Olympic Games: Russian doping scandal still in focus

New accusations by Grigory Rodchenkov, further suspensions against Russian athletes – but the number of voices against a complete exclusion of the sports superpower is increasing.

Less than a week before Russia’s decision to start the Olympic Games, the doping scandal continues to make waves. The more so as the blocked Russian athletes refuse to return their medals won at the winter games in Sochi.

Rodchenkov, on the other hand, increased pressure with further revelations ahead of the eagerly awaited decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) next Tuesday.

The former sports minister and current vice prime minister Witali Mutko is declared the central figure in the manipulation of the games in Sochi in two diaries, which are closely and manually described in two journals, which the New York Times has been allowed to view exclusively.

According to Rodchenkov’s records, Mutko was inaugurated in detail into the Russian doping and manipulation system. This would be further proof that the Russian state was also involved in the scandal to the highest circles. So far, Russia has denied any state involvement. On Monday, the Oswald Commission of the IOC had classified Rodchenkow as a credible witness.

Shortly before the start of the matches, Rodchenkov noted in his diary that he had handed Mutko a list of dozens of Russian athletes who had received a specially developed doping cocktail and whose urine samples had to be exchanged for clean urine during the matches.

Also because of Rodtschenkov’s statements, the IOC blocked three more bobsleigh athletes for life for the Olympic Games on Wednesday. Among them in the Sochi fourth Alexander Kasyanov also one of the main competitors of the German bobsleigh drivers in the fight for Olympic medals in Pyeongchang. Kasyanov had won the World Cup in Whistler last weekend. The number of Russian athletes banned by the IOC has thus increased to 22.

Unlike other international federations, the bobsleigh and skeleton federation IBSF has followed the decisions of the IOC so far and imposed provisional suspensions for the World Cup on the athletes concerned. On Wednesday, this was also true for Kasyanov and his companions.

The lawyer of the Russian cross-country skier Alexander Legkov, who had also been banned from the Olympic Games for the rest of his life, reacted with harsh criticism:”The hearing could have been spared. The Commission already had a ruling before we opened the door to the meeting room”, says a statement by German lawyer Christof Wieschemann published on Wednesday.

Irrespective of the barriers, the Ice Hockey World Association IIHF, the luge world association FIL and the World Curling Federation WCF have spoken out against a complete exclusion of Russia. IIHF President Rene Fasel described the collective punishment as unfair. In that case,”many Russian athletes who have nothing to do with doping would be punished unfairly,”said the association boss. Josef Fendt, German FIL President, described it as “unfair”in the Sport Bild (Wednesday edition) if clean athletes were to be punished collectively.

For their medals, the athletes who are likely to move up as a result of the Russians’ suspension have to wait for their medals. The Russian sports ministry announced on Wednesday that a return by the Russian athletes is inconceivable before the trial of the objections.

“The bobsleigh federation and the cross-country skiing federation are prepared to take CAS to the International Court of Justice for Sport”, according to a statement quoted by the Interfax news agency. The suspended biathlete Jana Romanova had declared on Tuesday that she “would rather throw her silver medal from Sochi into the barrel than give it to the IOC”.