The US does not allow WADA to meddle in its doping affairs
If Russia does not begin to invest in the IOC, as the Americans are doing, it will not receive representation either in the leadership positions of this organization or in the executive committee of the International Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
A two-time Olympic champion and world hockey champion writes about this in Izvestia
Alexander Kozhevnikov, assessing WADA’s recommendation to suspend Russia from international tournaments under its flag for four years, as well as deprive our country of the opportunity to host international competitions, including the already planned world championships in hockey, volleyball and other sports.
He notes that now a new generation of Russian athletes has arrived, “who are asthmatic biathletes, and WADA does not want to conduct an investigation on this topic.
“In our country, people with bronchial asthma are given disability group II. And Norwegians with this diagnosis win the Olympic Games. From school they begin to fill out cards: first, the future champion falls ill with bronchitis, then the disease progresses. As a result, he is “hooked” on drugs that increase performance due to the expansion of the bronchial tree and the supply of more oxygen. But this is of no interest to anyone - all doping problems should concern only Russia,” the author emphasizes.
He also points out that professional North American leagues do not allow WADA and international federations anywhere near them, since they have their own system of checks, which are quite rare, their own disqualification periods and rules for dealing with star/non-star players.
“Let’s take the recent doping case of Evgeny Kuznetsov. The IIHF disqualifies the hockey player for four years (for using cocaine), and in the NHL he misses three games. Because many spectators come to see Kuznetsov play, and this allows him to earn a lot of money. This is what is put at the forefront, and not some WADA rules,” writes the two-time Olympic champion.
At the same time, he admits that in the current situation it will be difficult for Russia to defend its flag due to politics.
“Besides, don’t forget that the budget of the International Olympic Committee is almost half made up of sponsors’ money. And these are mostly American companies: Coca-Cola, VISA, Intel, McDonald's... Does the IOC have Russian sponsors? Although it is unlikely that anyone would be able to invest more money than our businessmen could. It's just a matter of desire. And until we invest in the IOC, as the Americans do, we will not receive representation either in the leadership positions of this organization or in the WADA executive committee,” Kozhevnikov sums up.
As PolitNavigator reported, the WADA committee recommended stripping the Russian Anti-Doping Agency of its compliance status with the World Anti-Doping Code.
The US is keeping WADA out of its doping affairs.