DanceSport in Russia: Important Information 24/01/2012

The governmental and sporting authorities in Russia have informed the World DanceSport Federation that its National Member Body, the Russian DanceSport Federation (RDSF), had the recognition by the Ministry for Sports suspended for a period of 90 days from 23 December 2011.

The Russian Ministry for Sports decided to suspend the recognition of the national federation governing DanceSport in Russia on the grounds of serious and substantiated allegations that the latter’s conduct was not in compliance with the laws and ethics relating to the proper governance and administration of sports in Russia.

As a consequence, the World DanceSport Federation Presidium decided to suspend Mr Pavel Dorokhov, President of RDSF, as a Member of the WDSF Presidium, without any prejudice at this time, in order to facilitate an impartial and expeditious investigation into the serious allegations brought forward by the Russian governmental and sporting authorities. The duration of the suspension is subject to the ongoing investigations into the allegations, which are carried out by the Russian authorities and, independently, by the World DanceSport Federation.

At the same time, the World DanceSport Federation communicates that the foremost Russian authorities have formally assured the Presidium that all competitions granted to the Russian DanceSport Federation will be conducted under the terms agreed upon by the latter, and that all championships and opens will take place as scheduled starting from 2 February 2012.

The Committee of National and Non-Olympic Sports, under the mandate of the Ministry for Sports and the Russian Olympic Committee, will supervise the proper staging of all WDSF DanceSport competitions in Russia until further notice.

The World DanceSport Federation will provide further information on the matter in the near future.