Richard McLaren called for Russian athletes to be allowed to participate in international competitions
Richard McLaren, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) commission investigating the doping scandal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, has called for Russian athletes to be allowed to take part in international competitions.
“The way they are being treated is unfair. The athletes did not start the conflict and are not responsible for it. These are two good enough reasons to allow them to compete in international competitions again,” Sportschau quoted McLaren as saying.
According to the Canadian lawyer, the sports federations will change their decision and allow the Russians to compete only if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) satisfies the appeals of the Russian athletes.
“As long as things continue, the international sports community will not change its attitude. But if CAS rules in favour of the Russian athletes, international sports federations will be forced to allow them to compete,” McLaren added.
In late February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian athletes to compete. A number of federations suspended the Russians and Belarusians; some federations allowed the athletes to compete in neutral status.