Rio 2016

“The IOC has decided, in the spirit of the sport”

Russia may go with a hull team in Rio at the Start to emphasise the right of the Left-politician André Hahn in the DW-Interview. He believes that the requirements of the IOC doping sinners will be separated from clean athletes.

DW: Mr. Hahn, what do you think of the decision of the IOC, the Russian Team now, but – at least under certain conditions – to leave to Rio travel?

André Hahn: I think the IOC has made a decision with a sense of proportion. Unlike many commentators, I think that the IOC has a responsibility that clean Sportlerbei may start the Olympic Games. And in Russia there are certainly athletes who have doped. For me, it is not always clear that anyone who has doped, must be locked – but a whole Nation. You can’t lock protect, for example, the Russian arc, the not have doped according to human judgment, now, only because the Russian weight lifters or athletes doping taken. That is why I believe that the IOC has decided, in the spirit of the sport, because everything else would have been a distortion of competition. There are many sports that are not Doping-affine, and in which Russian athletes are among the contenders for the Medal, there are other Nations would have benefited from a General lock.

But the McLaren Report has spoken of a “systematic state doping“, and 14 national Anti-Doping agencies have recommended to the IOC to impose a collective lock. Can you ignore this?

Russian athletes may be subject to conditions in Rio

I have kept this recommendation, therefore, is problematic because it has been pronounced, before the McLaren report was ever in the world. This is not a happy procedure. I understand the countries, the checks have to hard doping, that you value the fact that it runs in other Nations. But this does not affect only Russia. There has to be a case by case examination and those who have doped, may also participate in the Olympic games. I think the conditions have now been made, also correct: The athletes must show proof of negative Tests that have not taken place in Russia, but of the international audit authorities abroad. That is, it will probably not be able to meet part of these requirements, and not in Rio.

Now will be traveling in the coming days, the majority of Russian athletes to Rio. You may have to travel some of them back, you should not comply with the requirements. This is not a problematic, perhaps even “chaotic” Situation, as some have called it?

The chaotic Situation is caused by the fact that it has delayed the decision for so long. In a few days, the games begin, there are many athletes because of the acclimatization already in place. You would not be able to stop anyway. And besides, the Russian Olympic Committee, know certainly, anyone who has doped and, therefore, not to Rio. I expect, therefore, that the originally reported number is still going strong, from the Russian side. I assume that in Russia there are also responsible officials and coaches not to send athletes to Rio, the are not allowed to go there.

“I hope that Russia comes to the problem of Doping seriously”

That is, do you believe that there is a responsible Trainer, and a serious fight against Doping in Russia?

I hope that there will be a serious fight against Doping in the past, this was apparently not the case. We have, for example, in terms of the games in Sochi serious allegations of leniency belongs to, the need to know, because you have been part of the system. This is also not trivialize at all. The crucial question was now only, whether you have now all of the athletes in a collective liability, or whether we stick to the principle principle, and individual athletes are punished for doping offences have been committed by what I think is right. As far as I know, is to control as a last resort, an independent auditor from the court of arbitration for sport CAS immediately before the Play, whether the criteria have been met. I think that is an appropriate approach.

Decision of the IOC Executive Board concerning the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games Rio 2016 https://t.co/wfe08HKEqF

— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) 24. July 2016

But there are also voices that say: collective punishment for individual sports would be learning to be unfair, it will suffer but the whole of the Olympic idea, including that there is no strong signal was set against Doping. What is to be considered, in their opinion, now is higher: The law on a case by case examination or the observance of the Olympic idea, in a time where the IOC stands in the criticism?

The IOC is right in the criticism, and it is not just the doping issue. Has suffered, the Olympic idea, in the last years due to the increasing commercialisation due to the gigantism of the games, and increasingly expensive sports events. All of this has the reputation of the IOC is already significantly cracked, and as the problem of Doping.

“In Cycling for doping cases were not locked, even whole Nations”

And there is, for example, it is important to have a completely independent world anti-doping Agency, and that there are no interdependencies – the head of the WADA was temporarily at the same time Vice-President of the IOC. You must finally make sure there is coverage for independent laboratories. We have regions in the world, in which not a single doping laboratory can be found within a radius of several Hundred kilometers, where samples are actually certified can be checked. It may also happen that the positive doping samples to be systematically omitted, such as for years in Cycling. Then there were many well-known drivers, such as the USA or Germany, the unmasked finally and individually were punished. There is none but get the idea, all the Nations of competitions or even the Olympic exclude. Only now, in the case of the Russians, since the claim was quickly in the world.

Dr. André Hahn, geborten, 1963 in Berlin-Friedrichshain (Germany), Parliamentary Secretary of the left party in the German Bundestag, where he has been a member since 2013. In addition, he is Chairman of the parliamentary control Committee for the control of the intelligence services, and spokesman for his group in the sports Committee. Previously, Hahn was, among other things, from 2007 to 2012, Chairman of the left party in the Saxony state Parliament.

The Interview was conducted by Peter Sawicki.