Double cynicism

Russian athletes will miss the 2016 Paralympic Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro from September 7 to 18. Today, the sports arbitration court ( CAS ) in Lausanne rejected the complaint of the Paralympic Committee of Russia (PCR) for removing the national team in full force. The CAS verdict, published on his official website, states that the decision of the Ministry of State Pedagogical University to suspend the membership of the Russian representative office does not violate the sports norms and internal rules of the organization. Arbitration, at the same time, cannot cancel the decision of the federations that are part of the MPC if their charters allow disqualification of individual members.

It was impossible to say with confidence about what decision will be made by the sports arbitration court in the suit of the Paralympic Committee of Russia. According to the results of the CAS meeting , the head of the International Paralympic Committee, Philip Craven, emphasized that the Russian side, which performed at the meeting, "was persistent, but at the same time friendly." Today, R-Sport, citing a source familiar with the situation, said that most likely arbitration will allow Russian paralympics to participate in games.

Head of the International Paralympic Committee Philip Craven / Kremlin.ru

“The hearings were held in a rather positive way, on the basis of the information received, you can give a positive forecast: the decision, with a high degree of probability, will be in favor of Russian athletes,” the source said.

Against this background, the CAS decision has become all the more unexpected. Russian Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko said that the verdict of sports arbitration, which covered the road to the Russian paralympians in Rio, is due to political considerations. “The decision is not in the legal field - it is more political than legal. There is no reason for refusal, but this happened, ” TASS quotes Mutko.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, on his Facebook page, called the decision of the sports arbitration court (CAS) to not allow Russian athletes from the Russian Federation to the Paralympic Games in Brazil. “This is doubly cynical solution, since we are talking about people who overcome themselves daily. This is a blow to all disabled people, not only Russian, ”says the Prime Minister.

The IPC suspended the PPC membership on August 7, explaining that the Russian side is not able to support global anti -doping rules and fulfill its obligations within the framework of an international organization. The reason for such a tough solution was the publication of the report of an independent commission of the World Anti -Doping Agency ( WADA ), led by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren. The report said the systematic use of prohibited drugs by Russian athletes within the framework of the state system, which not only encouraged doping practices, but also allowed to hide positive results of the tests. The authors of the report also mention 35 disappeared positive tests of paralympies between 2012 and 2015.

The investigation of the WADA independent commission almost led to the removal of the entire Olympic team of Russia from participating in the 2016 summer games, but in the end, most athletes (approximately 2/3 of the national team) were allowed to competition. Almost all athletics, as well as some representatives of other sports who had problems with doping, did not go to Rio, almost all athletics. After that, the PCR appealed to CAS , counting on a positive outcome of the case, although before that CAS sided with the International Association of athletics Federations, which removed Russian athletes from the Olympics.

“Today's decision emphasizes our firm belief that doping has absolutely no place in Paralympic sports, and allows us to improve our opportunity to ensure fair competition and equal conditions for all Paralympic athletes around the world,” Craven said, commenting on CAS decision .

Doping samples / wikipedia.org

The head of the MPC and previously made categorical statements to Russia. At a press conference dedicated to the removal of Russian Paralympicians, he said that the worldview that puts medals above morality inspires him. The committee was satisfied with the results of the arbitration proceedings, but at the same time they do not see a reason to celebrate victory.

“We experience great sympathy for Russian athletes who will now miss the Paralympic Games in Rio. This is a sad day for the Paralympic movement, but we hope that this is also a new beginning. We hope that this decision will work as a catalyst for changes in Russia, and we will be able to greet RPK again as a member, confident that he fulfills his obligations to ensure fair competition for everyone, ”Craven added.

Member of the Federation Council, Olympic champion in athletics, Tatyana Lebedeva said that Russia could apply to the European Court of Human Rights with a complaint about CAS and MPC decisions. The Public Chamber made an alternative Paralympic Games in Russia at one time with games in Brazil with a more specific proposal. Whether athletes from other countries will be able to perform at alternative competitions, they did not explain to OP.

Meanwhile, several sources in the International Olympic Committee, not one of which is represented by Russia, told Reuters that an anti -American faction appeared in the IOC, which was extremely dissatisfied with the campaign organized by the United States regarding Russian sports. According to the interlocutors of the agency, the active intervention of the American side to investigate the Russian doping system overshadowed the preparation for games in Rio and the reputation of the IOC itself was tarnished.

In this regard, the chances of Los Angeles to hold the 2024 Summer Olympics decreased greatly, Reuters sources are sure . “Los Angeles’s application, competing with three European cities, risks facing the anti-American protest vote of several IOC members, angry with an important role that the United States played in the allegations of doping against Russian athletes,” one of them said.

The application for games 2024 was also submitted by Paris, Rome and Budapest. Los Angeles twice received the summer Olympics-in 1932 and 1984. This time, the city submitted an application instead of Boston, whose inhabitants did not support the idea to accept the Olympics at home. Activists of the “No Olympics in Boston” have proved that the city’s infrastructure can be improved without investing huge funds, including taxpayers' money, in Olympic construction. As a result, 53% of Boston residents voted against the Olympics, after which the city authorities were forced to withdraw the application.