Worlds Apart

‘Sport is what brings people together’ – Russian hockey legend Viacheslav Fetisov

As Russia hosts the FIFA World Cup, legendary Soviet and Russian hockey player Viacheslav Fetisov discusses the successful performance of the Russian team during the tournament and whether the event can help fix the country’s image marred by the doping allegation scandal.

Despite the pressure the Russian team faces as hosts, it did “a good job,” Fetisov said. Coach Stanislav Chershesov managed to “bring pride to the players to play for the nation,” making the players “finally look like a team.” 
“This is a most successful story in any sport: when you understand that what is in front of your chest is more important than what’s on your back, your name.” 

Despite the joyful atmosphere of the World Cup, the doping scandal “is going to continue,” Fetisov warned. “We have to get answers to questions WADA, and the IOC asks.”

“If you’re guilty you have to pay the price, but if you feel you are not guilty, you have to go and fight,” he stressed, saying that there are ways of doing it, including the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or the International Sports Federations. 
“Sport is what brings people together,” and the World Cup can “give us some argument” in the doping scandal. 



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