8 Russians to compete under neutral flag

MONACO • Eight Russian athletes were authorised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) yesterday to resume competition under a neutral flag 20 months after banning the entire squad over state-sponsored doping.

Hammer thrower Sergey Litvinov, fifth at the 2015 world championships, is among those allowed to compete again after requesting permission from the IAAF's doping review board.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Probe into suspected African player scam

ROME • Italian police are investigating football clubs for allegedly getting young African players false papers in a probe that could involve Serie A teams.

The inquiry centres on AC Prato, who play in the third-tier Lega Pro league, amid suspicions managers "favoured the illegal entry into Italy of African minors, some of whom were then sold to superior clubs", the Gazzetta dello Sport said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

3 Wimbledon matches may have been fixed

LONDON • Wimbledon came under the microscope yesterday, with three matches at this year's tournament set to be investigated for possible match-fixing, according to the Tennis Integrity Unit.

Two qualifying matches at Roehampton and one from the main Wimbledon draw triggered some bizarre betting patterns and are to be examined further, said the anti-corruption body that polices professional tennis.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Kipchoge to make comeback in Berlin

BERLIN • Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will make a return to the road race circuit at the Berlin Marathon in September, having gone agonisingly close to breaking the two-hour barrier at a special Monza race in May.

The 32-year-old Kenyan opted out of defending his title at the London Marathon in April and will also miss next month's world championships in London.

REUTERS