Massive Russian operation to cheat with doping during the Sochi Olympics

[Thor]

Putin has gone after one of the few remaining news outlets that has dared to speak against his administration, there is little left of whatever hints of a democracy.

Putin's got a few decades of rule left in him I bet, scary to think what Russia will become in the next 10-20 years under his rule.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36301648

[mrkajz44]

Bump - 23 more athletes tested positive from the 2012 Olympics. Looks like 6 countries are implicated, so not just the Russians this time. No info yet on who got caught, but I think most of them are athletes looking to compete this summer. Very interesting timing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/2012-lon...ban-rio-games/

Nearly two dozen athletes tested positive in reanalysis of their doping samples from the 2012 London Olympics, adding to the more than 30 already caught in retesting from the 2008 Beijing Games.

The International Olympic Committee said Friday that 23 athletes from five sports and six countries had positive findings in retests with improved techniques on 265 samples from the London Games.

The IOC did not identify the athletes, their sports or their nationalities.

I guess I've been a bit naive to this. I always thought there was some doping going on, but it seems like it is far more wide reaching than I previously thought.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Thor

Putin has gone after one of the few remaining news outlets that has dared to speak against his administration, there is little left of whatever hints of a democracy.

Putin's got a few decades of rule left in him I bet, scary to think what Russia will become in the next 10-20 years under his rule.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36301648

I am more worried about his parting gift to earth when his reign ends.

[Itse]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/sp...jing.html?_r=0

Fourteen Russian athletes who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are suspected of having used banned substances during the Games, the Russian Olympic Committee said Tuesday.

The International Olympic Committee announced last week that it had retested 454 doping samples from the Beijing Games, and identified 31 athletes from 12 countries in six sports with suspicious results.

Russian state television named 14 athletes, including 10 Olympic medalists

So, 14 out of 31 caught in the retests are Russians. That's a big percentage. I really hope the IOC has the guts to just ban them.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

I am more worried about his parting gift to earth when his reign ends.

One would think he may want to retire in peace with his $40 billion he managed to steal.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by T@T

One would think he may want to retire in peace with his $40 billion he managed to steal.

Actually, there's talk that one of the reasons he'll never give up his power is he's worried no one can protect him.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

I am more worried about his parting gift to earth when his reign ends.

Well just like when Yeltsin groomed Putin to take over because he knew he was corrupt and had lots of skeletons just like him, I'm certain whenever the time comes Putin will ensure the next czar to take over will be one of his guys, since an honest guy would come in and expose the corruption inherent in the inner circle of Russia's power elite, the oligarchs and top officials.

Its more akin to a Mafia in Russia ruling that country, and you can bet they will never give up power to anyone that isn't towing the line.

[RougeUnderoos]

The Russian track team has been barred from the Olympics.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/18/sp...cs-doping.html

First question at the press conference was from a (what sounded like) Russian reporter. She wanted to know if it was fair and if the IAAF might be corrupt.

I mean, I'm sure they are, but it was kind of funny.

[Thor]

Russians have zero self awareness, because their own media plays the its us vs the West card all the time. The Russian hooligans in France, their leader a friend of Putin is a racist Aryan nations guy who's football group is well known as hooligans, the Russian's protested France shipping him out of the country...

[taco.vidal]

You seem to know a lot about Russia and Russians.

Originally Posted by Thor

Russians have zero self awareness, because their own media plays the its us vs the West card all the time. The Russian hooligans in France, their leader a friend of Putin is a racist Aryan nations guy who's football group is well known as hooligans, the Russian's protested France shipping him out of the country...

[Thor]

Not sure why, but maybe its because as a kid I feared the USSR and nuclear war. Then when the wall came down and Russia started on a path to an open society it was for me such a momentous time.

Then to see the corruption take over the country, its been so sad because Russians are great people, Iceland has lots of them and its just infuriating to see the criminal Putin gain power and turn Russia back to its USSR days.

Now we see the rise of Russia's sabre rattling, aggressive movement to update their war machine, the invasion of Georgia and Ukraine, all the while so many in the west, usually fellow liberals blame NATO and the West for this, that poor Putin has to respond to free nations choosing to side with the west, because they especially know the Russian Bear and what its capable of.

I fear we are heading in to a cold war again, and even a limited war that Russia seizes many of the baltic states back, people assume this is impossible since we have nukes, but Putin is well aware we would never go that far to protect former Soviet republics, he would take them within days and then the cold war would start anew.

Which is something Putin is fully capable of, his economy is in the crapper and he's still incredibly popular (thanks to controlling the media) and he has not that much to lose.

Not to mention China is building up their military as well and tensions with the US are rising with the dispute over those stupid man made islands.

I don't have a optimistic view on the next 50 years with China, Russia and the west, especially if China and the Russians become closer allies. That would be a really bad situation for the world.

[transplant99]

The Russians have finally admitted to the whole cheating thing and cover up.

The Times report also detailed how top Russian athletes had had their urine samples tampered with by a lab director at the Olympics to beat the drug-testing system and had received cocktails of performance-enhancing drugs. The report provided further corroboration by Russian officials of the manipulation of doping samples in Russia by members of the Federal Security Service and years' worth of cover-ups of top athletes' use of banned substances ordered by a deputy sports minister.

http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_...ympic-athletes

[KevanGuy]

What a waste of money. If there is no integrity to the games what's the point? Keeping cash flowing to tv networks and Olympic officials?

[Johnny199r]

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

What a waste of money. If there is no integrity to the games what's the point? Keeping cash flowing to tv networks and Olympic officials?

Pretty much.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by KevanGuy

What a waste of money. If there is no integrity to the games what's the point? Keeping cash flowing to tv networks and Olympic officials?

And local developers.

[WesternCanadaKing]

If Russia put the same effort into developing athletes as they put into cheating, they might actually get better results.

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by WesternCanadaKing

If Russia put the same effort into developing athletes as they put into cheating, they might actually get better results.

If Russia put the same effort into developing their nation as they put into cheating, they might actually get better results.

[afc wimbledon]

I think its so sweet you guys think this is a Russian problem, your innocence is touching.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

I think its so sweet you guys think this is a Russian problem, your innocence is touching.

Systemically like this? Yes it is unless you can prove otherwise...

[CliffFletcher]

It's a matter of degrees. I don't doubt that athletes from every country cheat. But there's a difference between individuals cheating, even with the tacit knowledge of officials who look the other way, and systematic and endemic cheating that's encouraged (mandated?) and carried out by the national authorities.