Why are our Paralympians not allowed to attend the Olympics? Russian Paralympians were suspended from the games in Rio de Janeiro
Russian athletes, those who were admitted, are winning more and more medals in Rio, and experts continue to discuss the non-sports aspects of the situation around the Olympics. How did it become possible that the blow fell on the most vulnerable group - the disabled? And what should Russia do to avoid such discrimination in the future? About this Pravda. Ru spoke with an expert in sports medicine, a member of the public council of the Ministry of Sports, Petr Lidov.
Doping games: who hooked the 2016 Olympics on the needle?
— Let’s start from the news that our entire Paralympic team has been suspended from the Olympics...
— If the International Olympic Committee (IOC) tried to succumb to all sorts of attacks from the World anti-doping agency(WADA) to force a revision of the Olympic Charter, then thanks to the efforts of progressive humanity and the members of the IOC, the Olympic Charter was defended. Suddenly, like thunder among clear skies, the position of the International Para Olympic Committee. How can this be assessed? The attacks are not on Russia, but globally. Russia is a bone of contention, but in fact there are many directions that are being hit, first of all, by the North Atlantic Alliance, which now leads all these groups. The Paralympic Committee struck a blow at the most vulnerable category of humanity - the disabled, the world disabled sports. If the Paralympic Committee said that an honest disabled person should not participate in the games, this is a terrible moment, very terrible. It can be described as the beginning of a policy of discrimination against people with disabilities.
Paralympic sports don't make a lot of money. He's not that spectacular. Many people can’t look at it—it brings a lump to their throat. These are the most natural heroes, because they overcame their illness.
— The spirit of modern Olympic Games their creator Pierre de Coubertin expressed it - participation is important, not victory. This is where participation is deprived.
— When the International Paralympic Committee strikes at people with disabilities, this indicates the complete failure of the leadership of this committee. There are people sitting there who have completely lost their understanding of what they should do, what they should protect. This is the highest manifestation of blasphemy at the international level. Now all international Paralympic federations should be indignant and somehow unite.
- The IOC has alreadycreateda precedent for ordinary games, they don’t punish you twice.
- Of course, the president of the Paralympic Committee, if he has at least elements of honor left, should resign after this.
- Does it have anything to do with meldonium?
- Game, of course. I can tell you more. Regular sugar is a great energy booster. It gives more strength and endurance than meldonium. Meldonium is listed under sanction. It was traced that he has tails, he can be caught and humiliated by athletes. Who's on meldonium? Russia. Create a precedent!
— But you said that Russia seems to have nothing to do with it?
— When there are sanctions, when someone wants to strike, then the ideologists of remaking the world think through several directions in which to strike. Not Russia alone. They want to redraw the Olympic Charter. Make an Olympic American charter to dominate the world. They want to humiliate Russia, they want to control all the money. Sports are worth tens of billions of dollars. Believe me, they think it all through before they do it. But they go too far. In their military actions they go beyond the elementary principles of humanity and morality.
— English fair play - an honest, noble game. She is now completely lost, all concepts are erased and emasculated. We weren't ready for this?
— After the collapse of the USSR, we danced to someone else’s tune. And only because of the military actions that began to take place around us, but were not unleashed by us, a real danger arose that they wanted to destroy us under beautiful slogans. This is the dream of many American and European powers. We sit like a thorn, thanks to our large territory, our resources, the friendship of our peoples.
— What should be our response? Should we, say, launch our own Olympic Games, or should we still try to defend our rights in the courts? Continue to follow the lead of the West and specifically WADA?
“The first thing we must do now is to strengthen the position of the IOC, the organization that ultimately supported us, having made a series of mistakes. Secondly, attention needs to be focused on WADA’s criminal activities. In fact, we have two court systems. A civil court that is based on the principles of international law. And the so-called “holy sports inquisition”, which stands for unproven destruction. We talked a lot about why WADA was forced to take such tough measures, because it cannot prove the conscious use of this or that drug. Anti-doping is an element of the show, it hits or misses.
