Following badminton World No 1 Lee Chong Wei's provisional ban, Rediff.com brings you ten top sports persons who gave in to drugs - one of the mighty perils that has affected modern sporting culture.
'It was probably one of the most difficult decisions to take in my career so far. But I thought that it was time for me to take on a fresh and new challenge'
The BBC report said a third of medals in endurance events at the Olympics and world championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes who have recorded "suspicious tests".
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday.
Both players have been told to stop talking to the media before their appearance next week at a doping tribunal.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation may allow domestic airlines to permit passengers to use mobile phones and access mail on PDAs in-flight.
Former world number one Maria Sharapova has been invited to play at the Madrid Open in May, which takes place less than two weeks after her 15-month doping ban expires, tournament organisers said on Wednesday.
Russia said on Friday it is ready to do everything from a legal point of view to defend Russian athletes if they are banned from taking part in the Rio Olympics over doping allegations.
Australia has backed a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommendation that Russia be banned from international athletics, including the 2016 Olympics, after a report alleged systemic state-backed cheating.
CEO Rahul Johri and acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary sparred over e-mails with regards to the board's first-ever e-auction for the media rights
'The stimulus packages, sector reliefs, loans etc are coming to industry, but state governments have not got any money from GST, no money from excise, no money from any income source.'
The reason: Vitaly Mutko has delivered victories on the sports field for the past decade and a half to match Putin's ambition of restoring national pride, and the Russian leader stands by the people who give him loyal service.
'Despite much hype of optimism, everyone went home empty-handed without a clear picture where they are heading in the future,' notes Dr Rajaram Panda.
Five-times grand slam tennis champion Maria Sharapova hit out at some media accounts of her doping case that she termed "wrong" in an open letter to her fans on Facebook on Friday. Sharapova, who tested positive for the banned drug meldonium at the Australian Open in January, is facing a suspension of up to four years by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and has already lost numerous sponsorships in the aftermath. The former world number one thanked her fans for their "tremendous outpouring of support" before launching into a critique of what she believed were some inaccurate reports. "A report said that I had been warned five times about the upcoming ban on the medicine I was taking. That is not true and it never happened," Sharapova wrote. The 28-year-old Russian said she was making no excuses for not knowing about the ban that went into effect on Jan. 1, but said that after the first announcement, other notices were "buried in newsletters, websites, or handouts." "Again, no excuses, but it's wrong to say I was warned five times," said Sharapova, who has said she took the drug for 10 years due to a family history of heart issues and diabetes.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
The annual Routes event attracts top representatives from a wide variety of organisations, including airlines and airports, who meet, plan and conduct business for new global routes.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Tuesday
Sanctions against North Korea following its H-bomb test could have serious repercussions and may prove disastrous for all the players involved, says Debalina Ghoshal.
Chengdu Airlines said the ARJ21 has a lower cost per seat than similar models of Airbus and Boeing models.
The newly chalked Futures Tours Programme (FTP) and the hefty compensation of Rs 850 crore to now-defunct Indian Premier League franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala will be discussed extensively when Board of Control for Cricket in India's Special General Meeting is held in New Delhi on Monday.
The doping suspension of Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic has reportedly been reduced from nine months to four months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), making him eligible to return to playing from October 26 this year.
The Central government is stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea as far as the runaway fuel prices are concerned.
A Court of Inquiry investigating the February 1 crash that killed two pilots is confronting the worrying possibility of a glitch in the flight computer that kicks in without warning, causing the aircraft to behave unpredictably.
The WADA report also identified "systematic failures" at the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, which has been rocked by a French judicial investigation into fraud involving its former chief Lamine Diack and other senior officials.
World athletics president Sebastian Coe said he reacted with "shock, anger and sadness" to this week's allegations of bribery, extortion and doping cover-ups and said the sport faces a "long road to redemption".
Calls grow for global athletics probe after widespread doping allegations.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Maria Sharapova's reduced suspension for a doping violation is set to provide a healthy boost to her bank balance with corporate sponsors reaffirming their commitment to the Russian player. The 29-year-old can return to the court next April after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her two-year ban by nine months on Tuesday. Sharapova's stunning admission in March that she had tested positive for meldonium at the Australian Open, and her subsequent ban by the International Tennis Federation, saw a number of sponsors distance themselves from her.
The ruling by the CAS, sport's highest tribunal, will be taken into consideration by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as it ponders whether to impose a blanket ban on Russia from all sports.
Triple Tour de France champion Chris Froome says he has "no issue" with his private medical records being leaked in a cyber attack by Russian hackers on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
North Korea is unlikely to strike first, but its response in retaliation, if attacked, could be massive even at the expense of its own destruction, says Rajaram Panda.
'More than 1,000 start-ups are created from colleges, and more start-ups are coming up every year.'
While participation of start-ups in the space sector has largely been minimal so far, their involvement will be key towards building India's very own aerospace companies such as Maxar, Elon Musk's SpaceX and Rocket Labs, according to experts.
The administration has acquired the passport and other documents of Saurabh.
With the Rio Olympics less than three weeks away, the IOC on Monday promised "the toughest sanctions available" after a report found Moscow had concealed hundreds of positive doping tests in many sports ahead of the Sochi winter Games.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann apologised to the public and called for forgiveness for the "grave mistake" made by the trio of Test players banned for their role in the ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the sport.
