Cristian Calderón says goodbye to América with a message full of gratitude

The Russian athletics federation has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to annul the suspension that keeps its athletes out of international competitions. The measure, imposed by World Athletics in March 2022, responds to the conflict in Ukraine.

No progress towards peace

World Athletics upheld the sanction following its board meeting last week. Days later, the International Olympic Committee relaxed its restrictions on Russia ahead of Los Angeles 2028 — a gesture that the Kremlin considered an “important step” — and recommended other organizations follow that line.

“Russian Athletics notes that World Athletics’ decision affects the fundamental interests of athletics in Russia and restricts the right of Russian athletes to compete, for reasons that Russian Athletics considers discriminatory,” the federation said in a statement.

World Athletics vowed to defend itself. “We take note of the Russian athletics federation’s appeal to the CAS, and we will vigorously defend our position,” the governing body said.

The CAS confirmed having received “a request for arbitration” without specifying a hearing date.

A conditional path that did not prosper

Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, explained that options for “a conditional path back to international competition” for Russians and Belarusians were discussed, but it was decided not to apply them.

“We presented options for the council to consider on this matter, however the original decision remains regarding sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible progress towards peace negotiations having materialized,” Coe said.

Russian athletics has not competed under its own flag at world championships since 2015, when its federation was suspended for massive doping. A neutral participation program ended in 2022 after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine. The original doping ban was lifted in 2023. No Russian athletes participated in Olympic athletics at Paris 2024, as the qualifying system depends on World Athletics, although the IOC allowed neutral competitors in other sports.

The Mexican National Team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing to England. However, the passion of the followers does not fade. A viral call on social networks such as Facebook and It is requested to come with the Tricolor shirt and flags. The idea, according to the organizers, is to close the team’s cycle with a historic farewell.

The impact of the call has generated divided opinions. While some see a genuine act of recognition, others consider that it could lead to a rally to take to the streets. The Mexican Football Federation has not commented on the matter.

The fans seek to honor a team that, despite the defeat, managed to restore hope to an entire country during its participation in the tournament. Thousands of Internet users have already shared the invitation in the last few hours.

France imposes its hierarchy against Morocco

France and Morocco met again in a World Cup, this time in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. The duel had unfinished business after the match in Qatar 2022, when the French eliminated the Moroccans in the semifinals. At Boston Stadium, Les Bleus won again 2-0 and advanced to the next round.

Didier Deschamps’ team came out determined from the start. In the first three minutes, they generated two dangerous approaches with a shot from Kylian Mbappé and a shot from Dayot Upamecano that did not find the goal. In the 17th minute, Ousmane Dembélé headed over the crossbar. The first half had a key moment at 28′, when Mbappé took a penalty, but Yassine Bono guessed the direction and saved the shot. Désiré Doué also tried his luck in the 34th minute with a powerful shot that again demanded Bono, Morocco’s figure in the first half.

The break came with French dominance, but without goals. Morocco improved in the complement, looking for spaces on the counterattack. However, at 59′, Mbappé changed history with a mid-range shot that made it 1-0. Six minutes later, Dembélé sealed the match with a shot into the back of the net, making it 2-0.

With this result, Morocco ends its participation in the 2026 World Cup, while France continues its path in search of a new title. Their next opponent will be the winner of the duel between Spain and Belgium.