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© Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Russia's reputation, Olympic status on trial for doping
By GRAHAM DUNBAR GENEVA©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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Graham DeShazo
Russia really ought to be banned for the foreseeable future from all international sporting competitions starting with next year's Olympics (should they take place).
They have a documented history of doping as state policy. While other nations have dopers too, including sadly, several top tier athletes such as Marion Jones from the United States, Russia is the only modern country that has organized doping and evasion on a state level.
Moreover, Russia has clearly covered up their doping and evasion system in truly Russian fashion to make it look as though the whistle-blowers were involved, thus the truth is ultimately unknowable so "why punish us?"
Some clean athletes may be swept up in a blanket ban, but they should direct their anger (and their votes) towards Vlad Putin. This is his doing and the only way to shut this type of behavior down is WADA's version of the NCAA "Death Penalty".
Sal Affist
Russia's pick is Hamid Gharavi, a dual France-Iran national. He was selected by Russian athletes in cases that overturned 28 disqualifications by the IOC from Sochi.
What a track record! I'm sure it was 28 out of 28 cases, too.
Sven Asai
But what has this to do with Russia? Without one or the other doping no one there has the slightest chance to take part or at best to survive the first qualification round. Do you think you would ever get there with some training and a normal healthy body? That’s more than naive. lol
yorkiebob
And yet we conveniently forget the bans on U.S. and Kenyan athletes.
Strangerland
Until Russia publicly accepts blame for their state-sponsored doping program, and makes extremely strong effort to be transparent in their programs, screw them. We don't want them at the Olympics. They're useless.
Strangerland
Did they run state-sponsored doping programs?