Russian anti-doping agency back in the game
Tensions have been defused in the doping scandal involving Russian track and field athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency Wada has announced that Russia's anti-doping agency Rusada will not be suspended again for the time being. This means that Russian athletes will once again be allowed to compete without restrictions in international competitions under their own flag. Which side has had to make the most concessions in the doping row?
Both sides want to defuse the situation
The doping scandal still hasn't been cleared up but at least things have calmed down, Vedomosti comments:
“The confirmation of Rusada's status shows that both sides are at pains to settle the conflict over doping among Russian athletes: both sides don't want Russia to be left isolated by the sports world. Moscow saw the doping problem as being less of a political nature and accepted Wada's key demand to pass on the test results of the Moscow laboratory. This was a concession made under pressure: a refusal to provide the data to the international experts would have quickly led to the isolation of Russian sport. But Wada also made concessions and secretly refrained from insisting that Moscow acknowledge that there is a state doping programme in Russia.”
Punished for arrogant ideas about sovereignty
Ex-politician Nikolai Travkin explains in a Facebook post reprinted by newsru.com how Russia was propped up in this episode:
“Using sport as an example, the stubborn have been taught here what full sovereignty means in today's world. Let us recall how our leadership was offended by the accusations of doping. At first it threatened to withdraw from major international competitions. ... But the world of sports wasn't about to start bickering with us. 'Fine,' it said, 'If you're so sovereign then play against yourselves, we can get along fine without you.' The teaching process lasted more than four years. ... There is no country that is entirely independent of the rest of the world. And those who stubbornly cling to their archaic ideas about full sovereignty will be taught otherwise.”