The traditional big press conference of Vladimir Putin did not go without questions about the sport, all the more so in early December, the WADA executive committee imposed severe sanctions on Russia.
The president called such a decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency unfair and contrary to the Olympic Charter. He repeated his words at a press conference.
“As regards the WADA decision, I believe that this is not only an unfair decision, but also one that does not correspond to common sense and law. Because, with regard to doping, decisions related to doping were made regarding the participation of our athletes under the neutral flag at the last Olympics, now for the same thing again, ”Putin said.
In his opinion, any punishment for violation of anti-doping rules should be individual and cannot affect absolutely “pure” athletes.
As an example, the head of state cited young Russian skaters who could be subjected to undeserved punishment.
“If someone is specifically convicted of something, this is natural and fair. But when in our country the overwhelming majority of athletes are “pure”, how can sanctions be imposed on anyone for their actions. We have very young girls in figure skating, still children. What do they have to do with doping? Yes, no! But they jump four turns, and almost no one in the world does this. They can be “cleaned” and removed from the ice in this way. But will it benefit the world sport? I think not, ”Putin added.
The president once again emphasized that the WADA verdict on Russia simply does not comply with the Olympic Charter, and therefore cannot enter into legal force.
“A team should not play in neutral status if there are no complaints against the country's Olympic Committee. This is stated in the Olympic Charter. Deal with specific people, and we will help and assist. In our country, so much is being done to make Russian sport “clean”. By the way, RUSADA was formed in close cooperation with our colleagues from WADA. We even chose a leader based on their recommendation. This gives us every reason to believe that the WADA decision once again has a political connotation, ”Putin said.
They asked the president a question about holding major international competitions in Russia. According to the decision of WADA, the country will lose this right for the next four years. At least she won’t be able to host world championships. However, this, according to Putin, should not affect the development of sports infrastructure in the regions.
“WADA didn’t forbid to conduct competitions. It only recommended that international federations not to conduct them. But, say, the matches of the European Football Championship in 2020 will still be held in St. Petersburg, ”the president said, answering a journalist’s question.
On the whole, Putin spoke about the future prospects of Russian sports rather optimistically and called for news from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where the RUSADA Supervisory Board decided to address just during the president’s press conference.
“I think we need to calmly wait for the appropriate decisions, including the CAS verdict. Then we will understand what position we are in. But Russian athletes were getting ready, and will be preparing for all competitions. There are wonderful guys in Russia who will please us more than once with their brilliant victories, ”Putin concluded.