After 12 days of sporting action the 2022 Commonwealth Games came to an end with a spectacular closing ceremony at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham last night. Fireworks lit up the venue as fans celebrated their favourite athletes and many special guests, including legendary Brummie rocker Ozzy Osbourne, headlined the stage show.

On the sporting side there was a “familiar look” to the final medal table with Australia finishing top ahead of England and Canada, said Mike Henson on BBC Sport. On the social side, Birmingham “gorged” on all the drama with the event being the “best-attended of any Commonwealth Games with more than 1.3m tickets sold”.

Praising Birmingham for doing an “outstanding job”, federation chief Katie Sadleir said the “future is bright” for commonwealth sport. However, if the event is to stay relevant to a young audience then the games must be “modern and edgy”, AFP reported. “People ask, ‘is the Commonwealth movement dead?’” she said. “Well, to me it does not seem to be. Look at ticket sales, look who is showing up here, It is very much relevant, absolutely. As one says, it is never over until it is over.”

The baton has now been handed over to the Australian state of Victoria, which will welcome the next edition of the games in 2026.

‘Not been an easy sell’

Sport Minister Nigel Huddleston hailed the Birmingham games for its “amazing achievements”, being the fastest ever delivered and for being the most inclusive. The city’s “frenetic energy, human touch and swelling sense of pride” have no doubt “reinvigorated a concept which badly needed such enthusiastic hosts”, said Henson on BBC Sport. However, the games “didn’t have everything” though.

Britain’s “billboard stars” Dina Asher-Smith, Max Whitlock, Katie Archibald and Tom Daley all missed out as they “rested body and mind”. And Jamaican sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson decided to compete in the “more lucrative” Diamond League event in Poland. Staging the Commonwealths “has not been an easy sell” in recent years, Henson added.

While the athletes “make the Olympic Games”, it was “the fans who bailed out the Commonwealth Games”, said Andy Bull in The Guardian.

‘Too big and too expensive’

Osbourne and Black Sabbath “fittingly” capped a “buzzing fortnight” in England’s second city, said Reuters. It may, however, “be the last time the multi-sport event makes such a big noise”.

Australia and its “sports-mad fans” will welcome the 2026 games in the southern state of Victoria, but “it promises to be a much different affair to the Birmingham bash”. Barring the opening ceremony, the 2026 games are set to “skip the Victoria capital and cultural heart” Melbourne, and “scatter the sports across multiple regional centres”.

Birmingham was “a good host” and it “felt ready for its moment”, Bull added. The West Midlands city “got it right”, but the future of the Commonwealth Games is “uncertain”. The games have “undoubtedly got too big, and too expensive”, which is “one reason why they will be split between multiple sites in Victoria in 2026”.

Organisers have also tried to have the games “break from their colonial past”, Reuters added. But by their nature “they remain rooted to the former British Empire and are seen as an anachronism in the post-colonial age”. While those criticisms are “unlikely to fade with time”, the games are “likely to plough on regardless”. Like 73-year-old Sabbath frontman Osbourne, “they can still put on a show even if their best years are well behind them”.

Jake Wightman became the United Kingdom’s first 1500m world title winner in nearly 40 years this week – as his father, a former athlete himself, commentated on the race, at a stadium in Oregon. Wightman, 28, was considered such an outsider in the race that UK Athletics hadn’t left time in his schedule for the medal ceremony. As the small British contingent at the World Championships began celebrating, the stadium cameras cut to the stadium announcer. “That’s my son,” Geoff Wightman told the crowd. “I coach him. And he’s the world champion.”

Hi-tech recycling for tatty charity shop clothes

Huge quantities of the clothes donated to charity shops are too tatty to sell; now the Salvation Army is planning to use a hi-tech scanner to ensure that as many of them as possible are recycled instead. The machine uses infrared to sort the garments into wool, cotton, polyester and viscose. The wool items can then be sent to a textiles mill in Huddersfield, to be turned back into fresh yarn, and the aim is that the rest of the fabrics will be recycled by factories in Europe.

‘Emotional’ release of bison at rewilding project

Bison are roaming the British countryside for the first time since the Ice Age, thanks to a rewilding project in Kent. The three mammals have been sent over from Europe to help revitalise an ancient woodland. The hope is that the bison, which were bred from zoo herds, will crash through the forest and allow a wider variety of species to thrive. Paul Whitfield, of the Wildwood Trust, said their release had been “emotional”. “They came out, they were relaxed, had a snack, and then they [went] into the woods to do their thing.”

Great Britain and Northern Ireland have taken a squad of 78 athletes to Eugene, Oregon, for the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Starting today at Hayward Field, and continuing until 24 July, the 18th edition will see 192 nations and more than 1,900 athletes competing. Here we take a look at the Team GB stars who could shine in Oregon.

Keely Hodgkinson smashed the British record to win a “brilliant” silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year and there will be a “huge weight” on her shoulders at the world championships, said Ben Bloom in The Telegraph. The 20-year-old is one of “four standout women fighting for the podium spots” alongside Athing Mu, Ajee Wilson and Mary Moraa. Hodgkinson has “a real shot” in the 800m, said athletics legend Michael Johnson on the BBC.

Max Burgin remains both the “most exciting British prospect” for many years and the “biggest unknown”, Bloom added in The Telegraph. He is the fastest man in the world this year and, like Hodgkinson, both 20-year-olds now “shoulder British hopes” at the World Championships. There’s no doubt that Burgin “has a chance in the 800m”, said Johnson on the BBC. But making his major championship debut, “he is short of experience in a real tactical event”.

Olympic silver medalist Laura Muir has a “genuine chance” to add a World Championship medal, said Athletics Weekly. Getting on the podium is the Scot’s target in Oregon. “For me I want to come away from these championships with a medal,” she said. “I think I’m very, very close potentially, if not there. The last couple of races showed I am at a good spot.”

As of the “poster girls of the British team”, defending world champion Dina Asher-Smith is an “obvious choice”, said the PA News Agency. After winning the 200m in the 2019 worlds in Doha, the 26-year-old “faces a battle to retain the title” as she will come up against the likes of Jamaican trio Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson. As well as the 100m and 200m, Asher-Smith will also be competing in the 4x100m relay.

Another defending champion from Doha, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, 29, arrives in the US “on shaky footing”, having parted ways with her coach Petros Kyprianou last month, said Cathal Dennehy in the Daily Mail. “Crucially, though, she’s healthy again and has put together a consistent block of training.” In the heptathlon athletes compete in the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m, long jump, javelin and 800m.

There are three Scots – Neil Gourley, Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr – who are “eyeing world 1,500m gold”, said the BBC. The only time a British male won the 1,500m world title was Steve Cram’s “famous triumph” in Helsinki back in 1983. The trio have been in “promising form stretching back to the last Olympics” and will look to create a new chapter in Team GB’s history.

It will probably go down as the most expensive wave in athletics history. The 30-year-old Ethiopian, Sisay Lemma – so often a “marathon bridesmaid” – had just burned off a high-quality London Marathon field that included last year’s winner, Shura Kitata. So who can blame him for basking in his moment of glory as he neared the finish on Sunday and giving the crowd a “regal wave”, said Sean Ingle in The Guardian.

Yet shortly after crossing the line in 2hrs 4mins 1sec (27 seconds ahead of second-placed Vincent Kipchumba of Kenya), Lemma was struck by a painful thought. He will receive $105,000 in prize money, but had he not slowed down he would have earned an extra $25,000 (£18,500) for breaking the 2hrs 4min barrier.

Elsewhere in the men’s event, the standout performance came from a junior doctor competing on his 29th birthday. Phil Sesemann, who works at Leeds General Infirmary, has only ever been a part-time runner: he’d never run a marathon before. Yet he was the first Briton home and finished seventh in a time of 2hrs 12mins 58secs, said Rick Broadbent in The Times. He now says he may take a few years out from his medical training in order to give the marathon a proper “crack”.

The women’s race was won by Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, who “outshone reigning champion and world record holder Brigid Kosgei to take the title in 2hrs 17mins 43secs”, said Molly McElwee in The Daily Telegraph.

But once again, it was the first placed Briton – 30-year-old Charlotte Purdue – who stole much of the limelight. Months ago, she was controversially left out of Team GB’s squad for the Olympics, and later accused selectors of making the decision on the basis of “Mickey Mouse evidence” and “false information” about her fitness. On Sunday, she became Britain’s third-fastest woman of all time, posting 2hrs 23mins 26secs to finish tenth.

When US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson missed the Tokyo Olympic Games after testing positive for a chemical found in cannabis, her suspension “reignited a long debate over marijuana prohibition in Olympic sports”, said the BBC’s Robin Levinson-King.

Considered a top contender for the 100m, Richardson tested positive during the US Olympic Track & Field trials in June and was given a one-month suspension. The 21-year-old said she had used cannabis as a way of coping with the death of her biological mother and not to boost performance. Her exclusion became a matter of “heated debate”, Scientific American reported at the time.

“Don’t judge me, because I am human, I just happen to run a little faster,” she told NBC’s Today show. “I apologise for the fact that I didn’t even know how to control my emotions or deal with that during that time.”

‘Substance of abuse’

The 2021 World Anti-Doping Code classifies tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis, marijuana, and hashish - as a “substance of abuse”, Inside The Games reported. Athletes found to use it outside of competition face a three-month ban, but in Richardson’s case it was reduced to 30 days by the United States Anti-Doping Agency as long as she also undertook a treatment programme.

With cannabis legal in many states across America, why is it still outlawed in sports, the BBC’s Levinson-King asks. “Given that its performance-enhancing properties are disputed, many wonder why cannabis should still be banned.”

Scientific review

Richardson’s suspension sparked an outpouring of sympathy and calls for a review of anti-doping rules, The Guardian reported. And yesterday the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) announced it will launch a “scientific review” into cannabis’s status as a banned substance.

“Following receipt of requests from a number of stakeholders, the Executive Committee endorsed the decision of the List Expert Advisory Group to initiate in 2022 a scientific review of the status of cannabis,” Wada said in a statement. “Cannabis is currently prohibited in competition and will continue to be in 2022.”

Since Wada published its “prohibited list” in 2004, cannabinoids have been banned in all sports during competition. Drugs are prohibited if they meet two of three criteria: they harm the health of the athlete; are performance enhancing; are against the spirit of sport.

Two weeks ago, having helped Team GB’s men’s 4x100m relay team win a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics, CJ Ujah declared himself “super proud”, said David Walsh in The Sunday Times. He won’t be feeling that way now. Last week, it emerged that the urine sample he had given after the race had tested positive for two banned substances, ostarine and S-23. Both belong to a class of drugs called selective androgen receptor modulators (Sarms), which promote muscle growth but “without the androgenic (increase in male characteristics) side effects caused by anabolic steroids”.

Ujah has been provisionally suspended while his reserve sample is analysed, said Sean Ingle in The Guardian. But if the positive test is confirmed, not only will the 27-year-old be banned, his three relay teammates will almost certainly join him in being stripped of their medals. Ujah is protesting his innocence (“I am not a cheat”) and will probably claim that the banned substances were unlisted ingredients in legal supplements he was taking, said Walsh. And that defence isn’t as implausible as it sounds: in the past, some supposedly legal supplements have indeed been shown to contain substances such as ostarine.

Still, if Ujah’s offence really was unwitting, he’d still be guilty of “unprofessional and unthinking” behaviour. And if he knew what he was up to, this could prove the “biggest doping scandal in British Olympic history”.

Eliud Kipchoge has made sporting history by becoming the first athlete to run a marathon in less than two hours.

The Kenyan completed the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in one hour 59 minutes 40.2 seconds in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday.

Although the time makes running history, it will not be recognised as a new world record because it was not in open competition and he used a team of rotating pacemakers, the BBC reports.

The 34-year-old currently holds the world record for the 26.2-mile distance - 2:01:39 set in Berlin last year.

The reigning Olympic and London Marathon champion previously attempted to break the sub-two-hour mark in 2017 but missed out by 25 seconds. However, his attempt on Saturday saw the athletics legend complete the feat with 20 seconds to spare.

Speaking on the finish line Kipchoge said: “I am feeling good. After Roger Bannister in 1954 [four-minute mile] it took another 63 years, I tried and I did not get it - 65 years, I am the first man - I want to inspire many people, that no human is limited.

“Absolutely remember the 41 pacemakers are among the best athletes ever in the world. I can say thank you to them, I appreciate them for accepting and together we made history on this one.

“We can make this world a beautiful world and a peaceful world. My wife and three children, I am happy for them to come and witness history.

“The positively of sport, I want to make it a clean sport and an interesting sport.”

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How the sporting world reacted on Twitter

Dina is Team GB’s golden girl

Dina Asher-Smith was left speechless after storming to victory in the 200m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha last night.

The 23-year-old was a “golden wonder”, says The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Express, after she broke the British record with a time of 21.88 seconds.

Asher-Smith, who earlier this week also won silver in the 100m, told the BBC: “I’m lost for words. I dreamed of this and now it’s real. I don’t think it's properly sunk in.

“I woke up today thinking, ‘This is it. This is the moment you did all your work for’. The tiredness disappeared. [My coach] John [Blackie] and I knew I could do it, it means so much.”

After becoming the first British woman to win a major global sprinting title The Guardian says Asher-Smith has the “world at her feet”.

Star athletes Mo Farah and Haile Gebrselassie are embroiled in a war of words over an alleged theft while the British Olympian was staying at a hotel owned by his former distance running rival.

The dispute between the pair - “who had previously been friends”, notes Sky News - was made public as Farah held court at a press conference to publicise this weekend’s London Marathon.

Farah said that he was “disappointed” by Gebrselassie’s response after a watch, two phones and money stolen was stolen from his room at the hotel near the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in March, ITV News reports.

Farah claimed that the retired Ethiopian runner, who won two 10,000-metre Olympic titles, did not return his messages about the alleged theft. “I just want him to take responsibility for getting my stuff back,” Farah said.

“It’s a hotel’s responsibility to be able to get it back. You pay for each night – you’re not getting it free.”Gebrselassie responded by accusing Farah and his entourage of “multiple reports of disgraceful conduct” while staying at the hotel, and said the British star had not paid his $3,000 (£2,300) hotel bill, despite being offered a 50% discount, The Guardian reports.

The Ethiopian also claims Farah was reported to police for attacking an athlete in the gym, but that the charge was later dropped as a result of his own “mediation role”.

A spokesperson for Farah said that the athlete “disputed all of these claims which are an effort to distract from the situation, where members of his hotel staff used a room key and stole money and items from Mo Farah’s room”.

The spokesperson added: “Police reports confirm the incident and the hotel admitted responsibility and were in contact with Mo’s legal adviser. The hotel even offered to pay Mo the amount stolen, only to withdraw the offer when he prematurely left the hotel and moved to other accommodation, due to security concerns.”

Farah was staying in Ethiopia for three months to train for Sunday’s marathon when thieves allegedly entered his room at Gebrselassie’s Yaya Africa Athletics Village and broke into his locked suitcase.

The 36-year-old said 20,000 birr (£534), $1500 (£1159), £800, €100 (£86) and two phones were stolen, along with a Tag watch his wife had bought as an anniversary present.

Farah said that after failing to get any response from the hotel managers, he texted Gebreselassie a number of times to request help.

Incensed at being ignored, Farah claimed, he then sent a text that said: “I want to inform you that I’m disappointed you have not made any effort to find my stolen money, and especially my watch. I have tried to contact you by telephone several times. Know that I am not responsible for what I say during the press conference in London and what influence it will have on your personality and your business. Greetings, Sir Mo.”

Gebrselassie in turn has said the message looked like “an act of blackmailing and accusation”. He also claimed that Farah declined the use of a safety deposit box and said five members of hotel staff had been detained by police investigating the “unproven” robbery for three weeks before being released.

As Sky News points out, the row “is certain to dominate the build-up to Sunday’s marathon”, where Farah will be competing against world record holder Eliud Kipchoge.

Laura Muir made history by becoming the first athlete to claim the “double-double” at the European indoor championships and now the Scottish star is being tipped to win Olympic gold at the summer games next year in Tokyo.

At the weekend the 25-year-old middle-distance runner won gold in both the 1500m and 3000m in Glasgow - a repeat of her performance from the indoor championships in Belgrade two years ago.

The double-double indoors success follows the gold in the 1500m at the 2018 European championships in Berlin and two 1500m titles in the Diamond League. She now has her sights set on the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, in September and October.

Muir told BBC Sport: “I’m so relieved. I set myself a big test this weekend - there was a lot of pressure. So much hard work goes into it. It’s day after day [of training] and on this track. There’s a huge support network behind me.

“It’s so special [to win in Glasgow]. To be on my home track is surreal. I’ll have a little bit of a break in March. I’ve then got two or three months of solid training before coming back in June. After that it’s the World Championships in Doha.”

The Sun reports that Muir celebrated her win in Glasgow by going out for a traditional Scottish supper - fish, chips and a bottle of Irn-Bru - with fellow athletes Eilidh Doyle, Zoey Clark, Shelayna Oscar-Clarke and Laviai Nielsen.

World star of sport

With the historic indoor titles now in the bag, Muir’s coach Andy Young believes that the talented runner will be hard to beat at the worlds in Doha and she will be “disappointed if she doesn’t come away with a medal”.

He told BBC Scotland: “It’s still a long way away, but if she stays healthy and stays in this kind of form she will be very hard to beat, and you’d certainly hope to put her in for a medal.”

Young also believes that Muir’s on-track success is not just making her a star of athletics - but also in world sport. He added: “She’s racking up the medals and wins in unbelievable style. So she’s a proper world star - beginning to move into a world star of sport, never mind athletics.”

Coe backs Muir for gold in Tokyo

While Muir’s next target is the 2019 world championships in Doha, the next Olympic Games are just around the corner in Tokyo next year.

British athletics legend Sebastian Coe, a two-time 1500m Olympic gold medal winner, has backed Muir to star for Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo games.

Speaking to The Guardian, IAAF president Coe said: “There is absolutely no question she could win gold at 2020. She’s come on a bundle. The difference between the good and the great is the ability to change pace, whether it’s breaking clear of defenders or running clear of a pack. That’s what she’s got.

“She is in that purple patch where you get into the warm-up area, you get on to the track and you just don’t think you’re going to lose. It’s not a complacency, you just think you’re going to be better than anything out there. And I sense that’s where she is at the moment.”

Team GB phenomenon

Coe is not the only person to tip Muir for future success. British Athletics performance director Neil Black told the Daily Mirror that the Scot can join Paula Radcliffe and Mo Farah as a Team GB “phenomenon”.

Black said: “She clearly has the ability and she has demonstrated the performances that suggest a [Olympic] gold medal is possible.

“I think she is moving towards almost being a phenomenon. She is joining the Paula Radcliffe and Mo Farah-type group. Obviously there is a little way to go but that’s the journey she is on.”

British athletics legend Mo Farah will run in the 2019 London Marathon as part of his preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 35-year-old, a four-time Olympic gold medallist on the track, is currently in his first year as a dedicated marathon runner.

He finished third in London in April and followed that up with his first win at marathon distance in Chicago in October. Farah won in a time of 2:05:11 in Chicago, setting a new European record.

“I’ve often said how racing in London is very special to me and the London Marathon gives me the chance to run in front of my fans, on my home roads, where the atmosphere is like nothing else,” said Farah.

