The sporting world is eagerly awaiting the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday, 5 May 2005. December 2017. The decision will be announced in Lausanne at 7.30 p. m. at a press conference during the meeting of the IOC Executive Board. SPOX will tell you who will impose which punishments, what is the reason and what the official’s opinions are.
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.
The IOC is the highest and only body for the Olympic Games. It recognises the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), awards the Olympic Games and lays down its rules with the Olympic Charter.
The task of the committee, which consists of up to 115 regular members, is the organisation and supervision of the Olympic Games.
The McLaren report was written by Canadian investigator Richard McLaren. In this he published that between 2011 and 2015, around 1000 Russian athletes were involved in state-organized and systematic doping. This period also includes the Olympic Winter Games of Sochi in 2014.
This report serves as the basis for investigations and declared blockades against Russian athletes. The IOC received further information from Grigori Rodschenkow.
In the run-up to the summer games in Rio de Janeiro last year, the IOC decided against a complete exclusion of the Russians.
The chemist Grigory Rodshenkov was once head of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory. Today, the 59-year-old Russian is one of the most important witnesses to the allegations of state doping.
He published handwritten notebooks confirming that doping tests have been systematically manipulated at his workplace.
The two books were written in 2014 and 2015 and testify not only to the detailed doping network but also to the participation of government members.
Officially, the Russian side has consistently denied all accusations so far. The deputy prime minister and former sports minister Witali Mutko is said to have played a central role in the manipulations around Sochi in 2014. So far, the latter has also denied any involvement.
The athletes concerned also describe the barriers as unfair and unjustified. Moreover, the Russians could not conceivably return the medals.
The IOC established the Oswald Commission and instructed it to investigate alleged doping violations by Russian athletes at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014.
On the basis of the findings of the McLaren report, the Oswald Commission, as part of the IOC, has so far blocked 25 Russian athletes for life in all functions for the Olympic Games and denied them the medals they had won. They were consequently also deleted from all lists of results.
The bobsleigh and skeleton federation IBSF has so far been the only federation to follow the decisions of the IOC and has also imposed restrictions on the athletes concerned. These are provisionally valid for the World Cup.
Alfons Hörmann, President of the German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB), comments positively on the restrictions imposed:”The decisions taken so far with lifelong Olympic suspensions for some Russian athletes are encouraging. They thus confirm the IOC’s objective that as much equality of opportunity as possible must be achieved in time for Pyeongchang.”
In general, the German authorities have reacted favourably to the severity of the punishment. Thomas Schwab, board member of the bobsleigh and sleigh federation, praised the consistent approach in the anti-doping fight and Bernhard Mayr, president of the German curling federation, said:”I hope that the IOC will remain consistent on topics that are clear.