‘Unacceptable & unethical’: Russia says flag removal scandal at World Draughts Championship in Poland must not go unchecked
The Russian Draughts Federation has asked an international ruling body to address the incident involving the removal of the Russian flag during the Women’s World Championships in Warsaw.
The situation occurred during a world title match on Tuesday, when Russia's Tamara Tansykkuzhina's national flag was abruptly taken off the table on which the championship final’s fourth round was being played.
Six-time world champion Tansykkuzhina and her Polish opponent, Natalia Sadovskaya, were battling for the world draughts crown when match secretary Jacek Pawlicki interfered midgame, explaining that he was acting on a call from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The Russian side insisted that the manner in which the national flag was taken away was “unacceptable and unethical,” calling on the governing body to conduct an internal investigation and punish the officials who allowed the controversial action.
Kotsnews, [27.04.21 22:50]Just some kind of disgusting. In Poland, during the women's World Drafts Championship match between Polish Natalya Sadovskaya and Russian Tamara Tansykkuzhina, by order of WADA President, the organizers removed the Russian flag right during the meeting pic.twitter.com/8RC7wcRAQX
— Victor (@vicktop55) April 28, 2021
“The flag was on the table, while the other one was stuck to the table’s side. Midway through the game, all Russian symbols were removed,” said Anatoly Nikitin, the head of Russia’s Draughts Federation.
"The Russian Draughts Federation has treated the organizers’ actions as unacceptable, unethical and deserving condemnation.
"The Russian side has asked the International Draughts Federation to investigate the incident and sanction those involved in the incident."
WADA confirmed that it had ordered the Russian flag to be removed in order to comply with a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has banned Russia’s national symbols at major sports events for a two-year period. But it also stressed that it didn’t require that the flag be replaced mid-match.
Also on rt.com Polish ace removes flag in solidarity with Russian rival whose national tricolor was torn off mid-game during draughts world finalThe Polish officials apologized in the wake of the scandal, admitting that WADA’s instructions could have been carried out in a different manner.
