First
Deputy Chairwoman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Olympic
champion Svetlana Zhurova
Svetlana Sergeevna
expressed her hope that the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA) will reinstate the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) at the next Executive
Committee meeting, taken into consideration the documentary conclusions of the Compliance Review Committee, and not anyone's Russophobic attitudes.
On Friday, the WADA Compliance Review Committee reported that it recommended the WADA Executive Committee to reinstate RUSADA's rights at its meeting on September 20.
“I hope that there will be no surprises, and the WADA Executive Committee will decide on reinstating RUSADA. The WADA Executive Committee consists of status people, who can be, of course, politically pressured. But is it now necessary to exert such pressure on them, this is a big question. It is unlikely that somebody calls now and says: take another decision on Russia, taken into account the current situation and Russophobic attitudes,” Zhurova noted.
“Members of the WADA Executive Committee thoroughly review the documents that are prepared by the Compliance Review Committee. This Committee prepares documents for the adoption of a decision. There are enough doping scandalsin the West to continue to condemn Russia again. Our scandals have been reduced to a minimum,” added the member of the State Duma.
According to Zhurova, serious work has been done to reinstate RUSADA.
“Reinstating RUSADA required certain measures to correct mistakes that we had had. A huge work has been done,criminal liability was introduced for violation of anti-doping rules. There is no such thing in the majority of countries. Now, RUSADA will be able to fully and extensively conduct doping-control in the country. And with this, we can hope that the next step will be the reinstatement of the Paralympic Committee of Russia and the All-Russian Athletics Federation,” Zhurova said.
