posted May 6th, 2021 - Good news were shared with the skydiving competition world today by Gillian Rayner, President of the International Skydiving Commission (ISC), skydiving's part in the world air sports federation (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale - FAI).

The final confirmation of the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 in August this year was still depending on the outcome of the legal implications after the doping affairs that Russian sports were dealing with in the past.

In 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had banned Russia from all major sporting events for four years, due to allegedly widespread doping violations. The ban was reduced to two years in 2020 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after an appeal by Russia. Competitors from Russia were only allowed to compete in international competitions under a neutral flag and a special designation.

Hosting of events was limited for Russia, as well, with a few exceptions that depended on the relevance of the events and the potential of finding alternative hosts and moving events from Russia to other countries.

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Russian Nationals 2016 at Skydive Tanay

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The legal challenges of the rulings eventually came to a happy end for the supporters of the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020. Gillian Rayner informed IPC Delegates, Chief Judges, FAI Controller and Meet Director on May 6th that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) finally approved the hosting of the FAI Tanay Mondial 2020 in Russia:

"We are extremely pleased to be able to inform you that WADA has at last accepted that the Mondial be held in Russia in 2021."

Gillian Rayner also provided the official statement that the International Skydiving Commission (ISC) received from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which confirmed that the event can officially take place at the two locations in Tanay and Kemerovo:

"Having reviewed the information provided by your organization and based thereon, we acknowledge your assessment that it would be legally or practically impossible to withdraw the Event from Russia or to reassign it to another country. Against this background, we do not consider the hosting of the Event in Tanay to be in violation of the Award."

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Russian Nationals 2016 at Skydive Tanay

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Gillian Rayner announced that this decision "enables us to go ahead with the organization of the Mondial that, as things stand today, will now be able to take place", and she followed up with information that relates to the logistics of the event for visiting participants and officials, who can now begin with their preparations. There are still the implications of the corona virus crisis that need to be considered for the logistics, as well:

"While awaiting this confirmation, we have been working with the organizers on an acceptable AntiCovid Protocol. This has been reviewed by the FAI Controller and the President of the FAI Medical Commission (CIMP) both of whom are medical doctors. We are now of the opinion that appropriate health and safety measures will be taken during the event."

"We are currently looking with the Organizer, FAI Controller, Meet Director and Chair of the Judges Committee at the feasibility of rescheduling events slightly to minimize the time that competitors need to spend in Russia. We will be issuing Bulletin 2 with all the updated details by early next week. In the meantime, we encourage you to start the visa application process. Travel arrangements will need to wait until Bulletin 2 is issued."

"While confident that the Mondial will be able to take place, we obviously cannot know what last minute decisions will be made at government level in any country in the world between now and then. We will try and cover all questions that you may have in Bulletin 2. We really look forward to seeing as many of your athletes as possible in Russia for what we hope will be a successful and safe Mondial."