WADA has moved from show to active war. The entire McLaren report itself is not based on facts. This is their weak point. Let them present evidence. Therefore, an active fight against the World Anti-Doping Agency is required, and the fight directly from the IOC.
— Should we hold an alternative Olympics?
— Only if the International Olympic Committee ceases to be the ideological guardian of Olympic events. Only in this case. As long as he maintains his previous positions - he fights for democracy, for honor, for the friendship of peoples - he must be supported in every possible way. It is necessary to point out to him if he deviates from these principles that he is making a mistake.
There is interaction between our Olympic Committee and the international one, and as for the Paralympic Committee, they made, I repeat once again, a glaring mistake by humiliating people with disabilities. The action of the Paralympic Committee does not stand up to any criticism or logic.
I can't find words to appreciate what they did. This is pure stupidity. This organization is headed by an Englishman, who does not decide everything, but he is called upon to protect and create all conditions so that disabled people do not feel like outcasts.
— It’s interesting that in the West they always stand up supposedly for the rights of national, sexual minorities and others, including the disabled, sick people, downs. And suddenly it’s on you! TO When it comes to Russian disabled athletes, a completely different approach is immediately demonstrated.
“I’m afraid that this is not the first step that disabled people themselves will be discriminated against there, like second-class citizens.”
— Under Nazism, Jews, the disabled and the poor were subjected to euthanasia...
- “You have to spend money on disabled people, but they don’t want to.” It's getting scary, you know?
— What should we do in preparation for the next Olympics so as not to be left behind?
- First of all, we need to separate two directions - foreign and domestic policy. In foreign policy, concentrate attention on interaction with the International Olympic Committee, raise a serious fuss about the actions of the International Paralympic Committee. It is necessary to raise the question of reform, the creation of an organization independent of the IOC with proportional representation, first of all, of world sports powers.
Within the country, we need to remove our anti-doping service from the Ministry of Sports. There must be a major reform of RUSADA. From the mouth of Vitaly Smirnov (I don’t know where he was in a hurry) it was said that RUSADA should be subordinated to the Ministry of Health, which is fundamentally wrong. We should have three ministries that are related to: sports itself, health and education.
— It’s better to create several divisions, but won’t they compete with each other?
— There should be an independent organization, but with branches throughout Russia. Such branches are an expensive pleasure, but doping has now come to children's sports. Parents are interested in pushing their less gifted offspring higher and higher and higher in sports such as hockey and football. We have a very weak link - sports medicine.
— Are we training sports doctors?
— Sports medicine a very serious, fundamental reform is required. It has two directions - health protection and increasing efficiency, recovery after physical activity. Then our Ministry of Sports will be responsible for sports results, and healthcare is for the health of citizens.
— H what needs to be done h So that cases like the one with meldonium don’t happen in the future? To Were any drugs subject to anti-doping sanctions?
— Let’s say that an international scientific expert council should be created within the framework of the international anti-doping system. And so that he evaluates everything new that they want to ban or use, whether it can be classified as a prohibited drug or not. To date, the WADA commission is represented only by Anglo-Saxons. This trio decides which drug will or, conversely, will not be on the prohibited lists. This should be decided by a scientific council of international representatives of serious pharmacologists.
Russia also needs such scientific and expert advice. A prototype of such a scientific expert council was already created within the framework of the Russian Olympic Committee before the Olympic Games in Sochi. We have such opportunities.
— What prevented you from creating it then?
— As usual, the desire of officials to manage this council got in the way. And he should, in theory, be independent.
When officials want to participate, it is always doomed to failure. This is a good direction that we have been working on in the State Duma and the Russian Academy of Sciences. I participated in the creation of this council. Everything was not formed according to the scenario proposed by the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Duma. Sports were to be presented in four areas: sports pedagogy, the art of coaching, healthcare, sports physiology and/or sports engineering. These are four directions that practically do not intersect with each other.
