With the fierce rhetoric of the international anti-doping agency WADA excluded Russia from major international sporting events in four years as a consequence of systematic cheating and attempts to manipulate the study of state-sanctioned doping in the country.
In practice, things are not so black-and-white, as the rhetoric suggests, for in practice the Russian athletes is not immediately excluded. It says Stanis Elsborg, who is an analyst in the Play the Game, working for democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sport.
– I have also seen the Danish and international headlines about Russia are now excluded, it is too early to conclude, says Elsborg.
President Putin lays huge emphasis on sports and suck the prestige that comes from hosting international sporting events. The opportunity to acquire major is now curtailed because of the country’s systematic dopingsvindel. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / Ritzau Scanpix
– The interesting thing will be the whole of the following aftermath, and how they are many loopholes in the WADA’s adoption will be utilized. At the OLYMPICS will be the outcome most likely that the Russian athletes just make up under a neutral flag.
– WADA’s decision will probably not that big a consequence for Russia, in that there are a number of loopholes that lets Russia escape the penalty, ” says Elsborg.
the Loopholes are built into the resolution, because the total exclusion of Russia would mean that athletes, who are not tainted by doping, unlawfully deprived of the opportunity to compete for the OLYMPICS.
What is the purely sporting terms, given the exclusion therefore of significance only for athletes who can not prove that they are ‘pure’, emphasizing the Elsborg.
– If you haven’t had your fingers in the cookie jar, so to speak, so get WADA’s decision of no significance, says Stanis Elsborg.
It, that’s really going to mean something for Russia, according to Elsborg, Russia are barred from bidding on major sporting events in a period of time. It has always been a high priority for president Putin to pull great events for Russia, but the hunt for the big, prestigious rallies must now be set in four years.
The events, which Russia has already been granted, the country after all that the judge allowed to keep, assess Elsborg. The exclusion has, in fact, the loophole that the events should only be moved if it is ‘practically and legally possible’.
It is not difficult to imagine, that it proves practically impossible to move them to another country, ” says Elsborg and argue that, for example, the president of the international ishockeyunion have already been declared in the international media that it is quite impossible to move the WORLD cup 2023 away from Russia.
Russia has had a string of big events awarded by the european championships in swimming in 2021. Surely, also, it is considered to be practically and legally impossible to move the tournament away from Russia?
– I support the resolution, WADA has taken, but it amazes me just not in the first instance recommended the total exclusion of Russia without loopholes, says Stanis Elsborg.
Russia now has 21 days to accept the judgment or appeal to the sport arbitration court, the CAS.
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