Russian Weightlifting Federation (FTAR) President Maxim Agapitov has told that opponents want to undermine his campaign ahead of the election as head of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the appeals of Agapitov, Alexander Kishkin and Dmitry Chernogorov against the decision of the Special Committee on Admission of the International Weightlifting Federation (EDP IWF) to bar the nomination of candidates to the governing bodies of the IWF. The International Federation has previously banned Russian candidates from participating in the elections. Agapitov claims several positions, including that of head of the organization.
– The solution is obvious. What the Russian Weightlifting Federation has done has not been done by any federation either in terms of the fight against corruption, or in terms of the fight against doping, or in terms of transparency, modernization of the federation, or in terms of reinforcing weaknesses, nor in terms of international and national activities. .
(Doping) cases of a retrospective nature are not relevant to today’s FTA. For all these previous cases, the federation has already paid and should not be linked to the violations that the athletes committed in the distant past. From a legal, moral and practical point of view, such a sanction cannot exist. The decision of the CAS is a guide to action, I am again admitted to the election of the head of the IWF, vice-president and member of the executive committee. We defended our right to participate in elections.
— How do you assess the chances of the IWF presidential elections?
– It is too early to tell. It is clear that our election campaign has been undermined. I think my opponents had such a minimum program and a maximum program – so that we did not appear at all in the IWF elections as candidates. Now we will communicate with our foreign colleagues,” Agapitov told .
Elections to the governing bodies of the IWF will take place during the organization’s congress in Tirana on June 25-26.
Source : MatchTV
