IOC official ‘surprised’ amid calls for total Russia ban — RT Sport News

Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) government board member Denis Oswald has responded to ideas that Russian determine skater Kamila Valieva is by some means concerned in a ‘state-sponsored’ doping program, backing the IOC’s dealing with of the scenario amid the continued saga in Beijing.

Valieva, 15, turned central to a media firestorm when it was introduced that she had examined constructive for a banned coronary heart remedy in a pattern taken in December. A ruling from the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday decided that {the teenager} ought to proceed to be eligible to compete on the Winter Video games.

IOC official Oswald was pressed on the difficulty throughout a media convention on Tuesday, the place he was requested about previous accusations that Russia was concerned in a strategic doping marketing campaign on the 2014 Sochi Olympics – one thing Russia has repeatedly refuted. 

Oswald beforehand chaired a disciplinary fee investigating previous doping claims.

“It isn’t established that there’s a relation between this [Valieva] case and the doping state of 2014,” Oswald advised reporters.

“It appears to haven’t any connection between the 2.

“No such connection has been established to date. Do you’ve got a rustic on the planet the place there isn’t any single case of doping?

“I don’t assume you’ve got, no nation is ideal. It isn’t the results of what we have now executed since 2014.” 

Oswald added that any disciplinary measures taken by the IOC should solely goal athletes proved to have been purposely concerned in dishonest, and that clear athletes, no matter who they symbolize, should have their proper to compete preserved and guarded.

“We can’t punish clear athletes, that’s what we tried to do,” Oswald added, referring again to sanctions imposed by the IOC and WADA in opposition to Russian athletes. 

“In 2017 we did the utmost we may do in line with the legislation. The sanction, whichever sanction you’re taking, it should be proportionate to the offence.

“We took the utmost punishment we may do in legislation. We suspended the athletes concerned for the subsequent two Video games and this was overturned by the court docket, saying this isn’t proportionate to the offense.

“They restricted the sanction, it was restricted from one Olympic Video games fairly than two. We dwell in a state of legislation and we have now revered the legislation.” 

Valieva’s case has seen more and more hysterical requires additional sanctions on Russian athletes from some media figures, regardless that the info of the case are nonetheless being established. 

USA Right now columnist Christine Brennan has referred to as for a blanket ban on Russia at each the 2024 Olympics in Paris and the subsequent Winter Video games in Milan in 2026.

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Responding to Oswald, she additionally claimed: “Simply as soon as, wouldn’t it’s nice if some IOC chief at a press convention mentioned what the remainder of the world is aware of: that Russia’s obsession with dishonest has plunged one other Olympics into chaos, doubtlessly ruining the expertise for dozens of harmless athletes?”

Comparable outrage has appeared on the pages of Yahoo Sport, the place author Dan Wetzel claimed that the official response to Valieva and her constructive take a look at has “cleared the best way for Russia to cheat ceaselessly.”

However as Oswald famous in his feedback to the media, “it’s shocking that folks have opinions on this with out all the main points of this case.”

Russian officers, together with on the nationwide Olympic committee and determine skating federation, have maintained their perception that Valieva is harmless.  

The ROC famous that Valieva repeatedly handed doping exams earlier than and after her constructive outcome, which was taken on the Russian nationwide championships on December 25.

Questions have additionally been raised as to why it took so lengthy for the WADA-accredited laboratory in Sweden to report the take a look at outcome, which solely arrived after Valieva had helped the ROC to the gold medal within the group occasion in Beijing. 

Oswald revealed on Tuesday that Valieva’s group mentioned her constructive take a look at for the banned coronary heart drug trimetazidine might have come by way of unintentional contamination from remedy her grandfather was taking.