Reacting to the International Olympic Committee’s [IOC] ban of Russian track-and-field athletes for violating anti-doping rules, Russian President Vladimir Putin decried the ruling as excessive. “Of course that is unjust and unfair,” said Putin at a press conference at an economic forum in Moscow. Putin defended Russia’s right to send a complete Olympic team to Rio de Janeiro Aug. 5 – Aug. 21, believing the categorical ban was inappropriate. “There are universally recognized principals of law and one of them is that the responsibility should be personified . . “ insisted Putin, railing against the injustice of punishing the entire sport. Putin ignores the detailed report of Russia’s track-and-field agency by the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA], citing Russian officials and athletes refusing to submit to blood tests. Putin takes no responsibility for his uncooperative Track-and-Field Federation.
Putin’s argument to the press that only known violators should be punished would apply if the Russian Track-and-Field Federation fully cooperated with WADA and the International Association of Athletic Federations [IAAF], the track-and-field’s official governing body. “The eligibility of athletes in any international competition, including the Olympic Games, is a matter of the respective international federation,” read an IOC communiqué. Rejecting WADA and the IAAF rulings, Putin’s caught between a rock-and-a-hard place without too much wiggle room before the Rio Games. Putin knows that the real issues involves Russian track-and-field officials obstructing a WADA investigation into widespread doping allegation made by Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova. Unlike with foreign governments, Putin found out that breaking IOC rules has consequences.
Putin won’t admit publicly that Russian Track-and-Field Federation officials obstructed the WADA investigation, prompting the IOC to take harsh measures. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko called the IOC decision a major blow to sending Russia’s track team to Rio. No one from the Kremlin or sports federation is willing to admit that they obstructed a WADA investigation into widespread doping in Russian track-and-field circles. German Track-and-Field Federation President Clemens Prokop applauded the ISSF and IOC ruling to clamp down on doping. WADA officials found steroid or its equivalent abuse rampant among Russian track-and-field athletes. “This can only be a start and not the end of a worldwide struggle against doping,” said Prokop, dismissing Putin’s complaints of “collective punishment.” Putin said the same thing about U.N. sanctions after seizing Crimea March 1, 2014.
Prokop believes Russian doping problems go far beyond track-and-field, running against all categories of competition. “I can’t believe that the systematic doping in Russia is limited to athletics,” said Prokop, referring to glamour sports like gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming and synchronized swimming. Promising he “will use all the legal opportunities it has,” Mutko signaled he’ll appeal the IOC’s decision to the Lausanne, Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS]. “We will insist on the rights of clean athletes and will definitely return to the international arena,” said Mutko, dismissing the IOC ban as excessive. Without anyone challenging Russian officials, they don’t understand the concept of obstruction of justice. Russian officials don’t get that interfering with a WADA investigation is worse than admitting guilt and finding ways of restitution.
Reacting to Putin’s criticism of the IOC ban of Russian track stars, the IOC doubled down, putting Russia on notice that things could get worse. “”The IOC will initiate further far-reaching measures in order to ensure a level playing field for all athletes taking part in the Olympic Games” in Rio, said the IOC. Russia looks to appeal the IOC ban to the CAS but may find the court rejecting Russian arguments. Any CAS appeal would apply to only certain Russian athletes without doping histories but would not reinstate the Russian track-and-field team. Certain Russian athletes would be allowed to compete but not for Russia, only as individuals. Calling “unjust and unfair,” Putin pushes the IOC to dig in its heels. It’s possible, but unlikely, that Putin didn’t know that Russian officials turned a blind-eye to doping, creating systemic problems uncovered by the WADA inquiry.
Putin’s only chance in reinstating Russian track-and-field athletes involves full cooperation with the IOC, WADA and IAAF. “There isn’t and cannot be any support on the government level of violations in sport, that the country ran a state-sponsored doping program,” said Putin, refusing to see the real problem of obstructing a WADA investigation into alleged Russian doping. Calling Russia’s doping problem “the deep-seated culture of tolerance [or worse] for doping,” the IAAF voted June 17 to ban the Russian track-and-field team. Whatever the rules’ violations with doping, the IAAF and IOC view obstruction by Russian officials worse than the crime. Putin’s denials about the severity of doping problems only add to Russia’s problems with the IOC. Owning up to the problem, firing the officials involved and taking corrective action would signal remediation going forward.
