulations and, subsidiarily, to the

rules of law chosen by the parties or, in

the absence of such a choice, according

to the law of the country in which the

federation, association or sports-

related body which has issued the

challenged decision is domiciled or

according to the rules of law that the

Panel deems appropriate. In the latter

case, the Panel shall give reasons for its

decision‖. Article 57.2 of the FIFA

Statutes provides that ―[t]he provisions

of the CAS Code of Sports-related

Arbitration shall apply to the

proceedings. CAS shall primarily apply

the various regulations of FIFA and,

additionally, Swiss law‖.

Therefore, the Sole Arbitrator found

that it must decide the present dispute

in accordance with the FIFA

Regulations (more specifically, the

RSTP, the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA

Disciplinary Code) and, subsidiarily,

Swiss law. In this connection, the Sole

Arbitrator notes that various editions

of the RSTP would be applicable to the

present dispute since the alleged

breaches occurred at different times

between 2008 and 2014. That said, as

the Parties have agreed, for the sake of

simplicity and considering that the

relevant substance of the relevant

provisions have not changed during

that time span, the Sole Arbitrator

shall apply the 2012 CAS 2016/A/4785

- page 20 L edition of the RSTP in this

Award. The Sole Arbitrator shall also

apply the 2011 FIFA Disciplinary Code

as that is the latest version.

The Court of Arbitration for

Sport ruled that:

1. The appeal filed on 27 September

2016 by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol

against the decision rendered by the

FIFA Appeal Committee on 8 April

2016 is partially upheld.

2. The decision rendered by the FIFA

Appeal Committee on 8 April 2016 is

set aside and is replaced by the present

arbitral award as follows: Real Madrid

Club de Fútbol shall be banned from

registering any new players, either

nationally or internationally, for one

(1) entire registration period following

the notification of the present

operative part of the arbitral award;

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is ordered

to pay a fine to FIFA of the amount of

CHF 240,000 (two hundred forty

thousand Swiss Francs), payable

within 30 days after receipt of the

present arbitral award; A reprimand is

imposed on Real Madrid Club de

Fútbol; Sec. 3 of the decision rendered

by the FIFA Appeal Committee on 8

April 2016 and Sec. 7 of the decision

rendered by the FIFA Disciplinary

Committee on 23 July 2015 are

confirmed.

3. The present arbitral award is

pronounced without costs, except for

the Court Office fee of CHF 1,000 (one

thousand Swiss Francs) paid by Real

Madrid Club de Fútbol, which is

retained by the CAS.

#10 DIRECTIONS ISSUED BY THE

COMMITTEE OF

ADMINISTRATORS TO BCCI:

IMPORTANT POINTS

Image Courtesy:livemint.com

The order dated 2nd January 2017

passed by the Hon‘ble Supreme Court

inter alia ordered and directed that:

―A Committee of administrators shall

supervise the administration of BCCI

through its Chief Executive Officer. ...

... the Committee of Administrators

shall also ensure that the directions

contained in the judgment of this

Court dated 18 July 2016 (which

accepted the report of the Committee

with modifications) are fulfilled and to

adopt all necessary and consequential

steps for that purpose. ... ...Upon the

Committee of administrators as

nominated by this Court assuming

charge, the existing office bearers shall

function subject to the supervision and

control of the Committee of

administrators. The Committee of

administrators would have the power

to issue all appropriate directions to

facilitate due supervision and control.‖

Thereafter, the order dated 30th

January 2017 passed by the Hon‘ble

Supreme Court states that: ―... The

C.E.O. of B.C.C.I. shall report to the

Committee of Administrators and the

Administrators shall supervise the

management of B.C.C.I.‖ C. In light of

the aforesaid orders, it will be apparent

that

(i) the Committee of Administrators

shall supervise the management and

administration of the BCCI through its

CEO;

(ii) the office bearers shall function

subject to the supervision and control

of the Committee of Administrators;

(iii) the Committee of Administrators

will have the power to issue all

appropriate directions to facilitate due

supervision and control of the

functioning of BCCI; and

(iv) the CEO shall report to the

Committee of Administrators and the

Committee of Administrators shall

supervise the management of BCCI.

With a view to ensuring that the affairs

of the BCCI are carried out in

accordance with the orders passed by

the Hon‘ble Supreme Court as well as

in the interests of good governance, the

Committee of Administrators

considers it necessary to issue the

following directions in supersession of

all previous directions:

1. The existing office bearers and the

CEO shall be bound to act in

accordance with the directions of the

Committee of Administrators and shall

aid, assist and cooperate with the

Committee of Administrators so as to

enable it to

(i) effectively supervise the 2

management and administration of the

BCCI through the CEO;

(ii) ensure that the directions

contained in the Hon‘ble Supreme

Court‘s judgment dated 18th July 2016

(―Judgment‖) are implemented; and

(iii) supervise and control the

functioning of the office bearers of the

BCCI. The existing office bearers and

the CEO shall take all necessary steps

to ensure compliance and/or give

effect to these directions.