“I feel I have made great strides in the past year, finishing third in London in April, and winning my first major marathon in Chicago in October. That and breaking both the British and European records has given me the confidence that I can compete against the best marathon runners in the world.

“London always puts together a world-class field and I expect that will be exactly the same in 2019 and I can’t wait for the challenge.”

Sky Sports reports that Farah has previously declared his intention to target the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, but The Guardian says he has yet to announce if he will run the 26.2-mile race at the 2019 world championships in Doha next October.

Next year’s London Marathon will take place on Sunday 28 April.

Mo Farah secured a first marathon win with a new European record time of 2:05:11 in Chicago yesterday and after the race he admitted he could have gone even faster.

Competing for only the third time at the 26.2-mile distance, the British athletics star stormed to victory in Chicago after bursting clear of Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew in the final half a mile, the BBC reports.

Speaking after his maiden marathon win, the four-time Olympic gold medallist said: “I know what pace it takes to run with these guys and to run a decent time. It just shows the depth of the guys in the race and how I came away with a win and a new British record… I know as well I could have gone a lot faster.”

Since making the transition from long-distance track events, Farah has also finished eighth and third in London.

With a marathon victory now under his belt, the 35-year-old confirmed that he will run at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

He told The Daily Telegraph: “I am definitely going. As long as my body can hold up, I am definitely going to Tokyo. I know from my training that I am definitely capable of getting a medal. I don’t know what the colour is going to be, but I want to continue through 2020.

“A medal would definitely rank up there in terms of being a track runner and being able to do something in the marathon. In my mind, it’s something I’ve always thought I could do.”

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge - who is regarded as the greatest long-distance runner of all-time - broke the marathon world record today in Berlin.

Fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto held the previous best with a time of 2:02:57 set in Berlin in 2014, but 33-year-old Kipchoge shaved 78 seconds off that to finish in 2:01:39 in the German capital city.

It was a double for Kenya with Gladys Cherono winning the women’s race in 2:18:11. Cherono’s time was a new women’s course record for Berlin.

Adding the new world record to his gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and three London Marathon wins, Kipchoge was overjoyed at the finish and sprinted after the line to celebrate his achievement.

“I lack words to describe this day,” he told The Guardian. “It was hard. I was prepared to run my own race early so I wasn’t surprised to be alone. I have trained so well for this race and have full trust in the programs of my coach.

“I am just so incredibly happy to have finally run the world record as I never stopped having belief in myself.”

Kipchoge’s time was originally recorded as 2:01:40 before it was adjusted by one second, CNN reports.

Twitter reaction to Kipchoge’s marathon record

British sprinting enjoyed its best night in years as Dina Asher-Smith and Zharnel Hughes won gold in the 100m at the European Athletics Championship.

Asher-Smith beat defending champion Dafne Schippers to become the first British woman in 56 years to win the European 100m title.

Twenty minutes later, Hughes took gold ahead of Reece Prescod in the first one-two for British sprinters since Darren Campbell and Dwain Chambers in the 1998 Euros.

The third British sprinter in the men’s race, Chijindu Ujah, finished fourth. Ujah was denied the bronze medal by Jak Ali Harvey of Turkey.

Breaking barriers

France’s Jimmy Vicaut had been the pre-race favourite, having won his semi-final in a championship record of 9.97sec, but 30 minutes before the final it was announced that he had suffered an injury in the warm-up and wouldn’t be participating.

That left the field open for the British trio, and they all got good starts in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. But while Ujah faded in the final 30 metres, Hughes and Prescod powered towards the line, the former holding on for victory in 9.95 (a new championship record), one-hundredth of a second ahead of Prescod, who broke the ten-second barrier for the first time.

“I am happy and the job is done,” said Hughes. “I felt a bit of cramp so I don’t think I could have gone any faster but I’m just happy. Prescod is a fast finisher, so I knew I had to stay relaxed as he would challenge me towards the end.”

‘So happy’

Twenty-three year-old Hughes and Asher-Smith, a year younger, were a couple until their relationship ended earlier this year, but they supported each other on a golden night for British athletics.

Asher-Smith’s victory brings to an end nearly 50 years of hurt for Britain’s 100m women sprinters - the last woman to win gold in the Euros was Dorothy Hyman, a miner’s daughter from Yorkshire, who crossed the line first in 1962.

But Asher-Smith’s performance suggests that the next few years will be glorious ones for British athletics. Her time of 10.85 was not only a new national record, it was also the fastest 100m time in the world this year.

“I did everything right,” exclaimed Asher-Smith. “I was so happy to nail it in the final because I know there are so many talented people around me but you have to ignore that.”

The other British athlete in the race, Imani-Lara Lansiquot, finished sixth in a time of 11.14.

Eyeing a hat-trick

Asher-Smith, who in recent years has combined athletics with a history degree at King’s College London, now has her sights set on winning the 200m gold and the 4x100m relay, something that no Briton has ever achieved.

“I’m going to let myself enjoy the emotional high but then refocus,” said Asher-Smith. “I have to take the 200m like another championship, it’s a completely clean slate because I’m only one third of the way there… but I have said to myself ‘I’m here to win, I’m not taking any less’.”

A homeless man who picked up a London Marathon runner’s race number and crossed the line in his place says he “deserved” his medal.

Polish-born Stanley Skupien, 38, “dumped a suitcase full of his possessions and jumped the barrier near Tower Bridge” to join in the 26.6-mile race at around the 12-mile mark, The Daily Telegraph reports. He then spotted another competitor’s accidentally dropped number about two miles from the finish and picked it up, so that he could claim a medal.

According to The Sun, Skupien, a builder, has been sleeping rough at Heathrow Airport following the collapse of his marriage, and is known by staff there as the “Jogging Tramp”.

The avid runner told the newspaper that crossing the finish line was a “dream come true”, adding: “I deserved my medal.”

“I saw the number face-up in the middle of the road,” he said. “I knew if I had one I would get a medal - my heart leaped, it was a dream come true. I had no thoughts of the person whose number it was.

“I picked it up and held it to my chest as I crossed the line, I was in tears. A woman put the medal around my neck and told me, ‘Well done’. I kept kissing it - it was my biggest moment ever.”

The lost number belonged to 28-year-old runner Jake Halliday, who was subsequently disqualified despite raising £48,000 for blood cancer charity Bloodwise, Metro reports.

Skupien added: “I feel bad for Jake. But he crossed the line without his number so he’d have been disqualified anyway. I thought I’d present the medal to my seven-year-old son, Viktos, as it would make him so proud of me.”

Skupien was arrested at Heathrow on Tuesday on an unrelated theft charge. A London Marathon spokesperson said: “We are aware a man was arrested at Heathrow. We are now awaiting further information.”

Mo Farah is looking forward to taking on some of the world’s best ever long-distance runners in the 2018 London Marathon on Sunday - and aims to secure a podium place and the British record.

Competing in the elite men’s race, Farah will go up against last year’s winner Daniel Wanjiru, two-time London winner Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.

Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medallist on the track, competes in London for the first time since 2014, when he finished in eighth place. But four years on from that disappointment he is now a favourite to win in London.

Speaking at the pre-race press conference yesterday, the 35-year-old was in a relaxed mood, says The Times, when asked about his aims for Sunday.

Quoted by The Daily Telegraph, Farah said he is excited by the challenge in the capital - even if his rivals are running at world-record pace. He also feels under less pressure than when he was racing on the track.

“This is the biggest race,” said Farah, who finished in 2:08:21 in 2014. “There is only one way to run and that is mixing in with the guys and seeing what we can do. If that [world-record pace] is what the guys are doing, why not?

“It’s a great feeling not having as much pressure as I did on the track. On the track people expect you to win. Now [in the marathon] there are a lot of guys who can run a lot faster than me.

“It’s a good feeling but when I turn out I am going to give it 110% and see what I can do. My aim is to learn as much as I can and mix in with the guys.”

While Farah aims to “mix it” with the likes of Wanjiru, Kipchoge and Bekele, he has the British and European records in his sights as well as a top-three finish. Steve Jones (2:07:13) has held the British record for 33 years while Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen holds the European record of 2:05:48.

“I think I am capable of running 2:04 or 2:03 in the right race with the right pace,” Farah told The Guardian. “But Sunday’s race is going to be different. There are many, many guys who are there to fight, so it’s going to be a difficult race.”

Speaking to The Times, Farah said he would take the race “one step at a time”. He said: “The aim is definitely to go after that British record for sure. But at the same time, in my mind since 2014 to now I have learnt a lot more and I understand a lot more. The aim is just one step at a time, go after that British record, see what I can do and see what happens.

“A win would be amazing for me. Obviously it’s going to be difficult. But in every race I go into it to fight and try to go for podiums.”

Farah and the elite men’s field start at 10am on Sunday. See our 2018 London Marathon guide for more details.

“Many of those who watched the Boston Marathon,” says The Washington Post, “had the same question Monday: Who in the world is Sarah Sellers?”

An unknown from Arizona, Sellers finished second and, as a result, goes back to her day job as a nurse-anaesthetist with $75,000 (£52,000) in prize money.

Not having a sponsor like professional athletes, Sellers paid the $185 (£130) entrance fee for the race herself, notes the BBC. She only took part because her younger brother Ryan was running.

She finished the 26.2-mile course in 2:44:04 (Ryan was slower, at 2:48:20) as the second-fastest woman, behind fellow American Desiree Linden. Sellers told the Post: “I mean, I still can’t believe I finished second. I’m going to wake up and this will be a dream.”

Sellers is 26 years old and full time in her day job, which means all her training had to be done at 4am before work, or 7pm after she finishes. She was a “standout runner” as a student, says the Post, but Boston was only the second marathon she has ever run.

2019 Virgin Money London Marathon

• When: Sunday 28 April
• TV channel: live on BBC
• Official website: virginmoneylondonmarathon.com
• Start times: 9.05am elite wheelchair athletes; 9.10am World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup; 9.25am elite women; 10.10am elite men followed by the mass start

Team GB athletics icon Mo Farah will return to the streets of the capital on Sunday when he competes at the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon.

The 36-year-old, a four-time Olympic gold medallist on the track, finished third in the 2018 race. After setting a new European record with his first marathon victory in Chicago last year Farah was delighted to confirm he will return to London.

He said: “I’ve often said how racing in London is very special to me and the London Marathon gives me the chance to run in front of my fans, on my home roads, where the atmosphere is like nothing else.”

Farah will be joined in the elite men’s field by world record holder Eliud Kipchoge. The Kenyan is unbeaten in three London Marathons and won last year’s race in a time of 02:04:17. Kenya’s Tola Shura Kitata, who finished second in 2018, will also return this year.

Cheruiyot is ready

In the elite women’s race defending champion Vivian Cheruiyot and New York City Marathon champion Mary Keitany will lead a high-class field.

They will be joined by 2018 Berlin Marathon winner Gladys Cherono and 2018 Chicago Marathon winner Brigid Kosgei.

Cheruiyot said: “It was a great moment for me winning last year’s Virgin Money London Marathon and I am very much looking forward to returning in April.

“The line-up for this year’s race is, once again, incredibly strong so I know I will need to be at my very best to repeat last year’s victory but it is a challenge that I’m really looking forward to. I will be ready.”

The BBC reports that Britain’s David Weir, an eight-time winner of the wheelchair race at the London Marathon, will compete for the 20th consecutive year in April.

2018 results

• 2018 elite men’s podium: 1st Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) 02:04:17; 2nd Tola Shura Kitata (Ethiopia) 02:04:49; 3rd Mo Farah (Great Britain) 02:06:21
• 2018 elite women’s podium: 1st Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) 02:18:31; 2nd Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) 02:20:13; 3rd Tadelech Bekele (Ethiopia) 02:21:40

Celebrity runners and famous faces

London Marathon organisers have announced that a number of celebrities, sportsmen and sportswomen will run the 26.2-mile route this weekend.

Eight actors from BBC soap EastEnders will form “Barbara’s Revolutionaries” and run for their former cast member Dame Barbara Windsor. They will raise money for Dementia Revolution - the official charity of the year of the 2019 London Marathon.

Barbara Windsor’s husband Scott Mitchell will be joined by EastEnders cast members Emma Barton, Jamie Borthwick, Natalie Cassidy, Tanya Franks, Kellie Shirley, Jane Slaughter, Jake Wood and Adam Woodyatt.

Among the many sports stars joining the 42,000 field are French tennis star and 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Dani Rowe, former England international footballer Katy Chapman and rugby league legend Jamie Peacock.

Other famous faces set to tackle the marathon are radio host Chris Evans, TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher, Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown, comedian Ed Gamble and BBC Radio 1 presenter Cel Spellman.

Murray to be the official starter

It has been confirmed that British tennis star Andy Murray will be the official starter of the event.

The 31-year-old, who is currently recovering from hip surgery, said: “It’s an honour to be asked to start the London Marathon. It’s such an amazing race that means so much to so many people. It raises millions each year for charity and helps inspire people to get active. I have nothing but admiration for everyone who runs - I may even run it myself one day.”

Hugh Brasher, event director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, added: “Andy Murray is one of Britain’s greatest sporting superstars and it is so fitting that he will be the official starter for one of the country’s greatest sporting events and the world’s greatest marathon.

“Andy is renowned as one of the toughest and most competitive sportsmen on the planet and someone who does not recognise barriers in sport.

“We are delighted that he will be with us on Sunday 28 April to start the field of 42,000 runners undertaking the legendary 26.2 mile challenge – including both the very best marathon runners in the world and thousands of first-timers who have been inspired to get active and raise money for charity.”

2019 London Marathon route and race guide

More than 40,000 runners will join the elite athletes in London. We look at the start times, the route maps, spectator information, where to watch and which TV channel will broadcast the race. Here’s everything you need to know...

What time does the London Marathon start?

Elite wheelchair athletes set off first at 9.05am, followed by the World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup ambulant races at 9.10am. The elite women’s race starts at 9.25am, while the gun goes for the elite men at 10.10am. The main body of the race continues behind them.

Where does it start from and what is the route?

As ever, the London Marathon will begin from Blackheath, in Lewisham. The mass race starts at 10am from Blackheath and Greenwich Park. There are colour-coded starts for different groups (blue, green and red). The route has stayed more or less the same throughout its 39-year history, although the race now finishes on The Mall rather than Constitution Hill. A PDF of the route map can be found here.

London Marathon runner information

How do runners get to the start?

You can find an update on train and boat times on the Virgin Money London Marathon website, which can also advise on coach passes for groups.

Can you drive to the start?

Marathon organisers strongly advise against driving to the start, for obvious reasons - with 40,000 competitors, jams are inevitable. However, there is limited parking available at Blackheath, but none at the finish.

How do runners get their number?

All competitors must pick up their race numbers from the 2019 London Marathon Running Show at the ExCel centre, which is open from 11am on Wednesday 24 April until 5pm on Saturday 27 April. There is more info here.

What days and times is the Running Show open?

The 2019 London Marathon Running Show opening hours are:

• Wednesday 24 April April: 11am-8pm
• Thursday 25 April: 10am-8pm
• Friday 26 April: 10am-8pm
• Saturday 27 April: 8.30am-5pm

London Marathon spectator information

Where is a good place to watch the race?

The pub is always a popular choice. The BBC warns runners: “People use your marathon to start drinking very early. A 10am lager is nice for them. It’s nice for the pubs making a killing. You’ll be livid.”

Can you recommend a pub?

Of course! The Royal Standard in Blackheath (SE3 7JQ) is a good choice for the start of the race. The Mudchute Kitchen (E14 3HP) will keep kids entertained with its nearby working farm. Then there’s The Parlour in Canary Wharf (E14 5FW), Brown Butlers Wharf in Tower Hill (SE1 2YG) and – for the finish – the Bucking Arms in St James’ Park (SW1H 9EU). Be warned, though, they will all be very busy. The London Evening Standard has also picked out its best pubs, bars and restaurants on the marathon route.

Which are the busiest spectator areas on the marathon course?

The London Marathon website says that the crowds will be busiest at Greenwich town centre, the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and “anywhere from mile 24 to the finish in The Mall”.

London Marathon app: how to track runners

The official race app for the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon has been launched for Apple and Android mobile devices.

Users can access the app to track runners, donate to official charity Dementia Revolution, see the ones to watch and find out key information for participants and spectators.

Hugh Brasher, event director of London Marathon Events, said: “We’re proud to be leading the way and embracing technology to improve the Virgin Money London Marathon each and every year.

“Our new and improved official race app will give our participants, their supporters and spectators the best possible service and help us to say #ThanksaBillion to everyone who has supported us since the first race back in 1981.”

How to watch on TV and online

The BBC will broadcast live from the 2019 London Marathon on Sunday (all times BST).

• 8.30am-10am and 2pm-2.30pm: BBC Two
• 8.50am-12.20pm: BBC Red Button
• 10am-2pm: BBC One
• 6pm-7pm: BBC Two London Marathon highlights

World champion sprinter Justin Gatlin yesterday denied having used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), following doping allegations against his team.

The scandal erupted when The Daily Telegraph claimed Gatlin’s coach, Dennis Mitchell, and an agent, Robert Wagner, had offered to sell PEDs to undercover journalists from the newspaper.

When details of the investigation were published on Monday, Gatlin immediately sacked Mitchell.

The 35-year-old American runner has received two doping bans during his career, but has enjoyed a victorious return to the track, taking gold in the 100m at the London world championships in August.

In a statement yesterday, Gatlin said he was shocked by the accusations made against his coach.

“I am not using and have not used PEDs,” Gatlin said, according to The Guardian. “I was shocked and surprised to learn that my coach would have anything to do with even the appearance of these current accusations. I fired him as soon as I found out about this.”

Gatlin also revealed that he is talking with his lawyers to decide whether to sue the Telegraph for defamation.

“All legal options are on the table as I will not allow others to lie about me like this,” he added. “I have no further comments as it is now a legal matter. They will next hear from my lawyer.”

Meanwhile, the Telegraph says sources have revealed that Gatlin’s previous drugs tests are to be rerun following the paper’s investigation.

Gatlin, Mitchell and Wagner are being investigated by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). A source close to the investigation reportedly told the Telegraph: “We have a retesting policy that has been in place for some time now. We know that this is a game of catch up, and with world champion or a gold medalist we have a lot of their samples stored for retesting.”

World 100m champion Justin Gatlin is at the centre of fresh controversy after undercover reporters claimed that members of his team “offered to illicitly supply performance-enhancing drugs”.

The American sprinter has received two bans during his career for doping, but returned in 2010, claiming that he was clean. The 35-year-old went on to beat Usain Bolt to win gold in the 100m at his summer’s World Championships in London.

But following the claims by The Daily Telegraph, Gatlin is now being investigated by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which was set up earlier this year by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The Telegraph says it began its undercover investigation in July “after being told that specific agents and trainers were involved in administering and supplying drugs to athletes and that the regulators had failed to take action”.

Undercover reporters from the newspaper visited Gatlin’s training camp in Florida, posing as representatives of a production company who were making an athletics film and requesting help in training their actor to resemble a top-class sprinter. According to the reporters, Gatlin’s coach, Dennis Mitchell, who won a 100m bronze in the 1992 Olympics, “offered to supply and administer testosterone and human-growth hormone for an actor training for a film”.

The reporters say they were told the drugs would be supplied through a doctor in Austria for a fee of $250,000 (£187,000).

The paper adds that Mitchell and a sports agent, Robert Wagner, “were also secretly recorded claiming that the use of banned substances in athletics was still widespread as they described how positive doping tests could be avoided”.

