Russia officially banned from world competitions...

[PSUer1989]

Not just the Olympics, but all world competitions including the World Cup. Individual athletes can still compete under a neutral flag if they prove they are clean...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/12/09/russia-banned-tokyo-olympics/

 

[Annieat285]

This is my take on it that I was in the process of posting... (I'll include the entire post since I already wrote it!!!)

Seeing a lot of articles going up today about Russia being banned from international competitions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/sports/russia-doping-ban.html

https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/50710598

https://nypost.com/2019/12/09/wada-bans-russia-from-olympics-over-doping-scandals/

etc...etc...

There is, however, no info (at least that I can find) on how this will apply to specific sports. Lines of text like this certainly provide more confusion than clarity.

"The punishment, however, leaves the door open for clean Russian athletes to compete at major international sporting events without their flag or anthem for four years, as was the case during the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics." - New York Post

My take is that none of this is going to stick and Russia will get away scot free as usual. Still, one can't help imagining the effect this would have on freestyle wrestling were wrestlers like Sadulaev barred from participating. Not only would their absence affect the results of this specific tournament, but it would very likely alter the legacy of a long list of wrestlers. Being banned for doping is a real black eye that would stain the credibility of the Russians who cheated, but think about how this could affect JB or Snyder, whose legacies have been heavily impacted by losses to Russians in recent events.

The prospect of navigating that spider web of convoluted sports fan reasoning is almost more exciting than the Russians finally getting their due!

 

[PSUer1989]

Yes, they still will be allowed to compete, but do have to "prove" they are and have been clean. I am ok with this, as long as it is a true burden of proof on the athletes.

 

[Annieat285]

Yes, they still will be allowed to compete, but do have to "prove" they are and have been clean. I am ok with this, as long as it is a true burden of proof on the athletes.

Just like they proved they were clean at pretty much every sporting event for the last decade or so

 

[El-Jefe]

"Prove they are clean" = loophole wide enough to drive a tractor trailer thru sideways.

Been a lot of drug DQs 4, 8, 12 years after an event. Testing technology always lags the cheaters.

 

[PSUer1989]

Just like they proved they were clean at pretty much every sporting event for the last decade or so

They won't have the help of the Russians providing clean samples and doctored reports this time. It isn't perfect, but I prefer this to a sweeping ban that may include clean athletes. Just my opinion...

 

[liex26]

"Prove they are clean" = loophole wide enough to drive a tractor trailer thru sideways.

Been a lot of drug DQs 4, 8, 12 years after an event. Testing technology always lags the cheaters.

That was under the old system of corruption.

This is the new system of corruption where you assume all the Russians are guilty and attempt to get real-time samples.

Of course it probably won't work, because doping works and people will find a way to cheat. Maybe even some Americans.

 

[Aardvark86]

Yes, they still will be allowed to compete, but do have to "prove" they are and have been clean. I am ok with this, as long as it is a true burden of proof on the athletes.

This is really code for "not implicated by the evidence they already have in their hands regarding Russian doping, and not otherwise subject to any other adverse analytical findings."

 

[Sportfan2017]

Yes, they still will be allowed to compete, but do have to "prove" they are and have been clean. I am ok with this, as long as it is a true burden of proof on the athletes.

"Welcome to the Olympics in Russia" "Step in to this tent for testing" "Ignore that tunnel being built......aahh….we are putting in plumbing......very large pipes" "Here is your I Peed.....I Passed sticker". "Just remember not to put it on until after sunrise"

 

[dmm53]

Filmmaker Bryan Fogel sets out on a mission to learn about performance-enhancing drugs in sports. What he ends up discovering is far bigger than anyone could have even imagined: