IOC bans Russian team from 2018 Winter Olympics

[SabreFan1]

1 hour ago, Jimmy McGill said:

hard for me not to agree with him. The US probably just has better chemists and can stay farther ahead of testing. 

It wasn't that Russia was getting caught.  It was that a key person in the cheating squealed on them and provided proof that the Russian government itself was behind the cheating.

 

Once he squealed, they went back to samples that were years old and tested them with newer techniques and the dominoes began to fall when people started to pop.

 

In the wealthier nations in the west, the athletes have access to their own money and ready access to people who can help them cheat.  Western governments can't get involved in doping their athletes because the government officials would get arrested and tossed in jail for years, especially here in the US where the FBI would break down doors if they caught wind of it.  Countries such as China and Russia have no such worries.

[WHL rocks]

This is geopolitics more than sport. As if Americans aren't on steroids. They just have better labs so they don't get caught. 

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

Gonna be interesting to watch the dominos drop on this one.

 

Will the KHL ban its players in response (as they’ve threatened)?

 

Some Canadian KHL players have apparently already stated that, if the KHL bans their participation, they will void their contracts and go to the Olympics anyway.

[coastal.view]

3 hours ago, Warhippy said:

I am actually quite surprised by the wide reaching scope of the ban.  I am not surprised at all by the doping itself as for years Russia, America, China and Germany have been the top tier for cheating regarding doping, training and age issues.

 

With this in mind it is hard to not see Sweden and Finland the current favorites to the podium in hockey.

 

The political fallout should be amusing. 

wow i sure am excited if i am the south korean olympic organizing committee

they paid good money to win these games

then the ioc cannot get the nhl on board

and now has banned the russians altogether

so one of the elite sports is mostly totally trashed

i wonder if a partial refund is gonna be forthcoming to south korea

 

[samurai]

23 minutes ago, WHL rocks said:

This is geopolitics more than sport. As if Americans aren't on steroids. They just have better labs so they don't get caught. 

Uninformed comment - I bet you haven't read anything on the issue except the headline.  

[Fanuck]

57 minutes ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

Some Canadian KHL players have apparently already stated that, if the KHL bans their participation, they will void their contracts and go to the Olympics anyway.

I'll believe this when I see it.

Canadians in the KHL already have very limited options to continue to make money playing a sport and most don't make that much money (compared to NHL) for them to be able to say, "I quit because representing Canada means more to me than supporting my family." 

[6string]

The IOC are hypocrites of the tallest order, I'm curious to see how Russia responds with the World Cup being staged there next year.

 

The IOC are bought by and belong to multinational corporations who make the IOC's calls.

 

They are affording to lose a huge Russian TV audience with this decision which is 6 hours behind the S. Korean time.

[SabreFan1]

1 hour ago, WHL rocks said:

This is geopolitics more than sport. As if Americans aren't on steroids. They just have better labs so they don't get caught. 

The difference between the US cheating and a country like Russia is that the Russian government was personally involved.  In the US it's more of the athletes themselves since through things like sponsorship deals, the athletes can afford to go to the designer drug doctors and clinics.

 

If a government official got caught being involved with the dissemination of drugs, the FBI and federal prosecutors would put him/her/them in prison for a long time.  It would be a career maker for the agent(s) and prosecutor(s) and a most definite career breaker for a government official.

 

Organizations in the US like USADA are like attack dogs when it comes to drug testing.  They do not play around.  So not only do the athletes here have to beat WADA and the IOC, they have to contend with USADA when they are actively in the testing pool.

 

Also, the IOC for years now has been keeping old samples preserved so when they as much as have an inkling that someone is dirty, they go back to samples from previous Olympic Games and re-test.  People from several countries have already retroactively been stripped of medals that they "won" in past games.

[JM_]

1 hour ago, SabreFan1 said:

It wasn't that Russia was getting caught.  It was that a key person in the cheating squealed on them and provided proof that the Russian government itself was behind the cheating.

 

Once he squealed, they went back to samples that were years old and tested them with newer techniques and the dominoes began to fall when people started to pop.

 

In the wealthier nations in the west, the athletes have access to their own money and ready access to people who can help them cheat.  Western governments can't get involved in doping their athletes because the government officials would get arrested and tossed in jail for years, especially here in the US where the FBI would break down doors if they caught wind of it.  Countries such as China and Russia have no such worries.

but you know that here we aren't looking all that hard at it either and I bet everyone knows who the juiced ones are and are happy to turn a blind eye to it if it lines their pockets. I just don't believe that Russia is so alone in this as to be kept out as a country. But this Olympics in terms of hockey at least was already turned into a gong show by Bettman. 

