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And if the only Russian athlete to participate in the Olympic Games in Rio in five months s ‘named Yulia Stepanova, whistleblower that enabled the discovery of doping State still at work in his country?
Friday 11 March, the Council of the international Association of Athletics Federation ( IAAF) decided not to decide on the case of the Russian Federation, calling in May choose to reinstate or not before the Games. Meanwhile a special congress of the IAAF in May, the precise date to be set, the suspension of Russia is maintained.
The International Federation is studying the other hand the conditions in which Yulia Stepanova could be allowed to participate in the Games. This 800-meter specialist, aged 29, now lives recluse in a secret location, away from Russia which it has become a public enemy. With her husband, Vitaly Stepanov, former employee of the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada), she denounced the institutionalized doping in his country.
His presence in Rio, without the rest of the Russian delegation would , with no doubt, experienced as an unbearable affront to President Vladimir Putin, very involved in sports affairs.
especially since the IAAF confirmed that no other country was not in a position to be excluded from the Olympics. Appeared smiling at the press conference on Friday in Monaco, Sebastian Coe, chairman of the Federation, however, found that Ethiopia and Morocco were in “a critical situation” on the map doping, and Kenya, Ukraine and Belarus were subject to special surveillance.
“a mountain to climb”
When a was presented on 9 November 2015, the first report of the independent inquiry Committee of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) over doping allegations in Russia, the prospect of Olympic events without competitors in this stronghold world athletics seemed unlikely. Even Richard W. Pound, the former WADA President at the head of this commission and usually less diplomatic doping players, considered this option as unlikely.
” before the report, he recalled Wednesday at a conference on doping in London, we said to the Russian sports minister: “S i you want to go, you have a mountain to climb . But if you put all your strength, all your attention in solving the problem, instead of complaining about the report, you have a chance to get there before Rio . “”
in fact, the Russian sports officials have never taken seriously the threat of being excluded from the king of sports of the Olympics. If Vladimir Putin held a crisis meeting in the days following the first presentation of the report, which indicated an organized doping that could not escape the political authorities, no radical change seems to have occurred. ” There are elements that show they brew wind more than anything else “, Pound observed in the wake of the release of a new documentary from the German public television on doping in Russia.
the investigation of journalist Hans-Joachim Seppelt, causing the scandal shows that the suspended coaches still practice at the heart of the vast Russian territory. He also noted that the Acting Director General of the national fight against doping agency (Rusada), in which WADA has withdrawn its accreditation, was aware of the system of preventing athletes controls.
“There is still significant work to be done before the Russians fulfill the reinstatement conditions , said Friday Rune Andersen, Norwegian anti-doping expert who heads the” task force “set up by the IAAF to assess the developments in Russia. Change doping culture could take years. For this, they should really study the AMA survey. It’s a big job and they are only at the beginning. “
Rune Andersen particular application can meet all athletes and coaches cited in the report of the independent commission and athletes previously tested positive. He also noted that the restarting of the random testing program was behind schedule and that the revelations were the ARD documentary “serious concern .” “Russia considers that there is no doubt she will be there in Rio but in my opinion, they will not be there, “ estimated Pound.
” global skepticism “
the decision is in the hands of the” task force “, which will present new findings in May, but most of the IAAF, whose new chairman Sebastian Coe said he wanted to break with the old system. He himself was vice president (2007-2015) of the International Federation of directors when the board had set up the system of corruption under investigation financial national parquet, involving its former president Lamine Diack.
Read also: Doping: Lord Coe is he the man for the job to restore the credibility of athletics?
Even if it says “respectful of the process and supportive of the group” , the French Bernard Amsalem, a member of the IAAF Council, would “preferred us to take a strong decision to regain some credibility in this international campaign of denigration of athletics around doping and corruption” . But anyway, the president of the French Athletics Federation considers it unlikely that Russia will be reinstated in May: “I do not think that in two months they can change a culture that goes back decades. “
” In the explanation that the rapporteur of the Committee [Investigation Russia] has given us , says M . Amsalem, Russian Federation has made great efforts. she changed her elected, she starts putting procedures. the problem is not as the Federation, but everything that revolves around it: the Russian anti-doping agency, Moscow laboratory, government … I’ll give you an example. Russian police was mandated to investigate doping. She said it a few days ago, there was nothing to report. There is a problem, it’s not normal. “
The notice of WADA should also weigh in the balance. Two investigators were sent to Russia to assess the progress of the system, now under the responsibility of the British agency for fight against doping (UKAD), and will remain two years. “It is crucial to deal with this we could describe as a form of global skepticism “ says diplomatically Craig Reedie, president of the AMA.
” to be sure that athletes are clean “
the mission of UKAD, conducted in collaboration with Rusada, only started on 20 February, which means that, for three months, a relatively small number of controls – those of WADA and international federations – were conducted in Russia “things are not progressing as fast as they should,” to confirm World Nicole Sapstead, executive director of UKAD. .
the instances they have the courage to refuse to reinstate Russia in May? “I think so. The IAAF is required, given the recent history of the sport in Russia, to show that it protects clean athletes , observes Dick Pound. I do not see the IAAF and WADA risk their reputation again. “
” My job is not to ensure that as many athletes as possible to the Olympics but to be certain they are clean “, confirmed Sebastian Coe after the IAAF Council.
however, it should be expected that by the month of May, Putin uses interpersonal skills with Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, although the latter did not have a say in theory. The Russian president has been a major support to the accession of the German presidency of the IOC in 2013, and one of the first to congratulate him personally.
Thomas Bach visited him in April then in October 2015, less than three weeks before the publication of WADA’s investigation report and as the image of the Russian athletics was already widely dented. Their public statements are generally great moments of sycophancy.
Similarly, he supported Moscow’s approach to the Sochi Winter Games in 2014, while the law punishing “homosexual propaganda” and Russia’s role in the Ukrainian crisis was the subject of strong international criticism.
in case of a negative decision for Russia’s athletics federation may appeal to the Court of arbitration for Sport. The three months between the expected decision of the Olympics left him just time. “They can play on the fact that it is a disguised collective punishment, since athletes who no fault could be deprived of Olympics” , slipping a specialist CAS
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