Wagner is a well-established agent whose previous clients include Ben Johnson, the disgraced Canadian sprinter stripped of his 100m gold at the 1988 Olympics for steroid abuse.

The Telegraph says that during one meeting, the agent “claimed that Gatlin had himself been taking performance enhancing drugs - which the sprinter has strenuously denied in a statement”.

In response to the allegations, published last night, the American sprinter’s legal representatives announced that Mitchell had been sacked. In addition, Renaldo Nehemiah, Gatlin’s agent for more than a decade, said that Wagner had worked for Gatlin on only two or three occasions “and that the sprinter was not present when banned substances were discussed with the agent or coach”.

BBC Sport reports that the USADA has issued a statement that says: “Investigations stemming from tips and whistle-blowers play a critical role in anti-doping efforts. We are presently coordinating with the Athletics Integrity Unit in order to investigate these claims fully.

“As with all investigations, we encourage individuals with information to come forward as an important tool to help protect clean athletes. Importantly, individuals are innocent unless and until the established process determines otherwise.”

IAAF president Lord Coe described the allegations as “serious”, adding: “I know the independent Athletics Integrity Unit will investigate in accordance with its mandate.”

Mitchell has denied the claims made in the Telegraph, saying: “I never suggested in any way that any of my current athletes used any banned substances or that I was familiar with training any of my current athletes with those substances.”

Wagner also denied the charges, saying: “I wasn’t involved in doping. Obviously, I played along because I knew what was going on. I had to get them hooked.”

Sir Mo Farah says his decision to move back to London is for family reasons only and not because of the ongoing investigation of controversial coach Alberto Salazar by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada).

The British athlete, who is a four-time Olympic gold medallist, has been coached by Salazar at the Nike Oregon Project since 2011. Salazar is currently under investigation by Usada after a BBC Panorama programme made allegations about drug use at the training camp.

After retiring from competing in track events and making the move to marathon running, Farah insists that he wants his children to grow up in the UK.

He told The Sun: “I’m leaving simply because my family and I are moving back to London. We all loved spending our summer here and Tania and I realised how much we have missed spending time with our friends and family - and the kids are so happy here, too.

“We want the kids to grow up in the UK. It’s the right thing to do for my family. But both Nike Oregon Project and Alberto are based in the USA, so it just would not be possible to continue our relationship from London.”

When asked if the Usada investigation played any part in his decision, Farah, 34, said: “This situation has been going on for over two years, if I was going to leave because of that I would have done.

“As I’ve always said, I am firm believer in clean sport and I strongly believe that anyone who breaks the rules should be punished. If Alberto had crossed the line I would be out the door but Usada has not charged him with anything.”

With his training now geared solely towards marathons, Farah has announced he will be coached by Gary Lough - former coach and husband of Paula Radcliffe, the women’s marathon world record holder.

World champion Justin Gatlin believes Usain Bolt will return to sprinting - once the Jamaican superstar stops partying.

Bolt retired from athletics after the World Championships this summer and has been enjoying his time away from the track. But Gatlin, who won gold in London, says the athlete's passion for the sport will see him come back.

Speaking to ThePostGame, Gatlin said: “Now that he has the free time, I’ve already told him, I’m going to give you a year."

If Bolt does return, he will owe his American rival $100 (£75.86).

“You’re going to go around, party, have a good time and you’re going to come back and you’re going to owe me $100 because I took the bet. He shook on it,” added Gatlin.

“I say that I can see him coming back to sprinting because when you have a passion for something, it’s hard for you to just step away from it and walk away from it.

“Regardless, I mean, he has won every gold medal that he can win at every event that he’s done, right? Three times over, right? So, at the end of the day, you kind of lose your drive. ‘What can I do next? Can I break my own world record again? Can I win another, another, another, another gold medal? What can I do?’ But that passion to get up every morning is still there.

“So once [Bolt] takes some time off and gets away from the sport for a little bit and enjoys himself, finds out who he is, I think that he’ll come back in some form into to track and field. And I think maybe he’ll take another year, see what it is.”

Bolt made an appearance on the F1 podium last weekend, interviewing Lewis Hamilton at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

However, when asked about his own future, it wasn’t a return to athletics that the athlete discussed but another sport completely - football.

Despite currently suffering from hamstring issues, Bolt said his dream was to pursue a career in professional football and that he will train with German giants Borussia Dortmund once he’s fully fit.

Playing football was a “personal goal”, he added, reports the Daily Mail. Nor does he care what people think – some critics have said he doesn’t have the skill level to compete at the elite level.

“I am not going to lie to myself, if I feel I can’t do it, I'm going to say, ‘Forget this.’ I'm not going to embarrass myself,” he said.

“It’s a dream, it’s another chapter of my life that I really want to do. If you have a dream or something you really want to do, you want try to see where it could go.

“My hamstring is just keeping back right now. In two weeks, I can train again and get back to some shape, then I can really explore that situation.

“[Borussia Dortmund] said the invitation is always open, so it is all about me getting over my injury and into shape. Then I can explore it and do the trials and see what level I am at.

“For me, it’s just to try to see if I really can be one of the best, anything I am doing, I’ll try to do it at my best.”

World Olympians Association (WOA) chief Mike Miller is calling for radical measures to stop doping in sport - including fitting athletes with microchips.

Speaking at a Westminster forum on integrity in sport, Miller claimed the controversial chips could be used to recognise banned substances and help keep sports clean.

Quoted by The Guardian, he said: “Some people say we shouldn’t do this to people. Well, we’re a nation of dog lovers, we’re prepared to chip our dogs and it doesn’t seem to harm them, so why aren’t we prepared to chip ourselves?”

Miller - who insisted he was not speaking on behalf of the WOA - claims that the technology is almost ready to begin testing.

“In order to stop doping we need to chip our athletes where the latest technology is there,” he continued. “Some people say it’s an invasion of privacy, well, sport is a club and people don’t have to join the club if they don’t want to, if they can’t follow the rules.

“Microchips get over the issue of whether the technology can be manipulated because they have no control over the device.

“The problem with the current anti-doping system is that all it says is that at a precise moment in time there are no banned substances, but we need a system which says you are illegal substance-free at all times and if there are changes in markers they will be detected.

“I’m just throwing the idea out there. I’m gauging reaction from people but we do need to think of new ways to protect clean sport. I’m no Steve Jobs but we need to spend the money and use the latest technology.”

Meanwhile, Nicole Sapstead, the chief executive of UK Anti-Doping, told The Daily Telegraph that while she welcomes “verified developments in technology, which could assist the fight against doping”, there is a risk of microchips being tampered with, or not producing accurate results.

Sapstead said: “Can we ever be sure that this type of thing could never be tampered with, or even accurately monitor all substances and methods on the prohibited list?

“There is a balance to be struck between a right to privacy versus demonstrating that you are clean.

“We would actively encourage more research in whether there are technologies in development that can assist anti-doping organisations in their endeavours.”

American sprinter Justin Gatlin has apologised for any "wrongdoings he brought onto the sport" after being booed by fans at the World Athletics Championships in London.

Gatlin has served two doping bans, one in 2001 and another in 2006, and was roundly booed by the crowd before the 100m final and during the medal presentation. In an interview with ITV he admitted that although the booes "hurt", they gave him the motivation to beat Usain Bolt and take gold at the London Stadium.

He also revealed he had written a letter of apology to the IAAF many years ago. Gatlin said: "If they wanted an official apology, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I apologise for any wrongdoings or any black eyes I brought onto the sport, I love the sport that's why I've come back to run and try to run to the best of my ability and for that I've worked hard to right my wrongs."

Speaking about the booing in London, he added: "It did hurt because I'm not there for myself, I'm up there for my country, I'm up there for my supporters, I didn't do it for myself. Especially when I was at the starting line I wasn't there for me. I was there for people back at home watching who weren't able to come.

"Maybe the boos were for me but standing on the podium was for the people who have loved me and my country that I love."

Gatlin, who will run in Zurich this week, says he had concerns before returning to the sport after the doping bans as he just wanted to focus on being a runner. "I wanted people to respect me, to love me, to know that I'm a hard worker like anybody else," he said.

"I felt like sometimes that fell on deaf ears, and it took away from my focus of being a runner because I was so consumed by what people would think about me and judging me, that I really had to just dial-in and just focus on being a runner and let natural talent do all the talking."

The world athletics championship ended on Sunday evening in the London Stadium with Team GB winning silver in the men's and women's 4x400m relay to take their final medal tally to six, sixth overall in the medal table with America way out in front with 30 medals, a third of which were gold.

But events on the track on the final day were overshadowed by what the Daily Telegraph described as Mo Farah's "astonishing" attack against sections of the British media for calling into questions his achievements.

The 34-year-old Briton, the only member of the Team GB squad to win an individual medal over the ten days of competition (a gold in the 10,000m and silver in Saturday's 5,000m final), won't be seen again on a British track after a glittering career that saw him win four Olympic gold medals in the 2012 and 2016 Games. His final track appearance will be in the 5,000m Diamond League final in Zurich on 24 August before he turns his focus to marathon running, but Farah was clearly keen to settle a few scores when he faced the press on Sunday.

The reason for his anger was the ongoing controversy surrounding Alberto Salazar, Farah's American coach who has faced allegations in recent years that he violated anti-doping rules. Although Farah has never been implicated in any wrongdoing, in the eyes of some British journalists he is tainted by association, and that clearly rankles.

"It's like a broken record, repeating myself," said Farah, when the topic of Salazar was broached. "If I've crossed the line, if Alberto's crossed the line, why bring it up year after year, making it into headlines? I've achieved what I have achieved – you're trying to destroy it."

Farah, who finished second to the Ethiopian Muktar Edris in the 5,000m, then told the press that some of them "have been unfair to me". He continued: "The fact is I've achieved what I have from hard work. Putting my balls on the line, year after year and delivering for my country."

Pointing out that Salazar never accompanies him to races, Farah admitted that the continual sniping had affected him emotionally. "Sometimes I find it bizarre how certain people write certain things to suit how they want to sell the story. You guys get to me – you never write the facts. The fact is, over the years, I have achieved a lot through hard work and pain."

And his final message to the doubters and detractors was a terse challenge:"I want you to write the truth about what's out there and educate people out there. But be honest with them. If you say Mo Farah has done something wrong‚ prove it."

Having said his piece, Farah then reflected on his final appearance on a British track, and the disappointment of not going out with another gold medal. "All good things in life must come to an end at some point," he said. "What goes up must come back down. I wanted to end on a high. But it happens. The better man won on the day. That's part of athletics. Fair credit to the other guys to be able to go. They had three guys in the team – they said ‘one of you won't get a medal'. To beat Mo, it's taken them six years to do it but you've got to give it to them."

South African Wayde van Niekerk won gold in the 400m at the World Athletics Championships in London yesterday, but the real drama occurred away from the track as one of his main rivals accused the organisers of "sabotage" after banning him from the stadium.

Isaac Makwala, of Botswana, was "dramatically denied entry to the London Stadium due to a British public health edict" after apparently fallen victim to the stomach bug that has affected a number of athletes and officials, reports the Daily Telegraph.

"Since he was suspected of carrying the norovirus, after an outbreak had swept through the hotel where he was staying, it was decided that he could not risk contaminating other athletes."

Makwala, however, denied he was ill and arrived at the stadium determined to take his place on the track. Nevertheless, he was turned away by IAAF officials and security staff and was forced to watch the race on TV.

There has been much debate over his absence, but Sean Ingle of The Guardian says barring him seemed the "logical decision given Makwala had been ill before the 200m heats on Monday and these championships have been hit by more than 30 cases of gastroenteritis, particularly to Canadian and German athletes".

Makwala says he was the victim of a conspiracy and others have questioned the IAAF's motives for barring him.

"Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case, it made one of the most-hyped races of the championships a desperately flat and one-sided contest, with Van Niekerk barely celebrating his victory," says Ingle.

The last thing the World Championships needed after Usain Bolt's defeat to Justin Gatlin was another anti-climax, says Matt Dickinson of The Times, but that's what it got.

"On a day of vomiting among athletes and staff, Lord Coe should have felt sick at another nightmare of bad publicity," he says. "Headlines that should have been all about the triumphant runner hailed as the sport's new saviour were instead mixed with allegations that the world governing body - guided by Public Health England (PHE) - had overreacted."

Dickinson also says the conspiracy theories do not make much sense as the IAAF would be unwise to undermine one of their biggest events. "This definitely seemed cock-up more than conspiracy. It was a horrible mess of miscommunication, including footage of Makwala being turned away from the London Stadium by heavies as though he was a contagious threat to everyone inside."

Athletes 'quarantined' as stomach bug hits World Championships

08 August

A number of athletes competing at the World Athletics Championships in London have been hit by an outbreak of gastroenteritis at their official hotel.

Thirty people have been affected by the bug, reports the BBC, while The Guardian says an entire floor at the Tower Hotel has been "quarantined".

Among those said to be affected is Isaac Makwala of Botswana, a medal prospect in the 400m, who was given medical dispensation to miss his heat in the 200m after falling ill.

He will still be allowed to compete in the 400m final if he recovers in time, although The Times does not believe that he will make it.

"His lane will be empty for the final after he was ordered to be quarantined to prevent the bug from spreading," it says.

Elaine Thompson, who was surprisingly beaten in the 100m final on Sunday night, was also reportedly sick before the race, says the paper.

Irish 400m hurdler Thomas Barr was pulled out of his event on Monday and Javier Culson, the double world silver medal-winner from Puerto Rico, "was another laid low by the stomach bug as he was eliminated from the heats of the 400m hurdles", says the Times.

They are not the only victims. "Several German and Canadian athletes staying at the Tower Hotel fell ill last week," reports the BBC. "A further 30 Germans due to arrive on Tuesday will be moved to other hotels.

"German triple jumper Neele Eckhardt collapsed but was well enough to compete on Saturday, and took part in Monday's final."

The Tower Hotel, which has been working with environmental health officers and the International Association of Athletics Federations, said it was "not the source of the illness". That has also been confirmed by Public Health England, says the BBC.

British athletes have been told to "avoid contact with anyone staying at the affected hotel, either at the stadium or at the adjacent warm-up track", adds the Daily Mail.

Team GB's miserable world championships continued on Monday night as Laura Muir and Sophie Hitchon both missed out on medals.

Hitchon, who won bronze in the women's hammer at last year's Rio Olympics, finished a disappointing seventh, more than five metres behind gold medallist Anita Woldarczyk of Poland. According to The Guardian, the Briton "sobbed in the bowels of the London stadium" as she came to terms with her failure, later telling reporters: "I'm going to beat myself up for a while after this."

British Athletics performance director, Neil Black, had suggested a tally of six medals would be a respectable return for Team GB at these championships but with four days of competition gone Mo Farah's gold in the 10,000 metres is the solitary success, and apart from his 5,000m it's hard to see from where more might come.

Laura Muir was expected to win a medal in the 1500m but the Scot was beaten into fourth in a thrilling race won by Kenya's Faith Kipyegon in a time of 4min 02.59sec. Silver went to American Jenny Simpson, the 30-year-old storming past Muir in the home straight, as did Caster Semenya of South Africa, who just edged out the British athlete for the bronze.

Just 0.07seconds separated Muir from a medal, another cruel outcome for the 24-year-old, who finished fifth in last year's Olympics. "I gave it everything I could but the last 50 metres I just tied up and they flew past me," said Muir. "I knew it was close. It happened so late in the race I couldn't react."

Asked if there were any positives she could take from the defeat, she replied: "I'm making huge steps each time. I think there is a lot more I can do."

Muir refused to be drawn into the ongoing debate over Semenya, the Olympic 800m champion, who suffers from hyperandrogenism, a medical condition that means she has levels of testosterone three times higher than those of the average woman.

The Guardian says that the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, "is putting together a case to convince the court of arbitration for sport that Semenya's condition gives her an unfair advantage over her rivals". If successful, the IAAF could force Semenya to undergo hormone replacement therapy or bar her from competing in future competitions. Asked about the IAAF's stance in the wake of her bronze medal, Semenya said: "I really don't have time for nonsense. I do not think about something that might happen in eight months. I don't focus on the IAAF. It's not my business. My business is to train hard and see what I come up with in competition."

Muir closed down the subject with a testy "I've not got anything to say about that", sensibly refraining from echoing the comments of her fellow Scottish middle-distance runner Lynsey Sharp, who last year complained to the Daily Telegraph that it was "difficult" competing against inter-sex athletes.

Muir was followed over the finish line by Laura Weightman, who finished sixth in a time of 4:04.11. A decent time, and in the opinion of the Daily Telegraph the "Team GB representatives can go home with their heads held high". Unfortunately holding one's head high is no substitute for holding a medal.

Justin Gatlin has been described as a "shameless fraud", a "super-villain" and "Voldemort in spikes" after ruining Usain Bolt's farewell at the World Athletics Championships in London.

Jeers rained down at the Olympic stadium on Saturday night as the twice convicted doper won a shock gold in the men's 100m final. Bolt was relegated to third place behind Chris Coleman in his final solo race.

There was more booing the following day as the American, who for years has played the evil baddie to Bolt's superhero, received his medal.

His victory was greeted by a "confused, pin-drop silence" inside the Olympic stadium, recounts Matt Dickinson of The Times. Next came a cascade of catcalls as the crowd realised "that the blue riband event of global athletics, the 100 metres sprint, had been won by Voldemort in spikes".

It was the most unwelcome result in track and field since Ben Johnson ran into infamy, he says.

Gatlin's win, 13 years after his gold at the Athens Olympics, "was a kind of zombie rising from the Balco scandal", says Paul Hayward of the Daily Telegraph.

The American has twice been banned from athletics and twice returned after having his punishment downgraded. Now he will be remembered as the man who beat Bolt.

"There are many athletes here in London with positive dope tests on their dance cards," says Hayward. "But none has beaten the system quite like Gatlin, adorned with a gold medal by Lord Coe, and symbol of the sport's longstanding failure to match crime with punishment in the vast dark realm of pharmaceutical cheating."

The horrible anti-climax in London leaves athletics with questions to answer says Sean Ingle of The Guardian. "Two years ago when Bolt beat Gatlin by 0.01sec to win 100m gold in Beijing, the BBC's Steve Cram had insisted that the Jamaican had saved his sport. What were the public supposed to think now?"

Athletics remains a "fantastic sport", he says. "Yet how can it ever hope to have fresh blood pumping through it when too many of the public assume that its soul is frozen and its heart is permanently blackened?"

But Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail says the "outrage and disgust" that followed Gatlin's win are "almost laughable".

"The sport of athletics got what it deserved," he says. "By winning on Saturday night, Gatlin actually forced athletics to confront its problems in a week when Lord Coe dared suggest that doping is not its biggest threat."

But what can be done? Coe also spoke about the problem of doping after the race, says Dickinson of The Times, and grimly explained – "with words to kill the sporting soul" – that banning athletes for life is "suffused in legality" and almost impossible as a result.

"Testing is rarely a world of black and white, especially once the lawyers get to work," says Dickinson.

"This was certainly not the result anyone wanted and Bolt's third place made this the most anticlimactic sporting farewell since Sir Donald Bradman was out for a duck in his final innings.

"But this is sport, not fairytales, and while magic is often part of it – Bolt has provided some of the most electrifying moments ever witnessed – conflict and cheating will always be part of the package. Stronger deterrents can help but Gatlin has reminded us what a wretchedly fraught process that is when he could be here, triumphant."

