‘Almost expelled from the Olympic family’: WADA has already given its verdict on Russia
On 18 July, it happened what exactly we were expecting. WADA confirmed Russian State manipulation of the doping control process. It is clear that now the Russian side will do its utmost to tranfer the incident from sports to the political area, but we, in our country, we know that there is no smoke without fire. And here it happened not just 'fire' but the whole eruption of the volcano with huge lava flows. Besides, according to the head of the Agency Richard McLaren, the nationwide 'favourite' Mr. Mutko took an active part in the manipulation of doping samples. The main sports functionary of the country has fallen on hard times on all fronts of his professional activity. First, meldonium and track and field athletes, then the football failure in France, and finally, the last occasion. Regardless the identifying of the grain of truth in the messages of WADA, it begs the question: isn't it time Vitaly Mutko to resign? Read more in the article of Realnoe Vremya.
Russia cheated, says WADA
Hot on the trail, we are not going to give a verdict about the veracity of the statements by the world anti-doping agency. So far we have heard just words, and it is prematurely to say anything before the evidence in any form is provided. However, the statements, of course, have come as a bombshell. So, the WADA report outlines: 'The Ministry of Sport directed, controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athletes' analytical results and sample swapping, with the active participation and assistance of the Federal Security Service (FSB); the Center of Sports Preparation of National Teams of Russia (CSP); and, both Moscow and Sochi laboratories.' According to the author of the report, the main state ministry determined which athletes must be 'protected' by the doping-samples consealment programme.
'The Moscow laboratory operated, for the protection of doped Russian athletes, within a State-dictated failsafe system, described in the Report as the Disappearing Positive Methodology,' the report states. 'The Disappearing Positive Methodology was planned and operated over a period from at least late 2011 until August 2015. Russian athletes from the vast majority of summer and winter Olympic sports benefited from the Disappearing Positive Methodology.'
Kazan also hit in the scandal. The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at the press conference announced that the system of concealing the use of doping worked not only at the Olympics in Sochi but also at the World Championships in Athletics in Moscow and at the World University Games and FINA World Championships in Kazan. The report states that 'the Russian Federation did extremely well, winning 292 medals overall'. Supposedly all the data with lists of positive results were placed in Excel spreadsheets. However, as R-Sport noted, in the document 'there is no evidence except the words of the informants'.
Is FSB also to blame?
Law enforcement agencies also received strange accuses. 'The precise method used by the FSB to open the Sochi sample bottles is unknown. The IP experts conclusively established that the caps can be removed and reused later,' the report states. Just one thing is unclear. If you do not know how the law enforcement agencies had access to the samples, then how have 'the experts' established 'conclusively' the fact of substitution?
'My team is convinced that the FSB was involved in the substitution of doping tests during the Olympic games in Sochi,' said McClaren at the press conference. 'I am absolutely sure in your report,' he noted. 'The FSB took out the doping of the sample from Moscow in a special refrigerator in a special laboratory, which was established before the Olympics,' said the head of the independent Commission of WADA.
Russian revolution in the doping world
A good plot for a new thriller for Hollywood, isn't it? Further — more. According to the WADA statement, Russia no less has invented a revolutionary method of substitution of samples. Alleged laboratory tests established that the number of doping tests of urine contained salt levels greater than can be found in healthy human urine. According to the WADA Commission's opinion, this proves that the salt was added. They also established that all the bottles with samples were opened and reused. According to WADA, the analysis confirmed that there are three samples in which the DNA of the athlete and of the sample did not match.
But the most interesting statement of the head of the Independent Anti-Doping Agency Richard McClaren made already at the press conference, openly accusing the Minister of Sports of Russia Vitaly Mutko in the organization of it all. 'Vitaly Mutko was aware of all the manipulation of doping samples. The FSB, successor to the KGB, to cover all of the action with samples of 'dirty' athletes in Russia. As Moscow and the Sochi lab was influenced by the Russian government, the FSB. Sports Minister Mutko directly affects the substitution of doping tests,' said McLaren.
Where will Mutko go?
It's time for the Russian Minister to go to court for libel, as Mr McLaren in his statement permitted himself to be 100% categorical, not diluting his words even with subjunctive mood. The smoke without fire does not happen, as we have already said. However, even if all the allegations against Mr Mutko have no ground, still the main sports official of the country is directly responsible for the fact of the occurrence of such scandals — first, meldonium, and then doping at the Games in Sochi. Will the 'unsinkable' official withstand this time? Everything is possible in our country. Or it's time for Mr Mutko to think about conscience. After all, a member of the Executive Committee of the RFU Sergey Stepashin gave advice: 'I do not propose Mutko to resign now, although I know what it is and how it is done. At least, he just has to have conscience. This is my position,' he said. It concerned the failure of the Russian national football team in France. However, Stepashin's words in today's reality have not lost its relevance.
IOC will decide
Only the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is authorized to suspend the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and, as a consequence, to suspend the entire team from participation in the competition in Rio. The head of legal department of ROC Alexandra Brilliantova said about this to TASS.
'The Olympic Charter stipulates that the IOC decision of the Executive Committee can suspend the recognition of the NOC (National Olympic Committee — editor's note). It is called the procedure of suspension of recognition,' said Brilliantova. 'The Charter on this case says only that. The Executive Committee shall decide by majority of votes.'
What the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide is still unclear. However, the honourable member of the organization Vitaly Smirnov is sure that everything will be fine. 'I have no doubt that this (suspension) will not happen, because it is not a constructive solution, all the boycotts were impractical. Unfortunately, the sport is a great temptation to derive political benefits or other dividends. Sport should be clean. I have a number of questions, such as why the part which is accused was not attracted in the investigation,' said Smirnov. 'The state department are being accused, we're talking about a monstrous political pressure,' TASS quoted Smirnov.
Logic is powerless in front of big politics
Smirnov is right in the main point. No matter how the Ministry of Sport headed by its boss screwed up, the Russian athletes (among 'clean' ones) should not suffer. However, logic becomes a secondary importance when it comes to the big politics.
Two hours after the beginning of the press conference in Toronto, WADA called for Russian ban from competitions in Rio. 'WADA calls on Sport Movement to deny Russian athletes participation at international comp including Rio until 'culture change' achieved,' twitted Ben Nichols. 'McLaren investigation into doping in Russia reveals most deliberate and disturbing abuse of power ever seen in sport. Doping scheme across 30 sports mean there can no longer be presumption of innocence.'
As the final stroke we will remind that the Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko on air of the federal TV channel Match-TV promised to resign from the post of Minister of Sport if the whole Russian team will not be admitted to Rio 2016. 'This is a public service. I'm trying to do my job honestly. For me it will be a huge fail if the whole team will be suspended. And I'm willing to take full responsibility and declare my resignation.'