The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is guilty of gross double standards and has underlined its gutless and rudderless self.
It has decided against imposing a blanket ban on Russia at the Rio 2016 Olympics. The rationale behind the decision lacks coherence.
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It says that it has to be mindful of clean athletes within the Russian team and not to penalise them for no wrongdoing. That appears to be a clause the IOC falls back on when it suits it. There is no consistency at all about this current decision.
From 1964 to 1988 – a period spanning seven Summer Olympic Games – the IOC banned all South African athletes from the Games.
Why?
Hundreds of athletes over that period were denied their sporting dream because of no fault of their own.
They were penalised because of the decisions made by their own government.
There is no doubting that Apartheid was a despicable policy and it had no place in this world. But surely what Russia has done to the integrity of sport deserves a similar blanket ban.
When all is said and done, the IOC is a sporting organisation, although, given the likes of its late President Juan Antonio Samaranch decreed that he should be referred to as ‘His Excellency,’ they see themselves as something far broader.
Nonetheless, sport is the IOC’s primary bailiwick. And with respect to its core business, it has let the sporting world down.
Russia has bleated that what was uncovered by the McLaren report was not a state-sponsored doping regime.
Really?
So the FSB agents – the successor of the KGB – who were responsible for the swapping of tainted urine samples were merely operating off their own bat?
Wow, is that a pig that just flew by?
Even the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has weighed into the debate, saying it would be grossly unfair to ban the Russian team as not all its athletes are doping.
That is likely true. However, when you methodically destroy samples – as many as 8000 according to the McLaren document – it is hard to determine who the clean ones are.
After an embarrassing performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Russia was determined that it would not suffer a similar fate when it hosted the Games at Sochi in 2014. Through a concerted effort, they cheated their way to the top of the medal tally.
Additionally, it has been found that nearly 30 sports in total had doping cover-ups. Yet the IOC has refused to ban Russia as a whole.
Instead, it has abrogated its responsibility and passed the final decision on the participation of Russian athletes to the individual sporting federations.
They now have less than a fortnight to decide their stance.
The IAAF has already acted having banned every Russian track and field athlete, a decision that has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the highest court in International sport.
In handpassing the decision to the individual federations, the IOC has stated that “Federations should not consider the absence of a past positive test as evidence of a clean record and there should be no presumption of innocence.”
In other words, feel free to ban athletes even though we won’t, whether they have tested positive or not.
Bizarrely, the IOC has also stated that any Russian who has served a doping ban cannot be considered for selection.
How the hell did they come to that decision?
The United States have selected sprinters Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin who have both served doping suspensions. Where is the consistency in that decision and the rationale behind it?
Then, to top it all off, one of the prime whistle-blowers who helped uncover the Russian doping apparatus, 800m runner Yuliya Stepanova has been told that she cannot compete as a neutral athlete.
It also said it did not permit the entry of neutrals. Really?
Why the hell, then, did the IOC allow independent athletes to compete at the 1992 and 2000 Olympics?
At Barcelona, as a result of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, athletes from Yugoslavia and Macedonia were allowed to compete as Independent Olympic Athletes.
At Sydney, the IOC trumpeted its decision to allow four East Timorese athletes to compete as Individual Olympic Athletes during the nation’s transition to independence.
But, in the case of a whistle-blower who helped blow the lid on a massive doping program within her own country, the IOC has cast her aside.
Well, not entirely.
In the ultimate insult, the IOC has invited Stepanova and her husband to attend the Rio Games.
I kid you not.
She is barred from competing, yet the IOC has invited her to sit in the stands and watch athletes from her country compete in other sports who have most likely taken drugs.
From what the IOC has said in the past 24 hours, it would appear that had it uncovered the East German state-sanctioned doping regime prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall it would not have banned the country as a whole.
It was learned post-1989 that as many as 10,000 East German athletes were doped.
The IOC would no doubt have said, “yes, there were 10,000 athletes in the wrong with the state overseeing the program, but what about those who didn’t dope?”
At which point does the IOC decide that a nation has sullied the integrity of sport to such an extent that it should be banned?
Clearly, simply when its human rights are called into question.
Oh hang on, didn’t China host the 2008 Olympics?
Hawaiiguy
Guest
2 years later, still zero evidence, the Maclaren report has failed to pass the smell test in every way, except for politicians and now the IOC. But the clearing of all athletes by the CAS will probably infuriate you even more. And yes, being an Apartheid state is much worse than taking one megalomaniacs Chivas Regal drug cocktails accusations seriously.
Richard Islip
Roar Rookie
Indeed....human rights. So China actually got to host a Games, but S Africa was barred for 28 years. Russia got to host a Games Canada got to host a games I could add another name easily, but would really draw out serious ire on this website. Examine the meaning of human rights, then work out how many countries should be barred for 28 years, let alone host a Games.
paulywalnuts
Guest
"You’ll find that money goes only to ‘medal chances’." You realise you're making my point for me.
Brendon
Guest
Still a thousand times better than FIFA.
Camo McD
Roar Guru
Must admit I was also a bit shocked to read the bit where sports doping was compared to apartheid.
