Tag Archives | Russia

Cleaning up sport: conflicts of interest at the top

The tension between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has never been greater than this year, when WADA recommended a ban on all Russian athletes from participating in the Rio Olympic Games, only to have the IOC reject that position. This points to a fundamental challenge for the relationship between […]

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What to think when Russia walks into the Olympic stadium

For a Russian, waiting for the Olympics to begin is not easy. There are many conflicting emotions and questions. Is it right to ban some but not all athletes? Do we blame our Ministry of Sport for devising a doping programme and cover-up, the International Olympic Committee or the World Anti-Doping Agency? Is it only […]

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The $6.5 million apartment on Starovolynskaya Street

How is it possible for the extended family of Russian politicians and civil servants to get a $6.5 million apartment situated in the Moscow equivalent of millionaires’ row? That was the question that came to mind when we started investigating 15 Starovolynskaya Street and the Rogozin family. Dmitry Rogozin is Deputy Prime Minister and in charge of the Ministry […]

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A bill to limit access to property registers in Russia will hide corruption

In Russia, finding out who owns that Italianate villa or luxury apartment is currently possible thanks to the Unified State Register of Rights to Immovable Property, a government database managed by ROSREESTR, the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre, and Cartography. USRR data is in the public domain. It costs just 200-600 rubles (US$3.27-US$9.80) to […]

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Подготовке Чемпионата мира по футболу 2018 нужна прозрачность

В 2010 году Российской Федерации было присуждено право проведения Чемпионата мира по футболу 2018 года. После Зимних Олимпийских Игр 2014, Чемпионат мира станет вторым по величине спортивным событием в истории современной России. На проведение мероприятия правительство Российской Федерации утвердило бюджет в 660 млрд. рублей (16 млрд. долл. США).  335 млрд. рублей (8 млрд. долл. США) […]

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The 2018 World Cup in Russia must be transparent

In 2010 Russia was awarded the right to host the next FIFA World Cup. After the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, the 2018 World Cup will become the second major international sports event held in the country in its recent history. The Russian government approved a total budget of 660 billion roubles (US$16 billion) for the […]

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Brazil emerging

Two nations now have the uncommon fortune of consecutively hosting the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games: Russia, and Brazil. This article will focus on Brazil, which saw the Brazilian people taking to the streets, exercising their right to protest corruption; in response, the Brazilian legislature has enacted substantial new anti-corruption laws; and enforcement […]

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Moldova: time to tackle corruption

Moldova is a small land-locked country of 3.5 million people in the heart of Europe and, amid all the turmoil in neighbouring Ukraine, we will be going to the polls on 30 November. Given our position, our large Russian-speaking population and our dependence on Russian gas, this election may determine how far Moldova can progress […]

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Anti-corruption compliance in Russia: a way forward

Tackling corruption and developing anti-corruption practices is becoming an increasingly serious topic for the Russian private sector. Recently, Transparency International Russia published the report “Transparency of Corporate Reporting and Anti-Corruption Policy in Russian Private Enterprise: Compliance as a Competitive Advantage” (English version here) with the aim of analysing the implementation of compliance policy in medium-sized […]

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FIFA: how to win back trust

Recently FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb admitted publicly that FIFA still had a lot of work to do to repair its battered image despite introducing a slew of organisational reforms. He’s right. FIFA is often seen as synonymous with scandal and not just for football fans. It is the butt of media satire, Twitter wit and […]

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