2. The existing office bearers of the

BCCI shall keep the CEO duly

informed of all steps/ actions being

taken by them in the discharge of their

duties. The CEO may assist the existing

office bearers of the BCCI in the

discharge of their duties whilst

continuing to report to the Committee

of Administrators. All communications

between the office bearers and any

employees/ retainers/ consultants of

the BCCI shall be copied to the CEO.

The CEO shall keep the Committee of

Administrators fully apprised of the

actions being taken by the existing

office bearers and may, for that

purpose, call for any information/

documents from any person that he

considers necessary.

3. Whilst the Committee of

Administrators may communicate its

directions to all concerned through the

CEO, the existing office bearers are

welcome to communicate directly with

the Committee of Administrators

should they so desire.

4. The CEO alone shall continue to sign

all pleadings, affidavits, applications,

etc. in respect of legal proceedings filed

by or against the BCCI. The CEO alone

shall continue to issue instructions to

advocates/ legal advisors in relation to

fresh as well as pending legal

proceedings under the supervision and

control of the Committee of

Administrators.

5. All contracts/ tender documents

having value of above Rs. 25 lakhs

shall be put up by the CEO before the

Committee of Administrators for

approval.

6. All payments to be made on behalf

of the BCCI shall be jointly approved

by the Acting Secretary and the CEO.

In the event one of them approves a

payment and the other does not or fails

either to reject or approve such

payment within 3 days, the matter

shall be placed before the Committee

of Administrators for its decision. In

any event and notwithstanding the

above, prior approval of the

Committee of Administrators shall be

taken in respect of any payment where

the beneficiary is the CEO, Acting

President, Acting Secretary, Treasurer

or any employee who works exclusively

with any of them. The CEO and the

existing office bearers shall jointly

prepare a list of such employees and

submit the same to the Committee of

Administrators. The Treasurer shall be

copied (for information only) on

requests for approval of payments.

7. Once a payment is approved and/or

a decision is taken as aforesaid, the

said payment shall be processed

and/or decision implemented by the

Joint Secretary and the Treasurer

within 3 working days. The CEO shall

complete all necessary paperwork and

formalities with the banks for adding

Mr. Santosh Rangnekar and Mr.

Ratnakar Shetty as additional

signatories for all bank accounts. If a

payment is not processed and/or

decision is not implemented within 3

working days, the Committee of

Administrators may direct the other

two signatories, namely Mr. Santosh

Rangnekar and Mr. Ratnakar Shetty,

to process the payment and/or

implement the decision instead of the

Joint Secretary and the Treasurer.

8. The Committee of Administrators

request that notice of any meeting of

any committee/ sub-committee or the

General Body of the BCCI shall be

simultaneously given to the CEO along

with the agenda and related

documents that are circulated to

persons/ members entitled to attend

such meeting. All decisions taken

during such meeting should be

intimated by the Chairman of the

meeting to the CEO in writing on the

same day. The CEO shall be entitled to

be present in any such meeting. 9. All

information, correspondence,

communications and discussions

involving the Committee of

Administrators and any employee/

consultant/ retainer/ service provider

shall be kept confidential and shall not

be disclosed to any person without the

express written consent of the

Committee of Administrators.

All letters, notices and other

correspondence on behalf of the BCCI

which seek to invoke or exercise any

rights/ remedies under the Members

Participation Agreement entered into

between the BCCI and the ICC

Business Corporation FZ-LLC shall

only be issued with the prior approval

of the Committee of Administrators.

#11 FIFA: NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN

THE GAME

Image Courtesy:fifa.com

Global workshops push FIFA

Forward

FIFA is moving forward with its

agenda to develop the game globally

and bring member associations (MAs)

together to discuss the best direction

for new projects. The FIFA FORWARD

programme has already seen

workshops held around the world to

make sure as many associations and

confederations as possible are up to

speed with the new funding

opportunities available.

The workshops bring together

representatives from MAs, including

presidents, general secretaries,

development officers and finance

directors along with representatives

from FIFA and the confederations.

Those involved for FIFA include

representatives from the Member

Associations Division as well as from

the Women‘s and Technical Divisions.

In November 2016, all ten South

American MAs met for the inaugural

FIFA FORWARD workshop in

Asuncion, Paraguay to discuss the

programme in detail. This was

followed the subsequent month by

workshops in South Africa and

Djibouti, which saw representatives

from the COSAFA and CECAFA

regions of CAF attend respectively, and

Singapore, with representatives from

some of Asia‘s MAs meeting.

