Russian Olympic Doping Ban

waltky · Nov 9, 2015

Russians face Olympic ban for doping athletes...

Russia slammed in doping report, faces possible Olympic ban
Nov 9,`15 -- Russia's status as a sports superpower and its participation in track and field events at next year's Olympics came under threat Monday after a report accused the Russians of widespread, state-supported doping reminiscent of the darkest days of cheating by the former East Germany.

The findings by a commission set up by the World Anti-Doping Agency were far more damaging than expected. It means that two of the world's most popular sports - soccer and track and field - are now mired in scandals that could destroy their reputations. The WADA investigation's findings that Russian government officials must have known about doping and cover-ups, with even its intelligence service, the FSB, allegedly involved, threatened to severely tarnish President Vladimir Putin's use of sports to improve his country's global standing. Russia hosted the last Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014 and will hold the next World Cup in 2018. "It's worse than we thought," said Dick Pound, an International Olympic Committee veteran who chaired the WADA probe. "It may be a residue of the old Soviet Union system."

Russia coach Alexey Melnikov embraces silver-medalist Olga Kaniskina after the 20-kilometers women's race walk at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. WADA's independent commission said Monday, Nov. 9, 2015 Russia's athletics federation should be suspended and its track and field athletes banned from competition until the country cleans up its act on doping.

The 323-page report said that in Russia, "acceptance of cheating at all levels is widespread." Among its findings:

- Moscow testing laboratory director Grigory Rodchenkov ordered the "intentional and malicious destruction" of 1,417 doping control samples to deny evidence for the investigation.

- FSB agents regularly visited the lab, routinely questioned its staff and told some of them not to cooperate with WADA as part of "direct intimidation and interference by the Russian state" with the lab's work. Staff at the lab believed their offices were bugged by the FSB.

- FSB agents even infiltrated Russia's anti-doping work at the Sochi Olympics. One witness told the inquiry that "in Sochi, we had some guys pretending to be engineers in the lab, but actually they were from the Federal Security Service."

- "Widespread inaction" by track and field's governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, and Russian authorities allowed athletes suspected of doping to continue competing. "The Olympic Games in London were, in a sense, sabotaged by the admission of athletes who should have not been competing," the report said.

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Bombshell report urges Russian ban over state-sanctioned doping
9 Nov.`15 - Russia's athletics federation should be suspended from all competition, including the 2016 Olympic Games, over widespread doping, a damning report by an independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Monday.

The report outlined evidence of systematic cheating with the consent of the government in Moscow, noting that drug tests for athletes were conducted at a Russian lab which totally lacked credibility. "It's pretty disturbing," said former WADA chief Richard Pound, who headed the three-man commission, adding that the extent of the cheating was "worse than we thought". The panel's findings called for athletics' governing body (IAAF) to suspend Russia's athletics body (ARAF) and declare it "non-compliant" with globally agreed doping regulations.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe said he would give Russia until Friday to respond to the scathing report. "I want an explanation," Coe said on a conference call. "I am completely shocked by the allegations." "My instinct remains to encourage engagement not isolation, but the extent of what's being said, I need to seek (IAAF) council support to have them (ARAF) report back by the end of the week." The IAAF Council are due to meet Friday to discuss the crisis facing the Olympic's flagship sport.

The Russian sports ministry said in a statement late Monday that it was "not surprised by most of the points" made in the WADA commission report. "We are fully aware of the problems in the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF) and we have undertaken measures to remedy the situation: there is a new president in ARAF, a new head coach, and they are currently rejuvenating the coaching staff," the statement read. "Russia has been and will continue to be fully committed to the fight against doping in sport."

- Olympics 'sabotaged' -
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waltky · Jun 18, 2016

Granny says, "Dat's right - ban the dopes...

Russia cries foul, rest of world welcomes IAAF's ban
Sat Jun 18, 2016 - Russia claimed the IAAFs decision to continue its ban of Russian athletics on Friday was unfair and threatened legal action, while the rest of the world welcomed the move and urged the IOC not to go against it.

"We are extremely disappointed by the IAAFs decision, creating the unprecedented situation of a whole nations track and field athletes being banned from the Olympics," said the Russian ministry of sport. "Clean athletes' dreams are being destroyed because of the reprehensible behavior of other athletes and officials. "We now appeal to the members of the International Olympic Committee to not only consider the impact that our athletes exclusion will have on their dreams and the people of Russia, but also that the Olympics themselves will be diminished by their absence." The IAAF voted unanimously to uphold its ban on Russia for systematic doping, saying the country had not made enough progress on reforms to dispel concerns of state-sponsored drug abuse.

The Russian athletics federation blamed the media, saying: The pressure which we experienced in the last few days ahead of the council meeting, when every day we had some kind of interview or publications, which as a rule had negative connotations, doubtlessly influenced the decision. Yelena Isinbayeva, who had hoped to seek a third Olympic pole vault gold in Rio and who is one of Russias most prominent athletes, described it as a violation of human rights. I will not be quiet, I will take steps. I will go to the human rights court. I will prove to the IAAF and WADA that they made the wrong decision, she said, referring to the World Anti-Doping Agency. A Kremlin spokesman, speaking hours before the ban was extended, said: Everything possible needed to defend the rights of our athletes and the Olympic team is being done and will be done at a legal level."

