“The ROC did the right thing by deciding to challenge the review of the results of the team figure skating tournament at the 2022 Olympics” – Kolobkov

Former Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov supported the intention of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) to appeal the decision of the International Skating Union (ISU) on the redistribution of the final places in the team figure skating tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

On Monday, the CAS suspended Kamila Valieva for four years for violating anti-doping rules. The athlete’s disqualification period begins on December 25, 2021 and their results from this date will be canceled. This led to a review of the results of the 2022 Olympic team tournament, where the Russian team won. First place is now awarded to the American team, the Japanese are second and the Russians will receive bronze.

— ROC did the right thing by challenging the ISU decision before the CAS. This is a complex process, but it is necessary to continue, as well as to tell people what world sport has become today and all the mechanisms associated with it.

Simply saying indiscriminately that we are offended is wrong. We must look at the essence of the facts. If we go everywhere, what’s the point? We will never participate in the World Figure Skating Championships? The question is different. Sport belongs to everyone, but certain organizations, like the IOC, have assumed the right to arbitrarily interpret their own charter. It is decisions like this that we must fight against, but without depriving ourselves of the possibility of participating in major tournaments.

Indeed, we are moving in the right direction and creating a competition system, perhaps fairer, in which all clean athletes can participate. But you should not make decisions based on emotions,” Kolobkov quotes RT.

RT