Because of the attack on Ukraine, most athletes from Russia and ally Belarus are banned from international competitions. Now the criticism is getting louder.
Richard McLaren isn’t exactly known as an ally of Russian sport. As chief investigator, the Canadian law professor worked on behalf of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on Russian state doping after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi – with devastating consequences for Russian sport. Now, however, McLaren is breaking a lance for the athletes from Russia and Belarus: “The way they are treated is not fair”says the 77-year-old.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that world sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions. And almost everyone followed this recommendation. In May, the organizers of the European Championships announced that the Russian and Belarusian teams were excluded from the nine European Championships in Munich.
In an interview with Sportschau, McLaren criticizes that the athletes are held jointly liable for the politics of their countries: “The athletes did not start this conflict and are not responsible for its course. Those are two good reasons to let them participate again.”
Putin confidants keep top positions
While the athletes are sidelined, Russian officials are allowed to continue to pull the strings in international sport. Because the IOC’s recommendation to exclude Russians and Belarusians only refers to competitions, not to the politics behind them. A conscious move?
Although many Russian sports officials, unlike most athletes, have close ties to the Russian government, they need not fear for their jobs. On the contrary: the world boxing association IBA confirmed the controversial Umar Kremlev as president in May.
The World Chess Federation re-elected Arkady Dvorkovich as its head in August. Both are considered Putin confidants. And in the IOC sits Russia’s pole vault legend Yelena Isinbayeva, a fervent supporter of Putin.
“Hollowed, Undermined, Corrupted”
The Green European politician Viola von Cramon, who was a member of the sports committee of the Bundestag before moving to Strasbourg, is not surprised by the mild treatment of the officials. “Russia has managed to optimize its influence over the years – through very generous financial donations to international sport, to national sports federations, to professional associations, to organizers”says von Cramon of the sports show: “It has so hollowed out, undermined and corrupted the institutions from within that no one dares to take action against these Russian officials. Russia can still use its influence, even if the athletes are no longer allowed to compete.”
Given the closeness of Russian officials to the Russian state, von Cramon believes it is high time that all Russian and Belarusian officials who still have voting rights in international sports federations “to suspend, to sanction and to deprive them of all rights”. Von Cramon would also like to make German actors responsible for this: “I would like the DFB and DOSB to take on leadership roles.”
Division of the sports world?
The Russians, however, continue to see themselves as “full member of the Olympic Movement”so NOK boss Stanislav Pozdnyakov on Telegram: “We continue our systematic preparations for the games.” Next Olympic stations are Paris 2024 and Milan/Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026.
Russia wants to host its own competitions with friendly countries. Is Putin planning a parallel structure in international sport? A split in the sports world as leverage for the resumption of Russia and Belarus? Sports lawyer Richard McLaren doesn’t believe that this is the way Russian athletes will find their way back into the international sports community: “As long as the conflict continues, the international sports community will not change the decision once it has been made.”
But McLaren expects that some Russian and Belarusian athletes will go to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport CAS to sue for their right to start. McLaren: “Should the CAS decide in favor of the athletes, the federations would be forced to let them compete again.” The experienced sports lawyer did not want to make a prediction about the chances of the Russians before the court: “It’s completely open.”