Snack Summary – RUSADA reinstated & F1 strike gambling sponsorship

WADA have voted to reinstate the Russian doping agency for the first time since 2015. Russian athletes will once more be able to compete for their country while the national anti-doping agency will be able to test its own athletes. Whilst WADA confirmed the majority of the committee had agreed on the decision, the Russian agency must abide by strict conditions including access to the Moscow lab. Should these conditions not be met, the governing body would be free to reinstate the ban. The UK and US anti-doping agencies have pleaded for WADA to re-examine their decision while the IAAF and International Paralympic Committee have notified Russia that they should not expect all bans to be dropped instantly.

F1 have taken further steps to move away from the Bernie Ecclestone era by relaxing their attitude towards gambling sponsorships and striking a deal with Interregional Sports Group (ISG), a Marketing Agency in London who have previously worked with Serie A and La Liga. The deal, said to be worth $100 million, allows the group worldwide rights to gambling sponsorship within the sport over the next five years. Gambling brands will now have the opportunity to promote themselves trackside as well as on-screen graphics during TV broadcasts. The news comes amid growing concern that more and more children are exposed to gambling on a regular basis.

UEFA have announced they are jumping on the streaming bandwagon and will be releasing their own OTT streaming service to give more air time to less saturated sports such as women’s football and futsal. Chief Marketing Director, Guy Laurent-Epstein, made it clear that they would not be competing against television broadcasters but rather giving more coverage to other sports as well as giving more exposure to the 55 federations that fall under UEFA.

As Richard Scudamore’s time at the Premier League draws to a close, speculation has begun as to who will replace him. The 59 year old has been praised over the years for his inclusion of broadcasters such as Sky and more recently BT and Amazon, who have allowed the Premier League to give more money to clubs to spend on grounds, players and coaches. According to a Daily Mail report, Tony Blair has been tipped as a possibility while other names being circulated are BT chief, Gavin Patterson and Sky Sports Managing Director, Barney Francis.