The IOC merely took note of the decision but said it would discuss the situation in a telephone conference on Saturday. The United States Olympic Committee described it as a step in the right direction. It gives a measure of hope to clean athletes that there are consequences not only for athletes who dope, but for countries which do not engage seriously in the fight against doping, it said. Stephanie Hightower, president of US Track and Field and an IAAF Council member, said it was the only proper course of action given the compelling and powerful evidence presented to Council. We do not believe that every Russian athlete cheated, and it is unfortunate and regrettable that some may pay a penalty for the serious transgressions of their federation." There was some sympathy elsewhere too for innocent Russian athletes, with American Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee saying: Sad day for Russian athletes. The people in charge should be punished, they created the culture of dope.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sport-doping-russia-reaction-idUSKCN0Z32C3
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scarlet witch · Jun 18, 2016

I'm going to miss the Russians, they are great athletes and very competitive, but if they're doping they should be banned

Jarlaxle · Jun 23, 2016

Hasn't "Russian athletes doping" been a standing headline for about 50 years?

waltky · Aug 7, 2016

The show must go on...

Wind, doping and VIP robbery plague Rio Games
Sun Aug 7, 2016 - Damaging wind gusts, a fresh doping controversy and the robbery of a visiting government minister presented the Rio Games with a perfect storm of problems on Sunday, forcing organizers to scramble to keep the world's biggest sporting event rolling on.

Winds wreaked havoc on the second full day of competition, forcing the cancellation of rowing races and delays to tennis and kayaking, while spectators ran for cover from flying signs, cafe umbrellas and other debris torn from their moorings. Games organizers, who were already looking to fix the long queues at security checkpoints that marred the first day, also faced new security scares. Portugal's education minister was robbed at knifepoint on Saturday at the Olympic lake. He escaped unharmed and the assailant was arrested, Brazilian authorities said.

More security was also put around the equestrian center after a stray bullet tore through the roof of the press room there on Saturday, an unexplained incident which caused no injuries. The center is near a military complex and a slum. "This is a worrying situation and is not an incident we can take lightly as the safety of everyone at our venue athletes, horses, media and spectators is of prime importance," said International Equestrian Federation president Ingmar De Vos. Brazilian authorities are still investigating. As powerful gusts swept across the host city, blowing debris and forcing spectators to find cover, the Rio Games was hit by a new Russian doping storm, this time involving the Paralympics, due to run from Sept. 7 to 18.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced in Rio it would ban Russia from the whole event due to widespread doping that it said had polluted sport in that country. "Tragically this situation is not about athletes cheating a system, but about a state-run system that is cheating the athletes," IPC president Philip Craven told reporters. "I believe the Russian government has catastrophically failed its para-athletes. Their medals-over-morals mentality disgusts me." Russia immediately announced it would be appealing against the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The IPC's decision contrasted with the International Olympic Committee which balked at a blanket ban on Russia's athletes in Rio. The global anti-doping agency had called for such a ban after an inquiry found Russia was running a state-backed doping program for both Olympic and Paralympic athletes. "The IPC showed strong leadership today in holding Russia's state-organized doping program accountable. Their unanimous decision goes a long way towards inspiring us all," said Travis Tygart, chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

STREET CRIME
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waltky · Dec 9, 2016

Granny says, "Dat's right - dem Russkies thought dey was sneaky - till dey got caught...

Russian doping: McLaren report says more than 1,000 athletes implicated
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 - More than 1,000 Russian athletes were involved in a state-sponsored doping programme for four years from 2011, a new report claims.

At least 30 sports, including football, covered up samples, the report says. "It was a cover-up that evolved from uncontrolled chaos to an institutionalised and disciplined medal-winning conspiracy," said the report's author, Richard McLaren. Lawyer McLaren said London 2012 was "corrupted on an unprecedented scale". The report also implicates medallists at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow, and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. According to the report, salt and coffee were used to manipulate Russian samples.

The report added the system was refined over the course of the 2012 Olympics, 2013 Worlds and Winter Olympics to protect likely Russian medal winners. Russia won 72 medals at the London Games, 21 of which were gold, and 33 medals at Sochi, 13 of which were gold. McLaren's second report added depth and supporting evidence to the initial findings published in July - that Russia operated a state-sponsored doping programme.

That first report was met with denials from Russia and calls for more proof from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Writing in his latest report, McLaren says: "The desire to win medals superseded their collective moral and ethical compass and Olympic values of fair play." He said international sports competitions had been "unknowingly hijacked by the Russians" and sports fans have been "deceived" for years. "It is time that stops," he added.

In a statement, Russia's sports ministry said it would examine the report but insisted on "the absence of a state programme of support for doping sport". It said it would "continue to fight doping from a position of zero tolerance". Russian MP Dmitry Svishchev, who is also the head of Russia's Curling Federation, was quoted by Ria Novosti news agency as saying: "This is what we expected. There's nothing new, only empty allegations against all of us. If you are Russian, you'll get accused of every single sin." When asked for a reaction to those comments, McLaren said: "I would say read the report. Its findings are not challengeable. He is reacting in a vacuum because he has not read the report."

The new report also found:
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