
Russian Track and Field Team Barred from Rio Olympics - gk1
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/18/sports/olympics/russia-barred-rio-summer-olympics-doping.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
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SonicSoul
_Russia’s track and field team has been barred from competing in this summer’s
Rio Games because of a far-reaching doping conspiracy, an extraordinary
punishment that might be without precedent in Olympics history_

off topic, but wow what a great opening to this article. It actually gets to
the point in first sentence, and second sentence (not quoted here) states most
important implications and how this news came to be. Reader has the option to
keep reading to get more background. This is so crisp and refreshing compared
to other articles that feel the need to start with some opening warm up that
will get you to the point 1/3 of the way in.

~~~
marak830
I agree, I am often surprised(not as often as I'd like!) When articles give me
the important details first, then go into an in-depth explanation.

I truly wish it was the standard :s

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themartorana
I'm at a bit of loss when it comes to being able to care. Maybe for the
athletes that were possibly forced into doping, but otherwise, this is a power
struggle between an incredibly corrupt state actor and an incredibly corrupt
IOC.

Besides, if the condition reports out of Rio are to be believed (and I see no
reason not to) it's not the worst thing to stay home.

[http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/14791849/trash-
co...](http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/14791849/trash-
contamination-continue-pollute-olympic-training-competition-sites-rio-de-
janeiro)

~~~
balls187
If I read the article correctly, this isn't the IOC that is imposing the ban.

It's the IAAF, and for which the IOC needs to comply with.

From a different source, the IOC (with IAAF's blessing?) was considering
allowing individual Russian Athletes to file an appeal, on the basis that
punishing one athlete for the behavior of another is not justice.

I'm struggling to come up with a governing sports body that isn't corrupt on
some level.

As a fan of US professional sports, I've yet to come across an athletic
association that wasn't mired in some level of controversy endemic to the
organization.

High school athletic programs, and even little league baseball have problems
with "corruption."

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ejcx
This is interesting. Doping is really common in a lot of other sports too,
weightlifting being the one I personally care about.

The IAAF banned Russia not the IOC. I don't like that this is being enforced
inconsistently so I'm curious what the IOC will do. It doesn't make sense to
me to ban Russia who was doping, and not the other countries who were doping,
and not the other sports where Russia is doping.

I'm at a loss for what should be done about doping. Should it should be
accepted, whether we should continue how we have it (you must at least try to
cheat well), or whether we should become less strict. Because it's currently
very easy to cheat depending on your country.

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imaginenore
This whole doping scandal explains why Russia won so many medals (gold in
particular) at the last Olympics after a long decline.

2014: 33 (13 gold)

2010: 15 (3 gold)

2006: 22 (8 gold)

2002: 13 (5 gold)

1998: 18 (9 gold)

1994: 23 (11 gold)

We also have a dead head of the anti-doping committee (Nikita Kamayev), and a
dead ex-head of the same committee (Vyacheslav Sinev), both suspiciously dead
within two weeks.

[http://www.unian.info/world/1264887-two-senior-ex-
officials-...](http://www.unian.info/world/1264887-two-senior-ex-officials-of-
russias-anti-doping-agency-die-within-2-weeks.html)

------
seanalltogether
Russian athletes have been dropping like flies since the beginning of the
year.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/sports/tennis/meldonium-
ru...](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/sports/tennis/meldonium-russian-
athletes-maria-sharapova-doping.html)

[http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/doping-scandal-sees-
entire...](http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/doping-scandal-sees-entire-
russian-u18-team-replaced-at-world-championships/)

> The medication (Meldonium), which is manufactured by a single Latvian
> company named Grindeks. It helps improve exercise capacity in patients, as
> well as in healthy individuals and athletes. However, it is only available
> in the Russian Federation or the former Soviet Bloc nations such as Moldova,
> Ukraine, Belarus and Armenia.

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mladenkovacevic
Just make doping legal.

Everyone does it with varying levels of sophistication. Russians got caught
this time.

EDIT: this post is more about me playing devil's advocate then my actual
opinion. Olympics has become more about being the best evader of anti-doping
procedure or using the "correct" enhancers then about actually making everyone
not abuse ANY performance enhancers.

~~~
uptown
Then you're basically forcing athletes that don't want to dope to do-so in
order to remain competitive. I don't think that's fair.

~~~
tlrobinson
Have 2 different leagues or events or whatever, the naturals and the enhanced.

~~~
Pinwheeler
Should we then also make Adderal legal to be used at work?

~~~
shkkmo
Isn't it as long as you get a prescription?

~~~
nostrebored
The GPs point is that it is a stimulant that increases performance at the cost
of heart health. Were we to make it legal while at work, people who were
working without it would be at a disadvantage, prompting a "normal" worker to
increase productivity at the expense of their health.

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sp332
*Maybe. We'll know on Tuesday.

I am kinda surprised, since the Russians seem to have been cooperative with
everything the IAAF asked them to do.

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jpkeisala
Olympics since cold-war era has been show for high-tech steroid uses. Some get
caught but the best ones not.

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chrisseaton
The article talks about 'track and field', which isn't a term I've ever heard
before. It's the athletics team that's been banned isn't it? The article even
sounds confused that 'track and field' is administered by an organisation
called 'International Association of Athletics Federations', which could have
been a clue that the name was wrong.

~~~
bane
Track and Field is the common umbrella term for basically the sports that
happen in the Olympic stadium: running, throwing, jumping, etc. i.e. the
events that involve running on a "track" and doing activities in a "field".

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_and_field](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_and_field)

~~~
jessriedel
This is true, but the narrow, international definition of "athletics" (which
Wikipedia calls "Sport of athletics") apparently includes road running, cross
country running, and race walking. These are often not considered to fall
under the term "track and field".

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_of_athletics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_of_athletics)

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awareBrah
At this level of sport, everyone is doping. Whether or not that is moral is
another question, but if you want to be the best, you have to do it. It is
just a matter of who can hide it best, might as well stop regulating it so
they can focus on the sport.

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mark_chosenberg
"In general, nations have been barred because of geopolitical considerations,
not doping"

Right, because doping really is the sole reason for banning Russia from the
games and geopolitical considerations have nothing to do with this decision at
all.

~~~
lotso
Have you read about the sophistication of Russia's doping program? Its
unprecedented.

