Doctor accused of masterminding international network admits to ‘hobby’ doping

MUNICH: A German doctor accused of masterminding an international blood-doping network dismantled last year admitted on Tuesday to helping athletes undergo transfusions to boost performance.

In a statement read by his lawyers, sports physician Mark Schmidt said he had started to aid individuals in 2012 but refrained from disclosing specific names.

He claimed he made no financial profit from the process but asked for 5,000 euros ($5,852) a year for his services and also asked for result-based bonuses.

“Why did I decide to practice blood doping, I don’t remember anymore.

“Doping has to be done these days if you want to succeed,” they said.

“In the end I never made money from it, I always saw it as a hobby,” they added.

He is accused of helping skiers and cyclists from eight countries including six-time Tour de France stage winner Alessandro Petacchi.

Schmidt was one of several arrested in Germany as part of Operation “Aderlass” — or “blood letting” in German — which involved raids at the Nordic world skiing championships in Austria in February 2019.

Two hours before the start of the men’s 15km cross-country event, five athletes and two suspects were detained at the venue.

One Austrian athlete was caught undergoing a blood transfusion.

As part of Aderlass, Austrian cyclist Georg Preidler was given a 12-month suspended sentence for sports fraud by a court in Innsbruck in July.

Blood doping is aimed at boosting the number of red blood cells, which allows the body to transport more oxygen to muscles, thereby increasing stamina and performance.

This is the first major prosecution under anti-doping legislation introduced in Germany in 2015.

If found guilty, Schmidt and his co-defendants could be jailed for up to 10 years. The trial is expected to finish by December 21.—AFP

Salim Saifullah’s efforts for tennis praiseworthy: Khalid Shamsi

KARACHI: Pakistan Tennis Federation’s President Salim Saifullah is working brilliantly and tirelessly for the promotion and improvement of tennis in Pakistan and his efforts are bearing fruit.

This was stated by PTF vice president Khalid Shamsi here on Tuesday during an awards ceremony in connection with Defence Day. He said Salim Saifullah and his entire family has been dedicated for betterment of sports which is great to see.

Shamsi added that his own Shamsi Tennis Academy will continue to work for the welfare of tennis and other sports and sportspersons.

He paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the country and congratulated the award winners. He appealed to chief guest KMC’s Senior director Syed Salahuddin to ensure that all leading schools in the city have tennis and basketball courts on their premises to groom talent at the grass root level.

Later, KPT’s GM Sports Col Syed Baseer Alam was also presented with a gold medal for his services to sports.—Agencies

Farhan, Imdad triumph at ranking tennis

KARACHI: Top seed Farhan Altaf comfortably beat Asaad Sheik 6-0, 6-1 in the second round of the men’s singles event on the third day of the second Afeef Trophy Sindh Ranking Tennis Championships here at DA Beach View Club.

In another interesting match, Imdad Ali — a talented youngster from Bath Island Club — brushed aside Hamza Tahir Ali 4-0, 4-2 in their U-11 singles clash. In the U-15 singles first round, Ibrahim Sajjad overcame Abdul Rehman Amir while Dhuraf Das was extended by Abdul Qadir in a tough match that saw both the players excelling on the court.

Results:

Men’s Singles (2nd Round): Farhan AltafbeatAsaadSheikh 6-0, 6-1

Under 17 Singles (1st round): Ashar Siddiqui beat Ali Hasan 6-1, 6-1

Raahim VeqarbeatMuhammad Sarib Farhan 6-0, 6-2

Under 15 Singles (1st Round):Ibrahim SajjadbeatAbdul RehmanAmir4-1, 4-2, Dhuraf DasbeatAbdul Qadir4-2,2-4, 4-2

Under 11 Singles (1st Round): Imdad AlibeatHamza Tahir Ali4-0, 4-2

Under-9 Singles (1st Round): Nabil Ahmed ShamsibeatZain Farooq 10-8, 2-10, 10-8; Hussain FarooqbeatMeer Abbas Bhagat10-6, 10-8

Men’s Doubles (1st Round): Danish Ramzan & SajjadImdad beatM. ahmed & Shahmir Usman8-3.—Agencies

Durban to host 2023 World TT

DURBAN: The 2023 World Table Tennis Championships will be staged in Durban, South Africa, the first time since 1939 the tournament has been staged on the African continent.

Durban beat 2017 hosts Dusseldorf 90-39 in a vote by members of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), and becomes the first South African city to stage the event, and the second on the continent after Cairo 81 years ago.

“We are continuing to see benefits from the forthcoming changes to the format of the World Championships Finals, which will be introduced from next year onwards, leading to more countries bidding from different regions of the world,”

ITTF Deputy President Khalil Al-Mohannadi said in a news release. “This also reflects the ever-increasing international appeal of table tennis, which is extremely pleasing to see as we continue to work hard to make the sport more global in the future.”

South Africa will also play host to the 2023 Netball World Cup, with Cape Town having won that bid last year.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2020