Here we are again–another failed drug test by a Russian athlete–that grabs headlines and makes a mockery of the Olympic spirit.
As the old proverb says, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Well, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) is about six instances past the second instance of being fooled. The Olympics oversight group continues to allow Russia to participate, albeit under the temporary moniker of “ROC” (Russian Olympic Committee).
In the most recent instance, the 15-year-old Russian figure skater, Kamila Valieva, failed a drug test during the Russian Figure Skating Championships, which were held in December. The substance taken is Trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina, which (according to Heathline.com) “improves blood and oxygen flow to the heart and helps it work more efficiently.”
That drug has been banned from competition since 2014, so there was clear notice and knowledge that it could not be used. But before we vilify the user, who is only 15-years-old, it’s a safe bet that she didn’t take the initiative to ingest Trimetazidine.
Under a rather rushed ruling issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the tribunal revoked the provisional suspension pending a full investigation. The decision is likely (at least partly) based on Valieva’s status as a minor. Minor status typically receives more favorable rulings due to a different rule structure used to evaluate/judge adult athletes. She will be allowed to skate in the singles competition, but she won’t be able to secure a medal (if she places first, second, or third) until her case is fully adjudicated. (Timeline here.)
A question remains, though. Will those results hold up if she medals? It is unfortunate, given how dominant she is on the ice, including becoming the first woman to land a quad-jump during an Olympic competition.
To fully understand the extent of the controversy this has caused (beyond the immediate frustrations among fans and athletes alike), a deeper dive into Russian Olympic history is required.
During the height of the Cold War, sports were used by the Soviet Union and the U.S. as a proxy-war, with each side trying to prove that their culture better supported athletic development and dominance. It was widely alleged that the Soviets and other Eastern Bloc nations were enhancing their athletes on a state-supported, widescale effort to give their athletes a competitive advantage.
Those efforts have largely come to light within the last ten years. Documents released in 2016 extensively detailed the existence of a Soviet-sponsored doping system that was meant to propel Soviet track-and-field athletes to victory during the 1984 LA Olympics, which the Soviet Union ultimately boycotted. The documents extensively detailed programs used at prior Games, including methods to further develop and enhance nefarious efforts.
Russian athletes were investigated periodically for banned substances over the ensuing decades, but the system imploded following the Sochi-held Winter Olympics of 2014. Several major news articles were released, along with documentaries. that detailed a massive effort by the Russian Olympic Committee and the government to conceal athlete doping. Some of the methods went as far as switching urine samples through “mouse holes” located in the walls of laboratory testing facilities. From there, the tainted sample was replaced by clean samples taken months prior.
Grigory Rodchenkov, head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory and de facto leader of the efforts, revealed the massive coverup, later highlighted in the Netflix documentary Icarus. It was revealed that at least fifteen Russian medalists at the Sochi Olympics successfully competed while being on performance-enhancing substances.
The massive scale of this program led to Russia’s partial ban at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, and the refusal of “Russia” to be allowed to openly represent themselves within the Games over the past three events.
The history of cheating and wrongdoing makes Valieva’s situation especially alarming. Russia’s government is content with constant investigation and punishment. One wonders why the IOC continuously allows Russia to compete in the Olympics. Russia’s continued effort to subvert rules is little more than a hegemonic effort to reclaim past athletic glory.
So what we have now–playing out in real-time in 2022–raises the question of “When is enough, enough?” I think it’s only a matter of time before complaints by fellow IOC members turn into an open revolt against a system that turns a blind eye to unethical athletic conduct.
