“WADA decision contradicts the Olympic Charter”: Putin called for appealing sanctions against athletes from Russia in CAS

During a press conference following the Norman summit in Paris, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular, expressed his opinion on the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency for Russia. The day before, the WADA executive committee agreed with the recommendations of the Compliance Committee (CRC) and decided to recognize the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) as not compliant with the organization’s code, thereby removing domestic athletes from participating in the Olympic Games and international competitions for the next four years. Thus, if this decision remains in force, the Russians will be able to compete only in the status of neutral athletes.

Answering a journalist’s question, Putin confirmed the information that many experts and functionaries had voiced the day before, saying he could appeal WADA sanctions to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne. According to the president, Russia has at least one reason to submit this application.

“Firstly, we need to analyze this decision. That which lies on the surface, and that which I see immediately. For example, there are no complaints against the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). And if so, then the country should appear under its national flag, ”Putin said.

“This suggests that, in any case, in this part, the decision of the World Anti-Doping Committee (WADA) contradicts the Olympic Charter. We have every reason to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) of Lausanne, ”he said.

At the same time, the Russian leader noted the presence of other considerations in this situation, without becoming more precise and noting the need for consultations with specialists and lawyers, as well as negotiations with partners.

At the same time, Putin emphasized that he did not agree with the decision by WADA to remove all Russian athletes at once. According to him, only anti-doping rule violators should be punished, while pure athletes should have the right to continue to defend the honor of their country.

“The most important thing, in my opinion, and, it seems to me, everyone really agrees: any punishment - as it has been since the days of Roman law - must be individual and proceed from what has been committed by one or another person. Punishments cannot be of a collective nature and apply to people who have nothing to do with certain violations. And everyone understands this. I think that WADA specialists also understand this. But if one of them makes such decisions 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, nothing to do with the interests of sports and the Olympic movement not having, ”Putin concluded.

It is worth noting that back in October, the president, answering a question about the situation around Russian sports, noted that the state “cooperated, is cooperating and will continue to cooperate” with WADA. At the same time, he expressed the hope that any controversial issues would be considered extremely impartially.

“I very much hope that all issues of this kind will be resolved equally, fairly, within the framework of the current sports legislation, and no one will be discriminated against for any political reasons. The task of sports is not just to separate countries and people, but to unite them, ”Putin said during the forum“ Russia is a sports power. ”

On the eve of the situation around Russian sports, the head of the Cabinet, Dmitry Medvedev, also commented. At a meeting with deputy prime ministers, he criticized the WADA verdict, expressing the opinion that it has a political connotation.

“The fact that all these decisions are repeated, and often in relation to athletes who have already been punished in one way or another, not to mention other points. Of course, this suggests that this is a continuation of anti-Russian hysteria, which has acquired a chronic form, ”TASS quoted Medvedev as saying.

The Prime Minister also noted that Russian sports federations should defend their rights in an arbitration court.

“I think that those organizations that are responsible for this ... will have to think through questions about whether such a decision should be appealed,” the head of the cabinet said.

At the same time, Medvedev did not deny that the situation in Russian sports is far from ideal, drawing attention to the presence of problems with the use of prohibited drugs.

“Not so long ago, speaking with an interview, he said that in this case it is obvious that on the Russian side, I mean in our sports community there are significant problems with doping. This cannot be denied, ”Medvedev added.

Recall that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has the right to appeal the WADA decision within 21 days. However, in the case of a lengthy appeal, there is a risk that domestic athletes may miss not two, but three Olympics. If the lawsuit ends after the Games in Tokyo and the verdict remains the same, the Russians will not be able to speak at the competitions in 2024 in Paris.