Johnno
Guest
Epic post Forsaker lol. Longest post ever on the roar lol
jameswm
Roar Guru
Caster of course Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui of Kenya
HarryT
Guest
Is that any worse than Salazar doping his sons and testing them in order to establish undetectable micro dosing levels for his very successful elite distance runners? How do you feel about Australia being at Rio given our huge number of banned footballers?
cassowarrior
Guest
Comparing sports doping to Apartheid is a bigger joke than the IOC could ever be.
Jeff Morris
Guest
You're comparing apartheid to a doping scandal? Really?
Johnno
Guest
Atlanta was awesome Olympics, it's always got a lot of unfair flack. Excellent ope ing ceremony(Ali and Celine Dion).The basketball was excellent, the track and field had some awesome moments, and the swimming was good too. Plus the field-hockey. It got a lot of unfair wraps if you ask me. No dramas with water and run down athletes village. Yes the bomb stuff was unfortunate but all up it was a good Olympics I enjoyed it. Give me Atlanta's so-called problems to Rio's anyday. Seoul was good. Athens was for me really flat.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Not only is Coates the President of the AOC, he's also President of CAS and the Vice president of the IOC. A lot of hats to wear.
northerner
Guest
Yeah, Joe, because there's so much evidence that the CIA and FBI are systematically doping their athletes. Oddly, the US and most of the rest of the world have moved beyond imagining that Olympic medals are somehow the measure of a country. Putin, not so much.
Sponebob
Guest
Or you can just stop watching the Olympics, and they'll be forced to take measures. Oh sure half of them are on drugs, but what a spectacle! Let's just watch them in record numbers, that'll sure show them to not take drugs next time!
AZ_RBB
Guest
If I stopped watching events and sports because I disagreed with the governing body or disliked the drug cheats I wouldnt have many sports left to watch. It's appalling how the poor in Brazil have been treated because of these Olympics but a change of government is imminent there so there may yet to be hope. I hope these Olympics draw greater attention to the struggles of Brazil's poor. The silent protests of random Australians won't achieve a thing. I believe they call that Slack-tivism
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
I always have a chuckle when people become horrified and offended by the " drug cheats ". Performance enhancing drugs have been utilized since the Berlin games. Every country that has attended the Olmpics has had athletes who have taken steroids, hormones and committed blood doping practices to obtain an advantage . Ultimately , performance enhancing drugs are a process of human ingenuity and remarkable science practices which should be celebrated not frowned upon. We use drugs to save and extend people's lives in hospitals , why can't we further use drugs to enhance an athletes performance ? You can't get to the very top of most individual sports wiitnout engaging in the miracles of science - athletes are learnt and educated in doping practices as an extension of sports evolution . Evolution and science are intertwined and co dependent variables which ultimately climax to produce super human efforts/ performances that is the apex of our progressive intelligence . Let athletes evlove with science harmoniously as invariably it is this field which sustains and reinvents life . To denounce PED's is akin to negating life changing drugs which mitigate , save and enhance people's lives Let athletes be carefully monitored by the best doctors and scientists - this will still allow the best athlete to rise to the top as genetics are the foundation in which science builds on !
David C
Guest
That's it for me. I won't be watching. If this isn't a case for a blanket ban then I don't know what is. If I hear of any Russian athlete or team winning a gold medal I will be instantly thinking "cheat". What was once a noble ideal has a strong stench about it. Good luck IOC in restoring your credibility.
Fox
Roar Guru
Also Glen I did not say that it would precipitate an invasion of Poland and to suggest so would be silly. What I was saying was that such a move may hinder any current negotiations and indeed in negotiations at that level every detail matters. What we do know is that is was clear they should be banned as a nation and the Olympic powers that be had plenty of support from competing nations that was also clear - and we do know that the scope of the tentacles of global politics is immeasurable and the Olympic is far from immune. So we have to agree to disagree... P.S I think this Olympics is going to be riddled with one disaster and controversy after another both on and off the field. Wait until the mosquito bites kick in or wait for it - someone gets bitten by a Brazilian Wandering Spider which turn up everywhere over there trust me. That's not to mention unstable and/or incomplete stadiums and facilities and dreadful plumbing. Then the robbing and kidnapping of tourists which has already begun with a kiwi being taken apparently and this is early days!!! Mind you the WC soccer went okay so maybe this will too in the end. Fun times ahead Glen.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
A very interesting take indeed. The IOC in my view is in bed with Putin. There is no other way a whistleblower would be specifically banned. I hope she is outside Russia today because she and her family, if they remain alive, will not see the world outside bars for a very long time if Putin stays true to form. On your political take, something as interesting I think is the Hillary Clinton statement that the Russian Government is responsible for the DNC leaks because Putin is siding with Trump. i think its entire believable and would be the first time I imagine a Russian Government was directly trying to influence the result of an US Presidential election. We live in very dangerous times. Between Putin doing what he is doing, and the Chinese going ballistic in the South China Sea, its got all the unfortunate signs of a coming war that may engulf us sooner than people think. Doping at the Olypmpics, if what I fear happens, will be the least of our concerns.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
Agreed Glenn. That was the nadir as far as I am concerned. Does not dive lower than that.