The Board of Founders of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Montreal decided to return to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) the right to conduct and plan testing in the event that the head of the Supervisory Board, a two-time Olympic champion, leaves her post.
The maximum task for RUSADA today is to regain the so-called temporary compliance status with the WADA Code. This means that the organization will have the right to plan and conduct testing, that is, to function almost fully, but under the close supervision of WADA and under certain conditions. Something like a parole in the anti-doping way.
It is interesting, by the way, that, as such, the conditions and, in general, the format of temporal compliance itself are not spelled out in the WADA Code. Obviously, because RUSADA is the first of the national agencies of this magnitude to be under sanctions. Russia is not Kenya or even Spain, we take a huge number of samples, and just like that, with a stroke of a pen, after two years of inactivity, it is impossible to turn an organization into an operating one. Here we need a whole "road map" of the return.
Actually, the head of the WADA Compliance Committee, Jonathan Taylor, spoke about this at the Founders' Council. It turns out a paradox: WADA wants to return the status of temporary compliance to RUSADA, and what it means is not clear from the documents, it can be interpreted in any way. Taylor called for streamlining the laws and clarifying the Code. It turns out that RUSADA also helps WADA to become better, and not just vice versa.
WHY IS A COSMONAUT BETTER THAN ISINBAYEVA
The main issue on the agenda for Russia was the resignation from the post of chairman of the Supervisory Board. There is now no doubt that this resignation will take place. Director General of WADA Rob Koehler even named the date: May 31, at the next meeting of RUSADA.
At the same time, WADA has nothing against the mere presence of Isinbayeva on the Supervisory Board. The main thing is that the chairman there should be another, independent person.
The head of the Supervisory Board should be independent, and Yelena Isinbayeva was nominated by the Russian Olympic Committee, Koehler quotes from the Insidethegames portal. - We want to change the charter of RUSADA to guarantee this independence. The point is in the independent status, and not in a particular person. Once all of our criteria are met, we will return to RUSADA the right to conduct testing under the supervision of independent experts and UKAD.
What specifically does WADA Isinbayeva dislike is a big question. But it is obvious that even the Vadavians themselves admit that according to the current charter of RUSADA and Russian legislation in general, there are no questions for it. The great athlete was elected democratically and in accordance with all the rules. Moreover, it turns out that Isinbayeva indirectly holds a position in RUSADA, no less than her ... membership in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)!
As a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, Elena automatically became a member of the executive committee of our Olympic Committee (ROC). And therefore, it was nominated to RUSADA by this organization. The position of a member of the executive committee, occupied on a formal basis - that's all that does not suit WADA. Paradoxically, but a conditional pilot-cosmonaut Sergei Ryazansky, who flew into space for several months on April 20, WADA would have arranged as chairman of the Supervisory Board, but Isinbaev would not.
Posted by Yelena Isinbaeva (@isinbaevayelena) May 18, 2017 at 2:28 PDT
ISINBAYEVA MET THE NEWS IN CANNES
If (more precisely, when) Isinbayeva's resignation takes place, WADA representatives see no obstacles to the further restoration of RUSADA's status. Even without a meeting of the Board of Founders, as a matter of course, RUSADA will have the right to plan and conduct testing, and in November, if everything is in order, it will be fully restored.
WADA, UKAD and our independent experts are working a lot with RUSADA and have come to the conclusion that returning the right to conduct testing, under our control, would be the right step, - said CEO WADAOlivier Niggli. - In the future, RUSADA remains to fulfill the criteria for the restoration of membership, which are described in the roadmap agreed upon by us.
Among the criteria that Niggli speaks of is, in particular, access for WADA representatives to the so-called "closed cities". It is extremely difficult to fulfill it: according to Russian law, foreigners do not have the right to simply come and leave such cities. But in this matter, WADA is ready to compromise. And when RUSADA regains its compliance and we have Russian doping officers, the problem will disappear altogether.
Posted by Yelena Isinbaeva (@isinbaevayelena) May 18, 2017 at 9:47 PDT
It is interesting, by the way, that Isinbayeva herself met the news of her imminent resignation at the Cannes Film Festival. The Olympic champion walked the red carpet, took pictures with the stars of world cinema and, judging by social networks, her thoughts were very far from RUSADA. This is not surprising. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board is a representative position rather than one involving real daily work.
It is all the more surprising that it is precisely because of her that the Russian side has been bickering with WADA for half a year already! Since the end of November, when Isinbayeva was first elected, this topic has become the main reproach in almost all the statements of the WADA leadership about Russia. You can argue as much as you like that the demand for resignation is illegal. But the fact is that Russia persuaded WADA for six months and played out, it seems, until the ultimatum.
You can, of course, now go on principle and let Isinbayeva work. But then it will resemble the situation when an applicant argues with a professor at the entrance exam. A student may be right a thousand times, but as the teacher decides, so be it. It is impossible to effectively defend one's position when all the trump cards are in the opponent's hands.