The Roar
The Roar

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Boot Russia out of international sport

Russian president Vladimir Putin (left) and Thomas Bach, head of the IOC. (Image: en.kremlin.ru)
Expert
13th December, 2016
21

“The Russian Olympic team corrupted the London Games on an unprecedented scale, the extent of which will probably never be fully established.”

Those chilling words from World Anti-Doping Agency special investigator Professor Richard McLaren must never be allowed to wither on the vine.

“Over 1000 Russian athletes competing in summer, winter and Paralympic sport can be identified as being involved in or benefiting from manipulations to conceal positive doping tests,” McLaren also said.

Professor McLaren and Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov are two very brave men who have taken on the might of Russia in the search for the truth.

Now it’s up to IOC President Thomas Bach to act with the power vested in his position, and boot Russia out of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 – and lead the move to strip Russia of the 2018 FIFA World Cup hosting rights.

Award the World Cup to England, who should have won the original bid. England has the infrastructure to host the world’s biggest event overnight, if necessary.

It’s beyond belief the Russians have thumbed their noses at the West by their massive systematic cheating, and must pay the ultimate penalty.

Take the lead from the Paralympics chairman Phillip Craven, who had the balls to ban all Russian athletes from Rio.

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What beggars belief is how the Russians expected to get away with doping on such a grand scale. That had to be the height of arrogance.

The Sochi example was the most arrogant, with tainted samples swapped for clean samples through a ‘mouse hole’ between the walls in the Olympic testing laboratory.

And where did doping on such a grand scale start?

From the Russian Ministry of Sport, through to the Russian Anti-Doing Agency – that’s a hoot – to the Centre of Sports Preparation for Russian teams, the Moscow lab, and the Russian Federal Security Service.

That’s the whole ball game, everyone was involved.

Goodbye, Russia.

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