December 25 According to a report by Russia’s Tass News Agency, on the 24th local time, Russian Sports Minister Matchin said at an event in Moscow that outstanding Russian athletes will have the opportunity to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games in Japan in 2021.
“When it comes to athletics, I must say that our relationship with World Athletics has entered a constructive stage,” Matchin said.
“We have accepted past mistakes, elected a new leadership of the Russian Athletic Association, and are now actively working together on the restoration of membership,” he said.
I am sure that our excellent track and field athletes will be approved to participate in the upcoming international competitions, including the next Olympic Games.
It is said that since the Russian Athletic Association was deprived of its status as a member organization of the World Athletics in 2015, Russian athletes must obtain the status of neutral athletes authorized by the World Athletics Federation to participate in international competitions organized by the World Athletics Federation and the European Athletics Federation.
On December 17, 2020, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on the dispute between the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
The ruling stipulates that Russia will not participate in large-scale international sports events until December 16, 2022, mainly including the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
The ruling also stipulates that Russia cannot bid for any major sports events in the next two years.
Although Russian players can still participate in these competitions in a neutral capacity, the Russian flag and anthem will not appear in these competitions.
Many Russians said it was difficult to accept this ruling.
Russian Olympic Committee President Pozniakov has said that the committee could not welcome the ruling, and said that the court did not fully refer to the arguments provided by Russia.
