Russian President Vladimir Putin Says Olympic Doping Ban is an American Conspiracy

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its first formal anti-doping penalties against athletes implicated in a state-sponsored Russian doping scandal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The sanctions were applied to six Russian cross country skiers who competed in Sochi. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded sharply to announcement by calling the disciplinary decisions part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the United States.

The IOC disqualified Yuliia Ivanova; Alexey Petukhov; Evgeniya Shapovalova; and Maksim Vylegzhanin from all results obtained at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The four Russian athletes also received a lifetime ban from all future Olympic competition. 

Vylegzhanin was a three-time Olympic silver medalist. He placed second in the men’s 50-kilometer freestyle, the 4x10-kilometer relay and the team sprint at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The IOC demanded that he return his medals from Sochi.

Last month, the IOC disqualified and issued lifetime Olympic suspensions to Alexander Legkov and Evgeniy Belov. Legkov won the gold medal in the men's 50-kilometer freestyle gold and the silver medal in the 4x10-kilometer relay in Sochi. The IOC also demanded that he return his Olympic medals.

The six formally-banned Russian cross-country skiiers were among 28 Russian athletes who were provisionally suspended by the IOC last year. The Russian athletes were implicated by the former director of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) Grigory Rodchenkov. The RUSADA Director turned whistle-blower alleged that he provided the Russian athletes with an undetectable sublingual steroid cocktail containing methenolone, trenbolone and oxandrolone.

President Putin has previously called Rodchenkov a liar and a traior. But to anti-doping crusaders, Rodchenkov has become a hero in his newly-found role as a Russian whistle-blower who defected to the United States in order to help expose Russia’s state-sponsored doping program.

President Putin reacted to the formal ban of the six cross country skiers by characterizing it as part of an American conspiracy intended to interfere with and disrupt the Russian presidential elections.

“The controlling stake is located in the United States, because the main companies that order and pay for television rights, the main sponsors, the main advertisement buyers and so forth are located there,” Putin said.

“I have very serious suspicions that this is done to create the necessary environment, to incite discontent among sports fans, athletes, that the state was allegedly involved in these violations and is responsible for them,” Putin said. “In response to our alleged interference in their elections, they want to create problems during the election of the president of Russia.”

Source:

Ruiz, R. (November 9, 2017). Putin Sees U.S. Conspiracy After Olympic Doping Ban on 4 Russians. Retrieved from mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/sports/russia-olympics-doping.html