MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin called Friday for a new anti-doping commission to be created to shape Russias future strategy, as the country faces possible exclusion from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Putins intervention came as former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev wrote to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach to oppose a blanket ban on the Russian team, saying that a collective sanction was unacceptable.Putin did not directly address allegations that Russian government officials helped to cover up hundreds of doping cases, but said the state was resolutely opposed to performance-enhancing drug use.In sport there is not and cannot be a place for any doping, Putin said. Sport must be clean, and an athletes health must be properly protected.He added there was a need to cooperate closely on doping with the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency, the latter of which welcomed Thursdays court ruling to uphold a ban on Russias scandal-hit track and field team.Putin told a meeting of Russias cabinet that the commission, under the direction of the Russian Olympic Committee, would provide rapid development and tough control for the effective realization of a national plan on the fight against doping.He added that the commission would be independent and would include Russians and foreigners in the fields of medicine, law and sports administration. He did not give a timescale for the commission to begin its work.Putin proposed 81-year-old Vitaly Smirnov, an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee member and a veteran of Russian and Soviet sports administration, to lead the panel.Such a commission should be headed by a person with an absolutely unimpeachable reputation, who has the trust and respect of the Olympic family, Putin said. There is such a person in our country and he is Vitaly Georgievich Smirnov.Smirnov once served as the Soviet Unions deputy sports minister and helped to organize the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.Smirnov, a former IOC vice president, was among five IOC members given a serious warning in 1999 for their role in the Salt Lake City bid scandal. A total of 10 members resigned or were expelled for receiving cash, gifts and other improper inducements during the citys winning bid for the 2002 Winter Games.Smirnov suggested in televised comments that the Russian doping scandal was a series of misunderstandings, and said the new commission would aim to eradicate performance-enhancing drug use from sport entirely. We will work to eliminate the problem, he said.In a rare intervention on sports matters, the 85-year-old Gorbachev wrote an open letter to Bach, saying a ban on the whole Russian team would unfairly punish clean athletes.I am worried and deeply upset by the possibility that in the case of a ban on Russian athletes competing in the Olympics, the innocent will be punished along with the guilty, he wrote in the letter, published on his website. For me the principle of collective punishment is unacceptable. NHL Jerseys From China . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Authentic .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.cheapnhlcustomjerseys.com/ . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Fake NHL Jerseys . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Stitched NHL Jerseys . The recently retired Stern was elected Friday to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be enshrined with the class of 2014 on Aug. Batsman Shai Hope and allrounder Rovman Powell have been picked in West Indies squad for next months tri-series in Zimbabwe, after the selectors decided to drop Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin. Pollard and Ramdins exclusions are the only changes to the squad that suffered a 3-0 defeat in the ODI series against Pakistan earlier this month. Both Pollard and Ramdin had poor returns in the limited-overs series in the UAE. Pollard managed 43 runs in the three T20s, and bowled two overs, going wicketless. In the three-match ODI series, Pollard scored 42 runs at an average of 14.00. He took one wicket in the 12 overs he bowled across the three matches. Ramdin, who was recalled to the ODI squad, compiled 79 runs at 26.33 in the three ODIs and did not feature in the T20s.Hope, who is a part of the Test side in the UAE, is uncapped in limited-ovvers internationals, but has played six Tests since May 2015 scoring 171 runs at an average of 15.dddddddddddd54. He scored 76 in the three-day tour match against the PCB Patrons XI, played under lights with the pink ball.Powell, uncapped in international cricket, had been named in the T20 squad for the UAE tour following a promising performance in CPL 2016. His only match on the tour was the practice T20 game against the Emirates Cricket Board XI where he scored 38 and bowled two overs for 14 runs.The Zimbabwe series will begin on November 14 with a match between the hosts and Sri Lanka. West Indies first match in the series will be against Sri Lanka on November 16. The final will be played on November 27. ' ' '