Two-time Olympic champion in pole vaulting and one of the most successful athletes in Russian history, Yelena Isinbayeva, took the upcoming 2016 Games very seriously. However, her plans were not destined to come true. Russian athletes were not allowed to participate in the four-year main tournament in connection with a large-scale doping scandal. Elena until the last attempt to break into Rio, but this did not end well. The result of it all was only anger, frustration, and tears. We recall one of the main injustices of the last decade in the material of “Soviet Sport”.
COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
The Council of the World Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) temporarily suspended the Russian Athletics Federation from competitions under its auspices in 2016. All this became a link in the chain that started the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) , after a huge doping scandal, the court actively recommended not letting Russian athletes into Rio.
It was then that Grigory Rodchenkov appeared on the world stage, testifying about the existence of a doping support program in Russia. Due to the statements of the former head of the anti-doping center, many guilty and innocent national athletes suffered. In the case of the Olympic Games in Brazil, most of the athletes were collectively responsible, including Isinbayeva.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
The Russian jumper did not agree with this alignment and tried again and again to challenge the decision in all possible bureaucratic instances. For Elena, the trip to Rio became a matter of principle, she constantly addressed the public, all her fans around the world with calls to restore justice. Leading Russian athletes actively defended Isinbayeva, including Vitaly Mutko, who at that time held the post of Minister of Sports. The politician repeatedly appealed to his foreign colleagues in the IOC to satisfy the jumper’s call, but all this was in vain.
PSEDO-PURE ALIENS
In July 2016, Isinbaeva stopped training altogether, dealing exclusively with her possible admission. The final decision would be made only on the 28th, until this date, Elena did not stop actively speaking out in the press. Numerous pleas for justice were soon replaced by aggressive accusations, including rivals being allowed to attend the Games without any problem.
In one of her social media posts, Elena wrote: “May all these pseudo clean foreign athletes breathe a sigh of relief and win their pseudo gold medals.” The man who spent a month arguing that “before accusing you have to prove” he himself called his rivals “pseudo-puros”, for no reason. At that moment, it became clear to almost everyone that the probability that Isinbayeva would go to the games was zero.
TEARS IN THE KREMLIN
On July 27, the official farewell ceremony of the Russian team for the Olympic Games was held in the Kremlin Palace. Prominent personalities of the state attended, including President Vladimir Putin. Isinbayeva was not left without attention either, the great champion was given the floor. The girl gathered all of her strength into a fist, but she couldn’t hold back the tears that poured out during her performance.
“This situation should unite us. You must show everything you are capable of, both for yourself and for us. You can, and we believe in you, don’t let it destabilize you, don’t let it crush you. Walk with your head so proudly raised so that all these, as I already said, so that all these pseudo-clean foreign athletes understand that they attacked the wrong ones, ”Isinbayeva said.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
A few hours after this speech, Elena received an official refusal from the IOC to her appeals. As the athlete noted, “the miracle did not happen.” Thus, one of the greatest races in the history of world sports came to an end. Two Olympic golds and many records were left behind forever.
Now Isinbayeva is an active participant in the life of Russian sports and is trying with all her might to help our athletes return to the international arena.