Each direction, each vector would consist of subvectors. Each sub-vector would be headed by some serious scientist. If we had created such a council in advance, it would have quickly responded to the absolute lack of evidence of introducing meldonium into the list of prohibited drugs.
Russia will not be represented at the Paralympics, which starts in Rio de Janeiro on September 7. This follows from the verdict of the Sports arbitration court(CAS), which rejected the Russian side's protest against the decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which considered that Russian Paralympians were part of a state-sponsored "doping system" and suspended Russia from the competition. The CAS decision is final and cannot be appealed.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced its decision on the claim of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), which demanded a review of the IPC verdict, which on August 7 ruled that Russian Paralympians would not be able to compete at the Paralympics. IPC President Philip Craven said at the time that information provided by Richard McLaren (head of the independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA) indicated that Russian Paralympians were part of a state-sponsored system aimed at covering up traces of doping by Russian athletes. Note that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a similar situation did not dare to disqualify the entire Russian team, leaving the decision to the International sports federations, who were overwhelmingly in favor of Russians going to Rio. However, contrary to expectations, the IPC did not take into account the position taken by the IOC. In addition, the IPC noted that athletes will not be able to individually appeal to CAS the decision on inadmissibility due to the suspension of the RCC, R-sport reports.
Let us note that the prospects for the Russian side to win in court seemed doubtful from the very beginning. The fact is that CAS has recently already considered two cases, almost similar to the Paralympic one, and in both cases refused to satisfy the claims. We are talking, in particular, about the decision of the International Federation athletics(IAAF), which decided that the Russians will not compete at the Games in Rio. A similar story happened with Russian weightlifters.
In its verdict, CAS noted that it cannot overturn the decisions of the federations, since their charters (national federations, when joining an international federation, recognize its rules) allow for the disqualification of individual members.
IPC President Philip Craven said he was pleased with the CAS decision, but said it was "a sad day for the international Paralympic movement". “The CAS decision underscores our firm belief that doping has absolutely no place in Paralympic sport, and enhances our ability to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for all Paralympians. While we are pleased with the decision, this is not a day to celebrate. We have great sympathy for the Russian athletes who will be missed in Rio... We hope that the CAS decision will be a catalyst for change in Russia so that we can welcome the return of the RPC as a member of the IPC,” reads a statement on the IPC website.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko called for first of all support for the Paralympic athletes, adding that in parallel, the issue of further steps in connection with the suspension of the Russian Paralympic team is being considered. “This is absolutely not a legal decision. You need to get all the information in full and then decide what to do. I see absolutely no reason for such a decision. But such a decision has been made. The meaning and motives are still unclear, we need to read what they rely on in their decision,” Mr. Mutko told R-sport.
The head of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC), Vladimir Lukin, commenting on the CAS decision, called it “inhumane.” “This is unfair and legally more than questionable. I believe that the International Paralympic Committee acted inhumanely and inhumanely towards those hundreds of Paralympic athletes who are absolutely clean and not suspected of any doping cases. By the decision of the officials, they will not be able to do the work to which they dedicated their lives and on which this very life largely depends,” Mr. Lukin said on air.
Sports columnist“Kommersant FM” Vladimir Osipov:“Now, on the wave of success, it seemed that since the Court of Arbitration for Sport makes this wonderful decision to admit us, we ride on the wave of this success and take some place and return home happy. And now they just put us in our place, they told us that guys, no, this won’t happen, if you think that you will always win in some disputes, then by no means.”
Lawyer of the Yakovlev and Partners legal group Svetlana Gromadskaya on Kommersant FM:“In this case, as I believe, the Russian Paralympic Committee did not provide any documents or information that individual athletes are clean, do not have anti-doping violations and can be admitted to the Olympics. That is, in this case, I believe, individual athletes can apply to the International Paralympic Committee for accreditation and, in case of refusal, appeal the decision individually in court.”
