Yuri Ganus has not been afraid of ruffling a Russian feather or two during his eventful tenure as head of the country's troubled national anti-doping agency.

And so, it seems, postponement of Tokyo 2020 might have enabled NBC to discard its agreement to broadcast the Games in the key United States market.

I do not join with those who are cynically critical of the former England cricket captain Sir Ian Botham‘s elevation to the House of Lords, nor the peerage awarded to Kate Hoey, Britain’s first female sports minister and one of the finest, and feistiest ever.

As soon as the time of 18.90sec came up for the 200 metres during last month’s Inspiration Games - almost three tenths of a second faster than the world record of 19.19 set at the 2009 World Championships by Usain Bolt - it appeared obvious that something was amiss.

World Sailing currently stands alone in a sea of International Federations (IFs) who have been contemplating the effect of COVID-19 on their elections.

A semblance of normality returned to life this week as insidethegames once again took to the road.

This should have been the end of the first week of competition at Tokyo 2020, but the Olympic arenas have of course been silent. Olympic organisers may draw some measure of encouragement that 50 years ago another major international multi-sport event which was successfully staged one year later than planned. The Universiade was originally scheduled for 1969 but it finally took place in 1970.

So news of the Russian Athletics Federation’s demise had been exaggerated.

Is it just me who finds it absurd that Qatar, or anyone else, should be expressing interest in hosting the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics at the moment?

At last! A sports chief who speaks sense. The British Olympic Association’s (BOA) Mark England, who is due to lead Team GB as Chef de Mission in the postponed Tokyo Games exactly a year from now, reckons it is time to bury the obsession with winning above all else - the deeply ingrained philosophy of Government agency UK Sport.

In just two years' time the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will open, and we are using this key milestone on the road to the Games to unveil our location for 3x3 basketball and beach volleyball.

Eight years ago today – it seems like a lifetime – the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics took place. 

It is sad that I am no longer surprised when the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announces that several Kenyan runners have fallen foul of anti-doping rules.

During the last few months, it has been proven once again that we are living in an era of constantly and rapidly changing environment and conditions, when it’s no longer enough to just have a basis of certain knowledge and skills - it is necessary to upgrade them regularly by processing huge amounts of new information. Without it, the qualitative development of the sports industry becomes absolutely impossible.