This calendar year has already seen

further workshops: in Suriname,

Jamaica and Panama (for CONCACAF

members); Zurich, Dublin and Minsk

(for UEFA members); Congo DR,

Egypt and Côte d'Ivoire (for the

remaining CAF members); and

Bangkok and Oman (for AFC

members). Discussions at the

workshops have centred on further

explaining and clarifying the MAs‘ role

in the FIFA FORWARD programme

and how to further develop the game

in their countries. One of the key

factors of the discussions revolve

around the MAs' strategic plan and

Contract of Agreed Objectives (CAO).

This is a document which highlights

the sustainable long-term planning in

each MA, and every requested project

has to be in line with the objectives

outlined in the CAO.

Joyce Cook, FIFA‘s Chief Member

Associations Officer, has overseen all

of these workshops since beginning her

role in November 2016, along with the

four Regional Directors; Sanjeevan

Balasingam (Asia and Oceania), Jair

Bertoni (Americas), Veron Mosengo-

Omba (Africa and Caribbean), Bjorn

Vassallo (Europe). Balasingam

oversaw the recent workshop in Fiji,

and was delighted with the progress

made.

The Asia and Oceania Regional

Director, whose appointment in the

newly-formed role was announced in

December, knows that the workshops

are the first step on a long road for the

MAs and their respective projects. The

MAs present at the Oceania meeting

included hosts Fiji and the Solomon

Islands.

Plans are already in place to ensure

Member Associations have the

opportunity to attend such workshops

on an annual basis, to share their

progress and best practice examples in

developing football around the globe.

Key numbers

40 million USD available per four-

year cycle, per Confederation

50 million USD available per four-

year cycle, per MA

750,000 USD available per year for

football projects for each MA (pitches,

competitions, women‘s football)

500,000 USD available per year for

running costs for each MA

(administration and good governance)

FIFA Youth Football Survey

The FIFA Youth Football Survey was

conducted in 2016 with the aim of

gathering information about youth

football globally. It was set up in order

to evaluate the support that will be

required in the future and to collate

feedback in order to adapt our services

accordingly. The survey collected

information in nine key areas related

to youth football, including youth

football competitions, governance and

perception of youth football and was

analysed by CIES.

The survey was answered by 178 FIFA

member associations (MAs), which

amounts to a response rate of almost

85 per cent. This response rate has

enabled FIFA to draw conclusions and

provide recommendations which can

be applied across all confederations

depending on the specific needs in the

different regions. The survey closed in

June 2016.

Some of the main findings are:

There are gaps between national

youth leagues and national youth

teams (MAs having national teams

but not necessarily national youth

leagues)

The median number of staff

dedicated to youth football per MA

is five

FIFA is mentioned most by

member associations in terms of

―stakeholder support‖ for youth

football

In 78.8 per cent of MAs, youth

football benefits from FIFA-

funded infrastructure

13.2 per cent of the overall budget

of MAs is invested in youth

football

Investment is perceived as the

most important need for youth

football development

Youth football is perceived as an

attractive area of investment in

only 20.8 per cent (male) and 12.4

per cent (female) of MAs

Based on these findings, FIFA will be

able to better analyse and assist youth

football development worldwide and

the member associations in setting

benchmarks for their youth

development programmes.

In accordance with the results of this

survey, FIFA will, through its

development programme FORWARD

and in line with two of the main

objectives of FIFA 2.0, continue to

grow the game by making football

more accessible to girls and boys all

over the world and by providing

pathways for young players with tailor-

made support for the development of

youth football on all continents.

Hawk-Eye selected as VAR

technology provider

FIFA will continue the testing of video

assistant technology during the FIFA

U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017

(20 May – 11 June), the FIFA

Confederations Cup Russia 2017 (17

June – 02 July) and the FIFA Club

World Cup UAE 2017 (6 – 16

December).

The use of video assistant referees

(VARs) at the upcoming FIFA

competitions moved a step closer, with

FIFA confirming the appointment of

Hawk-Eye Innovations as the VAR

technology provider for the

tournaments mentioned.

The announcement follows a

comprehensive tender process, when

interested technology providers were

invited to submit their proposals. The

relevant departments within FIFA

examined the use of VAR technology

during former trials at the FIFA Club

World Cup 2016 in Japan and various

tests done in international friendly

games.

The 130th Annual General Meeting

(AGM) of The International Football

Association Board (The IFAB) in

Cardiff on 5 March 2016 approved a

two-year period of ―live experiments

with video assistance for clear errors in

match-changing situations‖ involving a

Video Assistant Referee (VAR), who

will be a match official, to determine if

‗the implementation of VARs improves

the game‘.