Billed as Usain Bolt's big farewell, there are plenty of other stars hoping to grab the limelight at the World Athletics Championships in London, starting with Mo Farah in the 10,000m.

Like Bolt, this is likely to be Farah's swansong at a major championship. Another medal in London, on the track where he announced his arrival as a world star in 2012, would mean a lot to the British runner, says Sean Ingle of The Guardian.

"If he powers to another 10,000m gold on Friday night – and he is a prohibitive favourite to do so – he will have strung together an unprecedented ten consecutive global track distance titles," says Ingle.

"To put that achievement into context, Haile Gebrselassie won six in a row at 10,000m, while Kenenisa Bekele's run of consecutive 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic and world titles ended at four.

"What makes Farah's performances even more remarkable is that, having won his first world title in Daegu just before his 29th birthday, he has sustained that level. Even at 34 he does not appear to be losing any speed."

Farah shrugged off controversy and innuendo concerning his association with his coach, Alberto Salazar, who will not be at the games.

"Again and again he has been able to shake it all off to focus on what he does best. Winning gold medals."

If Farah and Bolt are the main attractions over the next ten days there's hope that new stars will emerge, says Ron Lewis of The Times.

"As much as the sport has taken a pounding from doping and corruption in recent years, and as much as it now struggles to face a future without Usain Bolt and Mo Farah, the next ten days can shape the way that the sport will go," he says.

"The loss of David Rudisha from the 800m and Andre De Grasse from the sprints to injury is a blow, but in Wayde van Niekerk the championships has one of sport's breakout superstars," he says.

"Van Niekerk lacks Bolt's outgoing personality but he thinks big and, after an era so tarnished by dopers, he is a man you can believe in." He is aiming for gold in the 400m and 200m.

Others to watch include Mariya Lasitskene in the high jump, Thomas Rohler in the javelin and Kendra Harrison in the 100m hurdles.

Domestic stars include Laura Muir, who runs in the 1,500m, and heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Yet there is no escaping the overarching theme of the next ten days – a farewell to Bolt and the sport's future without him and a golden generation of British stars, says Riath Al-Samarrai of the Daily Mail.

"As the World Championships start in London, British Athletics and the sport in general have converged on the same thorny thought – what exactly will the next era look like?

"The answers of the next nine days will be fascinating," says Samarrai. "To some, his exit a week on Sunday is akin to a sporting doomsday. To others there is a more reasoned acceptance."

London is a sell-out for the meet, and that is "proof of the appeal of watching people run, jump and throw," as well as the legacy of 2012 Olympics.

"It will be a far harder sell without the sport's greatest ever salesman, but there's certainly no need to arrange a funeral."

The greatest athlete of all-time has warned that doping could still destroy the sport if officials become too complacent.

Usain Bolt spoke as he prepares to race solo for the final time, in the 100m at the World Championships in London on Saturday, bringing down the curtain on a glittering career that has done so much to restore the battered reputation of track and field.

But the 30-year-old Jamaican, an eight-time Olympic champion and the 100m and 200m world record holder, believes that the sport he has graced so majestically for a decade must not drop its guard.

Singling out the McLaren report, which detailed evidence of a Russian state-sponsored doping programme, Bolt said: "Personally I think we were at rock bottom. After the scandal on Russia I don't think it gets any worse than that. Over the years we're doing a better job, it's getting clean and we're catching up to a lot of athletes. There's an understanding that if you cheat you will get caught."

Bolt, who will be competing in the men's 100m final on Friday and Saturday, and the men's 4x100m relay a week later, believes that progress is being made in cleaning up athletics. "I said a couple of years ago it had to get really bad, when there's nowhere else to go but up," he said. "Doping is always a bad thing and it's never pleasant because you put in the hard work and the sport starts going forward and then you have other guys bringing it back, it's hard."

Nonetheless Bolt said that athletics, and sport in general, must keep fighting hard to educate people about the pitfalls of doping.

"Hopefully athletes will see what’s going on in sports and understand that if they don’t stop what they are doing, then sports will die," he said. "Hopefully they understand what they need to do as athletes to help sports move forward.”

As for the world championships, which begin in London on Friday, Bolt was his usual confident self in assessing his chances of victory in the 100m.

Despite the fact he's raced only three times this season, the triple Olympic 100m champion declared his surprise at learning he's not the favourite to win his fourth world championship title.

"For some reason I am the underdog,” said Bolt, who hasn't been beaten in a 100m or 200m race since 2013. "That is what my team keep telling me so I have to prove myself once more. But I am confident in my abilities, always. When I go out there I am fully confident and ready to go – 100 per cent."

Asked if he still believed he was the fastest man in the world, Bolt shot back: "Yeah, without a doubt. The last 100m race I ran was a 9.95sec which shows I am going in the right direction. It is all about who can keep their nerves. I have been here many times and I know I am ready. It is go time."

Usain Bolt will race for the last time at the World Athletics Championships beginning in the capital this weekend, bringing down the curtain on one of the greatest-ever sporting careers.

Bolt has eight Olympic golds and holds three spectacular world records that may not fall during his lifetime. He hasn't been beaten in a 100m or 200m race since Justin Gatlin edged him by a hundredth of a second in Rome in 2013.

Bolt will race over 100m for the last time in London on Saturday night (although he will return to take part in the 4x100m relay later in the week). But could his big farewell turn out to be a damp squib?

His rivals are lining up and sense that he's not force he once was. Among them is British sprinter CJ Ujah, who was born only ten miles from the Olympic Stadium in Stratford where the championships are being held.

Ujah finished fourth behind Bolt at the Monaco Diamond League last month but he, like others, has recognised chinks in the armour of the 30-year-old, a suggestion he might be fallible after all," says The Guardian.

Ujah tells the paper: "We're all in or around the same times. So I think if anyone raises their game – even myself – anything can happen. It's not like he's going to go and run a 9.5s or 9.6s. It's just not going to happen. He's not the Bolt that's been there every year."

The 30-year-old Jamaican may feel his rivals breathing down his neck.

There were rumours Bolt's team had demanded the removal of Andre De Grasse, the Rio Olympic 200m silver medallist, from the 100m in Monaco, says the Guardian. The paper adds that he has gone under ten seconds only once this season.

Not only that but his "physical condition is also in question after he scheduled an emergency meeting with the German doctor Hans Muller-Wohlfahrt in June to address a problem with his back".

This gives his rivals a "golden opportunity to upstage the legend in his final individual race".

An even bigger threat than Ujah is the Canadian sprinter De Grasse, who has been anointed as Bolt's successor as the fastest man on earth.

"London will be dominated by Bolt's farewell, but De Grasse will not be mistaking respect for deference," says the Daily Mail. He "wants to gatecrash Bolt's grand farewell" and still considers himself unlucky not to have beaten the Jamaican over 200m in Rio.

"It's not a rivalry," he tells the Mail when asked about his relationship with Bolt. "He has dominated for so long. I've still not beaten him – but I'd love to. To have a rivalry you have to have a back and forth. He is on his way out and a veteran. I'm trying to prove myself."

Former sprinter Frankie Fredericks has been provisionally suspended from athletics pending an investigation into a potential ethics violation.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) is investigating an alleged payment of $300,000 Fredericks received from Papa Massata Diack, the son of disgraced IAAF president Lamine Diack, on the day Rio won the vote to host the 2016 Olympics, reports Eurosport.

"Earlier this year Fredericks, an International Olympic Committee member, stepped down as head of the team evaluating bids to host the 2024 Olympics and has also removed himself from the IAAF taskforce investigating doping allegations in Russia, after the corruption allegations surfaced in Le Monde newspaper," says the site.

Le Monde claimed the money was paid first to Diack by a wealthy Brazilian businessman in 2009, days before Rio won the vote to host the 2016 Olympics, and was intended to influence IOC voters.

However, the four-time Olympic silver medallist says the payment was legitimate and "related to his role in the promoting of several athletics events", reports the BBC.

Fredericks, 49, retired in 2004 and went on to become a senior figure at both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

"As head of the IOC evaluation commission, Fredericks was to lead an inspection visit to 2024 candidate cities Los Angeles and Paris," adds the BBC.

The news comes less than two months before the IOC will decide on the host cities for the 2024 and 2028 Olympics.

Paris and Los Angeles are the only two candidates, but both would prefer to hold the Games in 2024.

The IOC votes on 13 September, after deciding to choose the host cities for both events at the same time.

Despite the suspension, the AIU said Fredericks would retain "the presumption of innocence until the conclusion of that investigative process".

A para athlete training for the World Championships in London has died after a discus cage fell on him at Newham Leisure Centre.

The death of Abdullah Hayayei from the United Arab Emirates was confirmed by the International Paralympic Committee following the accident.

"He had been due to compete at the London Stadium in the discus, javelin and shot put in the F34 class, a category for athletes suffering from cerebral palsy who use a throwing frame to compete," reports The Times.

Details of the incident have not been revealed but Majid Al Usaimi, the vice president of the UAE Disabled Sports Federation, told local television that “the metal discus cage fell on his head" during a practice session.

"We are overcome by grief, all of the UAE delegation here in London, and are truly shocked by this news, but it is God's will," he said.

"We had a meeting with the entire delegation and decided to continue our journey here, with greater motivation in honour of and as a tribute to our brother Abdullah."

The Met Police revealed that officers and an air ambulance were called to the scene at around 5pm on Tuesday but Hayayei was pronounced dead at the scene at 5.20pm.

IPC president Sir Philip Craven and Ed Warner, co-chair of London 2017, both said they were "devastated" by the death.

"London 2017, which starts on Friday, was to be Hayayei's second World Championships," reports the BBC. "At the 2015 event in Doha, Qatar, he finished fifth in the discus F34 and eighth in shot put F34.

"A moment of silence will be held in honour of Hayayei during Friday's opening ceremony at London Stadium."

Of all the performances at the London Anniversary Games on Sunday, perhaps the most impressive came from Olympic sprint champion Elaine Thompson, who powered to victory in the women's 100m wearing trainers rather than racing spikes.

The Jamaican beat an impressive field, featuring the likes of Dafne Schippers, in 10.94secs.

Her performance was "impressive into a headwind of 1.4 meters and even more so as she was running in cushioned trainers to prevent injury", reports Reuters.

"Spikes are conventionally used to prevent sprinters from slipping on the track and to keep them light on their feet," says the Huffington Post.

"Thompson wore a less prominent version of spikes as the traditional form hurt her Achilles tendon."

Thompson said: "The spikes I have I'm not confident with and hurt my Achilles so I’m running in flats.

"They have spikes but they are very petite. They are built especially for me and made lighter."

Sir Mo Farah romped home in the 3,000m before launching an attack on the media after the latest round of doping allegations.

He said: "I am sick of repeating myself. You guys are just making something of nothing. I will never fail a drugs test."

A leak from the Russian Fancy Bears hacking group said the British world and Olympic champion had been labelled a "likely" doper by the IAAF in 2015 due to suspicions over his biological passport.

In a later email from April 2016, the IAAF said the results "very recently became 'normal'".

This weekend's event was a rehearsal for the World Championships next month where Farah will be centre stage once again.

"Even the most optimistic watcher recognises that British silverware is likely to be hard to come by next month," says The Guardian.

"The retirement of Jessica Ennis-Hill, coupled with injury doubts lingering over Greg Rutherford's participation means Mo Farah is the only genuine gold medal favourite in the likely team."

A controversial plan to "rewrite" the athletics record books by erasing best times and distances set before 2005 will see British legends lose their place in history.

The plan is designed to "create new household names and expand the sport's appeal after decades of doping", reports Josh Burrows of The Times.

It is the brainchild of Pierce O'Callaghan, the director of operations for London 2017 and chairman of the European Athletics taskforce who has been charged with ways to create a new set of world records free from the stain of doping.

"The onus is on European Athletics to take the lead because a large number of controversial records were set by East German and Soviet Union athletes in the 1980s, when use of performance-enhancing drugs - or even sex-changes - is thought to have been widespread," says Burrows.

O'Callaghan has apologised to retired athletes affected by the changes, but said record-holders such as Paula Radcliffe, Jonathan Edwards and Colin Jackson were "collateral damage", reports the BBC.

"Apologies to the athletes, we never intended to damage their reputation and legacy. It is intended to give the public belief and credibility in what they are watching in the sport," he says.

Steve Cram, who would also lose his records, he was scathing about the idea, which he described as an "easy route out" and a "PR exercise".

"It lumps us all in with those cheats," said the BBC commentator, who still holds the European record for the mile and 2,000m.

"It's not our fault that over the years the sport did not police itself properly. It's not our fault they didn't do their job. I don't think it's going to change anything. It's not going to stop people cheating.

Radcliffe and Edwards "reacted with incredulity and dismay", says Sean Ingle of The Guardian.

Marathon record-holder Radcliffe says she was "offended" that her time would be erased, while Edwards, who has held the world record in the triple jump since 1995, said the idea was "wrong-headed and cowardly".

Ingle adds: "The plan, which is strongly backed by Seb Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, will not only require anyone who sets a world record to have been tested numerous times in the months beforehand but also to have the sample taken after their record performance still available for retesting.

"The IAAF has stored blood and urine samples only since 2005, which means the records by Edwards and Radcliffe are at risk of being struck from the books, along with Colin Jackson's indoor 60m hurdles world record of 7.30sec set in 1994."

A runner at the London Marathon has been hailed a "hero" after stopping 300m from the finish line to help a struggling competitor finish the race.

David Wyeth was having difficulty staying on his feet due to exhaustion as he came around the final corner of yesterday's race.

Matthew Rees came up behind him and decided to stop and help, sacrificing his own chances of clocking a good race time.

After Wyeth fell to the ground, Rees put his arm around him and gave some words of encouragement, before a steward also came to Wyeth's aid and both men assisted Wyeth over the finish line.

Rees told the BBC: "I came round the final corner and I saw a runner struggling, his legs were collapsing beneath him. Every time he tried to get up, he kept on falling back to the ground.

"I went over to him and said 'come on, you can do this' and tried to gee him up. But every time he tried to get up, I realised he wasn't going to make it," he added. "I said c’mon we can do this, we will do it together, we’ll cross the line together."

In a BBC interview this morning, Wyeth thanked Rees and said he told him to carry on without him.

"I was urging him to move on, you know 'please don't sacrifice your race for me'. But he stuck with me and I think a volunteer also joined me on the other side," he said.

"I got up, they helped me up, and I just tried to keep moving."

The two men finished in a time of two hours, 52 minutes and 26 seconds, putting them in the top 1,000 competitors, says Sky News, which described Rees as a "hero".

After crossing the finish line, Wyeth, who was running in memory of his uncle, was led away for medical assessment.

The viral clip has caused a dramatic spike in donations to Wyeth's JustGiving page with his fundraising total reaching almost £8,000, far beyond his £1,000 goal, which will go to Isabel Hospice.

Sir Mo Farah has insisted he is a "clean athlete" after more claims against his coach, Alberto Salazar, emerged over the weekend.

A US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) report leaked to the Sunday Times by the Fancy Bears hacking project, claims that Salazar "abused prescription medicines and used prohibited drug infusions to boost testosterone levels and the performance of his runners at Nike's flagship training project in Oregon", says the paper.

"Farah and other athletes coached by Alberto Salazar were given infusions of a research supplement based on the chemical L-carnitine," it claims. "L-carnitine is not a banned substance for athletes but infusions of more than 50ml in the space of six hours are prohibited."

The report, which dates back to March 2016, also says Farah and other athletes were "given prescription drugs when they had no medical need because Salazar believed that the medications would lead them to run faster in competition", says the paper.

Salazar first hit the headlines when claims were made about his methods in a BBC documentary in 2015. But Farah has hit back against the latest allegations. "It's deeply frustrating that I'm having to make an announcement on this subject," said the 33-year-old world and Olympic champion.

"I am a clean athlete who has never broken the rules in regards to substances, methods or dosages and it is upsetting that some parts of the media, despite the clear facts, continue to try to associate me with allegations of drug misuse."

He also accused the Sunday Times of using his name to sell the story and said it was "entirely unfair to make assertions when it is clear from their own statements that I have done nothing wrong".

But The Times has hit back and says that Farah's "protestations that he is being unfairly dragged into the story are disingenuous".

The paper's chief sports writer Matt Dickinson writes: "UK Athletics is, quite rightly, being asked to explain what it knew about Salazar's highly controversial exploration of the legal and ethical frontiers. Farah should, at the very least, be able to understand why that also raises questions for him."

Sean Ingle of The Guardian agrees. "Farah must realise that he risks suffering reputational damage by sticking with Salazar," he says. "He should look at how Bradley Wiggins has been treated after the revelations that he used a therapeutic use exemption to realise that he is not alone."

He also notes that before Farah moved to the US in 2010 he was not a star and had finished sixth in the 5,000m at the 2007 world championships and seventh in the same event in 2009. "Since then he has won nine gold medals and a silver at Olympics and world championships," says Ingle.

Farah has been loyal to Salazar since allegations were first made almost two years ago. Nine months ago, amid rumours that Usada had dropped an investigation into Salazar, Farah said he felt "vindicated", says Dan Roan of the BBC. "This will raise more questions over that association.

"Last year Farah distanced himself from another controversial coach – Somalian Jama Aden. And he could now face renewed pressure to do something similar with a man who we now know Usada is still looking into."

Lord Coe has denied misleading MPs after emails emerged that appeared to show he knew about allegations of blackmail and failed drugs tests involving Russian athletes months before they became public.

In December 2015, the IAAF chief told a select committee he had not been aware of claims about the "corruption of anti-doping processes in Russia" until the broadcast of a German TV documentary on the subject in December 2014.

However, Matt Lawton of Mail Online reports that emails provided by Coe "show the double Olympic champion referencing 'serious allegations' regarding the blackmail of Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova on August 14, 2014".

In a message, Coe wrote he had "now been made aware" of the allegations.

According to The Independent, "the email, released by the committee, was dictated by Coe to a temporary PA, several hours after he received a telephone call from the former athlete and administrator Dave Bedford, telling him that senior figures close to IAAF president Lamine Diack had forced the Russian marathon runner Liliya Shobukhova to pay £360,000 to conceal a positive drug test".

Mark Daly of the BBC's Panorama says the messages "cast fresh light on the issue of what Lord Coe knew - and when - about the burgeoning Russian corruption and doping scandal which has blighted world athletics".

Coe has denied misleading MPs. He says he was on holiday when the email was sent and had not properly read the claims and simply forwarded them to the correct authority.

"Coe insists there was no discrepancy in statements he made in December 2015 but gives an explanation that will certainly leave him open to an accusation that he did not treat Bedford's email with the respect it demanded," says Lawton.

It has also prompted calls for Coe to be recalled before MPs. Committee chairman Damian Collins told the BBC: "Whatever excuse he gives, it is clear that Lord Coe decided not to share with the committee information that was relevant to our inquiry on doping in sport."

British Olympic sprint star James Ellington is in intensive care in a Spanish hospital following a motorbike crash that has left him with career-threatening injuries.

His Team GB colleague Nigel Levine, who was also involved in the accident, has also been seriously injured. He too remains in hospital.

"Ellington has had surgery on an open fracture that pierced his skin following a horror motorbike accident in Tenerife on Tuesday," reports The Sun. "The Olympic sprinter faces a fight to save his career as a result of the shocking crash that also left him with a broken pelvis and smashed eye socket."

