I'm sure you seen by now that WADA has made the decision to reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency. The news that it was likely broke last week, and all today's meeting did was rubber stamp that decision and make it official. This despite Russia still not meeting two of the criteria that had been set forth for their reinstatement.
Those two criteria had previously been loosened, though, making the road to reinstatement easier. WADA must be given access to the Moscow lab. If they aren't by Dec. 31 and/or allow for samples to be retested by June 30, Russia will again be declared non-compliant. The second was the acknowledgment of the findings in the McLaren Report (the one that led to their suspension in the first place). That requirement seems to have been dropped, although Russia did sign a letter admitting to wrongdoing, but taking much of the onus off the government.
Naturally, the decision wasn't met with enthusiasm by everyone. The vote was 9-2 with one abstention, and WADA Vice President Linda Helleland, one of the "No" votes, has said the decision "casts a dark shadow over the credibility" of the organization. Meanwhile, Beckie Scott, a Canadian Olympic champion in cross country skiing, resigned from WADA last week in protest. You also had the two holier-than-thou American-based critics, Travis Tygart and Grigor Rodchenkov, chime in with their two cents.
Plenty of athlete groups around the world have been outspoken in their disappointment with WADA's decision, as well. From an athlete's perspective, I get it. They were the ones robbed of Olympic medals and other opportunities because of Russian doping. However, and here's where it gets tricky, how much are the athletes to blame for that? In East Germany back in the day, they weren't given a choice!
That criticism was inevitable whenever WADA decided to lift Russia's suspension. And it's a cloud that's going to hang over Russian athletes--all Russian athletes--for a while. It's not necessarily fair. But it's reality.
Here's the thing, though. In order for Russia to get redemption and work its way back to acceptance, RUSADA needed to be reinstated. Russian athletes need the ability to prove they're clean, but how are they supposed to do that when they can't be drug tested?! People have every reason to be skeptical of the Moscow lab, but this is a classic catch-22 situation. Russian athletes are guilty until proven innocent, but they have no way of proving their innocence!
Did WADA jump the gun and reinstate Russia too early? Perhaps. But these critics weren't going to be happy whenever it was lifted. And I'm not even sure they realize the contradiction they're advocating. They're pushing for "clean" sport while also fighting to keep an entire nation completely excluded. Meanwhile, many of the athletes who they're so eager to prevent from competing are guilty of nothing more than being Russian.
Don't get me wrong. Russia deserved to be suspended. And I think the IOC's Russia suspension was a joke. Letting them send an entire team, just under that stupid "OAR" designation, is NOT a suspension. And you could tell how reluctant the IOC was to even do that when Russia was reinstated two days after the PyeongChang Games ended.
To their credit, WADA understood that the reinstatement wouldn't be received well by everyone. WADA President Craig Reedie realizes the decision "will not please everybody," but also claimed that WADA is now "in a much better position." He also gets that athletes will be wary to accept competing against Russians. And they're completely justified to worry. After all, they're the ones who were denied spots in the Olympics or Olympic medals because of Russian doping.
Although, Janez Kocijancic, the President of the European Olympic Committees and one of the nine "Yes" votes, said that prolonging the suspension wouldn't serve to benefit anyone, either. He noted that a key part of compliance is making sure that the rules are being complied with. And it's tough to prove you're complying with the rules when you're not even given a chance to! He also cautioned that extending the ban too long would effectively turn it into a sanction, and sanctions aren't good for anybody.
Besides, the Russian "suspension" was becoming borderline ridiculous. Not only did you have the ridiculous "OAR" designation in PyeongChang, you've got Russian athletes competing with no restrictions in pretty much every sport! And that "ANA" thing in track & field is nearly as stupid as "OAR". If you've determined that they're clean and are eligible to compete, stop making them be athletes without a country. It's got nothing to do with them.
Despite WADA's announcement, the IAAF and IPC have made it clear that this doesn't mean they're in any rush to reinstate Russia. They have their own criteria that the Russians must meet in order to be reinstated to those organizations. Although, with the Moscow lab being reopened, that's just a matter of time. I fully expect a full Russian team to be competing at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, as well as the Tokyo Paralympics.
This is a messy situation all around. It has been for three years. But I don't agree with those who are calling for some sort of indefinite Russian suspension. Because that isn't fair either. What the Russian Olympic Committee did was horrible, especially because so many clean athletes were cheated. Athletes who have every reason to be upset about it. However, it's also unfair for every Russian athlete to immediately be labeled a "cheater" just because of the flag on their uniform.
Russia's rehabilitation is going to be a long process. And it's not going to be an easy one. Which is why that process needed to get started. Everyone needs to heal. And the only way for that healing to begin was for Russia to be reinstated.
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