[Cerridwen]

21 minutes ago, 6string said:

The IOC are hypocrites of the tallest order, I'm curious to see how Russia responds with the World Cup being staged there next year.

 

The IOC are bought by and belong to multinational corporations who make the IOC's calls.

 

They are affording to lose a huge Russian TV audience with this decision which is 6 hours behind the S. Korean time.

So even though they are trying to clean up the IOC, it's forever tarnished due to the actions of people not even involved with it anymore? That hardly seems right or fair.

Best not applaud any decision to try and make things better, I guess.

[SabreFan1]

21 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

but you know that here we aren't looking all that hard at it either and I bet everyone knows who the juiced ones are and are happy to turn a blind eye to it if it lines their pockets. I just don't believe that Russia is so alone in this as to be kept out as a country. But this Olympics in terms of hockey at least was already turned into a gong show by Bettman. 

It's not up to our government to keep track of who's juicing in the Olympics and who isn't.  There are organizations like USADA whose responsibility it is to try and catch the cheaters.

 

Congress and other government officials only get involved when they can grandstand in front of cameras and a national audience like they did in the baseball juicing hearings.

 

The only other country to ever get caught being involved with Olympic juicing on the scale that Russia got busted for was when East Germany got busted for it decades ago.  That's why Russia is getting hit this hard.  If they were able to take a closer look they'd probably also nail China as well. 

[Gurn]

2 hours ago, Fanuck said:

I'll believe this when I see it.

Canadians in the KHL already have very limited options to continue to make money playing a sport and most don't make that much money (compared to NHL) for them to be able to say, "I quit because representing Canada means more to me than supporting my family." 

Those that quit and manage to win? could sign a book/movie deal or maybe get hired by  companies that appreciate what they did.

[samurai]

1 hour ago, 6string said:

The IOC are hypocrites of the tallest order, I'm curious to see how Russia responds with the World Cup being staged there next year.

 

The IOC are bought by and belong to multinational corporations who make the IOC's calls.

 

They are affording to lose a huge Russian TV audience with this decision which is 6 hours behind the S. Korean time.

I am guessing you are Russian.  

[6string]

23 minutes ago, samurai said:

I am guessing you are Russian.  

NO you have guessed wrong, I was born at St.Pauls Hospital raised minutes from the Pacific Coliseum.

 

" I am guessing" you don't see the hypocrisy or are you Russophobic?

[samurai]

11 minutes ago, 6string said:

NO you have guessed wrong, I was born at St.Pauls Hospital raised minutes from the Pacific Coliseum.

 

" I am guessing" you don't see the hypocrisy or are you Russophobic?

Okay explain the hypocrisy?   In recent years there is no other example of officials from one major sports country systematically encouraging and being involved in doping.  Do you even know how this was exposed?   Or why it got to this point?    

 

One more thing.  From a argument standpoint being born at St. Pauls is not proof that you are not Russian.  

[MoneypuckOverlord]

what about figure skating scandals.  We know they always pay off judges.  NO way Yuna Kim gets silver.

[Alflives]

The Olympics, in many of the major sports, are full of cheating on multiple levels.  So much for the athlete’s pledge.  I’m still watching though:)

[samurai]

33 minutes ago, MoneypuckOverlord said:

what about figure skating scandals.  We know they always pay off judges.  NO way Yuna Kim gets silver.

the classic 'well what about this'.    The issue is not about biased judges.    

[JM_]

2 hours ago, SabreFan1 said:

It's not up to our government to keep track of who's juicing in the Olympics and who isn't.  There are organizations like USADA whose responsibility it is to try and catch the cheaters.

 

Congress and other government officials only get involved when they can grandstand in front of cameras and a national audience like they did in the baseball juicing hearings.

 

The only other country to ever get caught being involved with Olympic juicing on the scale that Russia got busted for was when East Germany got busted for it decades ago.  That's why Russia is getting hit this hard.  If they were able to take a closer look they'd probably also nail China as well. 

I dunno, when a gold in the US (in a popular sport at least) makes you millions there will be a huge market for cheating innovation. Thats why I really enjoy the "little" events, no one's retiring to an island being the best at skeleton. 

[6string]

53 minutes ago, samurai said:

Okay explain the hypocrisy?   In recent years there is no other example of officials from one major sports country systematically encouraging and being involved in doping.  Do you even know how this was exposed?   Or why it got to this point?    

 

One more thing.  From a argument standpoint being born at St. Pauls is not proof that you are not Russian.  

Both of your comments are ridiculous, doping is the benchmark in many of the Olympic events as far back as the Summer Games in 1968, please do get caught up.

 

BTW I gues Obama is a Muslim, Trump is a Russian spy and I'm with the KGB.