‘CAS didn’t fully consider our argument’: Head of Russian Olympic Committee Pozdnyakov on two-year ban

The head of the Russian Olympic Committee has commented on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling to uphold Russia’s international ban for two years, regretting that not all arguments were considered before the decision.

Speaking during the press conference on Thursday, Stanislav Pozdnyakov underlined that Russia was not fully satisfied with the verdict, but was glad that the ban was halved to two years instead of four.

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“We do not hail the decision to partly fulfil WADA’s demand and declare [the Russian Anti-Doping Agency] RUSADA non-compliant with the WADA code. We are confident that there were no reasons for partial or full suspension of RUSADA, as well as any sanctions against it.

“Thus, we think that the court didn’t consider our argument. I want to underline that WADA had insisted on imposing a four-year ban, CAS cut it to two years. So the Paris 2024 Games will he held without any restrictions for Russia,” Pozdnyakov said.

The renowned fencer also hailed the court’s decision not to impose collective responsibility for doping offenses, as was proposed by the WADA.

“One of the most important results of our intensive work with our colleagues is CAS’s decision to overturn WADA’s proposal regarding collective punishment for doping offences. The court refused to implement additional requirements to approve athletes for the Olympic Games,” the four-time Olympic champion said, adding that Russian Olympic Committee, not a specially appointed panel, will form the national Olympic team which will perform under the name of “Olympic team from Russia.”