His family has flown out to Spain to be with him while he undergoes tests.

Levine, who was taken to a different hospital to Ellington, is also thought to have a broken pelvis

The pair, who were in Tenerife with other members of Team GB on a warm weather training camp, were riding on a motorbike when the crash happened. They "rounded a bend and collided with a hire car driven by a tourist, travelling on the wrong side of the road", reports the Daily Mail.

"There are no rules to stop athletes using motorbikes, though UK Sport contracts warn against funded sportsmen and women putting themselves at unnecessary risk," says the paper. "However, both were wearing helmets and Levine, who was driving, rides a motorcycle in London, so is very experienced."

In an Instagram post from his hospital bed Ellington said he and Levine were lucky to survive the crash.

"Overwhelmed and truly touched by everyone's messages and support, I truly am blessed as I do not know how me or my training partner Nigel are still alive," he wrote.

However, both athletes will miss the rest of the season and "may never run competitively again", says the Daily Mirror.

Ellington, who raised the money to compete in the 2012 London Olympics by looking for sponsors online, won gold in the 4x100m relay at the 2014 and 2016 European Championships and relay silver in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He also competed in the London and Rio Olympics.

Levine, a 400m runner, has helped Britain win eight world and European relay medals.

World and former Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill has announced her retirement from the sport, two months after taking silver at the Rio Olympics.

The 30-year-old Sheffield-based athlete made the announcement on social media, saying: "I've always said I want to leave my sport on a high and have no regrets and I can truly say that."

The Brownlee brothers have hit the headlines once again - but this time it isn't for winning.

Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, who between them have divided up the majority of triathlon's biggest prizes since 2012, were racing in Mexico for the end of the World Triathlon Series.

Jonny, the younger of the two, went into the final race of the series in second place behind Spaniard Mario Mola.

For overall victory, he needed to win the race and have Mola finish no higher than fourth – something that looked set to happen after the brothers worked hard in tandem to push the pace on the swim and bike legs.

Jonny was comfortably ahead leading the race into the final kilometre of the 10km run when disaster struck and he found himself staggering, dazed and confused, in the Mexican heat, allowing South African Henri Schoeman, who took bronze behind the Brownlees in Rio, to overtake and win.

It looked as if the younger Brownlee would be unable to finish until Alistair, who had been running comfortably in third, put his arm around his brother and all but carried him along the final few hundred metres before pushing him across the line.

However, despite Jonny finishing second, Mola, who came in fifth, took the title by just four points.

After the race, Jonny was taken to hospital as a precaution, but later tweeted his thanks to his older brother.

Alistair, who suffered a similar drama in London's Hyde Park in 2010, told the BBC: "It's an awful position to be in.

"If he'd conked out before the finish line and there wasn't medical support, it could have been really dangerous.

"It was a natural human reaction to my brother but for anyone, I would have done the same thing. I think it's as close to death as you can be in sport."

He also had a few choice words for his baby brother's decision to go so hard at the start of the race.

"I wish the flipping idiot had just paced it right and won the race. He could have jogged the last 2km," said the Olympic double-gold medallist.

An athletics coach who worked as an "unofficial facilitator" for the British Olympic champion Mo Farah at his training base in Ethiopia has been arrested in a doping raid in Spain.

Jama Aden, who coaches the women's 1,500m world champion Genzebe Dibaba, and a Moroccan physiotherapist, were held in a raid at a hotel. The pair have been charged with administering banned substances to athletes.

The performance-enhancing hormone EPO (erythropoietin) is "understood to have been found along with other banned products", reports The Times.

"The arrests were the latest blow to athletics in the build up to the Olympics after the Russian doping scandal that led to the country's athletes being banned from the Rio de Janeiro Games," says the paper.

British Athletics used Aden as an "unofficial facilitator" last year when Farah switched training bases from Kenya to Ethiopia.

He was "in charge of recruiting local athletes as running partners for Farah, who included Hamza Driouch, who was serving a two-year ban for irregularities in his biological passport", says the Times.

There is no suggestion that Farah has been involved in doping and the London Evening Standard says British Athletics "downplayed Mo Farah's involvement with Jama Aden" after the arrest.

"All Aden did was hold a stopwatch and shout times to athletes as they completed their sessions," said a spokesman. "Since last year there has been absolutely no involvement with Aden, unofficial or official."

The Spanish anti-doping agency, AEPSAD, said that it had drug-tested more than 20 athletes at the hotel. They have not been named, although the Times reports that Dibaba was staying there.

"Dibaba, 25, is female world athlete of the year and a hot favourite to win gold at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics later this year," reports the BBC.

It lists other athletes to have been coached by Aden as including Sudanese two-time world indoor 800m champion Abubaker Kaki Khamis, 2008 Beijing Olympics 800m silver medallist Ismael Ahmed Ismael, also from Sudan, and 2012 London Olympics 1,500m champion Taoufik Makhloufi of Algeria.

Last year, Farah's coach Alberto Salazar was forced to deny claims made in a BBC documentary that he had been involved in doping. The allegations related to US 10,000m record holder Galen Rupp, who denied ever taking a banned substance. No action has been taken against Salazar.

If you were hit with marathon fever watching this year’s Virgin London Marathon and dream of taking part next year, now is the time to act.

Most runners win their place by entering an annual public ballot, but many secure their place through particular charities. Some experienced runners qualify because of their speed.

Here’s how you can join in:

How do I apply for the 2019 ballot?

The public ballot for the 2019 race has opened today but will only remain open for five days. It closes at 5pm on Friday 4 May.

To apply, visit the London Marathon website here.

Once you’ve applied, you’ll have to wait until October to find out whether you have secured a place.

What happens if I was unable to compete this year?

Anyone who was unable to take part in this year’s race because of illness or injury should be able to secure a place for 2019 without having to enter the ballot again, provided they filled out the correct withdrawal form. Runners who withdrew should receive an email link for a guaranteed place for the 2019 race on Monday 4 June, 2018.

Runners can only defer for one year. Anyone unfortunate enough to have had to withdraw in 2017 and 2018 will have to reapply from scratch for 2019.

How else can I get a place?

Charity places are often available to anyone unlucky in the ballot or anyone who has missed the deadline. You will have to raise a minimum amount of sponsorship (usually around £2,000) to take the charity up on the offer.

Organisers warn that there are usually more runners interested than there are charity places available, so the charities often select their runners based on their connection to the cause and how much money they are realistically able to raise.

However, there are hundreds of charities across a huge range of causes with spaces in the marathon. This year they included Amnesty International, the British Hen Welfare Trust and the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.

What about experienced runners?

Runners aged between 18 and 40 with a marathon time of 3hrs for men or 3hrs 45mins for women can apply for a place outside the normal ballot process. Older age groups have different timings that allow them to apply. Running clubs will be able to help with information on this.

Athletics clubs associated with British Athletics are also able to apply for club entries to the race.

Championship entry is available for elite runners with marathon times below 2hrs 45mins for men and 3hrs 15mins for women.

Kenya has been placed on probation by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) after it failed to take action to tackle its drugs problems.

The news means that days after the country warned it could pull out of the Rio Games on account of the Zika outbreak, another threat to its participation in this year's Games has emerged.

Kenya has been given two months to bring in new legislation and funding to tackle doping or it will be declared non-compliant with Wada, reports the BBC.

The sanction could lead to the African country suffering the same fate as Russia, whose athletes have been banned from international competition over state-sponsored doping and are likely to miss this summer's Olympics.

Since 2011, more than 40 Kenyans have failed drugs tests and 18 of its athletes are currently serving bans. Three officials have also been suspended over corruption claims.

"For several months, Wada has been trying to persuade Kenya to set up an effective national agency so more drug tests can be conducted, but progress has been slow," says the BBC.

Legislation has not yet been passed and state funding for testing has also to materialise.

In a statement, Wada said it had made "some progress" with Kenya, whose athletes dominate distance running and topped the 2015 World Championships medals table, but added there was "still a lot of work required".

Kenya "has exhausted Wada's patience" as it waits for £3.5m in funding, says the Daily Telegraph. The country is now "facing the threat of an Olympic ban", it adds.

If Kenya is declared non-compliant, the International Olympic Committee and other event organisers and international federations have the capacity to refuse its athletes to compete.

However, the prospect of an Olympic ban is "slim", claims The Guardian.

"The distinction with Russia is worth stressing," it says. "The Russian Athletics Federation was suspended from international athletics after the country was found guilty of state-sponsored doping. In Kenya's case, Wada’s intervention is about forcing the nation's government to provide the £3.5m needed to fund and staff the fledgling Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya."

As Brazil prepares for the arrival of 16,000 athletes and more than 600,000 visitors, calls to have this summer's Olympic Games in Rio postponed or even cancelled because of the Zika virus have grown.

And this week there was more bad news for organisers as yet another of the world's top golfers, Jordan Spieth, pulled out of the tournament over fears about the disease, prompting more debate over the risks posed by the mosquito-borne illness.

Mass gatherings of people on the scale of the Olympics always bring with them a threat of an outbreak but the virus appears to be a unique foe for Rio's organisers. Some 80 per cent of cases have no symptoms and so won't be detected in a syndrome surveillance system that proved so effective at the London Games.

"If Brazil and the International Olympic Committee aren't up to the challenge, as they think they are, their decision to proceed with the Games could detrimentally impact much of the globe," says CNN.

What is Zika?

The virus is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also transmits dengue fever and chikungunya. The first human case was identified in Nigeria in 1954, and outbreaks were later reported in other parts of Africa, south-east Asia, the Pacific Islands and now Latin America.

Symptoms, which are typically mild and only appear in one in four people, include a low-grade fever, joint and muscle pain and conjunctivitis. For most people, the infection isn't harmful. However, the disease is known to cause microcephaly, a severe and potentially deadly birth defect that affects brain development.

The World Health Organisation has issued a directive to pregnant women to avoid travelling to Zika-stricken regions, while those living in affected countries have been advised to use mosquito repellent and either abstain from sex or use condoms.

Zika has also been linked to neurological disorder Guillain–Barre syndrome in some rare cases.

Is Brazil safe?

Last month, a group of more than 100 scientists wrote a letter to the World Health Organization claiming it would be "unethical" for the Games to go ahead.

Speaking to The Guardian, Amir Attaran, a public health specialist in Canada, described the idea of going ahead with the Games as both "indescribably foolish" and "monstrously unethical". The potential risks range from brain-damaged children to death in rare instances, he added. "Is this what the Olympics stand for?"

So far Rio stands defiant against the naysayers and the mosquitoes, with Sidney Levy, the head of the Rio organising committee, telling Voice of America the disease "won't be a problem" at the Games. "I now have 4,000 people who are working currently in the venues, in the parks and on the beaches in T-shirts, and I have not a single case of Zika," he said.

Some experts in public health and infectious disease are supporting Brazil's decision. Dr Mary Wilson of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, which is currently working with the University of California, San Francisco, told CNN that because the Games are held in one city and during a colder time of year, officials should be able to reduce the risk of Zika to an acceptable level.

What do the athletes think?

Most seem unfazed by the virus – although many of golf's biggest names have pulled out of the tournament citing concerns over Zika.

The latest is Jordan Spieth, who joined the rest of the world's top four - Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy - in pulling out of the event.

"Spieth's decision means none of the world's top four ranked players and six of the leading ten will not appear when golf returns to the Games this summer following a 112-year absence," reports The Guardian.

Last month world number one Jason Day explained his reasons for pulling out. "A decision to compete in Rio absolutely comes with health risks to me and to my family. My wife Ellie and I have been blessed with two wonderful and healthy children and our plan is to have more," he said.

Experts are split over their decision, reports the BBC. Jonathan Ball, a professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, described McIlroy's decision as "extreme". But Dr Derek Gatherer, a lecturer in biomedical and life sciences at Lancaster University, said: "If McIlroy is contemplating becoming a father within a year or so, then it is a perfectly reasonable precaution to stay away from regions of active Zika transmission.

British long jumper Greg Rutherford has chosen another way of dealing with the threat. He will compete at Rio but has had his sperm frozen so he and his partner, Suzie Verrill, who will not travel to the Games, can still try for a family after the event.

Zika virus: Rio Olympics blow as golfer Justin Day pulls out

29 June

Golf's return to the Olympics is in danger of turning into a PR disaster for Rio after world number one Jason Day became the latest player to pull out because of the Zika virus.

"A decision to compete in Rio absolutely comes with health risks to me and to my family. My wife Ellie and I have been blessed with two wonderful and healthy children and our plan is to have more," he said.

"While it has always been a major goal to compete in the Olympics on behalf of my country, playing golf cannot take precedent over the safety of our family. I will not place them at risk."

The 28-year-old Australian is the seventh major champion to withdraw from the Games, following in the footsteps of Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Vijay Singh and Graeme McDowell.

The news is a "huge blow" for golf, says James Corrigan in the Daily Telegraph, "and will raise further concerns that, after a 112-absence, the sport will not last past Tokyo 2020 on the Games's roster".

Not all those who have withdrawn have done so because of fears over Zika, although this was the reason cited by the two biggest absentees, McIlroy and now Day.

Australia and Ireland have been particularly badly hit by the absences, with Irish reserve Shane Lowry also making himself unavailable on Tuesday, citing the virus.

"The world number two Jordan Spieth is understood to be considering his position while the Masters champion Danny Willett and Rickie Fowler have publicly expressed doubt about their Olympic participation," warns The Guardian.

However, some have suggested that a lack of prize money in Rio could be a contributing factor.

NBA star LeBron James, another well-paid professional athlete, has also withdrawn from Rio, although he has not blamed the Zika virus. US cyclist Tejay van Garderen pulled out because his wife is pregnant, reports the BBC.

Zika, a mosquito-borne illness, can cause birth defects and has been linked to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre. Last month, a group of more than 100 scientists wrote a letter to the World Health Organization claiming it would be "unethical" for the Games to go ahead.

However, Sidney Levy, the head of the Rio organising committee, told Voice of America the disease "won't be a problem" at the Games.

"I now have 4,000 people that are working currently in the venues, in the parks and on the beaches in T-shirts and I have not a single case of Zika," he said.

Rory McIlroy pulls out of Rio Olympics over Zika fears

22 June

Golfer Rory McIlroy has pulled out of the Rio Olympics citing fears over the Zika virus, telling the Irish team that competing would be "a risk I am unwilling to take".

McIlroy, who is hoping to start a family with his fiancee Erica Stoll, said in a statement: "After speaking with those closest to me, I've come to realise that my health and my family's health comes before anything else."

The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been linked to birth defects and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre. "Pregnant women have been advised not to travel to areas where there are outbreaks of Zika, while women have also been advised to avoid falling pregnant in these areas," reports the BBC.

McIlroy, who comes from Northern Ireland but chose to represent Ireland in 2014, has elected not to travel because of those concerns.

"The 27-year-old's withdrawal is a huge blow for the sport's return to the Games after a 112-year absence. McIlroy is the fifth major winner to remove his name from consideration, following Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. The world number one, Jason Day, is also believed to be on the brink of ruling himself out."

The Olympic Committee of Ireland said it was "extremely disappointed" by McIlroy's announcement but added that it "respected his decision".

Concerns about Zika have "cast a shadow over Rio 2016", says the Telegraph but the organisers have resisted calls for the Games to be moved or postponed.

Experts are split over McIlroy's decision, reports the BBC.

Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, described McIlroy's decision as "extreme". But Dr Derek Gatherer, a lecturer in biomedical and life sciences at Lancaster University, said: "If Mr McIlroy is contemplating becoming a father within a year or so, then it is a perfectly reasonable precaution to stay away from regions of active Zika transmission."

Rory McIlroy could pull out of Olympics over Zika threat

24 May

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has admitted he is worried about participating in the Rio Olympics because of fears over Zika.

The world number three is due to represent Ireland in Brazil when the sport returns to the Olympics for the first time since 1904. However, McIlroy has admitted he is facing a dilemma over Zika.

The 27-year-old is hoping to start a family with his fiancee, Erica Stoll, but is aware of the dangers posed by the mosquito-borne disease, which can be transmitted sexually and has been linked to birth defects in babies.

McIlroy told the BBC he was "monitoring" the situation. "There's going to be a point in the next couple of years where we are going to have to think about starting a family. Right now I'm ready to go but I don't want anything to affect that," he said.

Several leading golfers have already withdrawn from the Olympics, reports The Times, and "the presence of big names such as McIlroy is crucial to the success of the event".

The spread of the virus in Brazil "has led health professionals to question whether the Olympics should be postponed, given the high concentration of cases in the Rio area", adds the paper.

McIlroy's subdued body language was "arguably more telling than his words", says The Guardian. The paper adds that if McIlroy did elect not to take part his absence would be "keenly felt".

However, McIlroy has threatened to quit the Olympics before, notes the Daily Mail.

"McIlroy had been eligible to compete for either Great Britain or Ireland this summer but contemplated withdrawing from the event in order to avoid upsetting anyone with his choice," says the paper. "He eventually opted to continue representing Ireland, as he did throughout his amateur career and twice in the World Cup."

Rio Olympics: Kenya and US express concern over Zika threat

09 February

Kenya has threatened to pull out of this summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro if Brazil's Zika outbreak reaches epidemic levels.

"We are not going to risk taking Kenyans there if this Zika virus reaches epidemic levels," said Kipchoge Keino, chairman of Kenya's Olympic body and gold-medallist at the 1968 Games.

"Kenya topped the medal table at last year's World Athletics Championships and the country's absence would be severely felt on the track as they boast many of the best middle and long-distance runners in the world," says the BBC.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mosquito-borne virus a global public health emergency.

With Russian athletes unlikely to participate after being banned from international competition over the discovery of a systematic doping programme, the news is another blow for the Games.

But there could be worse to come. Reuters reports that the US Olympic Committee has said "athletes and staff concerned for their health over the Zika virus should consider not going" to Rio.

It is "the latest sign that Olympics officials are taking the Zika threat to the games in Rio de Janeiro seriously, and acknowledging that at least some athletes and support staff could face a tough decision over whether to attend".

The US finished top of the medals table at the London Games in 2012 and "any disruption to its presence would be important", says Reuters.

The Olympic committees of Australia and New Zealand have "already warned their athletes of the potential dangers for pregnant women" from the Zika virus.

Last week, Martyn Rooney, who captained the Great Britain athletics team at the World Championships last year, told the Daily Telegraph it would be "irresponsible" for his wife and child to visit Brazil unless the risk from Zika was reduced. Rio, he said, was "a pretty dangerous place to bring your family".

Nike is set to take over as a sponsor of the IAAF after rival sportswear manufacturer Adidas moved to end its association with the scandal-hit organisation four years before the end of its deal.

The German company wants to cut short its 11-year agreement with the athletics world governing body because of concerns about its possible involvement in the doping scandal that has seen the arrest of former IAAF president Lamine Diack and led to the suspension of Russia from international competition.

A report by the World Anti-Doping Authority last month claimed corruption was "embedded" in the IAAF and that leading figures within the organisation must have been aware of it.

The deal, which was due to run until 2019, was reported to be worth $3m (£2.09m) a year in cash and included the supply of Adidas products. "The IAAF still expects to get its money, saying it has been underwritten by Dentsu, its commercial partner," reports The Times. "[It] could, however, be hit by the loss of equipment supplies."

