“The politicized decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency to remove Russia for four years from international competitions is to continue harassing Russian athletes and manifesting unfair competition in sports.” This opinion was expressed by a member of the State Duma committee on international affairs, Sergei Zheleznyak.
According to the politician: “The decision to deprive Russian athletes of the opportunity to perform under the Russian flag at international competitions is a blow to the prestige of sports. It is impossible and unfair to extend such a restriction to all indiscriminate athletes who have never used doping.
We have long seen how WADA is biased in relation to Russian athletes, creating a nervous atmosphere before the competition. It is clear that WADA is deliberately trying to prevent the Russians from preparing for the competition by exerting psychological pressure on them. ”
“Now it is necessary to make every effort to defend the honor of Russian sports in international arbitration. We must fight for Russian athletes who want to be deprived of the opportunity to represent Russia on world sports venues. Russia is a strong player on the world stage, the credibility of our country is growing, international cooperation is expanding, Russian athletes demonstrate outstanding achievements in various sports and are competitors for other athletes. This annoys our opponents, those who do not want to see our country strong, including in sports,” said Zheleznyak.