Arnold Kabanov, Anna Tokareva
How Russian Paralympians received disqualification
On August 7, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided to take a step that even the much more influential International Olympic Committee (IOC) preferred to avoid. The IPC announced the disqualification of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) and, as a result, the removal of the Russian team from participation in the Paralympic Games starting on September 7 in Rio de Janeiro.
Why did the International Paralympic Committee open a disciplinary case against the Russian Paralympic Committee
At the end of July, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) opened a disciplinary case against the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC). The IPC then noted that it had evidence that the results of doping tests for at least 35 Russian Paralympians could have been manipulated.
The main reason for the removal of Russian Paralympic athletes
Many people have probably already seen this sign?
It clearly shows who is in what place in their successes.
and what a mess, roughly speaking, are the arrogant Saxons who unleashed all this chaos against our country.
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CNN: The decision to suspend Russian Paralympians is admirable.
decision to remove Russian athletes-Paralympians' participation in the Rio Olympics was received with surprise and admiration, reports the American television channel CNN. At the same time, the head of the IPC (an Englishman) said that he was “disgusted” by the Russian mentality, which “puts medals above morality.”
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the casket simply opened.
I dream that those who started all this will be completely ruined by millions/billions of lawsuits
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PySy: And here’s the cherry on the cake:
- July 17, 2016
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) asks the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the Olympic and Paralympic Committees of the Russian Federation from the 2016 Games, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, RIA Novosti reports.
“In accordance with the Principles, Charter and Code, USADA requests the IOC Executive Committee to suspend the Russian Olympic and Paralympic Committees from participation in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. IOC President Thomas Bach rightly described the actions of the Russian side, if the charges are proven true, as “a shocking, unprecedented scale of doping with a level of crime unprecedented to date.” We believe that a complete suspension is the only correct solution, given the findings of the report. There can be no doubt that strict and decisive action must be taken by the IOC to combat corruption at the Games, doping in sport, and to protect clean athletes and preserve the integrity of the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Olympic Movement."
says a letter addressed to IOC President Thomas Bach.
In total, according to the New York Times, anti-doping organizations of 10 countries, as well as 20 groups of athletes, are demanding the suspension of the Russian team from the games.
“Representatives of anti-doping agencies in at least 10 countries and 20 groups of athletes are preparing an extraordinary step to demand the removal of the entire Russian delegation from the Summer Olympic Games in connection with accusations of a state doping program,” the publication writes, citing some “electronic correspondence.”
It is noted that we are talking, in particular, about “the USA, Germany, Spain, Japan, Switzerland, Canada” and other countries.
The article also reports that supporters of Russia's suspension from the 2016 Games "are awaiting an investigation into allegations published in May in the New York Times about a state doping program at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi," made by the former head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov.
“It is likely that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report will confirm what will become one of the biggest doping scandals in history. This will be a “watershed moment” for “clean” sport,” the newspaper quotes Joseph Ne Pencier, director of the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations.
On August 7, 2016, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decided not to allow the entire Russian national team to participate in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Why this happened and how Russia will protect its athletes was discussed by the Amitel news agency in its regular Question and Answer column.
Why did the IPC deny the Russian team participation in the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro?
The decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is based on the Richard McLaren report on doping in Russian sports. The document talks about 35 Russian Paralympic athletes whose samples showed the presence of doping, and then “disappeared.” In addition, based on the data published in the report, Chapter International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Philip Cravenstated that there are evidence that sample tampering occurred during the Paralympic Games in Sochi. He said that 21 samples from seven Russian athletes were retested. Following a report prepared by an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) headed by Richard McLaren, a new investigation was carried out. As a result, the lab found "that only 19 samples could be tested normally, and 18 caps had scratches that showed they had been opened and reused," Philip Craven said.
Craven said that the IPC suspended the membership of the Russian Paralympic Committee because the Russian side could not prove its case.
Can the IPC reverse its decision?
The IPC cannot reverse its decision. However, according to IPC head Philip Craven, the Russian team can appeal the decision of the International Paralympic Committee. This is Russia's only chance to get into the competition. And Russia must file an appeal as quickly as possible - it only has 21 days. Let us remind you that the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro will take place from September 7 to 18, 2016.
