Dragon

Right, you'll be first in front of the firing squad when the revolution comes...

So here's an idea. Readers of this forum nominate your stars of 2018. Male sportsman of the year, Female sportsman of the year. Team of the year Junior sportsman of the year (under 20 years old at 1/1/2018) Junior sportswoman of the year (under 20 years old at 1/1/2018) Greatest moment of the year Biggest idiot of the year

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, And, if you don't, have a good day anyway...

Russian biathlete Anton Shipulin is retiring tomorrow.

2.2 Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method 2.2.1 It is each Athlete’s personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters his or her body and that no Prohibited Method is Used. Accordingly, it is not necessary that intent, Fault, negligence or knowing Use on the Athlete’s part be demonstrated in order to establish an anti-doping rule violation for Use of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method. 2.2.2 The success or failure of the Use or Attempted Use of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is not material. It is sufficient that the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method was Used or Attempted to be Used for an anti-doping rule violation to be committed

The IOC have announced nothing. The news of the two athletes (Ivoninskaya of Kazakhstan and Radevica of Latvia) was announced by the IAAF here https://www.athleticsintegrity.org/disciplinary-process/provisional-suspensions-in-force

The IOC have been doing another round of retesting of 2012 samples this year. So far they've caught 2 athletes and 5 weightlifters, It's possible there will be more

Another Olympic gold for Iran... Oleksiy Torokhtiy has tested positive for the 2012 Olympics

Oh dear...

No. Steven, Ellen, Louise, Joe, Joanne, George, James and Jack aren't competing. Edit - and Ellen's partner is Antonio Mariñas Soto who has ridden for Spain at the European Championships.

You know it's going to 10 c and light rain at Christmas. Like it is every year...

The greatest mistake in television history...

How much does it cost to buy a korf these days?

Case #511 (Kyrgyzstan #1) Athlete: Zhamalidin Musaev Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: August 19th, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #512 (Spain #5) Athlete: Cesar Antonio Perez Rodriguez Sport: Athletics Duration: 3 Months Expiration: January 7th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #513 (Romania #2) Athlete: Ioan Pitigoi Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: January 26th, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #514 (Canada #11) Athlete: Natasha Yaremczuk Sport: Athletics Duration: 14 Months Expiration: December 29th, 2018 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #515 (Kenya #17) Athlete: Edwin Kipyego Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: July 6th, 2021 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #516 (Azerbaijan #3) Athlete: Azer Ahmedov Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: November 22nd, 2021 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #517 (Brazil #7) Athlete: Simone Da Silva Sport: Athletics Duration: 360 Months Expiration: June 9th, 20147 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #518 (Portugal #3) Athlete: Hélio Gomes Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 11th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #519 (Kenya #18) Athlete: Lazarus Too Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 6th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #520 (Romania #3) Athlete: Adelina Elena Panaet Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: February 19th, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter Case #521 (Ethiopia #6) Athlete: Brtukan Adeba Berihun Sport: Athletics Duration: 96 Months Expiration: June 21st, 2025 Substance: ? Source: IAAF October Newsletter

Awards ceremony live on BBC 1 now Nominations for Sportsperson of the Year are: Harry Kane Dina Asher-Smith Jimmy Anderson Geraint Thomas Lewis Hamilton Lizzy Yarnold Special Award - Billy Monger, the racing driver who returned to racing after losing both legs in a crash. International Lifetime Achievement Award - Billie Jean King Coach of the Year - Gareth Southgate World Star of the Year - Francesco Molinari (he beat Simone Biles (!) ) Team of the Year - England Netball Greatest Sporting Moment of 2018 - England netball team beating world champions Australia in the last second to win the Commonwealth Games Final results 3rd Harry Kane 2nd Lewis Hamilton 1st Geraint Thomas

I blame Brexit for this...

Unlike 2016, Great Britain's women's football team have confirmed they will take their place if England qualify. I don't know if that makes a difference to your prediction?

Case #494 (Cyprus #1) Athlete: Michalis Kokatas Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: February 27th, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #495 (Kenya #14) Athlete: Peter Kiptoo Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: March 8th, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #496 (Turkey #14) Athlete: Mazlum Aydemir Sport: Athletics Duration: Life Expiration: - Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #497 (Brazil #6) Athlete: Douglas Pires Ataide Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: November 6th, 2021 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #498 (France #3) Athlete: Sofiane Selmouni Sport: Athletics Duration: 12 Months Expiration: June 20th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #499 (India #16) Athlete: Amit Kumar Sport: Athletics Duration: 42 Months Expiration: January 23rd, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #500 (Ukraine #7) Athlete: Alexandr Lyakh Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 22nd, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #501 (Brazil #6) Athlete: Pule Maeko Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: May 23rd, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #502 (Kazakhstan #4) Athlete: Yevgeniya Fondyushina Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 22nd, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #503 (Kazakhstan #5) Athlete: Veronika Broslavskaya Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: July 30th, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #504 (Kazakhstan #6) Athlete: Igor Kondratyev Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 30th, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #505 (India #17) Athlete: Arjun Kumar Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: December 9th, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #506 (Kenya #15) Athlete: Micah Someoi Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: April 11th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #507 (Russia #60) Athlete: Maria Abakumova Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: May 17th, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #508 (Russia #61) Athlete: Tatyana Lebedeva Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: September 11th, 2018 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #509 (United States #81) Athlete: Demi Payne Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: March 30th, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #510 (Kenya #16) Athlete: Michael Koskei Rotich Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: November 11th, 2020 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter

Hidden motor....

"There is information that tomorrow members of the Russian national biathlon team Alexei Volkov, Anton Shipulin, Irina Starikh and Alexander Loginov may be suspended by the executive committee of the International Biathlon Union" - Match TV. Russia

Case #488 (China #8) Athlete: Su Cai Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: December 4th, 2021 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #489 (India #14) Athlete: Neelam Kumari Sport: Athletics Duration: 48 Months Expiration: January 14th, 2022 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #490 (India #15) Athlete: Rohit Yadav Sport: Athletics Duration: 12 Months Expiration: May 21st, 2018 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #491 (India #16) Athlete: Rohit Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 13th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #492 (Kenya #12) Athlete: Nicholas Kiplagat Sport: Athletics Duration: 24 Months Expiration: July 24th, 2019 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter Case #493 (Kenya #13) Athlete: Fernando Omurva Sport: Athletics Duration: 14 Months Expiration: November 13th, 2018 Substance: ? Source: IAAF September Newsletter

https://www.ibsf.org/en/news/8-bobsleigh/20914-imposition-of-provisional-suspension Based on the reasoned awards issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) by which the CAS partially upheld the decision of the IOC Disciplinary Commission of 23 November 2017 the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) in accordance with the IBSF Anti-Doping Rules, Art. 7.9, provisionally suspends the following Russian athletes and officials as of 13 December 2018: Aleksandr Zubkov, Alexey Voevoda, Alexander Kasjanov, Aleksei Pushkarev and Ilvir Khuzin. The athletes respectively officials and the Russian Bobsleigh Federation have been informed about the provisional suspension accordingly.