Monday, July 18, 2016
Queen's University sports historian Geoffrey Smith is available to comment on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) investigation into a state-sponsored doping program in Russia. The investigation found that Russia's sports ministry "directed, controlled and oversaw" the manipulation of urine samples provided by its athletes. Stemming from allegations made by former Russian sport scientist Grigory Rodchenkov - who claimed to have personally overseen the doping protocol for dozens of athletes - the report recommends that Russia be barred from competing in the 2016 Olympic Games.
"Whether the Russians are banned from Rio or merely disciplined, the fact remains that Russia - like other former Soviet bloc countries before it - remains committed to a state policy at odds with the Olympic ideal," says Dr. Smith. "Big Pharma rules the sports world."
Russian track and field competitors have already been banned from international competition by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) due to repeated doping violations.
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