World sport is looking forward to Lausanne from Monday. Because when the hearing on the four-year ban begins in the Russian doping scandal at the CAS International Sports Court, it is not just about a possible line under the endless affair. It is about the Olympic exit of the major sporting power and the effectiveness of the international anti-doping fight. “Our expectation is that the sanction imposed by WADA will be confirmed. This would send a clear signal that such massive fraud and the disregard of the rules and regulations do not go unpunished, «reports the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA).
In December 2019, Russia was banned from the big sports stage for four years for manipulating data from the Moscow control laboratory. The nation is not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games or world championships such as the 2022 World Cup. Russian athletes who can be proven to be free of doping would only be able to participate as “neutral athletes” – if the CAS rejects the objection of the sports superpower against the penalty of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). “A clear and tough decision by the court would be a valuable sign of the global fight against doping,” says DOSB President Alfons Hörmann.
A doping system supported by government agencies and organized doping cover-up, not just through the ultimately sanctioned data manipulation; plus the sad low point at the scandalous games in Sochi in 2014 with the nightly exchange of doping samples through a “mouse hole” in a wall: the allegations, supported by several investigations, have existed for a long time. Around 1,000 athletes are said to have been involved in the doping system, 15,000 files alone were deleted during the manipulation and at least 145 athletes were thereby protected. “Russian sport has demonstrably disregarded all the values of sport,” says Dagmar Freitag, chairwoman of the Bundestag sports committee.
The negotiations, which have been postponed several times due to the corona pandemic, are scheduled for next Friday; in a secret location in Lausanne, closed to the public. A judgment will only be given at a later date. “WADA turned every stone in advance,” says WADA President Witold Banka. He is convinced that his organization has made the right decision with the sanction.
And Russia? Believes in his probably slim chance. “We have our arguments,” says Michael Buchanow, General Secretary of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency. However, Russia could also have gambled away. Had the country accepted the penalty right away, it would only miss two Olympics. Due to the suspensive effect of the objection and the postponement of the summer games in Tokyo, there would now be three convictions – including Paris 2024.
But will the judgment also be a final stroke? From a legal point of view, it will at least be groundbreaking, even if there is not yet a very promising course before the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. The question of whether the affair has also brought about a change in mentality in Russia is another – and will not be negotiated before the CAS. SID / nd
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