Brendan Schwab, executive director of the WPA, likened the institutional and state-mandated doping uncovered in Russia by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Olympic Committee investigations to something close to "subjecting athletes to scientific experimentation in pursuit of sporting success".

Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White returns to training two... Arsenal target Manuel Akanji has a 'prove them wrong tattoo'... 'He was just the perfect captain': Joe Cole names 'leader'... 'I'd back myself to have a crack at it': Steve Bruce says...

"This has occurred under the eyes of an international governance system that imposed a very strict and rigid framework which we believe does not respect the fundamental rights of athletes, in terms of the presumption of innocence, in terms of rights for a fair trial, in terms of just and proportionate penalties," said Schwab during a conference call from Washington D.C.

Foster said the fact the sheik had been implicated "in some or any way" in the Bahraini government's crackdown on athletes in 2011-2012 and his silence on al-Araibi's situation should exclude him from seeking a third term.

The Swiss-based World Players' Association (WPA), which represents 85,000 players in over 60 countries, has called on Sheikh Salman al-Khalifa, the president of the Asian Football Federation (AFC), to help win al-Araibi's release.

Union leaders also made clear that their members needed to be protected from an anti-doping system that is focused on athletes and not on the leagues, federations, countries and owners who might support and encourage the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

'He was just the perfect captain': Joe Cole names 'leader'... Arsenal target Manuel Akanji has a 'prove them wrong tattoo'... Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White returns to training two... 'I'd back myself to have a crack at it': Steve Bruce says...



Dec 14 (Reuters) - The world's leading players' associations unveiled a universal declaration of player rights on Thursday designed to give athletes a global voice and protect them from the fallout from corruption and a broken anti-doping system.

He said it was incumbent on FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Samoura and FIFA as an organisation to threaten Bahrain with sporting sanctions if it proceeded with the attempts at refoulement, the forcible return of a refugee, via Thailand's legal system.

March 21 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should review plans to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics during the coronavirus pandemic and ensure dialog with athletes, the Sport and Rights Alliance (SRA) and the World Players Association (WPA) said on Saturday.

The World Players Association (WPA), whose member unions include FIFPro, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB and which represents more than 85,000 athletes from 60 countries, hailed the declaration as the first comprehensive articulation of athletesґ rights.

Minky Worden, the director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch which is part of the SRA coalition of global non-governmental organizations, said sports bodies had to be more transparent at this time.



Schwab also revealed that the numerous organisations that operate under the WPA's umbrella, including global footballers' union FIFPro and cricketers' equivalent FICA, had been contacted often by athletes worried about their prospects if they catch the virus.

The WPA believes that athletes' rights to a fair trial have often been trampled on in the name of clean sport and a new anti-doping system needs to be developed to protect players rather than victimise them.

World Players Association (WPA) executive director Brendan Schwab said that, while he was happy with the decision to postpone the Games, the delay in making it in the face of the growing coronavirus pandemic made the IOC look almost naive.

9 Games should go ahead as scheduled but WPA executive director Brendan Schwab said the IOC must consult more athletes before making decisions. The IOC and Tokyo organizers have maintained that the July 24-Aug.

This year's ceremony came just weeks before the UK is set to host COP26, the world's most important climate summit. His announcement was followed by a message from the US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry.  The next Earthshot Prize ceremony is set to take place in the US in 2022, Prince William said at the end of the event.

"You should inspire to act and demand that the solutions you've seen tonight get all the support they need." "I hope that our Earthshot winners have shown you there is no place for despair," said Prince William, speaking at the ceremony, following performances from Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.

"With the world in a pandemic, holding mega-sporting events including the Olympic Games demands a deep review and broader consultations than are occurring now, including with athletes and their representatives," Schwab said in a statement.

Among the 17 articles laid out in the document are an athlete's right to freedom of opinion and expression, the ability to organise and bargain collectively and to have a work place free of discrimination.