Unfortunate Russian athletes. With less than 150 days until the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Games, they still do not know if they will be allowed to participate in the Olympic event. And they might well ignore it until the very last moment.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) revealed via a press release, published late in the evening of Thursday February 27, the details and timing of the arbitration procedure in the dispute between WADA and the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA ). As a reminder, the world anti-doping body recommends a suspension from Russian sport for a period of 4 years. It concerns the participation of its athletes in major world events, the ban on organizing international events on Russian soil and, by extension, the ban on applying to host global competitions.
In its communication, the CAS explains that the hearing will not be public. WADA had requested this. But, specifies the court based in Switzerland, it could not be accepted in “ the absence of an agreement between the different parties. » Not really decisive.
The CAS also announces that the procedure will be conducted by a trio of experts, chaired by Judge Mark L. Williams. The Australian will be assisted by the Franco-Iranian Hamid G. Gharavi and the Italian Luigi Fumagalli. The three men share solid audience experience in the field of sports. It won't be too much for them.
Other news: the CAS has chosen to invite beautiful people to the debate room. He explains that he accepted, under the “ intervening parties”, the IOC and IPC, the Russian Olympic and Paralympic committees, the International Ice Hockey Federation (??), and several Russian athletes. Their identity has not been revealed.
But the most important thing is elsewhere. It lies in the timing of the procedure. Cautious, the Swiss court is careful not to give too precise a date, but its indications say a lot about the sequence of events.
« The timetable for the procedure for submitting written observations has been established, it will apply until mid-April 2020, details the CAS in its press release. Instructions for holding a hearing will be published at a later date. » But the court makes it clear: the hearings will not begin before the end of April 2020.
The complexity of the case, its issues, and the large number of speakers, make the prospect of a hearing quickly completed illusory. It should last. And could even last forever.
We will then have to wait for the announcement of the CAS decision. For the same reasons, it cannot be taken urgently. For comparison, the CAS must deliver its opinion this Friday, February 28 in the case of Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, whose hearing took place on November 15. Three and a half months therefore, between the hearing and the decision.
What will happen to the Russian sport issue? At this stage of the procedure, it is impossible to answer. But it seems unlikely that it will be resolved in record time, its consequences going well beyond the framework of a single individual, to affect an entire nation, and not the least.
Important clarification: the sanction requested by WADA, an exclusion from Russian sport for a period of 4 years, is suspended pending the decision of the CAS. Russian athletes can therefore participate normally in international competitions, including qualifying events for the Tokyo 2020 Games. With the notable exception of athletics representatives, their federation (RusAF) has been suspended by World Athletics since November 2015. .
Will the Russians know their fate before the Tokyo Games? Possible. Not sure. In such a scenario, it will be up to each of the international summer Olympic sports federations to sort between Russians presumed clean and those suspected of doping. The first will gain neutrality status and will be able to compete in the Games. The others will have no choice but to follow them on their sofa.
Will they have time to complete such an exercise in a few weeks, or even a few days? Hard to believe.