But now Nike is now poised to step in, says the Daily Mail. "The prospect of Nike being tempted to replace Adidas also looks possible, especially given the 38-year relationship between the company and IAAF president Lord Coe, who took over from Lamine Diack in August," claims the newspaper.

The Mail contrasts Adidas's stance over the IAAF claims with its attitude towards Fifa, another scandal-hit organisation which it continues to sponsor. But it suggests the sportswear firm may be sticking to its principles.

"Adidas has in recent years tried to position itself as being firmly anti-doping - some observers say as a deliberate tactic to point the finger at its main rivals Nike, who sponsor high-profile athletes who have served doping bans such as sprinter Justin Gatlin. Tyson Gay was dropped by Adidas when he tested positive for a banned substance in 2013," it says.

Others are not so sure. "To anyone with more than a passing knowledge of the fascinating, twisted history of Adidas, the idea that it has suddenly discovered its moral compass and taken a stand against the fetid corruption and institutionalised doping in athletics is laughable," writes Owen Gibson in The Guardian.

"More likely is the fact that business considerations make its decision to terminate its lucrative sponsorship deal an expedient course of action at this stage."

The company has increased its focus on, and investment in, football in recent years and disentangling itself from athletics under such circumstances may prove to be a shrewd piece of marketing, suggests Gibson.

"[Yet] even if this is a cynical and opportunistic move rather than a moral and upstanding one, it highlights just how far athletics has fallen – and how much further it still could plummet."

The world of athletics is in turmoil after the explosive report into Russian doping offences that has prompted calls for the country to be banned from next year's Olympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency commissioned investigation claimed that Russia had engaged in systematic cheating, that its athletes had "sabotaged" the London 2012 Olympics and that the Russian state and security forces were involved.

There could be much worse to come, as parts of the report dealing with allegations of corruption at the sport's world governing body, the IAAF, were kept private because they are the subject of a criminal investigation that is now being overseen by Interpol, while the report's author Dick Pound, suggested the problems could extend beyond Russia and track and field.

Where does this leave Russia?

Russia's doping programme may have been about winning, but the response must be about taking part, says Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail. "If one Russian athlete so much as sets foot on the track at the Olympic Games next summer, the sport is lost," he says.

The "sheer sprawl" of the allegations makes it unique, he says. "This takes in government bodies, maybe even government ministers, implicates them in the fixing of Olympic events and perhaps an entire Games. It is unprecedented; so what happens next must be unprecedented, too. Russian athletes must be banned from this Olympic Games, and beyond, until it is proven they are running clean."

And the IAAF?

Russia may be grabbing the headlines and even if the IAAF does ban them from the sport there will still be, in the words of Lord Coe, "dark days" ahead, says Owen Gibson of The Guardian. "The 325-page report by the former Wada president Dick Pound should serve as a damning indictment on those who were supposed to be policing world sport, including Wada itself and those who fund it – national governments and the IOC."

Pound himself described his findings as a "pretty damning indictment of what has not been done... At some point the Olympic movement and the governments have to say: 'Are we going to do this properly or shall we all go home?'"

The chairman of UK Athletics, Ed Warner, delivered what The Times calls a "withering assessment" of the IAAF. It reports that he told the BBC: "The IAAF has behaved like a nation state... collectively they don't have the quality to administer a sport on this scale. Coe needs to appoint a new executive team around him at the IAAF... he needs to open up to offers of assistance."

What about the corruption claims?

With the claims about Russia front and centre, the allegations of bribery and extortion at the IAAF have been pushed down the agenda, but with Interpol now investigating they are unlikely to disappear.

"Further embarrassment" lies ahead says The Independent, with Lamine Diack, the former president of the IAAF, and other senior figures under suspicion.

What about Lord Coe?

The current head of the IAAF faces a massive task to win back credibility for his sport. But "Coe’s handling of the scandal has already been called into question", says Matt Dickinson of The Times.

Earlier this year he angrily dismissed media claims of widespread doping as a "declaration of war" against his sport. In his report Pound praised the journalists who helped uncover the scandal.

Coe has also spoken fondly of Diack, with whom he worked at the IAAF for eight years. And the former Olympic gold medallist faced a tough grilling from Jon Snow of Channel 4 News on Monday night. He accused Coe of being either "asleep on the job or corrupt".[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"86681","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]

Is it just Russia?

Not necessarily. Pound said his report was just the "tip of the iceberg" and the problems were likely to extend to other countries and other sports. He said it was "inconceivable" that Russian sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, was unaware of what was happening. Mutko is also head of Russia's 2018 football World Cup organising committee, notes The Guardian.

"Kenya and Turkey are two countries thought to be heavily investigated, with a high number of athletes banned because of failed doping tests," says The Independent.

Diplomatic fall-out

The scandal is also in danger of becoming about more than sport. Fifa president Sepp Blatter has claimed that his regime has become the target of Western self-interest, and Russia could play a similar card.

So far Moscow's reaction has been to reject the findings. A spokesman for Vladimir Putin has called them "groundless".

"Another front in the new Cold War between Putin’s mafia state and the West will doubtless be opened up by the detail of FSB (state security) agents appearing in Sochi laboratories and alleged bribes being paid to cover up positive Russian tests," writes Paul Hayward in the Daily Telegraph.

Fomer triple jump world champion Yolanda Chen told the BBC News at Ten: "With everything happening to Russia now, all the sanctions and bad relations with the West, it's like this is just another link in the chain. If they pressurise us on one front and we don't bend then they start hitting us in our sorest spot – and that is sport."

More than 1,000 Russian athletes. including Olympic medalists, have benefited from state-sponsored doping, according to the second part of a report by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Its author, Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, said the London 2012 Olympics had been "corrupted on an unprecedented scale" and that the Kremlin cover-up had "evolved from uncontrolled chaos to an institutionalised and disciplined medal-winning conspiracy".

The second part of the report is even more explosive than the first, which was published in July and resulted in Russia's track and field team being banned from the Rio Olympics, and an outright ban for the Russian Paralympic team.

"McLaren's first report, published last July, detailed how major events in Russia – including the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow and the Sochi Winter Olympics a year later – had been corrupted by the Russian government, the ministry of sport and the FSB – the state security service and the successor to the KGB – who ensured those athletes who were taking banned substances did not test positive in tests," says The Guardian.

"But on Friday McLaren's second report... added further meat to those bones."

According to the latest findings Russia's doping programme "was refined over the course of the London 2012 Olympics, 2013 Worlds and the Winter Olympics where a now 'fail safe' system was in place to protect likely Russian medal winners," says the BBC.

The case against Russia now appears overwhelming, says The Times.

"McLaren's team have published 1,166 pieces of evidence, including emails, spreadsheets and documents that implicate numerous officials including Russia's former deputy sports minister Yuri Nagornykh, who was sacked after McLaren's first report was published in July.

"This database of evidence, also including forensic reports and laboratory analysis, provides irrefutable confirmation of the key findings of his explosive interim report which was published three weeks before the start of the Rio Olympics."

Among the report's findings is "incontrovertible confirmation" that urine samples were tampered with during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. It's thought that samples were smuggled out of testing laboratories by secret service agents disguised as sewage workers.

"Confirmation Russia operated an audacious sample-swapping programme using methods that would not be out of place in a spy novel is expected to lead to renewed calls for the country to face the harshest possible sanctions," says the Daily Telegraph.

The IOC says that McLaren's findings will be taken up by two further commissions, which will recommend what steps to take.

Asked if he believed Russian athletes could be trusted in the future, McLaren said: "I think the answer to that is yes but they need to reform themselves."

Team Sky defends Bradley Wiggins' use of banned steroids

27 September

Team Sky have broken their silence over the use of banned steroids by Sir Bradley Wiggins and come to the defence of the former Tour de France winner. The revelations that Wiggins took triamcinolone, a powerful anti-inflammatory drug for allergies and respiratory problems, during his time riding for Team Sky has surprised many within the sport.

But Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford has told BBC Sport that neither the team nor Wiggins did anything wrong.

In an interview on Sunday's Andrew Marr show, the five time Olympic champion explained that he used therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) to "put himself back on a level playing field". However, the fact he used them so close to the 2012 Tour de France and the 2012 and 2013 Giro d'Italia have raised eyebrows among former rivals and team doctors.

But Brailsford insisted the TUEs - which are sanctioned within sport - were not "used to enhance performance". He continued: "I have known Bradley a long time and he is an asthma sufferer and he has struggled with allergies for as long as I have known him. I know that at the time there was a recommendation to see a specialist, he went to see a specialist and was then given permission by the authorities. I trust and believe in the integrity of that process."

One question that has puzzled many since the Fancy Bears hackers accessed medical data from from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is why Wiggins appeared to use the banned steroid only between 2011 and 2013.

Brailsford explained: "Lots of TUEs in sport, in general, are for asthma sufferers, pollen and allergic reactions - and the whole nature of that is you don't wait until you are really suffering from asthma. In this case, I think it is a similar situation.

"If someone has a medical need - and this isn't to enhance performances - a medical need which is recognised by a specialist, recognised by the doping authorities who grant the permission to use that for that particular need then I think there is integrity in that process and trust in that process."

However, BBC Sport points out that in his 2012 autobiography, My Time, Wiggins make no mention of either asthma or allergies, and states that in 2012 he was "only ill once or twice with minor colds" and "barely lost a day's training from it".

Brailsford acknowledged that the revelations may harm the image of a sport still struggling to repair its reputation after the Lance Armstrong scandal. Pleading with the public to have "100 per cent trust" in Team Sky, he added: "I can guarantee no-one in this team has or will be put under pressure to do anything outside of the rules... we run a tight ship."

Bradley Wiggins insists he had 'no unfair advantage' from banned steroid

26 September

Sir Bradley Wiggins has dismissed suggestions he was trying to seek an "unfair advantage" by using a banned steroid before major races. In 2012 Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France, the same year he also won gold in the Time Trial at the London Olympics, but some of the gloss appears to been taken off those achievements by the revelations leaked by the Fancy Bears cyber criminals.

Earlier in the month Russian hackers accessed medical data from some of the world's top athletes from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Wiggins was one of those whose details were leaked, disclosing that he had successfully sought therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs). These permit the use of banned substances if athletes have genuine medical need, which in Wiggins' case was the authorisation to use triamcinolone, a powerful anti-inflammatory drug for allergies and respiratory problems.

When he appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Wiggins was asked why he had used TUEs, which is not an uncommon practice among the world's leading athletes. The 36-year-old Briton explained that he was "a life-long sufferer of asthma". He continued: "I went to my team doctor at the time and we went, in turn, to a specialist to see if there's anything else we could do to cure these problems... this was to cure a medical condition. This wasn't about trying to find a way to gain an unfair advantage. This was about putting myself back on a level playing field in order to compete at the highest level."

As the BBC Sport website stated Wiggins's use of triamcinolone was approved by British authorities and cycling's world governing body, the UCI, "and there is no suggestion" he has violated anti-doping rules. Nonetheless the news that Wiggins injected triamcinolone shortly before the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Tour de France, as well as the 2013 Giro d'Italia, is likely to raise more uncomfortable questions for the cyclist, who won his fifth Olympic gold at last month's Rio Games, and then retired from the sport

Prentice Steffen, one of Wiggins' former team doctors, told BBC's Newsnight that he was concerned by the revelations. "I was surprised to see there were TUEs documented for intramuscular triamcinolone just before three major events - two Tours de France and one Tour d'Italia," said Steffen. "You do have to think it is kind of coincidental that a big dose of intramuscular long-acting corticosteroids would be needed at that… exact time before the most important race of the season. I would say certainly now in retrospect it doesn't look good, it doesn't look right from a health or sporting perspective." In the same report, Newsnight interviewed convicted doper Michael Rasmussen, who declared that the pattern of Wiggins's use of triamcinolone before three major races struck him as "suspicious".

The first of Wiggins' former rivals to break ranks and comment on the revelations is Olympic silver medallist Tom Dumoulin. He said the asthma excuse "stinks", adding: "It's not something they do with normal asthmatics, let alone athletes who only have exercise-induced asthma. Apparently Wiggins' injection worked for weeks - so in my opinion you should be out of competition for weeks."

A spokesman for the UCI said: "The management of Therapeutic Use Exemptions in cycling is robust and fully safeguarded", but as the Daily Telegraph notes the silence from Team Sky "has been deafening". That was the team Wiggins rode for between 2010 and 2015 and they have so far failed to respond to the damaging innuendo. As the Telegraph says Team Sky’s principal Dave Brailsford - knighted for his services to cycling - may have kept his counsel to let Wiggins explain the circumstances behind his TUEs. Now that he had, states the Telegraph, it is high time he and Team Sky "explained their decision to use this particular drug when they did".

Mo Farah latest athlete to be named in medical data hack

20 September

The latest individual medical files of 26 Olympians have been released by the Fancy Bears hackers but there's little in the way of scandal. A total of 26 athletes have had their files leaked on line by the Russian hackers, among them eight Britons including Olympic gold medallists Mo Farah, Helen Glover and Justin Rose.

As BBC Sport reports the records "mostly detail therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs), which allow banned substances to be taken for athletes' verified medical needs", and there is no suggestion that any of the athletes "are involved in wrongdoing"

Indeed, as far as four-time Olympic champion Farah is concerned the files simply reveal what the world learned last year, that he needed a TUE when the 33-year-old was put on a drip after collapsing in Utah in 2014. Farah disclosed his TUE history after his coach, Alberto Salazar, was accused of manipulating the system involving medical exemptions by a British newspaper.

A spokesperson for Farah said the athlete had "nothing to hide", adding: "He doesn't have a problem with this information being released - as evidenced by the fact that he voluntarily shared his blood data with the Sunday Times last year. Mo's medical care is overseen at all times by British Athletics and over the course of his long career he has only ever had two TUEs."

The other files, all stolen from a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) database and leaked online, are similarly unsensational. Helen Glover, for example, who won gold in the coxless pair in 2012 and 2016, was allowed to use salbutamol to treat her asthma from 9 November 2009 to 30 November 2013, while golfer Rose - who won gold in Rio - was permitted daily doses of the anti-inflammatory drug prednisolone for a persistent back injury

The other British Olympians whose records were leaked include track cyclist Callum Skinner, hockey players Alex Danson, Crista Cullen and Samantha Quek and rower Peter Reed.

Also leaked in this latest batch of names was Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, a 14-time tennis grand slam winner who with Marc Lopez won Olympic men's doubles gold in Rio. He was authorised in 2009 and 2012 to use betamethasone - a steroid medication used in the treatment of a variety of conditions, and in which in the Spaniard's case was for tendinitis in his knees.

Nadal responded to the leak in the same way as Farah, claiming the revelations were banal. "It's not news," he told the Spanish media. "When you ask permission to take something for therapeutic reasons and they give it to you, you're not taking anything prohibited."

Nadal also said he thought it would be a good idea if athletes' medical records were routinely published to prevent any future innuendo. "It would be much more beneficial for sportsmen and women, spectators and media that every time a drug test is taken the news is made public and two weeks later there are the results," he said. "This would end the problem. Sport has to take a step forward and be totally transparent. I have been saying this for years."

Mo Farah drug testing record could be revealed by hackers

19 September

The British Olympic Association is braced for the release of more medical records of athletes, including four-time Olympic gold medal winner Mo Farah, after the UK Anti-Doping Agency admitted that hackers had gained access to the private medical records of 53 athletes.

The Russian hackers, known as the Fancy Bears, have been publishing the drugs records of Olympians after gaining access to medical files.

The cyber attack is believed to be in retaliation to the World Anti-Doping Agency's reports into systematic doping by the Russian state. So far details of therapeutic use exemptions, which allow competitors to take banned substances for genuine medical problems, have been released for athletes who include Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome

Farah, "the man whose double gold at the Rio Games made him the country’s most successful ever track-and-field athlete is among the 53 Team GB stars suspected of having confidential files broken into by cyber-criminals", reports the Daily Telegraph.

Last year Farah revealed that he needed a TUE when he was put on a drip after collapsing in Utah in 2014.

"Farah revealed his TUE history after his coach, Alberto Salazar, was accused of drugs offences, including manipulating the system involving medical exemptions," adds the paper.

A spokesman for Farah said: "Mo does not have a current or ongoing TUE but, like everyone in Team GB, he was notified about the potential release of private medical data. While he believes this sort of information shouldn't be published without an individual's permission, he isn't concerned about anything they [the hackers] might release about him."

New attack by Russian hackers targets Froome and Wiggins

15 September

Russian hackers have posted the drug-testing records of more Olympic athletes including the British cyclists Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins, both of whom have been given medical exemptions to take otherwise banned substances during their careers.

The latest hacking scandal involves information about 25 athletes from eight countries, including ten from the US, five from Germany and Great Britain, and one each from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Romania and Russia itself.

The other British athletes are golfer Charley Hull, rower Sam Townsend and rugby sevens player Heather Fisher.

Earlier in the week, the hackers, who call themselves the Fancy Bears, published details of medication taken by US tennis players Serena and Venus Williams and gymnast Simone Biles.

All the athletes involved had been given a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to take banned substances and the World Anti-Doping Agency has made it clear that none of them had broken any rules.

Froome, who has admitted taking a steroid for a chest infection, said: "I've openly discussed my TUEs with the media and have no issues with the leak which confirms my statements. In nine years as a professional I've twice required a TUE for exacerbated asthma, the last time was in 2014."

It has been claimed that the hacking group is "linked to Russian intelligence services", reports The Times, and the leaks are revenge for the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report into state-sponsored doping by Russia.

Wada has reacted furiously to the cyber attacks. "Wada has no doubt that these ongoing attacks are being carried out in retaliation against the agency, and the global anti-doping system," said Wada director general Olivier Niggli. "We condemn this criminal activity and have asked the Russian government to do everything in their power to make it stop."

Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko has shrugged off the allegations. "How can you prove that the hackers are Russian? You blame Russia for everything, it is very in fashion now," he said.

But there could be repercussions. "Russia faces an extension of its exile from world sport over the hacking of the drug-testing records of every athlete at the Rio Olympics," reports the Daily Telegraph. "The nation was warned on Wednesday the leak of secret data by Fancy Bears had harmed its hopes of being reintegrated into the sporting community following bans imposed on it from Rio."

Russian hackers leak star athletes' medical files

14 September

Russian computer hackers have released confidential medical files of US Olympic stars including tennis players Venus and Serena Williams and teenage gymnast Simone Biles, who won four golds in Rio.

Documents published on the Fancy Bear website show that all three have taken restricted drugs, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) confirmed that none of the athletes had committed an offence as they had been granted therapeutic use exemptions (TUE).

The International Olympic Committee said it "strongly condemned" the cyber attack and that it was "clearly aimed at tarnishing the reputation of clean athletes". The organisation also confirmed that none of the athletes had violated anti-doping rules during the Rio Olympics.

Venus Williams said she was "disappointed" by the leak and insisted that she had always followed the rules and was a strong supporter of "integrity in competitive sport".

Meanwhile Biles revealed on Twitter that she had been taking medication for attention deficit disorder.

The hackers claim to be part of the Anonymous group and have promised more "sensational proof of famous athletes taking doping substances".

The leak "is regarded as a revenge cyber attack" by Russian hackers angry over the country's partial Olympic ban, reports The Times.

Some anti-doping figures told The Guardian they believed the attack was not just revenge but "an attempt by the Russian authorities to persuade their own people that the problems in their country were just as bad elsewhere".

