Three officials have been provisionally suspended by the IAAFs Ethics Board pending an investigation into their alleged involvement in a suspected cover-up of Russian doping cases. Nick Davies, who was chief-of-staff to International Association of Athletics Federations President Lord Coe, was suspended along with his wife Jane Boulter-Davies and IAAF medical manager Pierre-Yves Garnier.Davies std down from his role six months ago pending the investigation into a potential breach of the IAAFs code of ethics, and at the time denied any wrongdoing. Davies, his wife, an IAAF education official, and Garnier did not immediately respond to email requests for comment. The IAAF said it had not received a response to the suspensions from any of the trio.The Ethics Board said the suspensions, which will run for 180 days from June 10, had been imposed to protect the integrity of the sport but do not prejudice the outcome of the investigations.It said the case related to an email reportedly sent by former IAAF consultant Papa Massata Diack to his father and then-IAAF president Lamine Diack in July 2013. The email, reported by the French daily Le Monde, allegedly showed that the three were in receipt of, or had knowledge of, a cash payment to withhold details of attempted cover-ups of Russian doping cases.Other emails leaked by Le Monde showed Davies had discussed with Papa Diack developing a media strategy to limit the news impact of a series of positive tests by Russian athletes ahead of 2013 the Moscow world athletics championships. Nick Davies (right) with IAAF president Sebastian Coe Davies said that the mail was merely brainstorming for a media strategy and that he had done nothing wrong.Papa Diack has denied any involvement in bribery or corruption and says his father Lamine is also innocent. French authorities are investigating the elder Diack, who Coe replaced as IAAF president in August, on charges of corruption and money laundering.IAAF Ethics Board chairman Michael Beloff said Fridays suspensions were decided after the board determined that there was a prima facie case to answer that warranted investigation.The Ethics Board statement said Davies, a former IAAF general secretary and head of communications, received an undisclosed cash payment in 2013 from Papa Massata Diack, the circumstances and concealment of which call into question whether the payment was intended to have and/or in fact produced any manipulative effect.Boulter-Davies allegedly received, or knew about, a payment to Davies. Garnier allegedly received an undisclosed cash payment at the direction of Lamine Diack and retained some part of the sum even when aware of its apparent impropriety.The Ethics Board is also investigating whether Davies and Boulter-Davies misled the Board during its previous investigation into the matter.Russia is currently banned from all athletics following revelations of widespread state-sponsored doping and next Friday the IAAF Council meets in Vienna to decide whether to lift that ban and allow its track and field athletes to compete at the Rio Olympics in August. Also See: GB medal haul may swell Russia makes dopinng reforms Photo Galleries Team GB Discount Jordans Free Shipping . Chris Heisey followed with a two-run triple and Billy Hamilton added an RBI double, all but sealing Cincinnatis fourth straight victory and seventh in eight games. Brandon Phillips, celebrating his 33rd birthday, hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth for the Reds before pinch-hitter Buster Posey tied it with an RBI double off hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom half. Discount Air Jordans Free Shipping . Some members of the U.S. Congress arent so sure. They say Russia isnt doing enough to assure that athletes will be protected at the Feb. 7-23 games, happening not far from an Islamic insurgency that Russias huge security apparatus has struggled for two decades to quell. Russia may run greater risks in towns outside the tightly controlled Olympic zone. Suicide bombs last month a few hundred kilometres (miles) away have increased concerns, and an Islamic warlord has urged his followers to attack the Sochi Olympics, Russian President Vladimir Putins pet project. http://www.discountairjordan.com/. Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Wholesale Jordan Shoes From China . It was the quickest three-goal sequence in Olympic history, with the latter two coming just eight seconds apart. Kessel, Lamoureux and Kendall Coyne all scored twice for the Americans, and Molly Schaus made 10 saves in her Sochi debut. Cheap Air Jordans Shoes Wholesale . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina.DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Jose Bautista hit his third home run of the spring for the Toronto Blue Jays in a 4-3 victory Saturday over the Minnesota Twins, who got three scoreless innings from newcomer Phil Hughes. After spending his first seven seasons with the New York Yankees, Hughes signed a $24 million, three-year contract with Minnesota in the off-season. