MADRID, 3 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) affirmed this Friday that it did not make “exceptions” either and that it “scrupulously” complied with its criteria to summon Raúl Celada to the 2021 European Cross Country and the 2022 Ibero-American Championship, sanctioned for two years last Wednesday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (IAU) for a doping offense, because they had not been notified of the opening of a disciplinary file by the Spanish Commission for the Fight against Doping in Sport (CELAD).
The RFEA issued a statement “in the face of certain unfounded statements and reactions that appeared in the media and
social networks” after the two-year suspension of the IAU to the athlete and that he considers that “they affect the reputation, credibility and good name” of the organization.
Thus, after underlining its “firmest commitment” in the fight against doping “without this fact being altered or affected by self-interested and malicious comments”, he stresses that “it does not have any competence, neither nationally nor internationally, in doping matter”.
The body makes it clear that CELAD “is the only public body that by law has full competence” in these matters in Spain, while at the international level they are the World Anti-Doping Agency and the aforementioned IAU.
In addition, it recalls that in its eligibility criteria it is allowed to say that “eligibility conditions do not exist in those who, even though they are not convicted or sanctioned, are involved in the processing of procedures of said nature”, in order to “preserve the general interests of the Spanish team and its members, such as sports results, position in the international ranking and medal table, public and private financing, credibility and social and sports reputation, athlete’s health or positioning as a Spain brand”.
The RFEA emphasizes that since the approval in 2019 of the non-eligibility criteria by the Sports Administrative Court (TAD), these “have been applied without exception, when official communication has been received from the competent authority or body of the opening or processing of said disciplinary proceedings”.
In this sense, the entity chaired by Raúl Chapado emphasizes that on August 22, 2022 the State Agency for the Fight against Doping in Sport, the former CELAD, informed them of the “opening of a disciplinary file” against Celada “for a very serious infraction” of its regulations for possession of prohibited substances and that then “he collaborated to clarify the facts.”
CELAD issued its resolution on December 21, 2022 sanctioning Raúl Celada “with the suspension of the federation license for a period of two years” and that the RFEA received on February 14 the TAD resolution granting the measure. caution the athlete who suspended the sanction.
“It is not until March 1, 2023 when the sanction of the World Athletics Integrity Unit is published for a period of suspension and disqualification identical to that imposed by CELAD,” the federation points out.
For this reason, Celada was summoned in December 2021 in the European Cross Country Championship and in May 2022 for the Ibero-American Championship because “the file had not even been opened by CELAD.” “In no case could the RFEA have knowledge of the processing of any file on those dates,” he warns, making it clear that “it scrupulously complies” with its criteria because “if these circumstances had been known, logically, they would have acted accordingly. applying their own eligibility criteria.
“We reiterate: No exceptions are made”, asserts the RFEA, which stresses that “it has a firm, clear and unwavering commitment to cleanliness in sport and to defending the interests of athletes who compete in a fair and fair manner, until such a point, that it has signed a Collaboration Agreement with CELAD to contribute to the prevention and
persecution of doping in sport”, he adds.
For this reason, and because of its collaboration with the competent authorities “at the national and international level” in prevention and investigation and because “it has been constantly fighting against doping”, the RFEA states that “it cannot and must not allow its image to , credibility and reputation can be damaged by self-interested or malicious comments”. “The RFEA reserves the right to take any legal action it deems appropriate in defense of its public image, its reputation and its credibility,” it says.