GENEVA (AP) – The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday rejected Russia’s proposal to use a traditional patriot song from the Soviet era as a replacement for its national anthem during the Tokyo Olympics, a further blow to the long-running doping scandal. .
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) reported that its three-judge panel was asked to clarify what music it would allow to use during the two years that Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and national anthem in the Olympics and world championships, a veto that was imposed on him in December.
The Russian authorities proposed the “Katyusha”, a song strongly identified with the fight against Nazi Germany in World War II.
“The CAS panel considers that ‘any anthem linked to Russia’ includes any song related to, or linked to, Russia, which would include Katyusha,” the court explained in a statement to The Associated Press.
It is unknown what piece of music the Russian Olympic committee could propose, in consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Russia will compete in Tokyo and the Beijing Winter Olympics next year as “ROC,” an acronym for the Russian Olympic Committee.
The CAS judges’ ruling in December resolved Russia’s longstanding dispute with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) over a state-backed doping and cover-up program.
The IOC last month asked the Russian Olympic Committee to present an alternative piece of music to be used in award ceremonies.
Similar restrictions apply to the Olympic sports world championships.
A piece of music by the 19th century Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky was approved by the International Ice Skating Union for use in their world championships.
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Associated Press journalist James Ellingworth in Düsseldorf, Germany contributed to this report
