Moscow clearly views worldwide sport as just another arena in which to bolster President Vladimir Putin’s quest to present Russian Federation as a great power, even if it’s based on dishonesty, deception and a cynical determination to win at all costs.
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FISA announced earlier Tuesday that Russian boats in four categories were being withdrawn from the games, following strict anti-doping criteria announced by the International Olympic Committee in the wake of allegations of widespread doping and cover-ups in Russia.
WEIGHTLIFTING – The International Weightlifting Federation said it would evaluate the evidence against Russian athletes once received.
Russian Federation initially selected 387 athletes for Rio, approximately 50 fewer than recent summer Games’, but has already lost nearly 90 of those in the individual vetting process that each sport is now undertaking.
The ruling will allow some Russians to compete, while others are banned.
Chiller said 35 Russian cheats have been removed from the Games in the last 24 hours, including 22 of the country’s 28 rowers.
“I think that each of them should be asked: ‘How do you deal with conflicts, how to assure the rest of the world and especially athletes from non-Russian countries that you will make, and are making, decisions in an impartial way?'” said Joseph de Pencier, chief executive of the 59-member Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations.
It was one of several facets from the decision handed down Sunday that indicated the difficulty the International Olympic Committee had in finding the right balance between, as president Thomas Bach called it, “individual justice and collective responsibility”. Russian athletes may continue to be put under enormous pressure to join in the cheating; those who refuse may find it hard to access state facilities, training and support.
TABLE TENNIS – Three Russians await a decision from the International Table Tennis Federation.
GYMNASTICS – The International Gymnastics Federation said on Monday that it would establish a “pool of Russian eligible athletes” as soon as possible.
Russian Federation will still be able to replace him for the Games though, meaning that his partner Gribanov can take part.
Meanwhile, the International Modern Pentathlon Union named the two Russians it had suspended as Maxim Kustov and Ilya Frolov, saying they both featured in the McLaren report.
They have appealed to the International Olympic Committee to reverse its decision, handed down Sunday, that denies Stepanova a chance at competing in the Rio Games, which begin August 5. This latest case of state sponsored doping, coming on the heels of revelations of financial malpractice in the global soccer federation (FIFA) and the construction companies that built the Rio sports facilities, and ongoing worldwide outrage about the conditions of work in Qatar for labourers involved in the construction of the stadia and hotels for the 2022 World Cup of soccer – all of these and more can only help to oblige sports federations to become more accountable and transparent. Latvian athlete Ruslan Nakonechny replaces Kustov in the men’s event.
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While Russia largely welcomed the decision, it was roundly criticized by those in the anti-doping world.