What is happening in the Russian Paralympic Committee after the IPC accusation?
Now a case has been opened against the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) based on a report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Meanwhile, the head of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Vladimir Lukin, in an interview with TASS, said that the organization intends to file a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne: “We will immediately, with the help of our lawyers, transfer the complaint to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, which, as we expect, will make a decision, similar to what was adopted on the issue of admission to the Olympic Games. So everything is just beginning. If the International Paralympic Committee wants to engage in this kind of second-rate political activity, then that is its right,” Lukin said. “I cannot prove that in this matter “Politics is involved, but there is a very strong smell of politics.”
How did Russia react?
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko also did not stand aside and said, in turn, that Russia would file a claim with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (CAS) in connection with the decision of the IPC to exclude the country's national team from the 2016 Paralympic Games.
“We will fight for our Paralympians,” the media quotes the words of the head of the Ministry of Sports.
Can Russian athletes get to the Paralympics?
Russian Paralympians can do the same as regular Olympians and try to get into the competition by challenging the IPC decision in the courts.
Which of the athletes from the Altai Territory can take part in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro?
The Russian Paralympic team also included athletes from the Altai Territory. These are powerlifters Irina Kazantseva, which took silver in 2008 in Beijing, and Tamara Podpalnaya, which has already successfully taken part in four Paralympics and brought Russia two gold and two silver medals.
What are the Paralympics?
The Paralympics are an analogue of the Olympic Games for athletes with disabilities. Just like the Olympics, it is held once every four years.
In 2012 in London, the Russian team was in second place: 36 gold medals, 38 silver, 28 bronze. The Chinese team was in first place, and Great Britain was in third place.
In 2008 in Beijing, the Russian Paralympic team was only in eighth place. China took first place in the team competition, Great Britain took second, and the USA took third.
If the regular Olympics brings together everyone who, according to the motto of the Games, wants to be “stronger, faster and higher”, then the Paralympics is a symbol of an unyielding spirit. At these competitions you can see courage in a concentrated form that cannot be seen anywhere else. Probably, no one wanted to believe that Russian athletes with limited capabilities, but unlimited willpower, would face the arrogance and meanness of the organizers and officials of the IPC - they, open and honest people, were simply not ready for this. But that's exactly what happened.
How the suspension happened
The last hope disappeared today, August 23, when the decision Sports arbitration In Lausanne, the appeal of the Russian Paralympic Committee, filed to protest the decision of the IPC to exclude the Russian team from the most important competitions in Rio de Janeiro, was rejected. Earlier, the same was stated by the head of the IPC, Sir Philip Craven. This decision is final and made on the principle of collective responsibility, which is not provided for by any rules. There will be no appeal; it is practically impossible. Russian Paralympians, numbering 267 people, will not go to Rio.
Grounds
Any decision, especially such an important and responsible one, must be motivated by something. The removal of Russian Paralympians formally also has a basis, and the same one that the IOC used when trying to prevent the Russian team from participating in the Rio Games, that is, the conclusions of the McLaren Commission. The author of the report did not familiarize the public with all the provisions of the investigation, but for some reason they trust him limitlessly. The document, allegedly incriminating Russian athletes of doping, and even under state cover, is actually based on the written testimony of one person, namely Rodchenkov, the former head of the anti-doping laboratory.
The style of presentation of the letter is so chaotic that it raises serious doubts about the mental health of the author. There is no real evidence of sample substitution (except for some scratches on sealed test tubes, which are considered signs of unauthorized opening), or the McLaren commission is hiding them for some reason, which is unlikely. Despite the final conclusions, Russian team was admitted to the Olympics in Rio, albeit with an incomplete team, and took fourth place in medal standings. All Paralympians were not allowed to compete, although none of them were ever convicted of doping.
About the presumption
It was enough that the RKR did not refute the facts (as stated in the decision, but in fact these are only statements) that served as the basis for the IPC decision, and did not provide evidence of the athletes’ innocence. The presumption of innocence does not work in this respected court.