The VAR technology should provide

the video assistant referees with the

best camera angles in the fastest

possible time in order to make correct

and consistent decisions. The IFAB

approved a detailed set of protocols for

the experiments and agreed they

should be conducted for a minimum of

two years in order to identify the

advantages, disadvantages and worst-

case scenarios.

The set of protocols were drawn up by

The IFAB‘s Technical Sub-Committee,

with support from FIFA‘s Technology

Innovation Department, and followed

discussions with the Football Advisory

Panel and Technical Advisory Panel as

well as football associations, leagues,

other sports and technology providers.

During the trials in the upcoming

mentioned FIFA competitions, the task

is to examine how the VAR system

impacts on the behaviour of players,

the behaviour of referees, the response

of fans in the stadium and the response

of people watching on television. It will

be a great deal of further information

that The IFAB needs before takes a

final decision on the implementation

of VARs in 2018, or 2019 at the latest.

KICKFAIR

In every society there are children and

adolescents whose needs are not met

by the standard educational

opportunities on offer. At KICKFAIR,

an organisation based in southern

Germany that runs projects

throughout the country, the main focus

is on helping those disadvantaged

youths - one of a number of groups

they serve in the community.

Profile

Officially founded in 2003 as KICK

FORWARD

Street football used as educational

tool

Educational concepts with

youngsters form core of all work

Nationwide projects

Flat hierarchies

Encourage interests and taking

responsibility

Approximately 20 primary

employees and freelancers, over

100 volunteers

Numerous partnerships

domestically and internationally

Education through football

To achieve this, KICKFAIR put

together - and continually refine - an

educational concept based on diverse

street football projects. "Football is a

phenomenon that reaches far beyond

the sport itself," explained Steffi

Biester, current head of the

organisation. "Football is really

attractive for our youngsters and it

arouses strong emotions."

KICKFAIR's educational method is at

the core of almost every project,

alongside the vision for all children to

have the same opportunities to develop

their personal and professional

potential. "For us it's all about

facilitating learning, not imparting

knowledge," continued Biester, who

has frequently witnessed youngsters

struggling to access "a lot of good

projects and supportive measures in

their schools before they settle with

us". Here, the learning process is

different to in school; it is informal,

cognitive and emotional.

For many youngsters it is initially

important to discover where their own

interests actually lie.

It is no surprise that football can be

useful in that regard. Failure and

defeat are an inherent part of sport,

just as getting back up and carrying on

are. Needless to say, these qualities

and experiences can be transferred

into other areas of life too.

The children and adolescents are

actively involved at KICKFAIR. For

instance, pupils in years five and six

take part in street football

tournaments at school so that they can

take over a large part of the

tournament organisation when they

are in year seven.

The KICKFAIR concept states that

youngsters "grow step by step into

increasingly complex tasks involved in

the planning, organising and staging of

events", and that any conflicts that

arise during matches are dealt with

through dialogue.

Cooperation with Football for

Hope

KICKFAIR constructively criticises

both itself and football continually and

builds on numerous partnerships, such

as those with adidas and the German

Sport University, where the

organisation gives lectures as part of a

Master's degree course. Furthermore,

KICKFAIR have been working closely

with the FIFA program Football for

Hope for several years.

#12 RUSSIA 2018 STADIUMS:

GREENER AND MORE

SUSTAINABLE

Image Courtesy:mirror.co.uk

As the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™

draws closer, construction on all the

tournament's stadiums continues

apace. Every month FIFA.com updates

fans on how progress is going. The

finishing touches are being applied to

the FIFA Confederations Cup venues –

Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Fisht

Stadium in Sochi, the Kazan Arena and

Saint Petersburg Stadium while work

presses on at the 2018 FIFA World

Cup Russia™ stadiums.

The Luzhniki Stadium is the exception,

however, as the new facility is almost

ready to be signed off after undergoing

major renovation. The markings of the

football pitch at Russia 2018‘s main

arena have already been painted,

although at the moment only in the

direction the grass has been cut. ―The

lines with be painted twice before

matches, in both directions,‖ explained

the Deputy Mayor of Moscow Marat

Khusnullin recently.

The foundations of the football pitch at

the Ekaterinburg Arena are nearly fully

laid and workers have begun installing

the drainage system. The preparatory

stage will be finished in July and after

that the turf can be seeded. In the

meantime, the stands and facilities

inside the venue are being fitted out

and utility systems are being installed.

Work has also begun on upgrading the

area surrounding the stadium and is

expected to be finished in autumn. One

load of gravel for this purpose weighs

80,000 tonnes alone and there will be

5500 square metres of lawn.

