Olympic Institutions Need Rebuilding

 

If you have caught any news this week you probably saw in real time why the Olympic institution need rebuilding or at least a deep deep cleaning. 

The Olympics does not know what to do about countries that are doping. 

Those athletes are competing under the name of the “Russian Olympic Committee,” or ROC for short. That’s because Russia received a two-year ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2019 for its state-sponsored doping program. Between Dec. 17, 2020, and Dec. 17, 2022, no athlete can represent Russia at the Olympics, Paralympics or World Championships.

The ban was originally set to last four years, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced it to two years.

The years-long doping scheme was first revealed in 2016 by a whistleblower and included at least 15 medal winners from the 2014 Olympics, held in Sochi, Russia. (Via NBC Sports)

Aka: Doping is bad but we also feel bad banning a country even when they had a state sanctioned doping program so we are going to make then compete with slightly different outfits and call it all good. 

The Olympics has clear rules it tends to follow sometimes, when it is convenient.

In the case of someone else from a different country who had a positive test result. 

The athlete has been informed of the case and has been provisionally suspended until the resolution of the matter in line with the World Anti-Doping Code and the IOC Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. This means that the athlete is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity, during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. (Via ITA.sport)

Aka: The Olympics tends to be very tough on doping. You dope you can't compete to get medals. 

The Olympics threw Kamila Valieva under the bus.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), an independent, international body that determines sports disputes, decided in a hearing on Monday to allow Valieva to skate, following the announcement that Valieva had tested positive for trimetazidine in December. Trimetazidine is a banned substance that can improve endurance in athletes. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), trimetazidine is banned at all times in and out of competition. Russian athletes, including Valieva, are already not allowed to compete under the Russian flag for these Olympics as a punishment for the country’s participation in state-sponsored doping.

According to the CAS decision, there are two general points of why it’s allowing Valieva to skate: that she’s a minor and minors are subject to lesser penalties because of their age depending on the transgression; and that Valieva has tested negative while in Beijing. Valieva’s positive test came in December; there was significant delay in test reporting, and the results came only after she had skated in her first event. The CAS said that Valieva is still subject to punishment. (Via Vox)

Aka: Kamila Valieva is a kid so we will turn a blind eye to the doping allegations and just make the whole situation worst, worst for everyone competing, worst for everyone involved, and especially worst for Kamila Valieva. 

Ways this could be prevented:

a) Taking a tougher no doping stand with Russia. 

b) Not creating a work around so Russia could still complete

c) Not creating a situation where doping looks so good (ie banning all women quads in both programs not just the short program, or increasing the minimum age to level the playing field.)

d) Not having Kamila Valieva skate

e) Realizing that simply saying Kamila Valieva could not skate in the individual program would have been much kinder than what actually happened. Especially this year where with COVID several athletics could not compete so not competing would have hard but manageable.

Now to be honest this whole situation is so troubling I am still processing it.

It feels like people have clearly fallen into different camps either she did nothing wrong and the institutions are all to blame, or the reverse where she was in some kind of bubble that meant she had no coaches etc. putting pressure on her. In truth it was a mix. I would say something like 90% the institutions fault and 10% hers 

(I am sorry by 15 you know that doping is bad and know there are repercussions if you dope so I struggle with the story line that she is completely guilt free but I also recognize the pressure that Russia puts on its athletics which makes doping look attractive)

So while her being able to compete was a misstep from the start I still have compassion for the version of her who came in 4th when a different result was expected from her and all the pressure that comes with that. I hope she is able to retire and follow her dreams and become an astronaut or something.