Russia’s Ministry of Sport remains involved with the UNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport and will host a June meeting of a UNESCO fund designed to eliminate doping in sport in Moscow. This is despite a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) Decision banning Russian politicians from attending major sporting events and banning Russia from bidding to host major sporting events. 

Oleg Matytsin (Олег Матыцин), Russia’s Minister of Sport, attended the third meeting of the seventh session of the Conference of Parties to the International Convention Against Doping in Sport in Saudi Arabia on 25 May. The next formal meeting of the Approval Committee of the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport will be hosted in Moscow on 15 June. Kirill Kozhevnikov (Кирилл Кожевников), Deputy Director of the Legal Department of Russia’s Ministry of Sport is a member of the six person committee in charge of that Fund (see PDF below).

Ksenia Mashkova (Ксения Машкова), Russia’s Deputy Minister of Sport, is a member of the Taskforce on Operational Guidelines and Framework of Consequences for non-compliance with the Convention (PDF below), as is Kozhevnikov. ‘Governments and the United Nations are not Signatories to the World Anti-Doping Code, but rather the UNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport’, wrote a spokesperson for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in response to questions on Russia’s continued involvement. ‘I suggest you contact UNESCO for questions about the involvement of Russian officials with UNESCO activities’. UNESCO didn’t respond to enquiries.