Nearly 2000 people have been put to

work on the Volgograd

Arena construction site, where the

railroads and crane towers are ready

(in the space that will eventually

become the football pitch) to lift the

cable-stayed roof and additional

elements into place. The stadium‘s

protective outer enclosure has also

started to take shape: a three-metre

high latticed metal construction that

measures 1.5km in length. The light

towers around the stadium continue to

be built and so far, five of the 21

planned 30-metre towers have already

been erected.

Around 80 per cent of the membrane

roof has been laid at the Russia 2018

stadium in Rostov-on-Don. The metal

structure of the roof and the concrete

work at the construction site are

already complete. Inside the facility,

the dropped ceilings, lifts and

escalators are being built; doors,

coloured panels and windows fitted;

and ceramic tiles laid. The layers

beneath the football pitch are 30 per

cent complete. Regional authorities in

the Rostov Oblast plan to hold the first

matches at the stadium in November

this year.

Experts applying finishing

touches

A landmark moment has been passed

in the construction of the Mordovia

Arena in Saransk, as the final block of

the rounded roof has been mounted.

Two hundred construction workers

worked around the clock to build the

structure, which weighs 6000 tonnes

in total. The welding joints alone

measure 12,000 metres all together.

Experts have started putting together

the football pitch at the Nizhny

Novgorod Stadium. The area that will

contain the playing surface measures

7140 square metres. To improve the

pitch‘s sustainability and density, a

special geosynthetic fabric will be

added to its foundations. The materials

that compose the layers beneath the

pitch (ballast, top soil, fertiliser etc.)

will undergo additional testing in a

special laboratory in Scotland.

The pyramid-shaped supports that will

hold up the 32 elements of the roof

around the outer perimeter of the

stands have been completed at

the Samara Arena. The concrete is

almost all laid, while the interiors of

the stadium‘s facilities are being

finished off. The external utility

systems, entrances and core metal

structure are also nearly done. In total,

2300 people and 150 pieces of

machinery have been employed on the

construction site.

At the Kaliningrad Stadium, decorative

work such as plastering and painting

walls or laying tiles is ongoing. The

internal electricity, ventilation and

heating systems are being installed and

outside, the stadium‘s facade is still

being erected. Here too, experts have

started building the layers that

compose a football pitch.

With the aim to continue to foster

green building standards at FIFA

World Cup™ stadiums, the 2018 Local

Organising Committee (LOC) hosted a

workshop to discuss current practices

of green building standards

application, best practices for

innovative design solutions and

aspects of stadium management and

operation after certification. The event

was attended by environmental

protection experts, representatives of

design organisations, developers as

well as regional environmental

authorities.

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Luzhniki

Stadium, Volgograd Arena, Samara

Arena and Mordovia Arena were

certified at the stage of design. Spartak

Stadium received the final BREEAM-

in-use certificate with a ‗Good‘ level at

the end of 2016. Saint Petersburg

Stadium, Luzhniki Stadium as well as

Kazan Arena are currently in the

process of final certification for

construction.

Certification of the stadiums in

compliance with recognised

environmental standards is an integral

element of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Sustainability Strategy. Apart from the

globally recognised standards of

environmental certification, the first

Russian standard for green stadium

certification ―RUSO. THE FOOTBALL

STADIUMS‖ has been developed

specifically for the purpose of assessing

and certifying World Cup stadiums.

This standard was created by the

Russian syndicate of scientific,

engineering and construction

community of professional

organisations with the support of the

Ministry of Natural Resources and the

Environment of the Russian

Federation and the LOC. It takes into

account FIFA requirements,

international standards, as well as the

Russian legislative practice and

construction regulations. Since the

registration of the standard in March

2016, active work has been done to

implement it as a tool to certify World

Cup stadiums. Among venues that are

planning to be certified by ―RUSO.

THE FOOTBALL STADIUMS‖ in the

nearest future are Saint Petersburg

Stadium and Kazan Arena.

Construction of sports facilities

meeting green building standard

requirements not only helps to

minimise stadium environmental

impact, but also to a great extent

determines its operation in the future,

including decreasing expenses for

water and energy supply.

The stadium's unique building

management system effectively

regulates distribution of power to

various utility systems, decreasing

energy consumption by 20 to 70 per

cent depending on a situation. LED-

based lamps in service and office

rooms and corridors allow saving up to

90 per cent of electric energy for

lighting compared to incandescent

lamps. Green building standards are

based on resource-efficient design and

engineering solutions, including

special methods of energy efficiency

calculation and the provision of high-

quality equipment for building,

heating and cooling systems, lighting,

power and water supplies. The

standards also cover environmental

safety of construction materials, a

number of social aspects, transport

accessibility, as well as general

environmental factors, such as amenity

planting, air quality and level of

comfort.

