IOC's decision: (clean) Russian athletes can compete under neutral flag at PyeongChang Olympics

[barbarafan]

http://tass.com/sport/980211

MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. All Russian athletes have announced plans to compete in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games under a neutral flag, the Russian Olympic Committee athletes' commission chair Sofya Velikaya said.

"Everyone is preparing and hopes to perform. At the moment, there are no athletes who have refused to take part in the Games," said Velikaya, who is a Russian sabre fencer and Olympic gold medalist.

The Russian Olympic Committee athletes' commission backs the Russians who have decided to compete in the PyeongChang Games as neutral athletes, Velikaya told reporters.

"Today, we held a meeting and discussed the decision made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on our athletes’ participation under a neutral status," Velikaya said. The commission was tasked with asking all winter sports athletes about their plans.

"The athletes’ position is that the majority of them want to take part in the Olympic Games," Velikaya said. "The athletes are well aware that there won’t be a flag and an anthem of the country, but they still represent Russia."

The commission has also written a letter to IOC President Thomas Bach asking him to review the decisions. "We ask the IOC to be unbiased in regard to the athletes at the Olympics. We don’t want them to invite team members number five or six, and not the leaders," she said.

The letter also calls on Bach to revise the life bans slapped on Russian medalists of the Sochi Games. "That’s because the athletes were already punished and have the right to take part in the Olympics in line with all the rules envisaged in the IOC regulations," she noted.

The final decision on the Russian athletes’ participation in the Olympic Games will be announced at the national Olympic meeting scheduled to be held on December 12.

Hi Sylvia
I want to make sure I understand this request.
Do they mean they think that they may approve lower level athletes and not the medal contenders or am I totally misunderstanding. It never occurred to me that they would do that.

 

[millyskate]

Oh...Thanks for the info.hhmmm I hope her loyalty is to sport and not to Didier as no Russians in ice dance and pairs and ladies would make him happy but seriously Wada seems to want to get this right so I think someone (prob. multiples of someones) would come down on her big time. We have a big thing in Canada that it is far more shameful to not be fair or to cheat than to lose horribly. Again I am speaking of grand majority of Cdns not all. We have little sh**its everywhere but the thing is.....they have to bite their tongue and hide it or it will be like a pack of dogs under a treed cat.

Actually Didier has been campaigning vehemently for the inclusion of team Russia for a couple years and made a specific statement at the French GP press conference. His gripe is with the self-righteoussness of Canadian and USA officials (like when Joan Senft managed to emerge as the white-as-snow whistle blower in the incident that involved him)

 

[Amantide]

The need to keep bringing up the US in this context is simply evidence that so many people still maintain a Cold War attitude, manifesting itself in the case of that HuffPo article as the need to always make sure to emphasize that capitalism is just as bad (if not more so). Just more politicizing of everything.

Because the Cold War mentality never left both countries. Two super powers still fighting each other for supremacy.
“The bad guys just lost, big time,” written by Christine Brennan is not different from this guy. At least he's much more honest about it, instead of holier than thou attitude. Frankly, the self-righteous indignation is unbearable to watch.

 

[IceAlisa]

Because the Cold War mentality never left both countries. Two super powers still fighting each other for supremacy.
“The bad guys just lost, big time,” written by Christine Brennan is not different from this guy. At least he's much more honest about it, instead of holier than thou attitude. Frankly, the self-righteous indignation is unbearable to watch.

Are you sure Brennan was talking about the entire country, the "evil empire" of the Reagan years vs. merely those implementing the doping program?

 

[Amantide]

Are you sure Brennan was talking about the entire country, the "evil empire" of the Reagan years vs. merely those implementing the doping program?

We say here, I know but I can't prove it. So we can leave it there.

 

[IceAlisa]

We say here, I know but I can't prove it. So we can leave it there.

What if I said the HuffPo shabby little article was commissioned by the Russians, adding I know but I can't prove it? How would that sit with you?

 

[Amantide]

What if I said the HuffPo shabby little article was commissioned by the Russians, adding I know but I can't prove it? How would that sit with you?

Just fine. As I said, both countries have the same mentality.

 

[Vagabond]

Anti-Americanism (including self-loathing anti-Americanism ) is not strictly a Cold War phenomenon. It's much older and broader than that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Americanism

 

[IceAlisa]

Just fine. As I said, both countries have the same mentality.

