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About bloody time: Olympic doping edition
Nov. 1st, 2017 05:25 pmAfter faffing around for what has seemed like eternity, the IOC has today announced the disqualification of two Russian cross-country skiers for doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, rendering them also unable to compete in the 2018 Olympics. This means that Russia loses the men's cross-country ski silver and the men's 50km gold medal. I'm particularly pleased because I argued for accepting the latter at the time when there was a lot of muttering about doping that in the English-language (i.e. mostly American and Canadian) cross-country press, on what really wasn't any evidence beyond general suspicion of the wrong people winning, and while I am very anti-doping, I don't think that bitching that your fave didn't get it generally helps the cause, especially when the victor is someone entirely credible*. If one side of good sportsmanship is not cheating, another side is not crying 'unfair' because the person/team you like had a bad day.
Which didn't mean that I had any particular interest in a Russian victory in itself, much as strong (clean) Russian team is good for the sport, and when increasing evidence of state-sponsored doping emerged, I got increasingly irritated at the sporting authorities seeming to do bugger all about it. Well, now they have, and I suspect that this won't be the last. I would actually like to see Russia disqualified entirely from the 2018 competition. Again, not because I am anti-Russian, but because I think that any nation that demonstrates the extent of state-sponsored doping in a competition, especially on home soil (snow) that seems to becoming apparent, should forfeit the right to take part. Would that cause some clean Russian competitors to suffer?** Yes, it would. But the fault would like with Russia (or another nation in this position) for making the action necessary. After all, it caused plenty of other people to suffer when cheating. And not just those who came 4th, 5th, and 6th. As soon as you get out of short sprints in lanes, the whole shape of a middle or long distance race is formed by the people in it. The victor wins not just in the home straight, but in how they are involved in shaped the preceding 700m - 49,900m. Without them you have an entirely different race. If victory in sport is to have any validity, there have to be limits on what you're allowed to do to win, and the sheer scale of organised corruption at Sochi is a line I am happy to draw. There's going to be more where this came from in the 100 days left to Pyeongchang, and I await the details of the judgement with interest. Now, if FIFA could just sort out their little problem with bribery, corruption, and plain stupidity concerning awarding the 2022 world cup to Qatar...
*Admittedly this moral high ground is made easier when your country's only competitor in the 50km came 53rd. But he was 4th in the 2017 World Championships, so there is hope yet!
**There are arguments both for and against allowing people who have been extensively tested outside the country to compete under a neutral flag.
Which didn't mean that I had any particular interest in a Russian victory in itself, much as strong (clean) Russian team is good for the sport, and when increasing evidence of state-sponsored doping emerged, I got increasingly irritated at the sporting authorities seeming to do bugger all about it. Well, now they have, and I suspect that this won't be the last. I would actually like to see Russia disqualified entirely from the 2018 competition. Again, not because I am anti-Russian, but because I think that any nation that demonstrates the extent of state-sponsored doping in a competition, especially on home soil (snow) that seems to becoming apparent, should forfeit the right to take part. Would that cause some clean Russian competitors to suffer?** Yes, it would. But the fault would like with Russia (or another nation in this position) for making the action necessary. After all, it caused plenty of other people to suffer when cheating. And not just those who came 4th, 5th, and 6th. As soon as you get out of short sprints in lanes, the whole shape of a middle or long distance race is formed by the people in it. The victor wins not just in the home straight, but in how they are involved in shaped the preceding 700m - 49,900m. Without them you have an entirely different race. If victory in sport is to have any validity, there have to be limits on what you're allowed to do to win, and the sheer scale of organised corruption at Sochi is a line I am happy to draw. There's going to be more where this came from in the 100 days left to Pyeongchang, and I await the details of the judgement with interest. Now, if FIFA could just sort out their little problem with bribery, corruption, and plain stupidity concerning awarding the 2022 world cup to Qatar...
*Admittedly this moral high ground is made easier when your country's only competitor in the 50km came 53rd. But he was 4th in the 2017 World Championships, so there is hope yet!
**There are arguments both for and against allowing people who have been extensively tested outside the country to compete under a neutral flag.