Perhaps the first reaction to the quite, by the way, the expected decision of the WADA executive committee regarding sanctions, which, in the opinion of this most curious organization, should be applied to Russian sport, was quiet, but therefore no less distinctly heard “to hell” from the side of the long-suffering IIHF - International Ice Hockey Federation. She had suffered so much fear in South Korean Pyeongchang with the almost disqualified Russians and without any disqualifications the Canadian Enhaelites who came to the tournament, which is easier for them to send not only WADA, but, if necessary, the IOC itself: Russian disqualification for the International ice hockey federation automatically equals suicide, and it’s somehow rather silly not to understand.
Because, if only something like this happens, it will not be a couple of days before that happy moment when the US-Canadian NHL and the Russian-European KHL with joyful laughter begin to plan some challenge cups that can easily replace the world championships. And how the NHL relates to WADA decisions is too well known, if only for the example of the Russian hockey player Kuznetsov, who was caught at the World Cup of Cocaine Hockey and disqualified from WADA by the International Ice Hockey Federation for four seasons in the national team. After that, the star of Washington Capitals quietly departed to please its fans in the stronghold of American democracy: in the NHL, one of the most intelligent Russian hockey players was disqualified for exactly two games, which, of course, looked like a mockery.
Rene Fasel, the legendary president of the IIHF who manages to balance between the monsters, is almost grind through his teeth: “It is impossible to transfer international hockey championships from Russia, we will adhere to our decision made earlier.” And then he adds that this applies to both the youth championship and the women's world hockey championship. Moreover (and this was also emphasized separately) it all happens “despite the decision of the WADA Executive Committee” - read on lips.
Relieved sighed in UEFA. In order to avoid the dispatch by the well-known pedestrian-erotic route, which is virtually inevitable in any other scenario, the WADA executive committee decided to classify the European Football Championship, as well as the Champions League final, into “small regional tournaments”, to which the decisions of such a powerful organization do not apply. As for the World Cup in Qatar, it is already FIFA’s business, where they also mumbled something inaudible, such as “we took note of what we’ll additionally inform our decision.” The large, commercially successful federations are clearly not going to let go of the "furious laboratory assistants" of WADA.
However, in these federations, as it has historically developed, not only WADA, but also the IOC that generated it do not greatly favor: there is no need to invent anything, just remember how pale the Olympic football tournament looks compared to world championships. Or remember, with what creak, it either lets go or doesn’t let go of its NHL hockey players at Olympic tournaments.
Actually, what we are telling you all this about is not at all that the decision of the WADA executive committee should not be taken seriously. It just needs to be taken very seriously, only conclusions need to be made slightly different than expected by customers and performers of this enchanting near-sports bacchanalia, which demonstrates not only poverty of thought, but also a disgusting taste.
However, let's take it in order.
The current decision of the WADA Executive Committee is unprecedented not only and not so much in terms of its rigidity, but also in such a demonstrative neglect of any generally accepted legal norms.
It’s just amazing why you are so actively emphasizing the political component of the document. By the way, it is no coincidence that the Russian president drew attention to this obvious and unprecedented political nature of the decision, answering journalists' questions at a press conference after a meeting in the Norman format: “If someone makes such a decision on collective punishments, then it seems to me that there is every reason to believe that the basis of such decisions is not concern for the purity of world sports, but political considerations that have nothing to do with the interests of sports and the Olympic movement. ”
Why is it important.
Last time, during the preparations for the Olympics in South Korean Pyeongchang, we, as a society, were convinced by both our sports officials and international that this was an exclusively doping and peri-sports issue. And that, accordingly, decisions should be made privately by “people of sport” and “in the interests of athletes”. And not only that (no matter how you relate to those who made such decisions), they completely went bankrupt, but now the political, rather than the sporting and non-legal essence of the document is also directly emphasized - this already ceases to be a workshop problem, but becomes a national problem.
And now there simply cannot be any decisions “in the interests of exclusively athletes” - this is already a situation of a different level, and decisions must be made, alas, not “in the interests of athletes”, but in the interests of a gigantic country.
Including from the point of view of her, this superpower, self-esteem.
Therefore, it’s obvious how exactly now the country (already not only quite caste, which is already there, its sporting bureaucracy, but just the whole country) will have to act, at least on a tactical level, - this was also said by its prime minister . This is the use of all legal opportunities for the "demolition", of course, WADA's illegal decision - and here the chances are quite realistic. We have already won the arbitration against WADA, at least this must be remembered and use any chance.
On a tactical level, we must immediately and immediately begin to work with sports federations, on which much depends, and even with the International Olympic Committee, on which, it seems, nothing depends at all. Everything is clear here, but (let's be honest) there is no reason to count on serious success: even if we manage to partially or completely “demolish” the WADA decision through Sports Arbitration in Lausanne, it will be only a local tactical success that does not change the strategic alignment of forces account, unfortunately, nothing.
WADA will remain the same, to put it mildly, openly non-constructive organization in relation to our country, with its former, unchanged goals and objectives. The positions of the anti-doping agency in the IOC will remain the same, to which the citizens of not only our country have rather serious questions, the main of which is: guys, and you, in general, forgive who? Are you a structure for conducting competitions according to the Olympic Charter and the principles of Pierre de Coubertin or are you from show business with a sports bias? No, we are not fundamentally against any of the options, but each of them involves strictly defined rules of the game.
And actually, it is possible that under the current conditions we ourselves should have suspended our cooperation with both WADA and the IOC - until the real clarification of the negotiating positions of the parties.
It’s only possible to do it real, and not according to some “compromise scheme”: with suspension of financing at least according to the “PACE option”, termination of “redemption of television rights” and the complete exclusion of athletes in team sports (forgive us, Rene Fasel), but also the termination of any "budget Olympic funding" in individual sports.
Of course, this is only one of the options, but that certainly does not need to be “argued against,” speaking about the high ideals of sports and the undermining of the “Olympic movement” on our part. Firstly, it now itself, including due to the activities of the WADA generated by it, is completely discrediting. And secondly, I just would like to recall Putin’s very harsh but very pragmatic wording, even though he said these words in a completely different way: “As a citizen of my country and as head of state, I wonder: why do we need peace, in which there will be no Russia? ”
And to rephrase it: why do we need, even the finest “Olympic movement”, with any “ideals” if our Russian sport is not represented there? In addition, there is a feeling that with the ideals in this "movement", to put it mildly, pretty bad. Then we formulate the question in a different way: but what is the practical interest in all this disgrace in the current conditions?
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.