Russia's status at Olympics & Worlds

[JDB]

For anyone not familiar, Russia continues to face consequences for noncompliance with WADA. Russia can no longer use the Russian flag or anthem in Olympics and IOC governing body member competitions. Russia will go by Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in the 2020 and 2022 Olympics. A replacement for the anthem has yet to be chosen. Russia also cannot host world championships for any IOC governing body member.

This thread is for updates and discussions on the matter.

 

[Doug1233]

Wasnt this supposed to be the case in Rio but they fudged it for gymnastics?

So will there be an ROC team in TF?

 

[RedBirdie]

I think some sports were allowed in Rio. But for Pyongyang, Russia was banned and their athletes who were allowed to compete were under the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” banner. The Olympic flag was raised for them.

 

[irichluck21]

No it was not in effect in Rio.

IOC rejected WADA’s recommendations to ban Russia completely.
The IPC banned Russia completely from the Paralympics though.

IOC instead banned athletes that had tested positive before. They also all but banned the athletics team, IIRC 68 athletes had qualified and only 1 was allowed to compete. A little over 100 Olympians were banned.

Yes both the Russian men and the women will have teams in gymnastics in Tokyo. However, they will be “members of the ROC” or “athlete from the Olympic Committee in Russia”. no flag, emblem, or anthem. The ROC will be choosing a replacement anthem but it must be approved first. IIRC, sport kits cannot have red, white, blue at the same time. So Russian leos will likely be similar to Athens (candy Cane leo).

 

[makam]

It is a ban with no teeth. They had the same thing in Peyongchang and if I recall correctly, the “not!Russian” hockey team still sang the Russian anthem at their medal ceremony even as the IOC anthem was playing. Nothing was done despite all the pre-Games threats of banning and medal stripping if the Russian flag, anthem, etc was displayed.

 

[jorge29]

that isn’t a ban and anyway will go the Russian team and is the same as they wouldn’t banned. i wonder why has not heard WADA suggestion of full ban or maybe the correct question is: how much money Russia state gives to IOC?

 

[irichluck21]

Absolutely. Which is why they are calling for a complete ban of Russia in 2022, 2024, 2026.

 

[Denn]

Here’s an idea: let them compete but lower than ranks by 2 spots “due to potential cheating”. They can’t earn gold and silver medals and no singing their anthems will be possible.

Okay, that’s kind of dumb, but so is letting them compete as Olympic athletes from Russia.

 

[Doug1233]

Any update on this?

 

[irichluck21]

Not that I am aware of but in Tokyo it is not RUS- Russia, its ROC- Russian Olympic Committee still

 

[Doug1233]

Does that mean Olympic flag or Russian flag?

 

[makam]

I’ve heard Olympic flag, but no source (maybe I am just remembering what they did at the last winter olympics)

I definitely think since they aren’t really a country competing, they really shouldn’t have been able to qualify a team but since they did, I don’t think they should have been eligible to gain any additional spots. It isn’t really a punishment. I guess the IOC wimping out on sanctioning a major country isn’t unusual (and I’d expect if the US had a similar dope-hiding-scheme they’d get the tap on the wrist too). Hell, look at sports like weightlifting and how many of their medalists/finalists have been DQ-ed for drugs over the years. I’d be eliminating that sport or really hitting the repeat offender countries suuuuper hard.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

Given that we have no evidence of any significant drug problem in artistic gymnastics, I’d be fucking incandescent if our sport had to lose the two Russian teams or any individual spots. Address the problem where it exists, ie not here. By all means call the teams Not Russia and ban them from wearing red, white or blue in their leotards if people are sufficiently bothered, I don’t give a shit about that, but Olympic gymnastics being weakened because of issues in other sports? Nope.

 

[JDB]

Hell, look at sports like weightlifting and how many of their medalists/finalists have been DQ-ed for drugs over the years. I’d be eliminating that sport or really hitting the repeat offender countries suuuuper hard.

The IOC has come down hard on weightlifting and threatened to remove it from the Olympics. Doping sanctions are much worse than they used to be. A whopping nine countries were banned from 2017 weightlifting worlds due to having too many positive retests.

 

[KorbutFan]

And there I was thinking weightlifting was one of the few sports untouched by doping.

 

[irichluck21]

Olympic flag for medal ceremonies.

The Russian National anthem will not be played. The ROC had to come to a consensus on an alternate song to play as anthem. If they cannot, the Olympic anthem will be played.

No Russian flag on Olympic kit, they may have ROC placed on their competitive gear.

 

[Doug1233]

Are u sure this is what will happen for gymnastics?

 

[irichluck21]

All Olympic athletes from Russia

Russia banned for four years to include 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup

Russia is handed a four-year ban from all major sporting events - including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics - by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

www.bbc.com

 

[JDB]

I respectfully disagree. The doping protection program likely began around 2011-2012. We’re approaching a decade of noncompliance with WADA. That’s unacceptable and smaller countries would never receive this leniency. Thomas Bach’s kiddy glove treatments aren’t working. I also think Russia shouldn’t be allowed to compete in Olympic figure skating team event. Figure skating is a pretty clean sport but there will always be collateral damage.

 

[ArnoldRimmer]

They’re not working in the sports where there’s evidence that doping is widespread, no. That’s not here. Banning the Russian gymnasts is punishing the wrong people, and doing that inevitably weakens the moral case against blanket bans on Russian participation in sports where it can’t be safely assumed that any individual Russian athlete is clean. Target the problem where we know it exists, not where we have no reason to believe it does.