The Spanish drug scandal continues to grow……

SPANISH
DOPING DEVELOPMENTS

MADRID
(ESP): More developments in Spain
in the Operacion Galgo. Spanish Federation RFEA suspended steeple world
champion Marta Dominguez as its vice-president in the wake of the
operation.  RFEA president Jose Maria
Odriozola sent a letter to Dominguez, saying the charges against her did
“important damage to the image of Spanish athletics.” In view of the events
men´s title defender Alemayehu Bezabeh withdrew from Sunday´s European CC
Championships in Albufeira. He is namely coached by Manuel Pascua Piqueras who
was also arrested on Thursday. Later followed also the withdrawal of European 1500 m champion Nuria
Fernández. The list of arrested people also includes 2002 European 5000 m champion Alberto Garcia
who in period 2003-2005 already served a two years doping ban. Opinions in the
public are different. Other runners themselves are supporting the operation to
clean the Spanish sports. 5000
m European silver medalist Jesus Espana was quoted as
saying: “It is an open secret that finally begins to come to light. Many of us
greatly rejoice.” Also 2009 national 800 m champion Luis Alberto Marco criticized
the practice of doping and acknowledged that “it has declared a state of alarm
in the Spanish athletics. I support zero tolerance on doping.” Marca informs
that the IAAF is watching the developments and will wait. There has been no
official contact towards IAAF so far. In other articles also the walking 2006
Euro gold medalist Francisco Fernandez was mentioned in an interesting
connection. Namely he was banned for two years for possession of doping
substances. But he asked IAAF for reduction to one year which would allow him
to compete at World Championships in Daegu. Reduction is possible also in the
case when the athlete cooperates in the research of usage of prohibited
substances. But Fernandez clearly denied any connection to the Operation Galgo.
Double European Champion from 2006 Francis Obikwelu of Portugal denied intentions to return to Madrid and train under
coach Manuel Pascua Piqueras who was arrested on Thursday during Operation
Galgo. “No, no, nothing. I am in Lisbon.
As you know, I returned to Portugal
in 2008. And I intend to continue to train here. I worked with Pascua Piqueras,
that is true, but there was never anything suspicious, “said Obikwelu for Portugal media.
He was living in Madrid
in 2003-2008 period. Next aim for Obikwelu is European Indoor Championships in Paris.

FAVORITES
FOR SUNDAY

ALBUFEIRA (POR): European
Athletics previews are showing that favorites for 17th European CC
Championships will be multiple winner Sergiy Lebid of Ukraine in men´s race, Portugal runners (mainly Jessica
Augusto) with Dutch Adrienne Herzog and 
title defender Hayley Yelling-Higham in women senior category. In U23
races Norways Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal and Turkish Meryem Erdogan should fight
for top position, in men´s U23 French runners are mentioned (Chahdi, Carvalho).
Russian Gulshat Fazlitdinova is mentioned for junior girls competition and
Norway´s Sondre Nordstad Moen for junior boys race.

SEMENYA
FINALLY NOT IN DECEMBER

JOHANNESBURG (RSA): World 800 m champion will not
compete in the Yellow Pages Summer Series this month. Caster Semenya will
return to competition in February, her coach Michael Seme said on Friday.
Informs iol.co.za.  “She was supposed to
run a time trial this week to test her fitness, but she was not even able to
start. She was not feeling well,” Seme was quoted. She will run in all six
Yellow Pages meetings next year including the national championships, informs
the coach.

SILNOV
IS BACK

MOSCOW
(RUS): Olympic high jumper gold medalist Andrey Silnov said for Russian media
that he is back in normal training and hopes to qualify for European Indoor
Championships in Paris.
“But I m not in the hurry, we are just finishing the basic preparations. I have
no pain, that is the most important,” said Silnov. He jumped 233 in 2010 as best and had
only one competition outside Russia
at Herculis Diamond League meeting (second with 228).

OTHER NEWS

ROME (ITA): Olympic 50 km walk champion and
European 20 km
silver medallist Alex Schwazer is ready to start his training for the 2011
World Championships in Daegu after a break period following the European
Championships in Barcelona where he won the silver. . “I probably peaked my
form too early and I was not in my best form in Barcelona”,
said Schwazer in Rome
where he received the Bruno Zauli Award. “The hard training for the Olympic
season took its toll in the following seasons and I felt that I needed a break.
For this reason I will start walking only after Christmas. My preparation will
begin seriously in February with my new coach Michele Didoni (20 km World Champion in Goteborg 1995) to be in
top form for Daegu. I have still a good relationship to my former coach Sandro
Damilano but after six years I needed new motivation.”