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. The right-hander missed most of spring training with a back injury last year and struggled mightily in the regular season, going 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA with the Yankees. Hughes said being able to participate in a full spring has given him a confidence bst. "You never want to struggle at any point," he said. "I think coming in off the year I had and to get off on a pretty gd note is big. But again, its still spring training and once the season starts thats the biggest thing, and I want to get out of the gates going well." Adam Lind was 2 for 2 with two doubles for the Blue Jays. Melky Cabrera added an RBI single and Edwin Encarnacion scored a run. Bautista connected in the fourth off Twins closer Glen Perkins. Byron Buxton, rated the No. 1 prospect in baseball, hit a two-run homer off Toronto starter Drew Hutchison in the third. Hutchison struck out five, including three straight in the second, and walked one in three innings. STARTING TIME Twins: Hughes threw 38 pitches but only two or three changeups because they werent very effective. "It wasnt gd," he said. "I threw one first pitch that was a bad ball and then I think I threw one on the plate. As the pitch counts increase, you give yourself a little bit more availability to work on some things. When Im going three innings, sometimes the concentration goes on making a pitch and getting a guy out and before you know it, maybe you havent thrown as many (specific pitches)." Blue Jays: Hutchison, a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation, felt gd after working with catcher Dioner Navarro for the first time in a game. Hutchison said he and Navarro worked before the spring to build chemistry and it has paid off well. Navarro signed an $8 million, two-year deal with Toronto in the off-season after spending last year with the Chicago Cubs. "I live here in the off-season and so does he, so I was working out at the complex with him. So I got to know him a little bit, develop a little bit of a relationship," Hutchison said. "He caught my first bullpen, I think, so I had a pretty gd idea. Weve talked a lot. It was really ggd to work with him today.dddddddddddd" TRAINERS RM Twins: Manager Ron Gardenhire said outfielder Aaron Hicks, who has been out with a minor elbow injury, could play Tuesday against Tampa Bay. Blue Jays: Colby Rasmus resumed on-field workouts after missing the past six games with a stiff neck. Toronto manager John Gibbons said Rasmus spent Saturday morning playing catch in the outfield, hitting in the batting cages and off a tee. Gibbons expects the centre fielder to continue working out at the teams training facility Sunday before returning to the lineup Tuesday in a split-squad game against the Canadian Junior National Team. "He should be full-go after that," Gibbons said. "Its a gd, big day. He feels fine coming out of this." Right-handed reliever Dustin McGowan was expected to pitch two or three innings against the Twins, but was scratched before the game after getting a stomach virus. SANTANA WATCH Multiple media outlets reported Saturday that the Blue Jays are favoured to land Ervin Santana, the top remaining free-agent starting pitcher. ESPN first reported that Santana, who was 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA for Kansas City last season, was offered a one-year, $14 million contract by Toronto. However, the report said the right-hander was holding off on signing with the hope of getting a better deal from another team. Blue Jays officials did not comment on any of the reports, but right-hander Esmil Rogers, a teammate of Santanas during winter ball in the Dominican Republic who is vying for the fifth spot in the rotation, said the 31-year-old is a "great guy" and would not make it harder for him to make the team. "Im here to help the team win. It doesnt matter where Im going to be," Rogers said. "Im lking for the opportunity to start, but I cant make that decision. The office is going to make that decision. I cant do (anything). I just try to make my pitches and get people out to help the team." JANSSEN THROWS Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen, who has not pitched this spring because of shoulder inflammation, tk a positive step by throwing on flat ground. Gibbons said "it wont be long," but the right-hander will have to throw a couple more times before he appears in a game. "I would think maybe next weekend he might get in a game, or maybe the following week," Gibbons said. "As long as hes got a couple weeks left, he should be fine." Janssen saved 34 games for Toronto last season and has just four blown saves in his past 60 opportunities. ' ' '