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DOHA, Qatar -- IOC President Thomas Bach defended his handling of the Russian doping scandal, attacked critics of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and claimed no cities would have bid for the 2024 Games without his Agenda 2020 reform program.In a speech to the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees on Tuesday, Bach appeared determined to counter the negative public perception surrounding the Olympic movement following a turbulent year of doping crises, the troubled buildup to Rio and continuing concerns over the costs of hosting the games.Bach cited media headlines in the months ahead of the Rio Games about security, water quality, the Zika virus and allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russia. Citing Donald Trumps victory in the U.S. presidential election last week, Bach said the Rio Games were a case study in the difference between published opinion and public opinion and between perception and reality.Bach said the Rio Games were a great success, citing record global television viewership and social media interest, though he made no mention of the empty seats and organizational glitches that also affected the event. Bach said the success of the games was a miracle in light of the severe recession and political turmoil that Brazil has been going through.He also went to great lengths to defend the International Olympic Committees decision not to impose a total ban on Russia from the games, saying he has received support from dozens of world leaders on the issue.The World Anti-Doping Agency had called for the complete ban following a report by investigator Richard McLaren that detailed systematic, state-assisted doping in Russia. The IOC instead allowed international sports federations to decide which Russian athletes could compete.Bach said he has met with many heads of state and government since the games and all backed the IOCs position.They appreciated and acknowledged we did not take a political decision but we took a decision that took in the interest of sport and respected justice for clean athletes and protecting the clean athletes worldwide, he said. To see this acknowledgement and this appreciation by so many political leaders was a confirmation of our decision and is a great encouragement for all of us.McLarens final report is due out next month and will focus on allegations of Russian doping and manipulation of samples at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Two IOC commissions are also looking into the allegations, which could lead to calls for sanctions on Russia for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.Bach said once the investigations and hearings are completed, the IOC will take the necessary measures and all the sanctions because if only part of this would be true, it would be an unprecedented attack on the integrity on the Olympic Games and on the Olympic competitions.On a separate issue, Bach said no cities would have come forward as candidates to host the 2024 Summer Games had the IOC not passed his Olympic Agenda 2020 project, which aims to reduce the cost of hosting the games and insists on maximum use of existing and temporary facilities.Several cities pulled out of bidding for the 2022 Winter Games over financial and political concerns. Last month, Rome withdrew from the 2024 race because of opposition from the citys new mayor. That decision leaves Los Angeles, Paris and Budapest, Hungary, as candidates.Without `Olympic Agenda 2020, we would have had zero candidates, Bach said. There would have been none. All of the candidates who you will see now and the others who were in the race or considering in the race, they can confirm this to you. They told us this.Bach also said that high-ranking Olympic official Patrick Hickey, who was arrested during the Rio Games on ticket scalping charges, deserves the presumption of innocence pending the resolution of his case. Hickey, who is not permitted to leave Brazil, has temporarily stepped down as a member of the IOC executive board and president of the European Olympic Committees.Bach said Hickeys arrest shows Olympic officials are not immune and must obey the laws and rules in other countries.What was in the past something that just concerned us in an organization is now concerning the rules and the laws of a country, Bach said. 