In addition to resource-efficient

technologies, stadiums are constructed

in a way that enables them to preserve

architectural heritage and biological

diversity, ensure barrier-free

environments for disabled people and

people with limited mobility and to

create comfortable public spaces.

#13 MONTHLY FIXTURES

Image Courtesy:sportskeeda.com

June

1-18: Cricket - Champions Trophy, England (Cardiff, Edgbaston and The Oval) - full

fixtures

15-18: Golf - US Open, Erin Hills, Wisconsin

16-30: Football - European Under-21 Championship, Poland

17: Rugby union - Argentina v England, second Test, Santa Fe; Japan v Ireland, first

Test, venue TBC; Australia v Scotland, Sydney

17 Jun-2 Jul: Football - Confederations Cup, Russia

17, 18, 24 & 25: Sailing - America's Cup, Bermuda (if necessary, racing will

continue on 26-27 June)

19-25: Tennis - Aegon Championships, Queen's Club

20-24: Horse racing - Royal Ascot

21, 23 & 25: Cricket - England v South Africa, Twenty20 internationals

22-30: Taekwondo - World Championships, Muju, Japan

24: Rugby union - New Zealand v British & Irish Lions, first Test, Auckland; Japan v

Ireland, second Test, venue TBC; Fiji v Scotland, Suva

25: Formula 1 - Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Baku

24 Jun-23 Jul: Cricket - Women's World Cup, England

26 Jun-1 Jul: Tennis - Aegon International, Eastbourne

26-29: Cricket - full round of day/night matches in the County Championship

30 Jun-2 Jul: Athletics - British team trials, Birmingham

July

1: Rugby union - New Zealand v British & Irish Lions, second Test, Wellington

1: Cricket - One-Day Cup final, Lord's

1-23: Cycling - Tour de France

3-16: Tennis - Wimbledon

6-10: Cricket - England v South Africa, first Test, Lord's

7-26: Football - Gold Cup, USA

8: Rugby union - New Zealand v British & Irish Lions, third Test, Auckland

9: Formula 1 - Austrian Grand Prix, Spielberg

9: Athletics - London Anniversary Games, London Stadium

14-18: Cricket - England v South Africa, second Test, Trent Bridge

14-23: Disability sport - World ParaAthletics Championships, London

14-30: Swimming and diving - World Aquatics Championships, Budapest

#14 PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES 2017-2018

Image Courtesy:365dm.com Saturday, 12 August, 2017

Arsenal v Leicester City

Brighton v Manchester City

Chelsea v Burnley

Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town

Everton v Stoke City

Manchester United v West Ham United

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur

Southampton v Swansea City

Watford v Liverpool

West Bromwich Albion v AFC Bournemouth

Saturday, 19 August, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Watford

Burnley v West Bromwich Albion

Huddersfield Town v Newcastle United

Leicester City v Brighton

Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Manchester City v Everton

Stoke City v Arsenal

Swansea City v Manchester United

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea

West Ham United v Southampton

Saturday, 26 August, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Manchester City

Chelsea v Everton

Crystal Palace v Swansea City

Huddersfield Town v Southampton

Liverpool v Arsenal

Manchester United v Leicester City

Newcastle United v West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley

Watford v Brighton

West Bromwich Albion v Stoke City

Saturday, 9 September, 2017

Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth

Brighton v West Bromwich Albion

Burnley v Crystal Palace

Everton v Tottenham Hotspur

Leicester City v Chelsea

Manchester City v Liverpool

Southampton v Watford

Stoke City v Manchester United

Swansea City v Newcastle United

West Ham United v Huddersfield Town

Saturday, 16 September, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Brighton

Chelsea v Arsenal

Crystal Palace v Southampton

Huddersfield Town v Leicester City

Liverpool v Burnley

Manchester United v Everton

Newcastle United v Stoke City

Tottenham Hotspur v Swansea City

Watford v Manchester City

West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United

Saturday, 23 September, 2017

Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion

Brighton v Newcastle United

Burnley v Huddersfield Town

Everton v AFC Bournemouth

Leicester City v Liverpool

Manchester City v Crystal Palace

Southampton v Manchester United

Stoke City v Chelsea

Swansea City v Watford

West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday, 30 September, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Leicester City

Arsenal v Brighton

Chelsea v Manchester City

Everton v Burnley

Huddersfield Town v Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United v Crystal Palace

