Russia Remains Host Of 2020 Men's Volleyball World Championship, This Is FIVB's Consideration

Illustration of an international volleyball match. (Wikimedia Commons/Grzegorz Gigol)

JAKARTA - The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) confirmed the 2022 Men's Volleyball World Championship will be hosted by Russia, despite WADA's current sanctions against the Russian sport.

“The FIVB has confirmed that the 2022 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship will continue to be held in Russia following the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recognition that it is legally and practically impossible to withdraw the event from Russia or move it to another country,” the FIVB announced in a statement. a statement given to TASS and then posted on its official website, as reported by TASS Saturday 5 June.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on 17 December 2020 to partially enforce the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lawsuit against the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) regarding sanctions related to Russian sport.

Russia has been specifically barred from hosting the world championships as well as the Olympic and Paralympic Games for two years. It should be noted, however, that the relocation of the scheduled tournament is only possible under certain circumstances.

"The FIVB has submitted a comprehensive report to WADA in relation to the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the arbitration procedure between WADA and the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) on 17 December 2020," the statement added.

Illustration of an international volleyball match. (Wikimedia Commons/Leandro Neumann Ciuffo)

Commenting on the decision, FIVB President Ary Graca said: "The FIVB welcomes WADA's acknowledgment that it is legally and practically impossible to remove the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship from Russia, given how far preparations go for this large and multi-city city."

"The reasons for the decision include the large scale of the event, the significant financial investment of many parties, and the extensive preparations that have been going on since 2018 when Russia was chosen to host the event," the FIVB president added.

To note, Russia was selected to host the 2022 Men's Volleyball World Championship at the FIVB Congress in November 2018. Russia offers ten different cities across the country as venues for the quadrennial championship.

Later, the 2022 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championships are scheduled to be held from 26 August to 11 September 2022 in ten cities across the country, namely in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Krasnoyarsk, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, and Yaroslavl.

"The FIVB will continue to work closely with WADA and the organizers of the event to ensure that the implementation of the CAS award is appropriate as it relates to the raising of the Russian Federation flag, uniform, national anthem, and other relevant identification in various venues," the FIVB said.

"The FIVB maintains a zero-tolerance approach to doping and is, and will always be, fully committed to protecting clean athletes and clean sport," the FIVB said in a statement.

For information, referring to the decision of the CAS, Russian athletes lose their right to participate in all World Championships, Olympics, and Paralympics under the Russian national flag for a period of two years.

Russia's national anthem is also banned from playing at international sporting tournaments for the next two years, even at the upcoming Olympics in Japan this summer.

The Swiss-based court's ruling also strips Russia of its right to bid to host all international sporting tournaments for a period of two years. WADA sanctions will be in effect until December 2022.