ASA’s stubborn stance leaves star in limbo

After fighting for nearly two years to have her voice heard, Russian athlete Alexandra Morozova is not giving up, and the stubborn response she has received from local officials has left a blemish not only on the sport, but on the country’s most popular race.

Morozova, her manager and other elite Russian athletes have all spoken out, calling for Athletics South Africa to overturn its decision after she was refused payment following her second-place finish at last year’s Comrades Marathon.

She passed the mandatory post-race doping test, while the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) confirmed that Morozova was not affected by a blanket ban on Russian athletes as she had never been a registered member of the suspended national federation.

Bizarrely, Morozova was paid prize money for her top-10 performances at the Comrades and Two Oceans ultra-marathons this year, and the Comrades organisers have since agreed to pay her the prize money she was owed from last year’s race, but ASA maintains she was suspended at the time due to the Russian doping ban and did not have clearance from the IAAF to compete.

Bravely speaking out at media conferences, Morozova has persisted in her stance, calling for answers to her apparent plight. @wesbotton

Feeling victimised, she has crossed the line in tears at major races this season and has broken down in interviews, revealing she needs the money to assist her ill mother with medical bills.

Having exhausted all avenues within the sport, the 28-year-old athlete turned to the courts last week, according to media reports, and will now sue for the money she feels she earned by competing within the rules of the sport.

And while ASA administrators feel otherwise, apparently opting to take up the legal battle, they might well be alone in their opinion on the matter.

After being allowed to enter, and running the same distance as all her opponents, Morozova has done everything she can to try and get the local federation to ease its stance, going so far as to launch a social media campaign in an attempt to build public awareness and support.

While Russian athletes have been smeared with a broad brush, Morozova’s lack of affiliation to her governing body should be enough to remove her from the shadow cast by their actions.

Taking everything into consideration, including the response from the IAAF and ASA’s approval of prize money payouts this year, it seems Morozova has a strong case.

But the evidence in her favour should really have been enough for ASA to admit they were probably wrong on this one and focus on damage control by clearing the payment and finally putting the matter to bed.

Instead, it seems the fight will continue, and Morozova will have to hope the local legal system offers her some justice.

It’s a battle she should probably never have had to fight in the first place. She deserves, at the very least, to win it in the end.