Russian athletes remain banned from Rio Olympics

[rooster59]

Russian athletes remain banned from Rio Olympics



Russia’s athletics federation has confirmed that its suspension from this summer’s Rio Olympic games has been upheld by the IAAF.

The world athletics governing imposed the ban in November in the wake of a state-sponsored doping scandal.

The decision means Russian athletes remain banned from all international competition.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said the decision by the IAAF in Vienna on Friday was expected.

Despite the ban, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could still allow Russian athletes to take part in the games which begin on August 5.

The IOC, international sports federations and national Olympic and anti-doping agencies are set to convene in Lausanne,Switzerland, next Tuesday to discuss the IAAF decision and to consider ‘‘whether individual athletes should be given individual justice’‘.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-18

[ukrules]

This is very unfair to the Russians.

Test them prior to the Olympics and if they pass the test allow them to compete.

Of course there's going to be massive anti Russian forces at work here due to recent political events.

[stevenl]

They can enter on individual basis if strict anti-doping conditions are met.

[apetley]

This is very unfair to the Russians.

Test them prior to the Olympics and if they pass the test allow them to compete.

Of course there's going to be massive anti Russian forces at work here due to recent political events.

It is harsh I agree but when, as it appears, the doping is widespread, state sponsored and covered up by Russian officials who should be policing the athletes then something needs to be done.

[Mosha]

What BBC sport said is that any Russian athlete who can prove he or she trained outside Russia, should compete under a neutral flag.

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[mopar71]

This is very unfair to the Russians.

Test them prior to the Olympics and if they pass the test allow them to compete.

Of course there's going to be massive anti Russian forces at work here due to recent political events.

It is very unfair for the other athletes from past games who have missed out on medals, glory and a payday despite years of training and dedication because other athletes cheat.

The sins of the Russian gov't will result in innocent Russian athletes (there are some) missing out on their own dreams of Olympic glory.

But what about correcting the past and taking medals from past Russian winners and giving them to the rightful winners? It has happened too many times in the past already...

Here Are All The Olympic Athletes Who Lost Medals For Doping Since 1968, And All The Drugs They Took

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/16/olympics-drug-testing-medals-stripped_n_4789565.html

[rijit]

Yep , despite a huge 'pr ' campaign by moscow which apparently has been 'delightful ' the reality is little or nothing has changed at grass roots level , investigators at best have been held back at worst threatened, and the chief investigator described athletics in Russia as ' rotten to the core' shame really the Olympics won't quite be the same without them ,, but a line has to be drawn

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[2alex4alex]

if you believe that you can win Olympic Games without using some dope you can believe in fairy tales as well..

[SOTIRIOS]

....childish games....

[Usernames]

What BBC sport said is that any Russian athlete who can prove he or she trained outside Russia, should compete under a neutral flag.

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Maybe the Russians can join that "Refugee Team" the IOC set up.

[geriatrickid]

This is very unfair to the Russians.

Test them prior to the Olympics and if they pass the test allow them to compete.

Of course there's going to be massive anti Russian forces at work here due to recent political events.

Are you serious? Did you not see the exhaustive German investigative documentaries? There was a long term cover up in place by the International Federation. And here was a concerted effort by the Russian government to support and facilitate the doping.

The Russian event participants cheated. The country did what it did back in the day when it put its women who had taken so many hormones and steroids that they looked like men, on the field. This is no surprise and is the worst kept secret.

[geriatrickid]

if you believe that you can win Olympic Games without using some dope you can believe in fairy tales as well..

Well, many teams do compete fairly. I know you don't believe it, but there are many sports where the kids train long and hard and are honest. The African long distance runners who win are clean. Many western and Asian countries are clean. Please don't condemn them all because some of the former east bloc countries, and some particjpants from around the world cheat.

[Asiantravel]

Perhaps instead of fighting this decision, Putin's response should be a simple "thanks" because just hours later, and just 49 days before the start of the Olympics, the Rio state government declared a state of "public calamity"

A warning of a risk of total collapse in public security, health, transport and virtually everything else, because as the local government explained, the financial crisis is preventing it from fulfilling its requirements for the Games.

[stevenl]

if you believe that you can win Olympic Games without using some dope you can believe in fairy tales as well..

Well, many teams do compete fairly. I know you don't believe it, but there are many sports where the kids train long and hard and are honest. The African long distance runners who win are clean. Many western and Asian countries are clean. Please don't condemn them all because some of the former east bloc countries, and some particjpants from around the world cheat.

The African long distance runners are not the best example, see e.g. BBC report http://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/36275649

[Ulic]

The addition of the Kenyan athletes to the banned list would also be a positive

step sending a clear signal to countries, athletes, national associations that

world sport is serious in its attempts to at least try to keep sports clean.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Ulic

[2alex4alex]

if you believe that you can win Olympic Games without using some dope you can believe in fairy tales as well..

Well, many teams do compete fairly. I know you don't believe it, but there are many sports where the kids train long and hard and are honest. The African long distance runners who win are clean. Many western and Asian countries are clean. Please don't condemn them all because some of the former east bloc countries, and some particjpants from around the world cheat.

