With all of this controversy about Russia meddling in the U.S. elections, there's another skirmish Russia is involved in. It seems the Russians can't keep out of the news. What I'm talking about is the doping scandal.
Since the Sochi Olympics of 2014, there have been reports that Russia gave its athletes performance-enhancing drugs and then switched the urine samples somehow during testing. There ave been some whistle-blowers, and finally, three years after the Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reached its verdict. Russia's punishment: it's banned from the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea. Athletes from Russia who want to participate can only do so under a different flag and cannot represent Russia.
No one has either discovered it or dared to report it, except for one man, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, head of Russia's anti-doping lab. From 2011-2015, over 1000 athletes have been involved in the doping scandal.
So now that hundreds of medals have been stripped from the over, Russia continues to deny the truth. Rather, they are blaming it on Dr. Rodchenkov, who they claim was actually involved and used his lab as a cover up. Putin is furious that numerous of Russia's most well-known athletes are now permanently banned and/or cannot represent Russia in the next Olympics. Good times. Good times. Putin and his government claim that this is the west trying to hurt Russia and hold it back. Perhaps it's a 'political witch hunt'?
This isn't the first case of serious doping. East Germany (communist and poor) had serious cases of doping. Young athletes were given experimental drugs that boosted their performance but also changed their hormones to the extend where girls turned into boys Many of them decided to change their gender because of the permanent damage to their bodies. Obviously Russia's case is not severe to this extend, but severe in the number of athletes it involves.
This isn't the first case of serious doping. East Germany (communist and poor) had serious cases of doping. Young athletes were given experimental drugs that boosted their performance but also changed their hormones to the extend where girls turned into boys Many of them decided to change their gender because of the permanent damage to their bodies. Obviously Russia's case is not severe to this extend, but severe in the number of athletes it involves.
It's kind of ironic that Russia would cheat in the Olympics hosted on its home turf. Ah what a shame.
Sad Putin
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/russia-doping-scandal
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/29/sport/russia-doping-whistleblower-grigory-rodchenkov-winter-olympics-ioc/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/sports/russia-doping-mclaren-report.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/sports/russian-athletes-part-of-state-sponsored-doping-program-report-finds.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/29/sport/russia-doping-whistleblower-grigory-rodchenkov-winter-olympics-ioc/index.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/sports/russia-doping-mclaren-report.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/sports/russian-athletes-part-of-state-sponsored-doping-program-report-finds.html
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