The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will take part in the proceedings between the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as a third party. A notification was filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS).

The main motive for joining the OCD process is a violation of the Olympic Charter, which, according to the organization’s leadership, took place when the WADA verdict was passed. In particular, one of the sanctions clauses is a four-year ban on the use of state symbols by Russian athletes at major international competitions, including the Olympic Games and World Championships. However, such a punishment is only lawful if the national Olympic Committee was recognized as a violator, since it is he who is involved in the formation of the national team.

“By participating in the process as a third party, the ROC will among other things defend the rights of Russian athletes and All-Russian sports federations to compete under the Russian flag and equal conditions for selection and access to the Olympic Games and other international competitions,” the statement said on the website. departments.

The position of OCD will be upheld by Swiss lawyer Claude Ramoni, who had previously defended the interests of domestic athletes. In 2009, he led the affairs of biathletes Ekaterina Yurieva and Albina Akhatova, accused of using erythropoietin. The athletes appealed to the CAS and the Swiss Federal Court, but were rejected.

Participation in the process as a third party in the CAS was also announced in the Russian Paralympic Committee.

“The Russian Paralympic Committee and Bonnard Lawson Geneva, representing RCC interests at CAS, have completed the preparation of a notice of entry into the process. Documents will be submitted within the time limits established by the regulations, ”the RCC press service said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have also announced their intention to participate in the trial.

On January 9, WADA representatives sent a statement about the start of the dispute to the court after RUSADA officially refused to recognize the verdict. At the same time, IOC President Thomas Bach expressed the hope that the process would not drag on, and that the CAS decision would be interpreted unambiguously and “leave no room for discrepancies.”

At the moment, the IOC has suspended the process of considering applications from Russian athletes for participation in the 2020 Games. It will continue after the CAS verdict. In addition, Bach announced the possibility of resuming trials of athletes previously acquitted in cases of anti-doping rule violation.

It is worth noting that not only international sports federations, Olympic and Paralympic committees, but also Russian athletes themselves have the right to participate in the proceedings between RUSADA and WADA. They need to submit applications by January 20.

“There is an unnamed circle of possible third parties whose rights and interests are affected by the decision of WADA, but whose status as a third party and admission to arbitration will be considered separately by CAS,” said Alexander Brilliantova, TASS, head of the legal department of the ROC.

The process will begin immediately after the composition of the judges is approved. Both sides are involved in its formation.

Meanwhile, RUSADA continues to take stock of the organization’s activities over the past year. So, Deputy Director General Margarita Pakhnotskaya announced the successful functioning of the anti-doping rule violation notification service, launched in August 2017. According to her, if in 2018 there were 78 messages from informants, then in 2019 their number increased to 122.

“There is information about violations of the terms of disqualification, prohibited cooperation with suspended trainers, about the distribution or attempts to distribute doping, as well as about the appointment or attempts to prescribe drugs containing prohibited substances,” Pakhnotskaya explained.

Positive trends include a reduction in the number of violations associated with skipping doping tests or submitting incorrect information about the whereabouts of athletes. In 2019, their number was 312, and in 2018 - 349. In addition, over the past year, RUSADA exceeded the audit plan.