Head of International University Sports Federation Oleg Matytsin appointed Russian sports minister

The president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) Oleg Matytsin has been appointed Russia’s sports minister after a new government was formed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Sticking to his promise to make a major cabinet reshuffle, Mishustin introduced some fresh faces in his picks for ministerial positions, including Matytsin who is also a member of the Presidential Council of the Russian Federation for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport.

READ MORE: Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov resigns together with entire Russian government after Putin's State-of-the-Nation Address
 
The 55-year-old replaced former minister, Olympic champion fencer Pavel Kolobkov who resigned together with the rest of the Russian government last week following Vladimir Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation address.
 
Being a member of the International Fair Play Committee Matytsin is expected to restore Russia’s position on the international stage shattered by a huge doping row which hasn’t subsided yet.

The newly-appointed minister will now be fully involved in legal proceedings between Russia and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which will take place in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the coming months.

At the end of last year WADA declared the Russian Anti-doping Agency (RUSADA) non-compliant with its code for the alleged manipulation of doping data retrieved from a Moscow laboratory. Russia was handed a four-year ban, prohibiting it from taking part in and hosting international sporting events.
 
The Russian Olympic Committee and RUSADA members will try to overturn WADA’s verdict in court claiming that the controversial ban contradicts the Olympic charter.