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TOKYO -- An independent panel commissioned by the Japanese Olympic Committee has found nothing illegal in a payment made to a Singapore consulting firm in connection with Tokyos bid to host the 2020 Summer Games.A report by the panel released Thursday said a $2.8 million Singapore dollar (then $2.3 million) payment to the consultancy Black Tidings for bid planning services and lobbying advice in 2013 was legitimate.The panel concluded that Tokyo bid executives had no knowledge of the link between the head of Black Tidings, Ian Tan Tong Han, and the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, who is facing corruption charges in France.The investigation concludes that the contents and execution process of the payment are not in violation of any Japanese law, lawyer Yoshihisa Hayakawa, who headed the panel, told a news conference. Any violation of the IOC code of ethics also could not be found.The panel, consisting of two lawyers and a certified public accountant, said Tan deserved the payment based on detailed reports he provided the committee that demonstrated his ability to lobby effectively and provide useful information for the bid committee.The findings are in line with what we expected, and we are relieved, said JOC president Tsunekazu Takeda, who headed the bid committee.The report noted, however, that the payment was twice the average of what the Tokyo bid committee paid to other consultants. Hayakawa said the team also did not receive an exact accounting of how Tan spent the money.In addition, the investigation team was unable to speak directly to Tan, Diack or his son, Papa Massata Diack, in part due to the ongoing French corruption investigation and didnt have access to data stored in computers issued by the committee that had been destroyed when the bidding process ended. The team largely relied on documents that had been kept by former committee members.Personally, I regret we could not interview them. If we could have met Mr. Tan, especially, Im sure we could have examined what exactly happened in this case, Hayakawa said.Suspicion about the Black Tidings payment arose in the course of the French investigation into Diack, once one of the most influential men in sports, and his son, who is wanted in France on bribery, money laundering and corruption charges.Tan is one of Papa Massata Diacks close friends. They were so close that Tan named his child, born in 2014, Massata, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation into Russias athletic doping scandal.According to French prosecutors, the payment is thought to have been transferred from Japan to the Singapore account of Black Tidings in two installments in July and October 2013.The Japanese investigation also found the payment to Tan was made in two installments. The first contract for U.S. $950,000 was signed in July 2013 for Tans lobbying and consulting work, and the remainder of the money was transferred to him three months later as a bonus for winning the bid, the report said. The contract did not include a specific reference prohibiting bribery.Details of the payment procedures were not shared among the committee executives, and the lack of communication might have invited suspicions, the report said. It also noted that future bidding activity for international athletic events should pay more attention to transparency and compliance to stricter rules.Tokyo was chosen in September 2013 as the Olympic host, and the elder Diack, then an International Olympic Committee member, had a vote and influence over blocs of other votes as a high-profile figure in the organization.The widening of the French inquiry into the 2020 Olympic bidding process has put heavy pressure on Tokyo organizers and the IOC, which has sought to distance itself from the FIFA and IAAF corruption scandals and insisted that it had cleaned up since a bid scandal over the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Ron Jaworski Womens Jersey . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Harold Carmichael Womens Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. http://www.eaglesrookiestore.com/Eagles-Brian-Dawkins-Jersey/ . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Mike Quick Womens Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Dallas Goedert Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. WEST LONG BEACH, N.J. -- Micah Seaborn scored 17 points and had five assists as Monmouth rolled to a 78-65 victory over Drexel on Friday night.Seaborn was 5 of 9 from the floor and made three 3-pointers. Justin Robinson added 15 points and five assists.Freshman guard Kurk Lee scored 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting to lead Drexel. Sammy Mojica chipped in 13 points.Drexel opened the second half on an 8-0 run to cut a 15-point deficit to 47-40. From there the Draggons went cold, missing their next 10 shots.dddddddddddd The Hawks used a 14-0 run during the span and led 61-40 with about 12 minutes remaining.It was coach Zach Spikers first game with Drexel. He spent the previous seven seasons at Army, and led the Black Knights to the programs first postseason tournament since 1978 last season. ' ' '