Russian track and field suffered a final humiliation at the Rio Games on Saturday when the sport’s governing body suspended long jumper Darya Klishina, removing from competition the nation’s only athlete to have so far survived a blanket ban for doping.
Advertisement
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled early Monday that long jumper Darya Klishina is eligible to take part in Tuesday’s qualifying because she has been based outside of Russian Federation for the last three years and has been subjected to regular drug-testing. “Beyond my words, as they have allowed her, insisted she is allowed, initiated her, the International Olympic Committee confirmed the allowing”.
However, she has been implicated in a subsequent WADA report by Richard McLaren which investigated allegations of state-sponsored doping in Russian Federation and the manipulation of samples.
“It’s Klishina’s personal (individual) case against the IAAF, it is no one else’s business, Klishina’a representatives are working on the case without involving Russia’s Sports Ministry or Russia’s Olympic Committee”. The rest of the Russian team remains banned over allegations of a widespread, state-sponsored doping programme. What kind of new information did they get?
The IAAF has not disclosed that information, but Klishina appealed against the decision and her lawyer, Paul Greene, has said the case rests on signs that the former European indoor champion’s drug-testing samples may have been tampered with in Russian Federation.
But on Saturday the IAAF said it had withdrawn her “special eligibility based on new information received”, a decision that applies not only for the Olympics but all other competition.
“We have withdrawn her exceptional eligibility status which enables her to compete in worldwide competitions based on new information that has been received”, an IAAF official revealed to the site. Alexander Zhukov, the Russian Olympic chief, said that the suspension was “a cynical mockery”.
She is due to begin her long jump bid on Tuesday.
The result of her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport could be announced as early today.
Advertisement
Darya Klishina talks to the media after competing the women’s long jump in Zhukovsky, Russia on June 6, 2016. “It’s beyond the realm of common sense”. The sanction was upheld for the Olympics by CAS last month.
