Calling it a wake-up call for a sport in a "shameful" position, IAAF President Sebastian Coe said Russia will be banned from next year's Olympics unless it convinces the world it has cleaned up its act on doping.
The sport's governing body provisionally suspended Russia's track and field federation on Friday, four days after the country was accused of operating a vast, state-sponsored doping program in a damning report by a World Anti-Doping Agency commission.
The move bars Russia from all international track and field competition for an indefinite period, including the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, until the country is judged to have fallen into line with global anti-doping rules.
It's the first time the International Association of Athletics Federations has banned a country over doping failures.
Coe called the decision — approved 22-1 in a secret vote of the IAAF council via teleconference — "the toughest sanction we can apply at this time."
"The whole system has failed the athletes, not just in Russia but around the world," Coe said. "This has been a shameful wake-up call, and we are clear that cheating at any level will not be tolerated."
Coe, who was elected IAAF president in August, had been under heavy pressure to take tough action, despite efforts by Russian officials to avoid a blanket ban by agreeing to cooperate and make reforms in their anti-doping system.
"This is not about politics, this is about protection of clean athletes," Coe said.
BasebalL
Three break new free agency ground
Houston outfielder Colby Rasmus, Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson became the first three players to accept qualifying offers from their teams rather than remain free agents.
The three, who agreed to $15.8 million, one-year contracts, were among 20 players given the offers Nov. 6. Another in the group, Toronto pitcher Marco Estrada, agreed to a $26 million, two-year contract. None of the 34 qualifying offers was accepted in the first three years of baseball's current collective bargaining agreement.
Padres unload reliever Kimbrel for prospects
The San Diego Padres pulled off their third trade in as many days, dealing elite closer Craig Kimbrel to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for four promising prospects. San Diego acquired outfielder Manuel Margot, infielders Javier Guerra and Carlos Asuaje and lefthanded pitcher Logan Allen.
Soccer
U.S. thrashes No. 129 in qualifier
Jozy Altidore scored twice as the U.S. bounced back from an early deficit and routed tiny St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6-1 in St. Louis in the Americans' opening qualifier for the 2018 World Cup.
St. Vincent, ranked 129th, scored first, in the fifth minute, but the U.S. rolled after that.
The Americans are unbeaten in 10 straight World Cup qualifying openers and extended their home unbeaten streak in qualifying to 28 games.
France wins amid violence
•On a night of violence in Paris, with two explosions going off outside the stadium, France beat Germany 2-0 in a friendly. The match was never halted.
•Spain took a 2-0 victory over England in a friendly in Alicante, Spain, handing the English their first loss in nearly a year and a half. England had a 15-game unbeaten streak and last lost in the 2014 World Cup.
•Belgium beat Italy 3-1 in Brussels, strengthening its position as FIFA's top-ranked team.
AROUND THE HORN
Women's golf: Minjee Lee shot a 3-under 69 and took a one-stroke lead in the LPGA Tour's Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico City.
Men's golf: Graeme McDowell ran off seven birdies in an eight-hole stretch for an 8-under 63 and a one-shot lead in the PGA Tour's OHL Classic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. … Lucas Bjerregaard birdied three of his last four holes for a 6-under 66 and a three-stroke lead in the European Tour's BMW Masters in Shanghai.
Figure skating: U.S. skater Gracie Gold took the lead at the Trophee Bompard in Bordeaux, France, scoring a personal-best 73.32 points in her short program.
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