CAS opens case into Russian athlete's doping case in Winter Olympics

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday announced that it has opened a case for possible doping involving an Olympic athlete from Russia who won bronze in the mixed doubles curling at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

The CAS confirmed in a statement released on Monday that its anti-doping division had opened a new case involving Russian athlete Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, reports Efe.

Russian media reports state that Aleksandr Krushelnitckii, who competed jointly with his compatriot Anastasia Bryzgalova in mixed doubles curling, had tested positive for meldonium, included in the list of banned substances in early 2016.

Krushelnitckii was competing at PyeongChang as a neutral after Russia and the Russian Olympic Committee were banned from participating over the doping scandal which rocked the Sochi Games in 2014.

Sporting events that rocked world politics, from Hitler to Nixon

The Winter Olympics starting this week in South Korea are the latest in a string of sporting events that have helped shape global politics.

Whether it be an emerging power challenging a dominant one (1908), a dictator looking for a propaganda coup (1936) or a terrorist group looking to shock the world (1972), global sporting events are often more about what goes on away from the playing field.

This year, South Korean President Moon Jae-in invited North Korea in the hope that a detente would help avert a devastating war over its nuclear program. While it’s unclear if the Games will lead to a lasting peace, they’ve already been successful for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: He’s grabbed more headlines than any of the athletes.

After trading barbs, Trump open to talks with North Korea's Kim Jong-un

President Donald Trump, shelving comparisons about the size of a "nuclear button", said he is open to talking with the North Korean leader he's called "Little Rocket Man" and hopes some progress results from upcoming talks between the Koreas.

Trump, who last year lambasted his chief diplomat for talking about negotiations with the nuclear-armed North, told reporters at Camp David that some dialogue or direct conversation with Kim Jong Un was not beyond the realm of possibility.

"Sure, I always believe in talking," Trump said. "Absolutely, I would do that, I wouldn't have a problem with that at all." But he was quick to add that any talks would come with conditions, which he did not specify.

The first formal talks between North and South in more than two years are set to take place in a border town Tuesday as the rivals try to find ways to cooperate on the Winter Olympics in the South and to improve their ties. Tensions are high because of the North's nuclear and missile programs.

"Right now they're talking Olympics. It's a start, it's a big start," Trump said during a question-and-answer session after meetings with GOP leaders in Congress and Cabinet members on the administration's 2018 legislative agenda.
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