Newcastle United v Liverpool

Stoke City v Southampton

West Bromwich Albion v Watford

West Ham United v Swansea City

Saturday, 14 October, 2017

Brighton v Everton

Burnley v West Ham United

Crystal Palace v Chelsea

Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion

Liverpool v Manchester United

Manchester City v Stoke City

Southampton v Newcastle United

Swansea City v Huddersfield Town

Tottenham Hotspur v AFC Bournemouth

Watford v Arsenal

Saturday, 21 October, 2017

Chelsea v Watford

Everton v Arsenal

Huddersfield Town v Manchester United

Manchester City v Burnley

Newcastle United v Crystal Palace

Southampton v West Bromwich Albion

Stoke City v AFC Bournemouth

Swansea City v Leicester City

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool

West Ham United v Brighton

Saturday, 28 October , 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea

Arsenal v Swansea City

Brighton v Southampton

Burnley v Newcastle United

Crystal Palace v West Ham United

Leicester City v Everton

Liverpool v Huddersfield Town

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

Watford v Stoke City

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City

Saturday, 4 November, 2017

Chelsea v Manchester United

Everton v Watford

Huddersfield Town v West Bromwich Albion

Manchester City v Arsenal

Newcastle United v AFC Bournemouth

Southampton v Burnley

Stoke City v Leicester City

Swansea City v Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace

West Ham United v Liverpool

Saturday, 18 November, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Huddersfield Town

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur

Brighton v Stoke City

Burnley v Swansea City

Crystal Palace v Everton

Leicester City v Manchester City

Liverpool v Southampton

Manchester United v Newcastle United

Watford v West Ham United

West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea

Saturday, 25 November, 2017

Burnley v Arsenal

Crystal Palace v Stoke City

Huddersfield Town v Manchester City

Liverpool v Chelsea

Manchester United v Brighton

Newcastle United v Watford

Southampton v Everton

Swansea City v AFC Bournemouth

Tottenham Hotspur v West Bromwich Albion

West Ham United v Leicester City

Tuesday, 28 November, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Burnley

Arsenal v Huddersfield Town

Brighton v Crystal Palace

Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur

Watford v Manchester United

West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United (8pm)

Wednesday, 29 November, 2017

Chelsea v Swansea City

Everton v West Ham United

Manchester City v Southampton (8pm)

Stoke City v Liverpool (8pm)

Saturday, 2 December, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Southampton

Arsenal v Manchester United

Brighton v Liverpool

Chelsea v Newcastle United

Everton v Huddersfield Town

Leicester City v Burnley

Manchester City v West Ham United

Stoke City v Swansea City

Watford v Tottenham Hotspur

West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace

Saturday, 9 December, 2017

Burnley v Watford

Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth

Huddersfield Town v Brighton

Liverpool v Everton

Manchester United v Manchester City

Newcastle United v Leicester City

Southampton v Arsenal

Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion

Tottenham Hotspur v Stoke City

West Ham United v Chelsea

Tuesday, 12 December, 2017

Burnley v Stoke City

Crystal Palace v Watford (8pm)

Huddersfield Town v Chelsea

Manchester United v AFC Bournemouth (8pm)

Swansea City v Manchester City

West Ham United v Arsenal

Wednesday, 13 December, 2017

Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion (8pm)

Newcastle United v Everton

Southampton v Leicester City

Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton (8pm)

Saturday, 16 December, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool

Arsenal v Newcastle United

Brighton v Burnley

Chelsea v Southampton

Everton v Swansea City

Leicester City v Crystal Palace

Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur

Stoke City v West Ham United

Watford v Huddersfield Town

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United

Saturday, 23 December, 2017

Arsenal v Liverpool

Brighton v Watford

Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur

Everton v Chelsea

Leicester City v Manchester United

Manchester City v AFC. Bournemouth

Southampton v Huddersfield Town

Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion

Swansea City v Crystal Palace

West Ham United v Newcastle United

Tuesday, 26 December, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v West Ham United

Chelsea v Brighton

Crystal Palace v Arsenal

Huddersfield Town v Stoke City

Liverpool v Swansea City

Manchester United v Burnley

Newcastle United v Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton

Watford v Leicester City

West Bromwich Albion v Everton

Saturday, 30 December, 2017

AFC Bournemouth v Everton

Chelsea v Stoke City

Crystal Palace v Manchester City

Huddersfield Town v Burnley

Liverpool v Leicester City

Manchester United v Southampton

Newcastle United v Brighton

Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United

Watford v Swansea City

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal

Monday, 1 January, 2018

Arsenal v Chelsea

Brighton v AFC Bournemouth

Burnley v Liverpool

Everton v Manchester United

Leicester City v Huddersfield Town

Manchester City v Watford

Southampton v Crystal Palace

Stoke City v Newcastle United

Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur

West Ham United v West Bromwich Albion

Saturday, 13 January, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Arsenal