The Russian Paralympic Committee was mentioned only once in the report, as an organization “poorly opposed to this system.” Yes, clarity of wording and legal clarity are the strengths of this document.
What were the odds?
Over the course of a month, CAS decided cases both against the Russian team and in its favor, and did so quite unpredictably. Behind the lack of logic there was clearly a desire to avoid accusations of bias, but there is either no real system or it is difficult to track. For example, the court allowed some athletes with a “doping history” to compete at Rio 2016, thanks to which they won medals, including double silver medalist Efimova. At the same time, weightlifters and track and field athletes never received consent to participate in the Olympics. Given these circumstances, the Paralympians had reason to hope that they would be admitted to the Games with a probability of approximately 50 to 50, as in the game “heads or tails.” The absence of clear decision-making criteria cannot guarantee anything under any conditions. Ultimately, the Russian athletes were denied and the appeal was rejected.
Reasons for failure
Russian Paralympians were disqualified more than two weeks ago, but the leadership turned out to be unprepared for this, both morally and financially. The statement of the Chairman of the Committee, Vladimir Lukin, on this matter was determined to protect the rights of athletes, but there was obviously no concrete plan to achieve this goal, and it was not possible to develop one quickly and efficiently. In addition, serious means were required to legally support the appeal, and they were not available. This problem was solved thanks to the philanthropic assistance of Andrei Ryabinsky, vice president Russian Federation boxing, a wealthy and sympathetic man, who paid for the services of a legal team, but time had already been lost. The main direction of the defense, obviously, was the thesis that the RPC of the Russian Federation is not obliged to exercise control over anti-doping services. The court did not take this provision into account, and, apparently, it was not at all possible to foresee what argument might influence it.
Are there any chances left?
The functioning of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) occurs according to unique rules that have no analogues in ordinary jurisprudence. There is absolutely no use in filing an appeal against him in an ordinary civil court. A chance can only arise if some meticulous lawyer finds procedural violations in the actions of the arbitration tribunal, even if they are insignificant and not related to the essence of the disputed case. In this case, an attempt to return for reconsideration may be attempted. The likelihood of this event is extremely low, there is no time, and in the meantime the International Paralympic Committee is already acting on the basis that the Russian team has been permanently removed, in particular, distributing the vacated quotas among other participants in the Games. To be honest, we must admit that there is almost no chance.
Lost Opportunities
First of all, the athletes are upset; for many of them, this was perhaps the only opportunity to compete at this level and show what they are capable of. And this is truly the most important event in life strong people taken away from them without even really explaining why. The main thing, of course, is moral losses, but we shouldn’t forget about the material side of the matter either - for gold medal There is a prize reward of four million rubles, 2.5 million for silver, and 1 million 700 thousand for bronze.
This kind of money is never superfluous, these people are heroes and champions at the Paralympic Games, and in real life they are disabled. This should be remembered. People prepared for competitions, overcoming pain and overcoming difficulties. The sympathy of some foreign organizations expressed regarding the removal of the Russians, and even in conjunction with the approval of the decision to exclude them, looks extremely hypocritical. It would be better if they just kept silent, or something. It would be more honest.
Not a reason, but a reason
The conclusions of the McLaren Commission have very little to do with justice, even sports justice, and they obviously served only as a reason for the removal of Russian athletes. The reasons that seem to the organizers of the shameful trial to be securely hidden behind legal formulations and declarative calls for “purity” are in fact quite visible even to the naked eye. They, of course, have a political context, but it’s not just about the desire to “push” Russia, “indicate the place” and so on. It’s just that our athletes, even under conditions of unprecedented pressure, were able to take fourth place at the Rio 2016 Olympics, and this infuriated many. As for the Paralympics, four years ago ours were second after China, and who knows what to expect from “these Russians” now? Probably, this suspension can be considered a real recognition that Russian Paralympians are the strongest in the world. They are simply afraid.
