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WADA’s reinstatement of Russian athletes deserves praise

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World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) deserves praise and appreciation following their much-anticipated decision to lift the three-year-old ban on Russia’s anti-doping agency, RUSADA.

I’ve previously argued on this platform that the essence of sport is to bring people together and create harmony and peace.

Too often politics by their very ugly nature have a terrible habit of bringing about unnecessary collision between the people of the world. Where there’s notable camaraderie politics too often remain determined to sow disharmony and confrontation.

The lingering saga between RUSADA and the global sporting body WADA has marked a horrible period for not only the Russian athletes on the world stage but also for non-Russian athletes who were denied the opportunity to test their worth against some of the world’s best primarily because they belonged to the Russian nation.

When one looks at the political disagreements between Russia and the West, it is not too difficult to fathom the origins of the spill-over into the sporting field. It is quite sad that politics can be so domineering to the extent of removing the convivial atmosphere required for healthy sporting competition between and among the nations of the world.

It is tempting and way too easy to go on and on bemoaning the unfortunate past where the powerful seem to have played their own games with the lives and livelihood of athletes, particularly the Russians. But in the wake of the recent WADA decision, which I regard as noble and progressive, methinks one need not miss the opportunity to sing praises when they are so richly deserved.

WADA commands enormous respect across the sporting globe for the wonderful work that the organization does in its pursuit of clean sport. There were repeated stand-offs in the beginning when WADA made certain demands to RUSADA , but thankfully the two parties have finally found each other. As the wise would put it: Better late than never.

Going forward, it is my sincerest wish and hope that the parties will make good on their undertaking to cooperate in order to bring to finality the sorry saga of Russian doping. I am also encouraged by the attitude of the Russian Ministry of Sport which has pledged full cooperation with the continuing WADA probe into the so-called State-sponsored doping scandal. WADA will henceforth be granted access to the former Moscow laboratory data and samples within a particular timeline as part of the conditions for lifting the ban on RUSADA.

All of a sudden, there appears to be no hindrance toward achieving this objective. One really wonders why this wasn’t the case from the onset. But then again, when politics are at play chances of achieving peace remain few and far in between.

As I salute WADA’s brave and wise decision, which was reached by a majority of nine against three in a twelve-man executive, methinks that all sport-loving national bodies affiliated to the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) will refuse to be dragged into politics and hasten to take decisions that are in the best interest of sport and athletes.

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