Website 24 Heures (19.07) notes the statement by the head of the Olympic movement that the report of the world anti-doping Agency (WADA) has demonstrated unprecedented damage to the entire sport in General and Olympic games in particular. The IOC seriously responded to the report and does not exclude temporary measures and sanctions in the run-up to the Olympics in Rio. Still, the conversation was about organized doping, mainly in athletics. This time affected the whole structure of management of Russian sports.
WADA accuses Russia of deceit in all disciplines. The participation of Russian athletes at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro is being questioned, writes Le Temps (19.07). The Agency is urged to exclude Russia from all international competitions, including the Olympic games in 2016, until, while in the country “will not change the culture.” If this decision is made, it will be a disaster for the sport and for the image of Russia. The Kremlin immediately responded to the report, pointing to the politicization of sport and denying the insights and facts contained in the document. Nevertheless, Russian officials whose names were in the list, was removed from office, as required by WADA, the newspaper specifies.
Interesting statement published Le Matin (20.07). One Swiss journalist said that is too harsh steps taken against the Russian athletes. “I support a relentless war against doping. But I have always been against extremes. To blame those who were not doping? They here not and. Their only crime is to own a Russian passport. It seems that there is a desire to remove the clean athletes for whom the Olympics in Rio — the main goal of their lives.”
In the other material in this room newspaper (Le Matin, 20.07) quotes another statement of the same journalist: “What bothers me in this story is openly expressed by the attack in the direction of Russia. The Commission found everything I wanted to find, although all sewn with white thread. Why not do that with other countries, athletes that are under serious suspicion? It is known that Russia has a lot of good rowers, including Olympic Champions. But from the sound of things I personally began to doubt the results of some Russian”.
Diplomacy is becoming a new kind of Olympic sport, said La Tribune de Genève (20.07) in the article devoted to the situation around the Russian sports. Some believe that it is enough just to create a Commission to give forgotten this question. Clearly the idea comes not from the IOC. If the decision on the Olympic team of Russia will not be accepted prior to the opening of the Olympic games in Rio, the organization risks losing its credibility. Today, as in international law, and in any district school, collective punishment is unacceptable. Ultimately, the case is not resolved on the treadmill, the newspaper said.
On 19 July the Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov discussed the issue with U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry. World sport evokes so strong emotions that they can even jeopardize key alliances. The same happens when countries are fighting with ISIS (banned in Russia as a terrorist organization – approx. ed.) or the development of oil fields in Alaska.
La Tribune de Genève stresses that the Olympic movement is to save his soul. The IOC took a break for a final decision. Let’s see what medal he will be awarded: Golden, silver, bronze, and maybe chocolate?
John Kerry offers the Kremlin to “integrate” U.S. military operations in Syria, said Le Temps (15.07). Question about the departure of President Bashar al-Assad seems to be forgotten. On the contrary, now the Americans and Russians will work together to strengthen the Syrian regime. In particular, Kerry invited the Russians to create a United group that can be accommodated in Jordan, near Amman. The parties will share intelligence and operational information, and to coordinate military operations and to continue to organize joint operations. Both countries will retain separate headquarters.
Russia and the US want to develop a common strategy on Syria, writes the German-language Neue Zuercher Zeitung (18.07), commenting on the talks, Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry in Moscow, which lasted an extremely long time — more than twelve hours. In the result, the parties evasively said that “failed to reach a mutual understanding on further cooperation”. While Kerry stressed that “the measures were not based on mutual trust and on existing commitments of all parties.”
The most serious disagreement between Moscow and Washington is still not resolved. We are talking about a future Syrian ruler Assad. For the United States peace in Syria with Assad impossible. As for the Kremlin, he still considers his ally the legitimate head of state,” says the Neue Zuercher Zeitung.
La Tribune de Genève (16.07) publishes an article about Russia’s intention to deploy the latest systems of air and missile defense s-400 in the Crimea. On an ongoing basis, these systems will be deployed to the East of the Peninsula in Feodosia, the newspaper said, citing the message of RIA Novosti news Agency and a Lieutenant Colonel Yevhen Oleinikov. In Crimea there are several military and naval bases, including the black sea fleet base in Sevastopol, Russia. The Russian authorities are going to restore the radar station for missile warning shot. By 2020, the Russian government will be allocated more than 1.75 billion euros for the development of the black sea fleet, the newspaper said.
Some improvement of the economic situation in Russia says the same Neue Zuercher Zeitung (19.07), noting that the Russian economy was the lowest point: on the exchange of a light stability, electronic trading platform, RTS increased from the beginning of the year is 28%, the ruble is again slightly tightened. commodity exporters have become more competitive and easier to tolerate a low price on the world market.
Sadder is the situation in the sphere of private consumption. The high level of inflation and the containment of wage growth by employers lowered real incomes, Russians began to save on costs. The fact that Russia will quickly return to much tied to private consumption model of economic growth, it seems the experts is unlikely. Many unresolved structural problems will leave the country dependent on “black gold” in the future, — concludes the newspaper.
But if in the field of Finance in Russia there has been some improvement, in politics and society Russian poet and writer Alina Vitukhnovskiy sees no (Neue Zuercher Zeitung, 16.07). “In Russia there is not expected a real political life”, — she says, acknowledging that our country “has long been considered the most reading in the world,” however, this “badly affected its development.” Because “truly free spirit can develop only if it is independent of the state of culture and its patterns of thinking.”
In her view, Russia is a “geographic space” which, being “smug and closed” is simply doomed that it “forget it, losing the last vestiges of their identity, will disintegrate”. Vitukhnovskiy clearly nostalgic for the 90-th years, when Russian “culture was alive”, and States that it is interesting that her poems were published in Russia. She does not see it as “worthy of the public.”
About the future of Russia Vitukhnovskiy writes that it is unlikely that the Russians will be able on their own to overthrow Putin.” Because “in 15 years of its domination the majority of Russian steel, with Putin as one and turned him into a kind of similar to the insect “nelinet”. They have no desire to change. Russia is a dangerous black hole that pulls in the past, to nowhere, to death. It threatens not only the lives of its own citizens, but to the entire civilized world that exists beyond its borders,” — concludes the author.