It is the "latest twist" in the long-running doping scandal, says BBC sports editor Dan Roan.

"Although the Russian government has denied any involvement, it has always maintained that the country has been made a scapegoat for a much wider problem, and this will only add fuel to that fire."

It will also lead to more questions over therapeutic use exemptions for drugs "at a time when sport's leaders are desperately trying to restore trust".

"Many athletes will now be nervously wondering if their private medical details records are the next to be made public," adds Roan. "And with the future of Wada currently in the balance, the fact its security was so badly compromised will raise more questions over the entire anti-doping system."

Doping scandal: Why has Russia been kicked out of Rio Paralympics?

8 August

Russia's para-athletes have been banned from competing in next month's Rio Paralympics as punishment for their country's systematic violation of international doping rules.

Announcing the decision, Sir Phillip Craven, the president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), gave a damning indictment of the state of Russia's anti-doping programme, saying the real tragedy was "not about athletes cheating a system, but about a state-run system that is cheating the athletes".

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) last month revealed the depths of state-sponsored doping in Russian sport, with the country's sports ministry manipulating urine samples provided by its athletes between 2011 and 2015.

Why have Russian para-athletes been banned?

The IPC says Russia is unable to ensure the enforcement of its anti-doping code and the world anti-doping code, which is vital to ensuring fair competition. "I believe the Russian government has catastrophically failed its para-athletes," said Craven. "Their medals over morals mentality disgusts me. The complete corruption of the anti-doping system is contrary to the rules, and strikes at the very heart of the spirit of Paralympic sport."

US Anti-Doping Agency chief executive Travis Tygart called the decision was "inspiring", while the British Paralympic Association told the BBC the IPC had taken a bold decision and congratulated it for taking a "clear stand".

What about the Olympics?

Only 118 competitors of the 389-strong Russian team have been stopped from taking part in the Olympics due to the doping scandal.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) labelled the Wada report findings "a shocking and unprecedented attack on the integrity of sports and on the Olympics", but rejected a complete ban - a decision greeted with anger and derision by athletes and commentators. IOC president Thomas Bach claimed the partial ban protected clean athletes.

The Daily Telegraph's chief sports writer, Paul Hayward, says the IPC has "put Olympic chiefs to shame".

He adds: "Sir Philip Craven's scorching language expresses a series of burning truths that the Kremlin-dazzled IOC tried to obscure."

Can Russia appeal?

Russian officials say they will work to get the ban overturned in the Court of Arbitration for Sport ahead of the start of the Paralympic Games on 7 September. It has until 28 August to appeal the decision.

In the meantime, reports CNN, the IPC will work out how to redistribute the 267 slots originally allocated to Russian para-athletes across 18 sports.

Fury over IOC decision not to ban Russia from Rio Olympics

25 July

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been branded "spineless" and accused of passing the buck after choosing not to ban Russia from the Rio Games.

A damning World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report last week provided further evidence of state-sponsored doping throughout Russian sport. However, instead of a blanket ban, the IOC has decided individual sports federations will decide whether Russian athletes are allowed to compete.

The decision was greeted with anger and derision by athletes and commentators.

Olympic long-jump champion Greg Rutherford called it a "spineless attempt to appear as the nice guy to both sides", while six-time Olympic track cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy tweeted: "Surely IOC's job is to make crucial decisions rather than passing the buck."

Olympic rowing legend Sir Matthew Pinsent accused the IOC of a "cop out".

Wada president Dick Pound said the IOC had "squandered" an opportunity to send a clear message about cheating and that the decision showed there was "zero tolerance for doping, unless it’s Russia”.

Media observers were even more forthright.

"There have been some shameful episodes in the International Olympic Committee’s long history, but none more cowardly than its decision to allow Russia to send a team to next month’s Games in Rio de Janeiro," said Martyn Ziegler of The Times.

"We can be sure that there are other countries in the world whose governments are similarly enmeshed in the cynical pursuit of glory by enforcing a culture of doping. Sadly, shamefully, the message now is if you get caught you will not suffer as a country."

The decision was down to "global politics and sport's utter subservience to money", says Paul Hayward of the Daily Telegraph. "The whole judgment has the look of cop-out designed by people with only one real aim in mind: to keep Russia in the opening ceremony at Rio, and avoid a confrontation with Putin.

"The white flag of capitulation flies over the International Olympic Committee," he adds.

And spare a thought for the individual sporting bodies who now have less than a fortnight to clear up the mess, who Hayward says have been given a "monumental hospital pass".

They now have "12 days to run through the legal minefield of considering each Russian case", he writes. "Many will lack the staff, legal-back up and resolve to deal with this legal landslide before the Rio opening ceremony."

The result of the IOC decision is "obfuscation, confusion and chaos" compounded by the baffling decision not to let whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova compete under a neutral flag, says Owen Gibson of The Guardian.

The 800m runner, who was banned for two years in 2013, lifted the lid on the Russian doping programme in 2014 and, having served her ban, was due to compete in Rio as a neutral athlete. However, the IOC has ruled that no Russian who had previously been banned will be able to enter the Games.

"That not only created a clanging inconsistency with other countries whose previously banned athletes will not be similarly affected – the American sprinter Justin Gatlin among them – but created the unfortunate impression that perhaps the most significant whistleblowers in sporting history had been chucked under a bus in favour of placating Vladimir Putin," says Gibson.

The whole episode is "farcical", says Matt Lawton the Daily Mail. The "toothless" and "spineless" decision-makers have "destroyed the Olympics", he adds.

"We should not be entirely surprised by the IOC's failure to issue a blanket ban on Sunday. As Fifa, the IAAF and cycling's UCI have demonstrated in recent years, the major international governing bodies cannot be trusted to run their own sports.

"Even the World Anti-Doping Agency has failed sport on this one because too little has been done far too late to tackle a doping problem that goes way beyond Russia's borders."

IOC reveals 45 positive tests from London and Beijing Olympics

22 July

As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decides whether to throw Russia out of the Rio Games over its state-sponsored doping programme, more evidence of widespread cheating has emerged.

Forty-five athletes tested positive for banned substances following further analysis of samples from the London and Beijing Olympics.

Fifteen on the positive tests came from athletes at the London Olympics in 2012, while 30 belonged to competitors at the 2008 Games, 23 of whom won medals, says the IOC.

The latest revelations mean that the number of athletes who have failed doping tests during the reanalysis period now stands at 98. None of the athletes is thought to be from the UK, but it has tarnished the image of the previous two Olympics on the eve of the 2016 event.

"The memory of Britain's greatest sporting summer is slowly being eroded by the damning results of doping tests carried out using the latest scientific methods on samples taken during London 2012," says the Daily Telegraph.

"The total number of athletes found to have committed doping offences at the [London] event now stands at 77 with the latest wave of 15 joining 23 who were retrospectively caught out earlier this year and 39 who had already seen their results annulled for drug offences."

IOC president Thomas Bach said the retesting programme proved "the commitment of the IOC in the fight against doping".

It is against that backdrop that the IOC will meet to make a decision on Russia's participation in the Games this weekend.

On Thursday, the court of arbitration for sport upheld the IAAF decision to ban Russian athletes from the Rio Olympics due to doping violations and a World Anti-Doping Agency report earlier this week alleged state-sponsored doping by Russia centred around the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

"And there is set to be more bad news on the way with more samples from Beijing and London - specifically aimed at medal winners - set to be conducted throughout and beyond the Rio Games," warns The Guardian.

Russia Olympic exile closer as court upholds IAAF doping ban

21 July

The prospect of Russia being thrown out of the Olympic Games altogether appears closer than ever after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the ban imposed on its track and field athletes after the doping scandal first came to light.

Last November's decision by the athletics governing body, the IAAF, prompted a group of 68 athletes, including pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, to appeal in what the Daily Telegraph calls "a last-ditch bid to have their ban overturned in time to compete in Rio".

However, the court found against them and Russia will not be allowed to send track and field competitors to the Olympics.

"Since the national federation governing athletics in Russia, is currently suspended from IAAF membership, its athletes... are ineligible for competitions held under IAAF rules," said the court. "As a consequence, the CAS Panel confirmed that the Russian Olympic Committee is not entitled to nominate Russian track and field athletes to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."

New evidence shows the doping programme was even more widespread that initially thought. It was outlined in a damning new report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and released this week, which has increased pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to throw all Russian competitors out of the Games.

A decision is expected to be made this weekend.

"The IOC has said the CAS ruling will help shape its decision whether to ban Russia entirely from Rio over an investigation which accused Russia of rampant state-backed doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other major events," says The Times.

Russia has reacted angrily to the court's decision, adds the paper. Sports minister Vitaly Mutko argued the decision was "political" and hinted of further legal action, although, with the Games due to start on 5 August, time is short.

IAAF president Lord Coe said: "While we are thankful that our rules and our power to uphold our rules and the anti-doping code have been supported, this is not a day for triumphant statements.

"I didn’t come into this sport to stop athletes from competing. It is our federation’s instinctive desire to include, not exclude."

Doping scandal: Will the IOC let Russia compete at Rio 2016?

20 July

Russia's participation in next month's Olympic Games is hanging in the balance as the International Olympic Committee awaits legal advice and the result of another court case before deciding whether the country should be thrown out of the Games in the wake of the latest report into state-santioned doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency's latest report accused Russia of sabotaging the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 and is now leading calls, echoed by many other nations, for all Russian athletes to be banned from Rio.

However, the IOC says it must wait for legal advice before making a decision on Russia's participation, which is not expected until Friday.

The body is also waiting for the result of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over an earlier ban on Russia's track and field athletics team. They were barred from international competition, including the Olympics, by the International Association of Athletics Federations following earlier revelations about Russian doping.

The IOC executive board held a four-hour conference call yesterday to discuss the crisis, but The Guardian claims that "senior sports figures" fear the IOC is trying to find a compromise that would allow some Russian athletes to be present when the Games begin in just two weeks time.

But in what the Daily Telegraph called a "humiliating blow" to Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics the IOC has demanded that every Russian doping sample from the event is retested.

The Games, which cost Russia $51bn to stage, were hailed as a triumph for the host nation after it topped the medals table, but this week's McLaren report claims that there were mass cover-ups and faked negative tests at the event.

You will find more statistics at Statista

But despite the opprobrium being poured on Russia the country is far from contrite. The BBC's Richard Conway says: "Russia will not take any decision about a blanket ban lying down. They want to be at the Olympics. It would be a national humiliation for them not to be. They are sporting superpowers, so they will fight on to try to make sure their athletes are there next month."

With the scope of the doping issues appearing to broaden with every passing day, questions have also been asked about Russia's suitability to host the 2018 football World Cup, with Sean Ingle writing in the Guardian that the event "would undoubtedly provide Russia with enormous prestige – a prestige it surely should now be denied."

Infographic by www.statista.com for TheWeek.co.uk.

Russia doping scandal: Wada demands banishment from Olympics

19 July

A fresh report into Russian state-sponsored doping by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has prompted the organisation to demand that Russian competitors in all sports are barred from the Rio Olympics.

The McLaren Report, published yesterday, claims that Russia operated a state-sponsored doping programme through the buildup to the London 2012 Olympics, continuing through the 2014 Winter Olympics on home soil in Sochi.

The Russian track and field team has already been banned from the Games but the latest findings are "devastating and damning" for Russian sport, says Sean Ingle of The Guardian.

The new report confirms suspicions that Russian anti-doping and intelligence officials helped athletes fake clean drug test results, with unfavourable urine samples substituted for clean ones at the Sochi winter Games. It also found "beyond reasonable doubt" evidence of Russian anti-doping cover-ups in 22 of the 28 sports which will feature in next month's Games in Rio, with report author Richard McLaren stressing that the report - written in 57 days - showed “a slice of what is going on, not the total picture".

The IOC's executive board will now meet via conference call on Tuesday to decide on any provisional sanctions to be placed upon Russian athletes and administrators, but calls for the country to be banished are growing.

“As the international Agency - responsible for leading the collaborative, global, clean sport movement - Wada is calling on the sports movement to impose the strongest possible measures to protect clean sport for Rio 2016 and beyond," said Wada president Sir Craig Reedie in a statement.

The IOC must take heed, argues Andy Bull of the Guardian. "If Russian athletes are allowed to compete in Rio under their own flag the credibility gap that has afflicted the Olympics and its constituent sports for so long will grow impassibly large."

But it leaves the organisation with a huge problem just weeks before the start of the 2016 Games. As BBC sports editor Dan Roan noted in a tweet, the IOC is "facing arguably gravest crisis in its history".

New doping claims could mean complete Olympic ban for Russia

18 July

Russia faces a blanket ban from the Olympics with a new report into the nation's state-sponsored doping programme expected to show that cheating is even more widespread than previously thought.

The investigation, commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), has examined claims made by whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of Moscow's Wada-accredited anti-doping laboratory, who says he "effectively sabotaged the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics", reports the Daily Telegraph, "doping dozens of athletes, including at least 15 medallists, in the build-up to the event."

Rodchenkov, who has fled Russia and is now in the US, says he was "part of a government-orchestrated plot, with Russian security services helping him open and reseal supposedly tamper-proof doping sample containers before removing samples from his laboratory through a concealed hole in a wall at night".

Wada chairman Dick Pound has "warned that the findings could be more damning than the ones that led his Wada-appointed panel to recommend a ban for Russian track and field athletes", reports The Times.

And the International Olympic Committee is already under pressure. "Anti-doping officials from at least ten nations and 20 athlete groups are preparing the extraordinary step of requesting that the entire Russian delegation be barred from the Summer Olympics over allegations of a state-sponsored doping programme," reports the New York Times.

Among the countries calling for a complete ban are the US, Germany, Japan and Canada. "Russian officials have dismissed allegations of a state-run doping program as a Western conspiracy intended to smear Russia," says the NYT. "The country's track and field team has already been barred from the Rio Games for doping violations; calls for sanctions against Russian athletes in every sport would be unprecedented and would likely escalate the geopolitical debate."

Meanwhile, a film to be shown on Russian TV this week portrays "Russian athletes as victims of a political smear campaign", reports The Guardian.

"The film attempts to cast a shadow on the growing evidence of widespread doping in Russia. It opens with Ekaterina Poistogova, who won bronze in the 800 metres at the London Olympics, speaking through tears about how devastating her ongoing suspension has been, suggesting it contributed to her recent divorce."

In November, Wada recommended that Poistogova be banned for life after she reportedly admitted taking banned substances. In the Russian film, she is not asked directly whether she took performance-enhancing drugs.

Russia Olympic ban puts doping centre stage at Rio 2016

12 July

If the unprecedented ban on Russian athletes taking part in this year's Rio Olympics isn't overturned by a last-ditch appeal, the Games will go ahead without athletes from the country.

The extraordinary step to ban Russia was taken by the International Association of Athletics Federations after an expert taskforce ruled the country had not taken sufficient steps to overhaul its testing procedures and prove its athletes were clean. An independent report had revealed state-sponsored doping at the highest levels.

Last year's investigation commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) claimed Russia had engaged in systematic cheating, that its athletes had "sabotaged" the London 2012 Olympics and that the state and security forces were involved.

Where does this leave Russia?

For their part, it seems the Russian Olympic Committee believe their athletes will still be taking part in Rio, and pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva (above), who won gold at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, has called the ban "a human rights violation".

In what could be seen as an inflammatory move, Russia announced a 68-strong team for this summer's Games, despite being banned from international competition.

The All-Russian Athletics Federation has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport about the "overall legality of adding extra criteria for the participation of sportsmen competing at the Olympics". A verdict is expected by 21 July.

There will be Russians at the Games however. Two track and field athletes, Darya Klishina and Yuliya Stepanova, have been given clearance to compete as neutrals after appealing to the IAAF. While other sports will be eligible to send competitors to Rio and more than 300 Russians will represent their country in disciplines from archery to wrestling,

But the country has faced widespread condemnation in the world's media. Russia's doping programme may have been about winning, but the response must be about taking part, says Martin Samuel in the Daily Mail. "If one Russian athlete so much as sets foot on the track at the Olympic Games... the sport is lost," he writes.

The "sheer sprawl" of the allegations makes it unique, he adds: "This takes in government bodies, maybe even government ministers, implicates them in the fixing of Olympic events and perhaps an entire Games. It is unprecedented; so what happens next must be unprecedented, too. Russian athletes must be banned from this Olympic Games, and beyond, until it is proven they are running clean."

Is it just Russia?

Not necessarily. Former Wada president Richard Pound said his report was just the "tip of the iceberg" and the problems were likely to extend to other countries and other sports.

He said it was "inconceivable" that Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko was unaware of what was happening. Mutko is also head of Russia's 2018 football World Cup organising committee, reports The Guardian.

"Kenya and Turkey are two countries thought to be heavily investigated, with a high number of athletes banned because of failed doping tests," says The Independent.

However, the prospect of an Olympic ban for Kenya remains "slim", says the Guardian.

"The distinction with Russia is worth stressing," it adds. "The Russian Athletics Federation was suspended from international athletics after the country was found guilty of state-sponsored doping. In Kenya's case, Wada's intervention is about forcing the nation's government to provide the £3.5m needed to fund and staff the fledgling Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya.

Diplomatic fall-out

The scandal is also in danger of becoming about more than sport. Fifa president Sepp Blatter claimed his regime had become the target of Western self-interest and Russia could play a similar card.

So far Moscow's reaction has been to reject the findings. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin called them "groundless".

"Another front in the new Cold War between Putin's mafia state and the West will doubtless be opened up by the detail of FSB (state security) agents appearing in Sochi laboratories and alleged bribes being paid to cover up positive Russian tests," writes Paul Hayward in the Daily Telegraph.

Russia's former triple jump world champion Yolanda Chen told the BBC News at Ten: "With everything happening to Russia now, all the sanctions and bad relations with the West, it's like this is just another link in the chain. If they pressurise us on one front and we don't bend then they start hitting us in our sorest spot – and that is sport."

IAAF scandal: pressure on Lord Coe after athletics doping report

15 January

The release of the second part of the World Anti-Doping Agency report on doping in athletics has ratcheted up the pressure on IAAF president Lord Coe.

The 89-page report by Dick Pound concludes that Coe, along with the rest of the governing body's top-ranking members, "could not have been unaware of" the flouting of anti-doping rules.

Pound damned the IAAF's governance of the sport and elaborated on accusations of Russia's continued and widespread doping practices.

The scandal has led to the expulsion of Russia from international athletics, and the arrest of key figures including former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

What does Dick Pound's report say?

The report says corruption at the IAAF was not down to one rogue member but was "embedded in the organisation". It urges the governing body to "accept its responsibility" and warns that "continued denial will simply make it more difficult to make genuine progress".

It also claims that senior figures at the "IAAF council could not have been unaware of the extent of doping in athletics and the non-enforcement of applicable anti-doping rules".

Who does it blame?

Disgraced fomer IAAF president Lamine Diack is firmly in the line of fire. According to the report, Diack sanctioned - and appears to have had personal knowledge of - the fraud and extortion of athletes that resulted from the "illegitimate governance structure" he put in place.

The report also says Coe's right-hand man, Nick Davies, who stepped down from his position as the association's chief of staff last month, was "

What does the future hold for Lord Coe?

Despite the report's criticism, Pound was effusive in his support of Lord Coe's leadership skills, saying he "can't think of anyone better to lead the IAAF" than Coe.

