“Everything else is secondary”
Press Secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov commented on the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to remove Russia from major international competitions, noting that there are mechanisms that need to be put in place to protect the rights of athletes and the country.
“Now the main task is to declare our disagreement on the parameters that the president spoke about. The main thing for us is our athletes and their interests. They must maintain their qualifications and be full participants in international competitions, no matter what. Collective responsibility cannot be prevented from doing so. Everything else is secondary, ”said Peskov.
A similar position was expressed by the majority of representatives of Russian sports who spoke in favor of appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS). The Athletes Rights Protection Fund sought help from the UN. A letter was sent to Secretary General António Guterres requesting the creation of a commission to investigate the legality of the WADA decision.
According to the director of the Foundation, Ivan Melnikov, the punishment of the entire Russian team violates the international convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination.
"In the letter, we ask the Secretary General to intervene in the situation and protect the rights of Russian athletes who have become hostages of the politically motivated WADA decision, adopted unilaterally," TASS quoted Melnikova.
Another point of the WADA decision was a four-year ban on holding major sports tournaments in the country. The authorities of the Russian cities, in which the world championships are already planned, expressed hope that the competitions will take place, despite the sanctions. So, in 2022, the world championship in wrestling, as well as the matches of the world championship in volleyball, should be held in Krasnoyarsk.
“We had plans to saturate the winter Universiade facilities with major sporting events. Now we communicate with international federations through Russian sports organizations, and our attitude towards us is most positive. We hope that they have the right to take advantage of the legal and other rules for leaving these competitions in Krasnoyarsk, ”said the Minister of Sports of the Krasnoyarsk Territory Pavel Rostovtsev.
A similar situation is in Novosibirsk, in which the planet’s championship in volleyball and the youth world championship in hockey in 2023 should be held. At the same time, the head of the WADA Compliance Committee, Jonathan Taylor, confirmed that the ban does not apply to youth and junior tournaments of this level.
“Athletes will take part in the Games in accordance with anti-doping regulations”
Many sports organizations have already expressed their readiness to follow the new WADA recommendations regarding the Russian team. So, the head of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parsons, said that he supported this decision, but refused to comment on the situation around the Russians' admission to the Paralympics in Tokyo. He noted that first it is necessary to wait for a court decision on an appeal if it is filed.
A similar position was expressed in the International Ski Federation (FIS). The organization emphasized that in the near future not a single world championship was planned in Russia under its auspices, however, Russia claims to hold the championship of the planet in freestyle and snowboard in 2025.
“As for the participation of Russian athletes and officials in the FIS-sponsored world championships, the federation will be guided by the criteria for admission and suspension established in the WADA decision - as soon as it takes effect. These criteria will apply to the 2021 and 2023 World Championships, which are part of a four-year period of non-compliance, ”the statement said on the Federation’s official website.
Representatives of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said that at the moment, information about anti-doping rule violations by the Russians did not come to them.
In addition, the organization added that in connection with the sanctions, domestic tennis players will undergo a doping test procedure abroad.
“Tennis has zero tolerance for doping. All players participating in Grand Slam, ITF, WTA and ATP tournaments are subject to the WADA-approved Tennis Anti-Doping Program (TADP). The comprehensive program includes biological passports of athletes, testing during competitions and in the non-competitive period. Russian players will be tested within the framework of TADP outside the country, ”added the ITF.
It is currently unknown whether WADA sanctions will apply to athletes who had previously been implicated in doping scandals but had already served their sentences. According to Taylor, a decision on this issue will be made later.
The Russian side has 21 days to appeal. Regardless of the decision of the RUSADA Supervisory Board, many federations have assured that athletes continue to prepare for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.
In turn, Japan is also preparing for the arrival of Russians. Seiko Hashimoto, a member of the country's House of Councilors, said that municipalities that have expressed a desire to host neutral athletes will receive the same financial assistance from the state as those who will host the rest of the teams. Currently, authorities in eight regions have responded to this proposal.
Commenting on the WADA decision, the chairman of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, Yoshiro Mori, expressed hope that the competitions would be able to avoid doping scandals, and that all athletes, regardless of their nationality, would adhere to the principles of fair fight.
“We hope that athletes from all teams, as well as national Olympic and Paralympic committees, will participate in the Games in accordance with all anti-doping regulations. The organizing committee will continue to work with all relevant organizations in the interests of the full implementation of the necessary measures, ”the statement said.