Are you suggesting there is moral equivalency?

 

[barbk]

Moving on from the politics...
Is there some clarity yet on how athletes demonstrate that they have been adequately tested? Would participating in 2 GP events or 2 internationals with testing this fall be adequate...even if you weren't one of the ones selected for testing? How does it work for pairs or dance where only one member of the team/couple gets tested?

Have to say that it would seem to make a lot more sense to focus this on sports where doping has actually been a problem rather than those where there is no evidence that it has ever been a real issue.

 

[oleada]

I thought the whole podium was tested?

 

[IceAlisa]

I've heard that Nike isn't going to design the OAR uniform after all. Any word on who is going to do it?

Apologies if this has been covered.

 

[caseyedwards]

Moving on from the politics...
Is there some clarity yet on how athletes demonstrate that they have been adequately tested? Would participating in 2 GP events or 2 internationals with testing this fall be adequate...even if you weren't one of the ones selected for testing? How does it work for pairs or dance where only one member of the team/couple gets tested?

Have to say that it would seem to make a lot more sense to focus this on sports where doping has actually been a problem rather than those where there is no evidence that it has ever been a real issue.

That is all up to Valérie Fourneyron! It’s her call. The ban every Russian from Rio and all international events person.

 

[caseyedwards]

Are you sure Brennan was talking about the entire country, the "evil empire" of the Reagan years vs. merely those implementing the doping program?

I mean her articles about every Russian skater are always so hostile and on a personal level. She has a personal hatred for all Russians.

 

[Amantide]

As much as I would hate to not see some of my favorites not competing at the Olympics. As much as it breaks my heart see the innocent athletes - who have worked so hard for all this years to arrive there - to pay for it. I say, if you're going with the ban, then go for it. Full ban. Half measures have never done a thing for me. There isn't a perfect solution for everybody. Ban them all and be done with it. No more talks of Russia got out easy etc. Pay the full price and move on. If that's what it takes. Do it!

 

[Willin]

@oleada Correct. I think it varies when the test happens by competition, but it does happen. Along with them, other random athletes from the event are required to give a sample. All of those collected samples are then tested and stored for further testing down the line - such as the tests we're seeing now revoking medals from all the way back in Beijing.

@IceAlisa Nike hasn't confirmed they're doing it, and there appears to be no confirmation about who is doing it. In 2012, Nike was indeed the company who made the neutral uniforms. According to the NYT, there was still no decision made about which company would be handling the uniforms. The only decision is that they will say O.A.R. for Olympic Athlete from Russia. There's also no deadline for when that decision will be made, so we'll see how that one works out... (I'm betting they'll be Nike/Adidas/Underarmour or some other company that can pump out generic black/white/grey uniforms with little to no notice)


In stranger news, the company that designed what were going to be the official Russian uniforms have come out with gear making fun of the doping scandal. (Here's a WSJ article on the fashion statement, if you have access)

 

[Alilou]

So you don’t think doping is a problem in a country that gave us Marion Jones, Lance Armstrong and Justin Gatlin? Alrighty then.....

I don't think that's what @BlueRidge said at all. No where did she say it wasn't a problem, or even hint that.

 

[Andrushka]

without having to back track through 25 pages of content...is there any word on if any of the ladies skaters are going to compete?

 

[Willin]

@Andrushka As it stands right now, they will be allowed to compete as if Russia wasn't banned - as long as the doping tests are negative. I assume all the ladies in Russia will be just fine as far as that last requirement goes.

So far none of the ladies have said anything definitive (probably because who knows if they'll even qualify at Russian Nationals), but Medvedeva sounds like she's going to compete if she qualifies.

 

[allezfred]

I don't think that's what @BlueRidge said at all. No where did she say it wasn't a problem, or even hint that.

I think those of us (and our media) not in Russia are being quite smug about this issue. It is deplorable what the Russian government and its sporting agencies did, but pointing out the hypocrisies of how doping is facilitated in our own countries is not politicising. Russia being guilty is not an excuse for us to look away from how doping is encouraged and rewarded elsewhere.

You only have to look at Justin Gatlin - twice busted for doping, comes back running faster than ever and the U.S. media get upset with him being booed at last year’s Worlds and not the fact a proven cheat is representing their country.