However, Coe's insistence that the IAAF wasn't complicit in the doping scandal has now been called into question. Whether he can hold onto the presidency will hinge on whether he can retain the confidence of the public and the athletics community.

"Lord Coe's reputation is on the line, especially with what he's been saying about Lamine Diack being the 'spiritual leader' of the sport," says BBC athletics correspondent, Mike Costello. "There has to be some guilt by association for Coe. Yet within athletics there is a feeling that if not Seb Coe then who else?"

What has Coe said?

After the report came out Coe apologised for his "clumsy" handling of the crisis and admitted that the IAAF was "a failed organisation".

"I'm sorry if my language has in any way demonstrated a sort of a lack of understanding about the depth of this," he added. "My responsibility is to absorb the lessons of the past and to shape the future. The changes I am making will do that. The road back to trust is going to be a long one."

22 December

A day after Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were banned by football's governing body, Fifa, it's counterpart in athletics, the IAAF, is back in the spotlight over its response to failed drugs tests.

An email leaked to the BBC and also published in French newspaper Le Monde shows that the organisation's deputy general secretary Nick Davies (above) was concerned about releasing the names of Russian athletes who had failed drugs tests in the run up to the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow and even proposed a strategy to deal with "Russian skeletons in the cupboard".

The email was sent to marketing consultant Papa Massata Diack, the son of disgraced former IAAF president Lamine Diack, who is under investigation for corruption. It includes suggestions of ways to handle the problems, including using Lord Coe's sports marketing company CSM and benefiting from his "political influence".

Davies writes: "If the guilty [Russian athletes] are not competing, then we might as well wait until the event is over to announce them.

"Or, we announce one or two BUT AT THE SAME TIME as athletes from other countries. Also, we can prepare a special dossier on IAAF testing which will show that one of the reasons why these Russian athletes come up positive is that they get tested a lot!!!"

Last month Russia was banned from international athletics competition after an independent investigation exposed systemic, state-sponsored cheating.

The content of the message "appears to show that Davies... knew about the governing body covering up Russian doping and debated how best to reveal names of potential dopers without affecting the 2013 World Championships" alleges Ben Bloom of the Daily Telegraph.

Davies has insisted the email was simply a piece of "brainstorming" undertaken as part of his job, which was to "manage and promote the reputation of the IAAF".

"No plan was implemented following that email and there is no possibility any media strategy could ever interfere with the conduct of the anti-doping process," he said.

In the event the IAAF did not hire Coe's CSM company. "There is no suggestion that Coe did wrong, but the leaked email is the latest in a series of revelations that have undermined his position," says The Times. "This month, he stood down from his role as a Nike ambassador after mounting pressure."

IAAF crisis: Coe faces more questions over Nike connection

26 November

The presidency of the IAAF has quickly become a poisoned chalice for Sebastian Coe. With Russia now banned from international competition over state-sponsored doping, his predecessor under investigation for corruption and an even more explosive report into goings on at the IAAF expected in January, Coe now finds himself under increasing pressure over the award of the 2021 World Championships to the US city of Eugene – and his own close ties with sportswear manufacturer Nike.

The decision to award Eugene the event was unexpectedly announced by the IAAF in April, before a formal bidding process got underway and after lobbying from Track Town USA, the organisation backing Eugene, which is closely associated with Nike.

Coe is also on Nike's payroll, and it has now emerged that he sent emails to the organisers of the Eugene bid, promising to "reach out" to then IAAF president Lamine Diack.

Coe insists that the decision to hand the games to the town without a vote was not his. And it is now claimed that Coe "admitted that it was incorrect to give the event to Eugene without a formal bidding process", in a conversation with a rival for the event.

The Times reports that Coe this week spoke to the organiser of the Gothenburg bid for the 2021 Championships, Bjorn Eriksson, who subsequently told the paper that Coe had "indicated that the Eugene award was part of an investigation by French police into corruption at the IAAF under the leadership of Lamine Diack".

Erikssen said: "I want to know was this bad ethics or was this bad ethics combined with something else?"

Despite the latest claims, Coe will "continue to resist calls to immediately sever his ties with Nike even though he faces further scrutiny over a potential conflict of interest", says The Guardian.

Coe says he wants to concentrate on reforms at the IAAF in the wake of recent scandals.

• It was confirmed today that Russia has accepted it's ban from international competition in the wake of revelations about a state-sponsored doping programme.The IAAF will send a team of monitors to Russia after it meets to "determine the measures Russia needs to implement to be reinstated to world athletics," reports the BBC.

Putin calls for doping probe as IAAF ponders Russia ban

12 November

In the wake of an incendiary report from the World Anti-Doping Agency that accused Russia of running a state-sponsored doping programme, President Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into the claims.

Speaking ahead of a vote by the IAAF, the governing body of athletics, which could see Russia banned from international competition less than a year before the Rio 2016 Olympics Putin called for individual rather than collective punishment.

"Sportsmen who don't dope – and never have – must not answer for those who break the rules," he said, reports the BBC.

Putin also announced an internal investigation into the Wada report findings and called on Russian officials offer "the most open and professional cooperation with international anti-doping authorities".

The Russian leader's comments, made after a late-night meeting with the heads of Russia's sports federations in Sochi, may have been motivated by the threat of international isolation. "Putin is up against Friday's deadline for the IAAF to decide on whether to suspend Russia – a first step toward exclusion from next year's Olympics," reports The Guardian.

And his approach was markedly different to that of sports minister Vitaly Mutko, who yesterday claimed that "Britain had an inferior anti-doping system" to Russia, reports The Times. He cited the case of six Russian athletes, identified by Wada as cheats, who competed at London 2012.

Wada says that data on the Russian athletes had been covered up in their homeland but Mutko pointed out that they were not caught by testers during the London Games. "If you're accusing our athletes today, then your system is zero and worse than ours,” he said.

Mutko, who is a member of the 2018 World Cup organising committee, also lashed out at Football Association chairman Greg Dyke, who had called for him to be removed from Fifa's executive committee. He described Dyke as "decorative" and said: "I've done a fair amount, this needs to be respected."

Russia admits doping 'problem' as it faces IAAF vote

11 November

Russian athletics accepts it has a "problem with doping", according to Mikhail Butov the general-secretary of the country's athletics federation.

He told the BBC that the claims were "not new" but said he was against an international ban for Russian athletes. "Any limitation of participation at the highest level of competitions" would hurt clean athletes in Russia he explained. Butov added that work is already underway to "change the mentality of coaches in the regions".

The IAAF will vote on whether to suspend Russia from competition on Friday, and could also bar it from hosting the World Junior Championships, due to be held in Kazan in July next year, and World Race Walking Team Championships in May.

"There are growing expectations that a suspension will be enforced, though that may prove just for the short term rather than through to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next summer," reports The Times. There are fears a long-term ban could trigger a spate of boycotts of athletics events by Russia's political allies.

Meanwhile, the Moscow Anti-Doping Centre, where officials are accused of destroying more than 1,400 samples, has had its accreditation suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Lamine Diack, the former president of the IAAF, who is at the centre of corruption and money-laundering charges related to the Russian doping scandal, which are now being pursued by Interpol, has resigned as an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee after he was suspended.

IAAF scandal: Russia ban could prompt Rio Olympics boycott

10 November

The IAAF doping scandal is in danger of escalating into a political row after a spokesman for Vladimir Putin said accusations of state-sponsored doping in Russia were "unfounded", and there were claims that banning Russia from the Rio Olympics it could spark a Cold War-style boycott of the Games by its allies.

The report into doping allegations led by former World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound accused Russia of widespread doping and said that the country's athletes had "sabotaged" the London 2012 Games. He added that it was "inconceivable" that the authorities were unaware of what was going on.

Pound called for Russia to thrown out of the sport until it could prove that it was clean.

Lord Coe, the president of track and field's world governing body, the IAAF, is now under huge pressure to take action against Russia. However he also faces problems within his own organisation as the chapter of Pound's report focusing on the IAAF itself were not released as there is a criminal investigation into allegations of corruption involving former president Lamine Diack.

Announcing his findings Pound had said he hoped the Russian athletics authorities would take it upon themselves to withdraw from competition and said that it was "not possible" for sports minister Vitaly Mutko to have been unaware of what was happening.

"We don't deny that we have problems but they exist around the whole world; we have the same per cent as all countries do," retorted Mutko after the report was released.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Putin, added: "As long as there is no evidence, it is difficult to consider the accusations, which appear rather unfounded."

The spectre of a diplomatic row was raised by Artyom Patsev, a lawyer for the All-Russian Athletics Federation, who described the report as a "political hit-job", reports The Guardian.

And the prospect of a boycott of next summer's Olympics was raised by UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner. He told the Daily Telegraph: "It has to be a risk, but it's not one that I care about."

He said Russia's allies could take action if the IAAF did ban the country.

"I was very outspoken in May on the eve of the Doha Diamond League meeting, saying that if there was proven systemic cheating in Russia, they should be suspended. One of my counterparts from elsewhere in the world took me aside and told me they couldn't believe what I'd said about 'Mother Russia' and it was completely outrageous. Culturally, that's a lot of what one's up against in sport, but you can't bow to it," he said.

IAAF scandal: Russia could be banned from Rio 2016 Olympics

9 November

A World Anti-Doping Organisation commission has called for Russia to be banned from athletics in the wake of what it believes to be a state-sponsored doping scandal, while Interpol is to coordinate a global investigation into claims of widespread corruption in track and field.

A report by Dick Pound, the former Wada president who has spent 11 months looking into claims of systemic cheating and a cover-up within Russian athletics, has also called for five middle-distance runners and five coaches to be given lifetime doping bans. Russian athletes could be excluded altogether from track and field events at next year's Rio Olympics.

Pound said that the London 2012 Olympics had been "sabotaged" by the presence of some Russian athletes and criticised "the collective and inexplicable laissez-faire policy" adopted by the IAAF and the Russian federation. The report also claimed that Russian security services had interfered in domestic drugs testing before the Sochi winter Olympics.

The IAAF, which is itself caught up in some of the allegations, said it would "consider sanctions against the Russian Athletics Federation". Banning Russia from competition "would be among the most drastic taken against a national sports federation", says the Wall Street Journal.

Announcing his findings, Pound told reporters: "It's worse than we thought". Parts of the report into allegations of corruption at the IAAF were witheld, because of criminal investigation which is now being overseen by Interpol and is believed to focus on former IAAF president Lamine Diack.

Lord Coe, who took over as head of the IAAF earlier this year, said the findings were "alarming", but vowed to take action.

"Our athletes, partners and fans have my total assurance that where there are failures in our governance or our anti-doping programmes we will fix them," he said. "We will do whatever it takes to protect the clean athletes and rebuild trust in our sport."

IAAF scandal: corruption report 'ruins everything' for athletics

09 November

The world of athletics is braced for a scandal far worse than the one that has engulfed Fifa when the contents of a report into corruption and bribery within track and field is published today.

The report into the IAAF by Dick Pound, the former head of the world anti-doping agency, is expected to lift the lid on systematic cheating, cover-ups and corruption, and could lead to the expulsion of Russia from world athletics and next year's Olympics.

Pound's findings have not yet been published, but they are expected to send shockwaves through the sport. Richard McLaren, one of the co-authors, has already claimed it will reveal "a whole different scale of corruption than the Fifa scandal or the IOC scandal in respect to Salt Lake City".

Former British athlete Roger Black told the BBC's Today programme that the release of the report would signal a "very dark day" for athletics and could "undermine everything".

"You're looking at a governing body that is being corrupt and is in some ways protecting the guilty athlete," he said.

What will the report say?

We do not yet know "every cough and spit" of the report says Sean Ingle of The Guardian, but "the grand themes and key players – including senior IAAF figures and a motley crew of Russian track and field athletes – are long established".

Claims of doping ammong Russian athletes emerged in a German TV documentary in December 2014.

Earlier this year, the Sunday Times obtained an IAAF database of blood tests from 5,000 athletes that suggested a third of medal-winning athletes in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 recorded potentially suspicious blood tests.

Last week, there were further allegations that Russian athletics chiefs and relatives of IAAF chief Lamine Diack had blackmailed athletes suspected of doping to allow them to continue to compete. Athletes from Russia and Turkey are said to have been approached.

They are said to have included Asli Cakir Alptekin of Turkey who won the women's 1500m at the London 2012 Olympics. She refused to pay and has since been banned for eight years.

Who is to blame?

The former head of the IAAF Lamine Diack appears to be heavily implicated and his sons are said to have been involved with the blackmail attempts, according to a Guardian report at the weekend.

When he stood down from office earlier this year Diack lambasted the media in an "incoherent tirade in which he characterised attacks on athletics' systemic failure to root out drugs cheats as a vast media conspiracy", writes Oliver Brown of the Daily Telegraph. "But this is a credibility crisis that does not just have roots in a legion of Russian athletes allegedly going rogue. It can be traced also to the arrogant attitude of a Diack regime that enabled such a culture to flourish."

Diack, the IAAF's legal adviser Habib Cisse and the doctor Gabriel Dolle, who was part of the IAAF anti-doping programme, have all faced French prosecutors in the last week. The report could name others.

Where does this leave Sebastian Coe?

Lord Coe, who took over as president of the IAAF in the summer, has said he is "bloody angry", while admitting athletics is unlikely to recover quickly from the allegations. But the new IAAF president could be compromised by his associations with Diack, who he described as the "spiritual president" of athletics even after he replaced the Senegalese, leaving him badly compromised according to many observers.

Lord Coe's description of the Sunday Times scoop in the summer as a "declaration of war" on athletics also seems ill-judged.

"Coe's default position was to be not just an apologist, but the champion of a regime that has smelt wrong for years," says Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail. "On Sunday, Coe said he sat beside Diack throughout his time at the IAAF and was unaware of even a hint of corruption.

"Coe was the first chairman of Fifa's ethics commission but saw nothing untoward there, too. One imagines [that] had he been sat on the grassy knoll in Dallas on November 22, 1963, he might have popped over to the motorcade to ask what all the fuss was about."

IAAF bribery scandal could eclipse Blatter's downfall at Fifa

5 November

After Fifa, another global sporting body faces a corruption scandal and the crisis facing athletics could "be bigger than Sepp Blatter", warns Matt Dickinson in The Times.

Lamine Diack, the former president of the IAAF, is being investigated by prosecutors in France on charges of corruption and aggravated money laundering, while Dr Gabriel Dolle, the former director of the IAAF's medical and anti-doping department, is also facing a criminal investigation, as is Habib Cisse, the IAAF's former legal adviser.

The investigation relates to claims that Diack accepted bribes of £140,000 from the Russian Athletics Federation to cover up positive dope tests. And the charge is far worse than anything levelled at the passengers on the Fifa gravy train.

"For all the many scandals that have brought Fifa to its knees, no one has accused Blatter or his cronies of corrupting the game itself," says Dickinson.

"Dodgy bid processes? Backhanders on multimillion broadcast deals? Our eyes have been opened to these seemingly every-day crimes within sports bodies, but nothing could be more serious than the charge of protecting, and profiteering from, cheats."

Fifa may have dragged sport "into the filth" but these allegations take things even deeper, says Ian Herbert of The Independent. "So deep, in fact, that the juxtaposition of those words 'integrity' and 'sport' are nothing less than a joke."

There are parallels with Fifa, however. Amid the shocking claims, which first aired on German TV last year, the IAAF has "sailed merrily on, apparently oblivious to any sense that its sport is more deeply and foully discredited than any other, after a year of relentless doping revelations".

It puts Sebastian Coe, the current head of the IAAF under intense pressure. He counts Diack as a friend and reacted angrily to claims in the media this year over widespread doping.

His reaction then seemed "reckless" and damaged his credibility, says Dickinson.

The events of this week are even worse, says Herbert. "Coe told us he would make things different and wipe away the scourge of drugs and suspicion for all time. Well, we're still waiting for a sign. Perhaps the indignity of being in the office when the French cops called and volunteering himself for their questioning might trigger a reaction."

Where would we be without Usain Bolt? A day after his 200m triumph and run-in with a Segway in Beijing the Jamaican sprinter is once again being hailed as the greatest ever, but we should "cherish" him while we can because his reign could come to an end sooner than expected.

The 29-year-old, who held off the challenge of Justin Gatlin to take gold in the 100m and 200m at the World Championships, had been widely expected to adbicate his throne in 2017, after the World Championships in London.

But it may be that his swansong comes a year earlier, at the Rio Olympics, says The Times.

"I really want to run in London," said Bolt after his sixth global title over 200m. "But I think the sport is not as fun as it used to be. It's more taxing... So it's 50-50."

Bolt now finds competing "much harder" than he used to, explains the paper. "He had been treated for problems arising from scoliosis since he was a teenager, but as he has got older, he has not been so keen on a lifestyle of ice baths, strict dieting and early nights. He says that the final decision about whether he will run in 2017 could come down to Glen Mills, his long-time coach."

Mills has warned Bolt against going to London if he is "not serious", but Sports Illustrated suggests there might be other factors influencing the decision. "Bolt's contract with Puma, reportedly worth $10m, runs through the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London. Upon his retirement, Bolt will be paid $4m per year as a Puma ambassador," it states.

Whatever he decides we should be grateful after another brilliant performance, says Tom Fordyce of the BBC.

"At times in the last few years Bolt has appeared to be a man on a greatest hits tour. The defining moments are in the past but the showmanship remains," he writes. "Except he is at number one once again. Ten World Championship gold medals now... six Olympic golds, Rio and the chance for three more less than 12 months away.

"It cannot keep going forever. The current end date is August 2017 and the next World Championships in London. The world records will probably sit untouched for a generation, but the man who set them will one day be gone. It is why we should cherish every victory, even as they seem inevitable, every little vignette as the cameras come searching for him before he goes to his blocks, every selfie-laden lap of honour."

Usain Bolt was brought crashing down to earth at the World Championships in Beijing – not by rival Justin Gatlin, but a rogue cameraman on a Segway, who ploughed into the back of the Jamaican during his lap of honour.

Bolt's brush with mortality came after he had eviscerated his rivals in the 200m final, winning gold in a time of 19.55 seconds – the fastest he has run since the London Olympics – and leaving Gatlin trailing in his wake as he jogged over the line in typically nonchalant style. Although the Jamaican took his foot off the accelerator at the end of the race he still finished 0.2 seconds in front of Gatlin.

Perhaps the Chinese TV cameraman trailing Bolt as he lapped up the applause after his victory should have taken a leaf out of the sprinter's book when he ran into difficulties. But instead of aplying the brakes, the hapless photographer simply drove into the back of an unsuspecting Bolt, who is not used to being overtaken.

Both men and the Segway fell to the floor in the collision, and although Bolt bounced up with a grin on his face and later joked, "he tried to kill me, I don't know what was going on," the outcome could have been far less amusing for all concerned.

"The reality is that he could have been seriously injured," points out the Daily Telegraph.

While the Daily Mail points out that when the Segway ploughed into him, "Bolt's legs, surely the most prized in world sport, were taken from underneath him".

That was not the end of the drama during the lap of honour, as a fan then invaded the track and had to be bundled away by security.

But none of the drama could detract from Bolt's earlier performance. He dominated from the outset and "had the beating of the American early," says the Telegraph, "running a wonderful bend to streak clear of the field.

"Ultimately, it was a statement to which Gatlin had no answer, as he succumbed to the type of late stumble that sank his 100m chances, losing form and technique as Bolt prevailed by almost two tenths."