ROC chief lauds Russian delegation’s high discipline in Tokyo in view of CAS restrictions

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. Zero violations were registered on behalf of athletes and officials from the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) regarding instructions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on sanctions against Russian sports, ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov told TASS on Tuesday. "Not a single violation was reported," Pozdnyakov said in an interview with TASS. "All members of our delegation [in Tokyo], including athletes and officials, were extremely disciplined and provided zero reasons to be accused of violating CAS instructions." "This certainly speaks in favor of our delegation’s tight discipline," the ROC chief stated. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Japan’s capital of Tokyo were held this year between July 23 and August 8. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the spread of COVID-19. The team of Russian athletes finished fifth in the overall medal standings, with 71 Olympic medals, including 20 gold, 28 silver, and 23 bronze ones. Pozdnyakov also noted that ROC athletes in Tokyo were on par with athletes from other national teams in terms of doping testing frequency. "If we speak about the doping testing, I should say that our athletes were on par with the rest of the participants," the ROC chief said. "However, I should say that the testing [in regard to Russian athletes] was conducted in a more detailed and scrupulous manner," Pozdnyakov added. Russia at Tokyo-2020 On July 6, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) published an approved list of 335 athletes, who were selected to represent the country at the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympic delegation of Russian athletes in Tokyo included 185 female and 150 male athletes. Russian athletes competed in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem. Additionally, the national anthem of Russia was under sanctions at the Olympics in Japan and so ROC athletes received their gold medals to the tune of the First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Sanctions against Russian sports On December 17, 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland’s Lausanne partially upheld WADA’s (the World Anti-Doping Agency) previous ruling on a number of sanctions against Russian sports. Following the CAS decision, Russian athletes were deprived of their right to participate in all World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games under the national flag of Russia for a two-year period. The ruling of the Swiss-based court also stripped Russia of the right to bid for the organization of all international sports tournaments for a period of two years. WADA’s sanctions will be in force until December 2022. Read more