Russian Olympic doping ban overturned
Reversal undermines case brought against Russia for state-sponsored drugging of athletes
Twenty-eight Russian athletes banned from the Olympics for life for doping have had their suspensions overturned and results reinstated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, days before the start of the Winter Olympics.
A total of 39 athletes had been suspended by the International Olympic Committee for failing drugs tests at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. All were stripped of their medals and handed lifetime bans.
However, the court has now ruled that in 28 cases evidence was “insufficient” to prove doping.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Matthieu Reeb, secretary-general of the court, said: “This does not mean that these 28 athletes are declared innocent, but in their case, due to insufficient evidence, the appeals are upheld, the sanctions annulled and their individual results achieved in Sochi are reinstated.”
Reeb went on to say that the decision had no bearing on “whether there was an organised scheme allowing the manipulation of doping control samples in the Sochi laboratory”, only on the culpability of individual athletes.
Both the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the International Olympic Committee have said the 28 athletes will be barred from this year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea which begin in a week, but Sky News says legal action could force the IOC to let some of them compete.
More important than the fate of 28 athletes is the damage the affair has done to the sport as a whole. The ruling “will be seen as yet another blow for anti-doping, undermining the entire case built against Russia for state-sponsored doping, and fuelling those who portray the scandal as a Western conspiracy”, says BBC sports editor Dan Roan.
The IOC attacked the court’s decision, saying it “may have a serious impact on the future fight against doping” and pledged to consider its own appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, “yet it is another blow to the credibility of the Olympic committee’s management of the doping affair”, says The New York Times.
A 17-month investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency found “beyond reasonable doubt” that the Russian Ministry of Sport and its Olympic preparation team had allowed state-funded doping at Sochi.
The IOC has already been criticised, both for banning Russia and then allowing 169 athletes to compete as neutrals with the word ‘Russia’ emblazoned on their kit. Now “many will wonder why they issued these lifetime bans in the first place when legal precedent shows that such sanctions are always doomed to fail once appealed”, says Roan.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
People of the year 2024
In the Spotlight Remember the people who hit the headlines this year?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Christmas quiz 2024
From the magazine Test your grasp of current affairs and general knowledge with our quiz
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 25, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
And the gold goes to the wackiest events of Olympics past
The Explainer Prior games have included contests like pigeon shooting and hot air ballooning
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Salt Lake City named host of 2034 Winter Olympics
Speed Read The Winter Games are returning to the US for the first time in 32 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Tour de France: a return to the glory days?
A stellar line-up of contenders looks set to provide a vintage race
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Should Olympic athletes get paid?
Today's Big Question For the first time in history, an international sporting body will pay some Olympians for their achievements in Paris this summer.
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The 'Enhanced Games': a dangerous dosage?
Talking Point A drug-fuelled Olympic-style competition is in the works but critics argue the risks are too high
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Winter Olympics: ‘disaster averted’ for Team GB as curling stars win medals
feature Team GB finished a disappointing games with just two medals
By Mike Starling Published
-
Kamila Valieva: tears, outrage and a distressing conclusion at the Winter Olympics
In the Spotlight After the doping scandal, Russia’s 15-year-old skating prodigy crumbled in her final event
By Mike Starling, The Week UK Published
-
Winter Olympics: 3,000 snowflakes and a Uyghur skier
In the Spotlight For both winners and losers alike, an air of unreality hangs over these games
By The Week Staff Published