 

[reut]

[USER=760]@IceAlisa Nike hasn't confirmed they're doing it, and there appears to be no confirmation about who is doing it. In 2012, Nike was indeed the company who made the neutral uniforms. According to the NYT, there was still no decision made about which company would be handling the uniforms. The only decision is that they will say O.A.R. for Olympic Athlete from Russia. There's also no deadline for when that decision will be made, so we'll see how that one works out... (I'm betting they'll be Nike/Adidas/Underarmour or some other company that can pump out generic black/white/grey uniforms with little to no notice)[/USER]

I saw this link shared two days ago:
https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1058963/ioc-in-link-up-with-russian-apparel-brand-bosco

If they indeed go with "Bosco" it looks a bit... can't find a proper word... ridiculous? mocking? turning ban into even more meaningless?

 

[Ka3sha]

Russian Olympic Committee made an unanimously decision to allow Russian athletes to compete at Pyeongchang under neutral flag on today’s meeting
https://www.rbc.ru/society/12/12/2017/5a2fa2ba9a79473bbc411dc0?from=main
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ort-winter-games-athletes-draft-idUSKBN1E60Q4

 

[caseyedwards]

Russian Olympic Committee made an unanimously decision to allow Russian athletes to compete at Pyeongchang under neutral flag on today’s meeting
https://www.rbc.ru/society/12/12/2017/5a2fa2ba9a79473bbc411dc0?from=main
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ort-winter-games-athletes-draft-idUSKBN1E60Q4

Well they are all going to be banned by Valérie Fourneyron

 

[PRlady]

The US official behavior on track and field has been loathsome in general. I would be fine with the whole US delegation in that area being banned from the next summer Olys, really. The cheating has been going on so long and is attached to so many name athletes.

When people say to me, smarmily, that I watch a sport that is entirely subjective and all the judges are crooked, I point out that it is one of the sports that absolutely does not have a drug problem. Between crooked judges (and of course most of them aren't, although they are certainly nationalistic in general) and crooked jocks, I prefer the former.

 

[caseyedwards]

@Andrushka As it stands right now, they will be allowed to compete as if Russia wasn't banned - as long as the doping tests are negative. I assume all the ladies in Russia will be just fine as far as that last requirement goes.

So far none of the ladies have said anything definitive (probably because who knows if they'll even qualify at Russian Nationals), but Medvedeva sounds like she's going to compete if she qualifies.

It’s not just if doping tests are negative. It’s if they meet all requirements the screening panel demands. It could be what has the athlete done to change the culture of Russian sport.

 

[Areski]

Russian Olympic Committee made an unanimously decision to allow Russian athletes to compete at Pyeongchang under neutral flag on today’s meeting
https://www.rbc.ru/society/12/12/2017/5a2fa2ba9a79473bbc411dc0?from=main
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ort-winter-games-athletes-draft-idUSKBN1E60Q4

I knew that people were making too much drama over that ''certain in their view'' non-participation of Russians in the case of giving leeway to take part for approved, neutral athletes (that mind you, still are marked as Olympic Athletes of Russia but with no national symbols attached). For me it was immediately clear all those words before the announcement of IOC were acting as a tactical move, sort of play to make this incoming decision as possibly mild as it's possible (with status quo from Rio Olympics desired) - not as an official declaration of boycott.

 

[IceAlisa]

Thank you @reut and @Ka3sha for the updates. Are Bosco products nice?

Not surprising but good news about the unanimous vote.

@PRlady and anyone else with an opinion: it’s great that figure skating isn’t heavily implicated in doping but is the reason for that the implicit honesty peculiar to figure skaters (ha!) or just lack of a drug that would be suitable? Not an expert in doping but which drug would enhance performance in figure skating?

 

[Ka3sha]

Thank you @reut and @Ka3sha for the updates. Are Bosco products nice?

BOSCO supplied Russian Team from 2002 till 2016. I usually liked Russian Team uniforms, at least it was miles better than that ZaSport uniform

 

[TAHbKA]

In 2035 we'll learn the whole thing was a BOSCO conspiracy to get the contract for the Olympic uniform

 

[zebraswan]

Thank you @reut and @Ka3sha for the updates. Are Bosco products nice?

Bosco is the best! 1000x better than those cheap, sad looking ZASPORT uniforms. Great news if true...it's just a shame that the ZASPORT "designer" got the contract at all in the first place.