In this comment, Antoine Duval from the Asser Institute lays out a set of key orientations for a comprehensive reform of the world anti-doping system in the wake of the Russian doping scandal. In a nutshell, it’s time to focus WADA’s resources on compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics were sold to the population as an opportunity to transform the city and build lasting legacies. Now that the Games are over, not even winning the Olympic gold in the national sport, football, can cover up the disappointment over the missed opportunities, the failed promises, and the tremendous cost, says Juliana Barbassa in this comment piece in which she asks if it was all worth it. Her answer is no.

When the IOC abstained from issuing a general ban on Russian athletes after the McLaren report revealing a state supported doping system, the committee failed on its self-proclaimed mission “to protect clean athletes”. Thousands of clean athletes in sport’s global elite and sub-elite are even less protected than before.

Governance scandals have rocked the sports world in recent years. According to researcher Antoine Duval, the lack of transparency holds a great part of the blame. In this comment piece, Duval points to three areas in sports governance that are in need of greater transparency.

Yuliya Stepanova and Alex Schwazer revealed doping practices in Russia and Italy. Sports writer Johannes Aumüller and sports editor Thomas Kistner from Süddeutsche Zeitung ask if this is why the two athletes now have to worry about their start at the Olympic Games.

A number of sports federations are currently dealing with the threat of breakaway leagues. But by thinking proactively, federations' anxiety about attempts to create rival competitions could lead to better run sports, argues Rowland Jack, founder of I Trust Sport, in this comment piece.

The upcoming Rio 2016 Olympics is like a kiss between two globally famous institutions who are both immersed in a deep political crisis, Both the IOC and Brazil need the inspiration of hope that the other can convey to the world public, write associate professor Katia Rubio and international director Jens Sejer Andersen in this comment piece.

The many recent corruption scandals in sport have failed to mobilise much more than momentary disgust, writes Christer Ahl in this comment, in which he seeks to explore why the general public has little energy for getting involved in what goes on behind the scenes in sport.

Sunday 8 May 2016 marks the 100th birthday of one of the most impressive – and most troubling – figures in world sport, Brazilian João Havelange. We mark the day by publishing the story about how he rose to power in FIFA with the help of his country’s military dictatorship and a football icon named Pelé.