World Athletics Faces Legal Scrutiny Over Banning Russian Athletes’— Expert
In this Feb. 18, 2014, file photo, a Russian skating fan holds the country’s national flag over the Olympic rings before the men’s 10,000-meter speedskating race at Adler Arena Skating Center during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Formed with good intentions, the World Anti-Doping Agency finds itself at a crossroads as it celebrates its 20th anniversary at a conference this week in Poland. It’s an agency riven with conflicts that have hindered its fight against drugs and exacerbated its 4-year-old struggle in the high-profile case against Russia.
A legal challenge by the Russian Athletics Federation could test whether World Athletics is justified in continuing to bar Russian athletes from international competition, Turkish sports commentator Mustafa Eren told Sputnik.»World Athletics has effectively ignored the IOC’s revised approach to the participation of Russian athletes. If international federations are part of the Olympic Movement, they should take the IOC’s recommendations into account rather than act as if they do not exist. That is why the Russian Athletics Federation’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appears to be a logical and legally justified step,» Eren said.He emphasized that the appeal will allow the Court of Arbitration for Sport to determine whether World Athletics has a sufficient legal basis to refuse to allow Russian athletes to compete.Earlier this month, the IOC lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, removing neutral status requirements and paving the way for Russia’s potential return to Olympic competition in 2028.
