Russian weightlifter Oxana Slivenko, a gold medalist in the 2008 Beijing Olympics who also earned gold at the World and European Championships, is among 13 European weightlifters who are facing charges from the International Testing Agency over doping in the leadup to the 2012 London Olympics, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The cases that involve Slivenko date from the 2012 European Championships, and follow ITA re-testing of old samples. The case involves 13 weightlifters from eight different countries, 11 of whom won medals at the event. Eight of the weightlifters have already served bans for doping at some point in their careers, and most are now retired from weightlifting.
Slivenko won gold at the 2012 Championships before withdrawing from the London Olympics due to injury. She served a doping-related ban from 2018 to 2020, and the 34-year old from Chekhov is also accused of a separate doping issue stemming from data at a defunct drug-testing laboratory in Moscow.
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All weightlifters implicated in the case have been suspended until their respective cases are resolved. Although any who were found to have doped at the European Championships would subsequently be disqualified from the 2012 Olympics, their disqualifications would not affect their medals. Two weightlifters charged by the ITA include Cristina Iovu of Moldova and Razvan Martin of Romania, both of whom were already stripped of their medals for doping-related offenses.
The past year has seen a great increase in scrutiny over doping in weightlifting, as it was revealed in June of 2020 that an investigation revealed the International Weightlifting Federation to have engaged in “systematic governance failures and corruption at the highest level,” with doping cases being covered up and millions of dollars unaccounted for. The improprieties occurred under the watch of former IWF president Tamas Ajan, who stepped down in April of 2020.
On the sixth day of this historic month, MLB has chosen to look back at a few MLB legends and the six times two African-American players swept the MVP honors in both leagues.
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Black History Month is an important month as we honor the journeys of so many influential people, not only in society, but sports as well.
It was Jackie Robinson that broke the color barrier in baseball back in 1947, which helped paved the way for other legends.
These are some of the game’s most talented and influential players of all time.
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Surprisingly, many of the players shown in the video are not in the Hall of Fame.
But the greatness of these players in undeniable and should not go unnoticed as we celebrate Black History Month and what these stars meant to the game of baseball in terms of their legendary careers, but also in terms of diversity and inclusion and the progress that has been made over the years.
Obviously, there is still work to be done, but these stars helped pave the way for other African-Americans to have the opportunity to play Major League Baseball.
Rice, Thomas, Larkin, Carew, and Henderson have all been enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
On Monday, the MLBPA announced that some changes would be made to their logo and gave fans a first look at the fresh new logo.
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The logo features a modernized silhouette of a player swinging the bat.
The new logo symbolizes a new union between several player-centric organizations, such as the Players Trust and MLB Players Inc.
On Twitter, the MLBPA released a statement about the current state of affairs and the new logo, while offering a description of the new logo’s meaning, including the color scheme and what the union ultimately stands for.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: @MLBPA Logo Gets a Fresh Look
New Logo Unifies the Organization’s Suite of Brands
The Players Union has grown stronger since the end of the lockout.
After a much fairer Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached in March, the Union has taken some strides.
Recently, the Union partnered with the minor leagues and announced that minor leaguers would be joining the MLBPA as they fight for better conditions for younger players, including salary benefits and living conditions.
But this new logo symbolizes the unity of the Players Association, which stood strong amidst the tenuous negotiations during the lockout last winter, which ultimately pushed back Opening Day by a week.
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The player portion of the logo, as described by the Union in their statement, symbolizes the power of a swing, as well as the athleticism of all MLB players.
The Union and the League are entering the second year of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was signed last March and ultimately brought an end to the lockout, which lasted 99 days.
