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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SILVERSTONE, Great Britain -- Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen claimed the fastest time of the second day of in-season testing at Silverstone, beating Mercedes Esteban Ocon in the Mercedes to the best lap by over 0.5s.Ocon set his time using soft tyres in the morning, but during a peak in track temperature in the afternoon, Ferrari bolted on a set of softs and let Raikkonen off the leash. The resulting time was over 0.2s quicker than his best effort in qualifying at last weekends British Grand Prix, but would still have left him fifth on the grid behind the Red Bulls.Pierre Gasly was third fastest on Tuesday in the Red Bull after a late run on soft tyres saw him improve to a 1:31.429 - roughly a second off the qualifying pace of the race drivers on Saturday. The GP2 and Red Bull reserve driver is under evaluation for a Toro Rosso drive next year and spent most of his 103 laps testing medium tyres.Russian 17-year-old Nikita Mazepin managed to finish third on just his second day of testing in the Force India. The time was set on super-softs, meaning he had a tyre advantage over the drivers around him in the standings, but it was a respectable lap and only 0.2s off Fernando Alonsos best effort on the same tyre compound on Tuesday.Stoffel Vandoorne was behind the wheel of the McLaren on Wednesday and used a set of soft tyres to go fourth fastest, 1.099s off Raikkonens best effort. He briefly went out on the ultra-soft compound, which is the fastest tyre in Pirellis range but also the least suited to the Silverstone circuiit, but did not set a time.ddddddddddddValtteri Bottas was fifth fastest for Williams, setting a time 1.758s off Raikkonen in the afternoon after a morning of long runs running aero tests on the teams new front wing. Williams fitted its double-decker rear wing to the car at the end of the session, which is used to simulate a shift in aero balance but is illegal under the regulations.Young American Santino Ferrucci was seventh fastest in his second day in the Haas after using soft compound tyres to lower his best lap time to a 1:33.141 over the course of 103 laps. He just beat Renault regular Jolyon Palmer, who set a late personal best before his engine appeared to fail on his return to the pits after the chequered flag.Red Bull junior Sergio Sette Camara was ninth fastest on his debut in the Toro Rosso, which may well be remembered for a spin on the pit straight after he exited the final corner. GP2 driver Jordan King was tenth fastest in the Manor, 4.3s off Raikkonens ultimate pace but 1.1s faster than the 2014 Mercedes being run by Pirelli for 2017 development work.After rain interrupted Pirellis running on Tuesday, Pascal Wehrlein managed to complete 128 laps of Silverstone on Wednesday with just two brief breaks for a rain shower and a hydraulic leak. Pirelli will now assess the data it gathered over the two days on the 2017 construction materials and compounds it was testing. ' ' '