Chelsea v Leicester City

Crystal Palace v Burnley

Huddersfield Town v West Ham United

Liverpool v Manchester City

Manchester United v Stoke City

Newcastle United v Swansea City

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

Watford v Southampton

West Bromwich Albion v Brighton

Saturday, 20 January, 2018

Arsenal v Crystal Palace

Brighton v Chelsea

Burnley v Manchester United

Everton v West Bromwich Albion

Leicester City v Watford

Manchester City v Newcastle United

Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur

Stoke City v Huddersfield Town

Swansea City v Liverpool

West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth

Tuesday, 30 January, 2018

Huddersfield Town v Liverpool

Swansea City v Arsenal

West Ham United v Crystal Palace

Wednesday, 31 January, 2018

Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth

Everton v Leicester City

Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion (8pm)

Newcastle United v Burnley

Southampton v Brighton

Stoke City v Watford (8pm)

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United (8pm)

Saturday, 3 February, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Stoke City

Arsenal v Everton

Brighton v West Ham United

Burnley v Manchester City

Crystal Palace v Newcastle United

Leicester City v Swansea City

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United v Huddersfield Town

Watford v Chelsea

West Bromwich Albion v Southampton

Saturday, 10 February, 2018

Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion

Everton v Crystal Palace

Huddersfield Town v AFC Bournemouth

Manchester City v Leicester City

Newcastle United v Manchester United

Southampton v Liverpool

Stoke City v Brighton

Swansea City v Burnley

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

West Ham United v Watford

Saturday, 24 February, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Newcastle United

Arsenal v Manchester City

Brighton v Swansea City

Burnley v Southampton

Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur

Leicester City v Stoke City

Liverpool v West Ham United

Manchester United v Chelsea

Watford v Everton

West Bromwich Albion v Huddersfield Town

Saturday, 3 March, 2018

Brighton v Arsenal

Burnley v Everton

Crystal Palace v Manchester United

Leicester City v AFC Bournemouth

Liverpool v Newcastle United

Manchester City v Chelsea

Southampton v Stoke City

Swansea City v West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur v Huddersfield Town

Watford v West Bromwich Albion

Saturday, 10 March, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal v Watford

Chelsea v Crystal Palace

Everton v Brighton

Huddersfield Town v Swansea City

Manchester United v Liverpool

Newcastle United v Southampton

Stoke City v Manchester City

West Bromwich Albion v Leicester City

West Ham United v Burnley

Saturday, 17 March, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v West Bromwich Albion

Burnley v Chelsea

Huddersfield Town v Crystal Palace

Leicester City v Arsenal

Liverpool v Watford

Manchester City v Brighton

Stoke City v Everton

Swansea City v Southampton

Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United

West Ham United v Manchester United

Saturday, 31 March, 2018

Arsenal v Stoke City

Brighton v Leicester City

Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur

Crystal Palace v Liverpool

Everton v Manchester City

Manchester United v Swansea City

Newcastle United v Huddersfield Town

Southampton v West Ham United

Watford v AFC Bournemouth

West Bromwich Albion v Burnley

Saturday, 7 April, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Crystal Palace

Arsenal v Southampton

Brighton v Huddersfield Town

Chelsea v West Ham United

Everton v Liverpool

Leicester City v Newcastle United

Manchester City v Manchester United

Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur

Watford v Burnley

West Bromwich Albion v Swansea City

Saturday, 14 April, 2018

Burnley v Leicester City

Crystal Palace v Brighton

Huddersfield Town v Watford

Liverpool v AFC Bournemouth

Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion

Newcastle United v Arsenal

Southampton v Chelsea

Swansea City v Everton

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City

West Ham United v Stoke City

Saturday, 21 April, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Manchester United

Arsenal v West Ham United

Brighton v Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea v Huddersfield Town

Everton v Newcastle United

Leicester City v Southampton

Manchester City v Swansea City

Stoke City v Burnley

Watford v Crystal Palace

West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool

Saturday, 28 April, 2018

Burnley v Brighton

Crystal Palace v Leicester City

Huddersfield Town v Everton

Liverpool v Stoke City

Manchester United v Arsenal

Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion

Southampton v AFC Bournemouth

Swansea City v Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur v Watford

West Ham United v Manchester City

Saturday, 5 May, 2018

AFC Bournemouth v Swansea City

Arsenal v Burnley

Brighton v Manchester United

Chelsea v Liverpool

Everton v Southampton

Leicester City v West Ham United

Manchester City v Huddersfield Town

Stoke City v Crystal Palace

Watford v Newcastle United

West Bromwich Albion v Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday, 13 May, 2018

Burnley v AFC Bournemouth

Crystal Palace v West Bromwich Albion

Huddersfield Town v Arsenal

Liverpool v Brighton

Manchester United v Watford

Newcastle United v Chelsea

Southampton v Manchester City

Swansea City v Stoke City

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

West Ham United v Everton