Latvian hockey player Vitalijs Pavlovs fails doping test

[sureLoss]

The Associated Press @AP
BREAKING: IOC says Latvian hockey player Vitalijs Pavlovs fails doping test at Sochi Olympics.

http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Com...js-Pavlovs.pdf

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that men’s ice hockey player Vitalijs Pavlovs of Latvia has been excluded from the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Pavlovs, 24, tested positive on 19 February for methylhexaneamine (dimethylpentylamine).

The IOC Disciplinary Commission, composed for this case of Denis Oswald (Chairman), Nawal El Moutawakel and Gunilla Lindberg, decided the following:

I. The Athlete, Mr Vitalijs Pavlovs, Latvia, Ice Hockey, is disqualified from the Men’s Play-offs Quarterfinals – Canada vs Latvia match.

II. The Athlete shall be excluded from the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014, and shall have his Olympic identity and accreditation card immediately cancelled.

III. The Athlete’s diploma (for placing 8th) be withdrawn.

IV. The International Ice Hockey Federation is hereby requested to make appropriate mention of the above in the record of the sports results, and to consider whether it should take any further action within its competence.

V. The Latvian Olympic Committee is hereby requested to return to the IOC, as soon as possible, the diploma awarded to the athlete in relation to the above-mentioned event.

VI. This decision shall enter into force immediately.

[nik-]

Amphetamine like substance. At least it wasn't Poo-Jacks.

[Alberta_Beef]

So does the entire team get punished? or just the player?

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

So does the entire team get punished? or just the player?

Sounds like just the player, but brings up a good question of what happens if he had scored the GWG against Canada?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Sounds like just the player, but brings up a good question of what happens if he had scored the GWG against Canada?

Wouldn't the whole team be DQ'd/punished if a member of the team broke the rules.


I am think of the 4 x 100 relay in London. Canada won a medal but were DQ'd because of a lane violation. This is from memory thou.

If a member of a bobsled team tests positive, isn't the whole team punted.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Wouldn't the whole team be DQ'd/punished if a member of the team broke the rules.


I am think of the 4 x 100 relay in London. Canada won a medal but were DQ'd because of a lane violation. This is from memory thou.

If a member of a bobsled team tests positive, isn't the whole team punted.

I don't know it is all very confusing... according to the press release it said he is disqualified from the Canada Latvia match, however according to the IIHF stat sheet he played 16:36 mins in that game.

http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/388/IHM400303_74_3_0.pdf

The IOC's release also makes no mention of the whole Latvian team being disqualified.

[Locke]

Is there really a point in disqualifying the whole Latvian team from having won a grand total of absolutely nothing? Punt the guy and take his...whatever, his 'participation certificate' away and call it golden.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

Is there really a point in disqualifying the whole Latvian team from having won a grand total of absolutely nothing? Punt the guy and take his...whatever, his 'participation certificate' away and call it golden.

So do you feel the same if this was a member of the gold medal team and he scored the GWG?

While I agree with your sentiment, ie: really he didn't win or change any results, I am interested in know what would happen.

The consiquences of doping should be the same for all, no matter where the finish in the standings.

[sureLoss]

So reading the IOC's official ruling it looks like they took away his diploma for the Latvians finishing 8th in tournament and given it over to the IIHF for further discipline.

It really sounds like the rest of the Latvian team is getting a pass.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

So reading the IOC's official ruling it looks like they took away his diploma for the Latvians finishing 8th in tournament and given it over to the IIHF for further discipline.

It really sounds like the rest of the Latvian team is getting a pass.

So is the response a situation by situation type of thing?

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

So is the response a situation by situation type of thing?

hockey is unique in the winter games as the only real team sport. do you punish 24 other guys because one is an idiot? But at the same time, what if he helped them win? It really is a gray area.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

hockey is unique in the winter games as the only real team sport. do you punish 24 other guys because one is an idiot? But at the same time, what if he helped them win? It really is a gray area.

That's my point. If he is a scoring stud, that has a number of GWG and helped the team win a medal.........well then what to you do?

I am a believer that when it comes to doping, rules are rules, it really is the only way to get rid of it (again that is another debate).

[Locke]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

So do you feel the same if this was a member of the gold medal team and he scored the GWG?

While I agree with your sentiment, ie: really he didn't win or change any results, I am interested in know what would happen.

The consiquences of doping should be the same for all, no matter where the finish in the standings.

No, I just think that this is much ado about nothing in this particular case.

Hockey is kind of a unique situation at the Winter Olympics, I dont know, maybe they should consider dope-testing these guys before the games?

Originally Posted by sureLoss

So reading the IOC's official ruling it looks like they took away his diploma for the Latvians finishing 8th in tournament and given it over to the IIHF for further discipline.

It really sounds like the rest of the Latvian team is getting a pass.

And this particular instance the difference is negligible.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

No, I just think that this is much ado about nothing in this particular case.

Hockey is kind of a unique situation at the Winter Olympics, I dont know, maybe they should consider dope-testing these guys before the games?

Maybe they should consider testing them before the games. Perhaps you have every nation ID a list of possible players, say 75 players, these players open themsleve up to drug testing at any time.

I really have no sympathy for drug cheats. Even is buddy pulled a Laumann, he should know better.

[SebC]

No wonder we only beat them by one.

I assume Latvia's final placement affects its qualification path for 2018?

[killer_carlson]

and somewhere Ratis Ivanans is pounding his fist in anger that he was passed over for the squad.

[Travis Munroe]

Anyone know more about the substance? Is this one of those things that can be easily taken by accident/not realizing its illegal?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Locke

Is there really a point in disqualifying the whole Latvian team from having won a grand total of absolutely nothing? Punt the guy and take his...whatever, his 'participation certificate' away and call it golden.

Originally Posted by SebC

No wonder we only beat them by one.

I assume Latvia's final placement affects its qualification path for 2018?

yes

ranking points. Latvia probably gets 900 IIHF points for finishing 8th. That would help them qualify for future world Championship or the 2018 Olympics.

[flamesfan1297]

Why don't they test before the games? Then he could of been not allowed to participate and prevented the whole punish him or the team debate,

[Vulcan]

Being kind of old and seen a lot, all this may mean is the Latvians are bad at masking their doping.