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All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not.Rasul Douglas path to becoming the top defender on a Big 12 title contender included weekends at the bowling alley, a bus stop and sometimes only a dollar a day for food.And now hes one of the biggest reasons why West Virginia has emerged as a dark-horse hopeful for the College Football Playoff heading into a Saturday showdown with ninth-ranked Oklahoma (8 p.m. ET, ABC).Hes just a kid that keeps fighting, said West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson.On the field, as perhaps the Big 12s best defensive back on the leagues leading defense.And before that, off of it.Im actually doing what I came here to do, Douglas said. I always envisioned it.The struggle is paying off.One of seven siblings raised by his grandmother in East Orange, New Jersey, Douglas grew up where, as he puts it, kids are lost to the streets.Thankfully for Douglas, he had a strong-willed grandmother, a little league coach who saw something special in him and an innate passion to play sports.Mike Davis, a P.A. announcer for East Orange High School sports and a mentor for at-risk youth in the area, first met Douglas while coaching him in little league baseball. The two immediately hit it off.I was hard on him as a coach, Davis said. Because he was so competitive, he took a liking to that.Davis made it his mission to prevent this kid brimming with potential from falling into trouble on the streets.It was like a vehicle, Davis said. There was a lot of trouble around in that community. Unfortunately, a lot of young people there were getting involved in gangs. Sports offered him something else.He was the one who took me out of the streets, Douglas said. He made sure we did what we had to do.Davis kept Douglas focused on sports. All sports. Any sport. One time that was the Vince Carter basketball camp. Other times, it was taking Douglas and his brother to the bowling alley.Time spent playing those sports didnt just keep Douglas out of trouble; they provided him with a foundation, turning him into a terrific all-around athlete by the time he reached high school.Douglas had dreams of playing basketball at the next level. But at 6-foot-2, he didnt have the height to draw the attention of college recruiters. He did, however, have the size as a defensive back to catch the eye of Nassau (New York) Community College coach Curtis Guilliam.Coach Guilliam, he kept hitting me up, What is he going to do? said Douglas high school football coach, Marion Bell. At the last moment, I finally convinced Rasul to take a shot at it.Nassau didnt have dorms. Instead, Douglas had to find an apartment located eight miles from the Garden City, New York, campus. Douglas didnt have a car, so he had to take the bus every day to class and to practice. And because his grandmother still had to take care of his younger siblings, Douglas essentially was on his own financially.That was probably the hardest part of my life, for sure, saiid Douglas.dddddddddddd. It felt like nothing was going my way. I couldnt ask my family for money, because they needed it. I didnt have a lot. I was struggling to eat.Sometimes, Douglas would just wait until the evening to eat. Other times, he would go to McDonalds, order off the dollar menu, eat half of the meal and save the rest for dinner.Douglas, however, remained determined, despite being redshirted that first year.He did what he had to do, Guilliam said. He made sure he got to class. He did the work. Got to study hall. Did everything he was supposed to do. We call it the juco grind. But he never complained and just continued to work.That mentality carried over into the weight room and onto the field. And by his second year at Nassau, Douglas was primed to shine.Early in the season against Lackawanna College -- which produced former West Virginia All-American wideout Kevin White and his brothers KaRaun and Kyzir, both starters now for the Mountaineers -- Douglas delivered a breakout performance.He picked off a pass, and it was like, Oh, shoot, this guy is going to be a dude, Guilliam said. Then he laid a hit on a receiver, knocked him clean out, and you were like, This guy was going to be a thumper.By his third year at Nassau, Douglas had turned into one of the top junior college corners in the country. He garnered scholarship offers from the likes of Florida State and Louisville, but after visiting Morgantown for the Mountaineers game against TCU in 2014, he knew West Virginia was where he wanted to be.Due in large part to Douglas, West Virginia leads the Big 12 in scoring defense, despite losing several key defensive backs off last years team. He is tied for second in the country with six interceptions, including one last weekend in West Virginias 24-20 win at Texas.Saturday, hell face off against Oklahoma wideout Dede Westbrook in what figures to be the premier matchup of the game. Westbrook has emerged as a Heisman contender after a scorching past two months. But Westbrook hasnt faced a corner in the Big 12 the caliber of Douglas, either.Im glad weve got him, said West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen. Right now, hes our best defensive football player. Hes continuously gotten better. Hes making big plays that have a big outcome on the game.I couldnt be happier or prouder of what Rasul has done.Though hes come far, Douglas hasnt forgotten the path he traveled or the people who helped him along.On Thanksgiving a few years ago, Davis was in the middle of calling the P.A. for an East Orange football game when he got a text that still touches him.It was Rasul just thanking me for keeping him on course, Davis said. Im in the middle of this game, and Im in tears.Ive been blessed to have been part of his life. Its been a wonderful privilege. ' ' '