I have 28 years in sport so I know how it works. Do you really believe that western sportsmen work harder than guys from ”eastern block”?

The problem with Russian athletes is absence of qualified specialists in sports medicine. Uneducated (stupid) people run sport in Russia nowadays. They just don’t understand the importance of modern medicine. So..Maybe ban from Olympic Games will force them to change something in this area..

And..There is no such thing as “fair play” in professional sport. In the most of discipline you should to use some dope if you want to win..

[Basil B]

It is about time they cancelled or moved the 2018 World Cup, everybody with an IQ of double figures or more knows they bribed the FIA, and there will be underhand methods used by Russia to gain advantage in the games if they are held in Russia.

[AlexStepashkin]

They can enter on individual basis if strict anti-doping conditions are met.

They can't, because they banned to participate under Russian flag (which I find unfair and illogical, considering that not everybody used meldonium).

It is harsh I agree but when, as it appears, the doping is widespread, state sponsored and covered up by Russian officials who should be policing the athletes then something needs to be done.

There is a difference between some hardcore systematical doping usage

and meldonium (mostly prophylactic medicament).

And it's not officials who supported it's usage,

but sport coaches and docs.

I agree that speed of informing from IAAF to RU coaches/trainers, and from them to actual sportsmen was awful and nobody got enough time to react to this (meldonium traces exists in body for quite long, so even if you stopped it's usage, it's still have some small traces, and nobody know for how long). It was their mistake, bad process/management organization.

But meldonium was allowed for years, nobody saw any problem or risks with it,

and let me remind you this:

1) RU sportsmen wasn't the only one who used meldonium, but all this situation positioning as "whole country heavely doped for centuries and that's why they were winning in sports".

2) AFAIK L-carnitine works by almost the same purpose.

But nobody banning it yet, nor it's users, hm. Strange?

L-Carnitine - allowed meldonium analogue, which is much more efficient

http://www.tennisforum.com/12-general-messages/1068193-l-carnitine-allowed-meldonium-analogue-much-more-efficient.html

Edited June 18, 2016 by AlexStepashkin

[stevenl]

They can enter on individual basis if strict anti-doping conditions are met.

They can't, because they banned to participate under Russian flag (which I find unfair and illogical, considering that not everybody used meldonium).

They can participate neutrally, provided their doping tests have been carried out by another country than Russia, since the Russian Anti Doping Agency has been found responsible for the systematic doping use.

Many athletes train elsewhere, e.g. in the US, and they are free to participate.

PS: this is not about meldonium but about systematic, state organised doping programmes, just as they in the past were carried out by the DDR.

[MissAndry]

I don't believe any winner in modern day sports doesn't take performance enhancing drugs at some time.

[Rancid]

Well at least there will a bunch of medals up for grabs for other lesser athletes that wouldn't have won otherwise.

Banning countries from the Olympics feels like the cold war again, remember that full participation Olympics before just wasn't the same.

Not endorsing doping but such a blanket ban seems more likely political. And so it goes on....

[impulse]

The plot thickens...

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/russia-probes-ex-anti-doping-lab-chief-alleged-073126829--oly.html

Whistleblower fled to the USA... Anyone else think Edward Snowden's buttcheeks just clenched a little?

Edited June 18, 2016 by impulse

[Hammock]

Well at least there will a bunch of medals up for grabs for other lesser athletes that wouldn't have won otherwise.

Banning countries from the Olympics feels like the cold war again, remember that full participation Olympics before just wasn't the same.

Not endorsing doping but such a blanket ban seems more likely political. And so it goes on....

Unfortunately it looks like WWIII is around the corner....

[stevenl]

Well at least there will a bunch of medals up for grabs for other lesser athletes that wouldn't have won otherwise.

Banning countries from the Olympics feels like the cold war again, remember that full participation Olympics before just wasn't the same.

Not endorsing doping but such a blanket ban seems more likely political. And so it goes on....

If you look at the facts, there is other choice but to ban. Unless of course those facts are not all there is to see.

[Hammock]

If one family member has become a criminal, should all family be prosecuted? This is totally politicised case.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Hammock

[stevenl]

Well at least there will a bunch of medals up for grabs for other lesser athletes that wouldn't have won otherwise.

Banning countries from the Olympics feels like the cold war again, remember that full participation Olympics before just wasn't the same.

Not endorsing doping but such a blanket ban seems more likely political. And so it goes on....

If you look at the facts, there is other choice but to ban. Unless of course those facts are not all there is to see.

Should read 'no other choice'.

[Chicog]

Perfectly reasonable to ban when there is ample evidence of institutional cheating going up to government level.

Poor Vlad will be apoplectic.

[Chicog]

[AlexStepashkin]

this is not about meldonium but about systematic, state organised doping programmes, just as they in the past were carried out by the DDR.

What do you mean?

Almost all of those media breaking "Russia doping" were related to meldonium only.

All olympics, Sharapova case etc

That's why I considering it as too overhyped

Some particular bastards who use something heavier are taking responsibility just like anybody else in any other country, that's just fine and nobody are defending them. But most ru doping cases were about meldonium, and not "systematical usage of something heavier".

Edited June 18, 2016 by AlexStepashkin

[Chicog]