28 OF THE 43 Russian Olympians accused of doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics have had their life bans overturned.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) took the decision this morning, ruling that there was ”insufficient evidence” that the athletes had benefited from a system of state-sponsored doping in Sochi.
The timing of the ruling could allow some of the athletes to compete in this month’s Winter Games in Pyeongchang.
Part of the Cas judgement read:
In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) was committed by the athletes concerned.”
Cas also found that, in the case of 11 athletes whose appeals have been partially upheld, the evidence “was sufficient to establish an anti-doping rule violation” had taken place but, instead of serving a life ban, these athletes would be “declared ineligible” for this year’s Games.
The cases of a further three Russian Olympians — Olga Zaytseva, Olga Vilukhina and Yana Romanova — have been “suspended” while the 43rd, Bobsleigher Maxim Belugin, did not lodge an appeal with Cas.
Russia remains banned from entering a team in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee, but the IOC has cleared nearly 170 Russian nationals to compete as neutrals.
Additional reporting via AFP
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Oh well that is okay then.
@Gillian Scully: They were proved innocent, what about Western Athletes on TUE’s from Wada?
@Alois Irlmaier: not proved innocent, just not proved guilty. Big difference.
Is the wording relevant? They found that they hadn’t benefited from it, does that mean they didn’t do it at all or they did it and failed?
Have lost interest in Olympic sport a long time ago. Don’t trust anything I see.
Great news !
Life bans are ridiculous they are hard to maintain in real courts of law, CAS/DRA once sports rulings impinge on natural justice they are in trouble. Blanket bans are politically motivated decisions, athletes are entitled to serve a time ban. Not that it means anything any way look at the persecution of the Munster Rugby player – crazy
Lee Evans said it best. Just let them all take drugs. Do the bobsled event by running down the track in about 4.5 seconds. I’d watch That!
@David O’Brien: yep . Just have 2 seperate events juiced vs clean and have a big event after to see if clean can beat juiced naturally.
@David O’Brien: They are as they are called TUE’s once that country pays a wad of cash to the right organisation, which Russia hasn’t.
Not sufficient evidence?? The head of the lab said there overwhelming amount. Of doping lol
@Chris Finn: Is that the same head who got US citizenship for saying that the Russian athletes took drugs and was set up in his own lab in the US. Why give him his own lab??? The same man who told athletes to drink the steroids in Martinis, that was funny as steroids are injected not mixed in alcohol that can change the steroid chemically. As well as sticking bottles in and out of holes in a wall where there was never any evidence of holes in the wall… But who cares about facts… They are Russian so they must have done something bad because the US tells us what to believe…
IOC in my view trying to save face, if Russia doesn’t play by U.S. political rules dictated by their own business lobbyists the U.S. will turn the West against Russia. The US has turned the Olympics into a political battle field while Western Athletes continue with their TUE’s where asthmatics are being used to win gold medals for countries over healthy athletes. The corruption in my view just blows my mind…