MONTREAL (CAN): Former world medalist and
relay olympic winner Bruny Surin will make his acting debut. It should happen
in a french quebec
movie.

BARCELONA
(ESP): Interesting business news from Sportcal: First commercial shirt sponsor
for FC Barcelona as Qatar
makes another breakthrough.  “Barca” is
to have a first-ever commercial shirt sponsor after agreeing a deal with the
Qatar Foundation that will exceed in value any other contract of its kind.

MELBOURNE (AUS): Commonwealth
Games Gold and Silver medallists Jared Tallent and Luke Adams will go head to
head at this weekend’s Australian national 50km Road Walking Championships in Melbourne. Adams, who saw
his Commonwealth gold medal slip after a fall in the last lap, will be very
eager to beat team mate Tallent. Also at the startingline, but in the 20km,
will be former 50km world-record holder Nathan Deakes joined by New Delhi
representative Chris Erickson, 2009 IAAF world championships athlete Adam
Rutter and 2010 IAAF world junior championships representative Rhydian Cowley.
There will be another Commonwealth Games re-match in the women’s 20km with
Claire Tallent and Cheryl Webb. The pair will be tested by raising talen world junior
titles athlete Regan Lamble writes Athletics Australia.

AUCKLAND
(NZL): Valerie Adams has been nominated for the Herald Sportsperson of the Year
award in New Zealand.
She is the reigning Olympic shot put Champion and won the Commonwealth Games
gold medal in October. The sportsperson of the year will be revealed in the
Weekend Herald on Saturday writes nzherald.co.nz.

MUSCAT
(OMAN):
IOC President Jacques Rogge has said he would like to see another Middle
Eastern country bid for the Olympic Games. His comments came a week after FIFA
awarded the 2022 World Cup to the Gulf nation of Qatar, which made an unsuccessful
bid for the 2016 Olympics. Though no specific countries were named Dubai is among the cities
considering a possible run at the games in 2020. Rogge is currently in Oman
for the Asian Beach Games writes Sports Illustrated.

INDIANAPOLIS
(USA):
US 10 000m record holder Chris Solinsky will be the special guest at the 2010
USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships on December 11th.
Over 2000 athletes between 10 and 18 years old are expected. Solinsky will be
signing autographs, cheer the runners on, and participate in the opening
ceremonies, announces USATF.

MELBOURNE (AUS): Australian
record holder Craig Mottram has declared, during a speech at a dinner to
celebrate the 50th edition of the Zatopek:10, that his career is firmly back on
track after battling injuries for the last two years. Mottram, who was at the
Zatopek meet in Melbourne but did not
participate, said he is aiming for the Australian national championships in Melbourne in April and
for the IAAF world championships in Daegu. “I’d like to do better than I have
before.” Mottram was quoted at the dinner.

LOS ANGELES (USA): In her
latest IAAF Online Diary, Samsung Diamond League Ambassador Allyson Felix fills
us in on her third USA Athlete of the Year award, her ‘challenging’ training
period, and surprise birthday party. “Training is progressing nicely. I have
had the most challenging time doing my long distance runs.  We have been doing lots of runs around three
miles and it makes me have a huge appreciation for distance runners,” Felix who
is not planning to compete during indoor season 2011 said.

ATHENS (GRE): Cyprean high jump world
medalist Kyriacos Ioannou injured his heel in the training, Greek media are
informing. But fortunately it is not too serious, he will now undergo a
rehabilitation program and hopes soon to be back in training.

RAZGRAD (BUL): 42-years old
Bulgarian 200 m
record holder Nikolay Antonov-Talanta was arrested after a row of drunken men.
But he was not sentenced because he suffers from mental illness. It was already
his third arrest in the year connect to alcohol problems. The 1991 world indoor
champion at 200 m
in 2003 attempted to commit suicide and suffers from major depressive disorder.
Bulgarian media are informing. His national mark 20.20 is from Tokyo 1991 World Championships. He also won
European Indoor gold medal at 200
m in 1992.

MBABANE
(SWA): Botswana’s Amantle
Monsho one of the best 400 m
runners in the world is to be honoured at the Zone Six Supreme Council of
Africa of Sports at the Somhlohlo Stadium in Swaziland this weekend. Writes
African Athletics United facebook.