“The interests of athletes are in the background”: how the conflict unfolds between athletes and VFLA

"The position of athletes should be conveyed to the highest sports leadership"

Against the backdrop of the turbulent situation around Russian sports, few athletes decide to openly criticize the federations and bring charges against them. An exception here are representatives of athletics. So, world champions Maria Lasitskene, Angelika Sidorova and Sergey Shubenkov proposed a series of reforms aimed at strengthening the position of the commission of athletes of the All-Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA).

In particular, the VFLA presidium was recommended to expand the composition of the athletes commission to nine people, as well as to appoint Rodion Gataullin, silver medalist of the 1988 Olympics, as its chairman.

“People are trying to realize their desires, and the interests of athletes are sometimes in the background. But this situation is deeply not indifferent to me, since he himself was once an athlete, and my daughter is now in the most active phase of her career. I am extremely interested in the fact that the position of athletes is conveyed to the highest sports leadership, ”Gataullina TASS quotes.

Also, the commission of athletes during the meeting disagreed with the VFLA’s decision to hold the presidential election on February 28. Its representatives insist that the procedure should be completed no later than February 12, 2020 (60 days from the date of the reporting conference of the VFLA).

At the same time, Lasitsken, Sidorova and Shubenkov refused to attend the meeting of the VFLA, scheduled for January 10. Gataullin will represent their interests after being approved for the new post. It is assumed that the head of the commission of athletes should be given the right to vote on the podium.

“According to the information set out in the minutes No. 1 of the meeting of the VFLA Athletes Commission sent to the Federation today, the athletes refused to participate in the Presidium meeting. Earlier, the Federation invited members of the VFLA Athletes Commission to participate in a working meeting. Anzhelika Sidorova, Sergey Shubenkov and Maria Lasitskene also rejected this proposal, ”the statement said on the Federation’s official website.

“The illusion of work - the crown of the current VFLA”

Recall that on December 29, 2019, Lasickene, Sidorova and Shubenkov published an open appeal to the federation leadership on their pages on social networks. In it, they accused the organization of inaction, stressing that it is it that impedes the normalization of relations with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). In their opinion, the athletics authorities are waiting for the appointment of the new president of the VFLA, as well as the approval of the roadmap for working with the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA).

“What specifically has been done by the VFLA over the past month and a half so that the process of issuing neutral statuses is resumed? Who did you write to? Who corresponded? What were the answers? What steps have been taken yet? What else are you going to do (taking into account different scenarios)? And when? ”, The letter says.

View this Instagram post

Posted by Maria Lasicken (@ lasitskene.maria) Dec 29, 2019 at 1:49 am PST

Then representatives of the VFLA proposed to discuss the current situation at a meeting of the Presidium, but this answer did not satisfy the athletes. Lasickene and Shubenkov said they did not want to personally meet with the organization’s leadership, and Sidorova suggested that the situation was artificially hushed up.

“Silence and delaying time is our main complaint, you answer the same thing again and again. We want to get answers to the asked questions not only the three of us, but also all the athletes, as well as the coaches. It’s a pity that you don’t want to understand this, ”Sidorova wrote.

This is not the first time that Lasitskene has sharply criticized the VFLA. In her opinion, the organization has a responsibility for the IAAF to suspend the process of rebuilding Russia and issuing neutral status to domestic athletes. At the same time, athletes do not have the opportunity to assert their rights, since the commission has a formal status.

“I know that the current head of the federation demanded to prepare an annual report on the activities of the commission, but with a request that in no case should its members be phoned. Apparently, this is how reports were prepared in previous years. The illusion of work is the crown of the current VFLA, ”wrote the three-time world champion.

It is worth noting that Lasickene's tough stance was supported by Russian Minister of Sports Pavel Kolobkov.

“All our pure athletes must follow her example. They must unite, I myself am ready to meet and talk with everyone. We need to fight doping all together - and athletes, and coaches, and the leadership of the federations. The same Masha with her active life position could well become a kind of propagandist for healthy sports, ”Kolobkov said in an interview with RT.

We add that the former chairman of the VFLA Athletes Commission Marina Kuptsova left her post on December 25. At the same time, the ex-high jumper stated that she was forced to do this, although she expressed her willingness to continue her work.