Deputy Zhurova: US sports isolation due to WADA claims unlikely
The isolation of the United States in sports due to claims from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is unlikely, according to Olympic champion and First Deputy Chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova. In a conversation with Lenta.ru, she spoke about the contradictions between Washington and the controlling organization.
“I think that isolation is unlikely to happen, they will simply have to eliminate a number of comments. They appeared after the US behaved quite aggressively towards WADA, tried to call them to account. But as even WADA said, they do not see the log in their own eye, but try to see the speck in someone else’s. Although they have serious violations that even we did not have,” the deputy said.
According to the parliamentarian, the reason for the controversy was the “Rodchenkov Law”, which was adopted in the United States in 2020. It is named after the former head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) Grigory Rodchenkov and provides for criminal prosecution for cases of doping collusion at competitions with American participation.
Now WADA has tried to voice all these comments, because if this happens, no one may come to the Olympic Games.
“They passed the Rodchenkov law, and now, regardless of what WADA says as an independent organization, they can conduct any investigations they want. It turns out that they are replacing WADA. Everyone thought, including WADA, that this law was to scare Russians, but now it concerns all Russians. We said, don’t delude yourself: America, if it wants, can basically weed out any opponent that it doesn’t like with the Rodchenkov law, order an investigation and issue its verdict,” she added.
WADA President Witold Bańka has threatened to isolate the United States in sports. He addressed the country’s Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) during a session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Paris and urged it not to pursue the doping scandal involving Chinese swimmers. Otherwise, he would allow the country to be suspended from the world sports arena.
Source: Lenta
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