Russia Claims Athletes Don't Cheat, But When Drug Tester Shows up a Mysterious "Illnesses" Spreads
Members of a Russian team of athletes abruptly dropped out of a competition last weekend after drug testers reportedly arrived, leading many to suspect the athletes had been trying to cheat.
“The Russian sports website Championat reported that 36 athletes withdrew from a Siberian indoor championship meet in Irkutsk last week, with some citing illness, after drug testers from Russia’s anti-doping laboratory unexpectedly arrived at the event,” revealed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Nothing suspicious about that …
In response, the Russian track-and-field federation has reportedly launched an investigation and also issued a recommendation to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, whose job it is to prevent this behavior.
The federation reportedly suggested that RUSADA pay more attention to regional/junior competitions since it’s clear “certain problems with doping are present in this segment of Russian track and field,” as quoted by RFE/RL.
You think?
Russian athletics federation director Andrei Kruporushnikov noted, though, that he “didn’t expect” so many athletes would suddenly drop out after RUSADA sent in its drug testers.
Despite this, Kruporushnikov is reportedly adamant that Russia’s national team (versus its regional/junior teams) is “the cleanest and most checked in the world.”
Um, evidence strongly suggests otherwise, Mr. Kruporushnikov.
“Last month, Russian athletes were banned from competing under their nation’s flag in the Winter Olympics that begin next month following allegations of a state-sponsored doping scheme involving athletes at the 2014 Games in Sochi,” NPR reported this week
Oh, but that’s not all. Two years ago a Russian athlete was caught attempting to bribe a drug tester. That same year yet another doped-up athlete reportedly fled the stadium during a race to avoid being drug tested.
But it gets worse.
Regarding the state-sponsored doping scheme highlighted by NPR, that very scheme was orchestrated by Russia’s own anti-doping agency, RUSADA, according to Reuters.
As a result, RUSADA itself wound up being suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2015.
Question: How bad must your country’s doping problem be that even its own anti-doping officials are corrupt? I’d say pretty bad.
Even The Moscow Times admits that “Russia has a checkered history with the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by its athletes, a legacy of the Soviet Union backed by historical evidence and testing records.”
Except it’s not history, because clearly, this behavior continues unabated with no end in sight.
H/T NPR
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