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February 27, 2018 (Pyeongchang, South Korea) – The Russian doping fiasco remains a dilemma for the IOC, FIS, the IBU and for athletes like Canada’s Alex Harvey. Two Russian athletes under the OAR banner were expelled for doping infractions at PyeongChang 2018, while relatively unknown OAR skiers won medals.
![Alex Harvey pips Martin Sundby for 4th in the Men's 50km CL [P] Nordic Focus](http://skitrax.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Harvey-Sundby-24022018fm0132.2.jpg)
Canadian fans wonder if their boy wonder is destined for a similar fate as fellow Canuck, Beckie Scott, who won bronze at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, that became gold after a two-year battle when both Russians ahead of her, Olga Danilova and Larissa Lazutina, were disqualified for doping.
“It’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to be fourth, with two Russians ahead of me. I’m not going to lie,” Harvey told CBC. Both OAR athletes who finished ahead of Harvey were coached by Yuri Borodavko who has a history of doping violations and received a two-year suspension in 2010 for doping violations.
The Russian state-sponsored systematic doping scandal is now well-known and documented in the film Icarus. Of the 168 athletes allowed to compete as OAR athletes at PyeongChang 2018, twelve were cross-country skiers.
While the OAR athletes finished well down in the medal count, CBC Karin Larsen’s report on the crying shame of Harvey’s fourth, points to the dilemma all other athletes still face. The National Post’s Steve Simmons suggested the ban demonstrated that the Russians can’t win on an even playing field – not accounting for Harvey’s fourth – before blasting the IOC for being “clumsy” and “weak.”
As the controversy continued, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organisations (iNADO) in an open letter, called on the IOC to exercise its authority to maintain its sanctions against the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) including not to allow the ROC to participate in the PyeongChang 2018 closing ceremonies.
The IOC ruled against allowing the Russian flag to fly during the closing ceremonies.
Meanwhile the United States, Canada and Czech Biathlon Federations will boycott the IBU World Cup final in Tyumen, Russia, in March to support clean athletes.
The Russian doping saga continues and there are still many in the international community who believe that the doping is far from over and are trying to take a stand.
For Harvey his Olympic dream is over, for now. He’s had an illustrious career and will compete for another season before calling it quits.
CBC report here.
National Post report here.
iNADO Open Letter here.
Biathlon boycott here.
February 28th, 2018 at 9:17 am
Guys, let’s stop with the blatant propaganda, shall we? For starters, neither Bolshunov nor Larkov are ‘unknown.’ Larkov has had scores of top 10 results on the world cup, including a 2nd at this year’s TDS stage in Val Di Fiemme. He won silver in the relay at last year’s worlds in Lahti, finished tied for 5th in the 15km classic at world’s in Lahti and 8th in the skiathlon at the same world’s. He was also a very good u23 skier. He is 28 years old now, at or very near peak age for xc skiing.
Bolshunov is one of the most talented skiers on tour. Just 21. He dominated U23’s last year, winning two gold’s and a silver. Prior to that he was a solid top 10 at World juniors in 2015 and 2016. He made his debut in Lahti last year, qualified 8th in the sprint, but fell in the quarters and finished 26th. He raced the skiathlon and finished 15th. His first world cup race was in Drammen just a few days after Lahti, where he made the semis. This year, with more experience, he’s had 5 podium finishes prior to the Olympics and finished in 6th in the Tour de Ski….Unknown? Hardly. He just hasn’t had the races because he turned 21 on New Year’s Eve.
Harvey was beaten, so it’s sour grapes and hypocrisy by those that pedal this junk. It’s funny how not a peep was made after Harvey won the 50km in Lahti, beating all those ‘doped’ Russians. Nobody said anything. Nobody said anything after 2015, when he won 2 individual medals, beating all the Russians in the sprint and all but one Russian in the 30km skiathlon. What about the 2011 world’s? He blew by Hattestad in the team sprint final and when all the rest (including Kriukov) were on the snow gasping for air, Harvey was playing the air guitar and screaming at the top of his lungs.
“The Russians can’t win on a level-playing field?” What does that even mean? They won 8 medals in XC, only the Norwegians, who brought over 6000 asthma doses with them to Pyeongchang, won more.
https://www.vg.no/sport/i/p6WBPX/norge-har-med-over-6000-astmadoser-til-ol
https://www.nrk.no/sport/olympiatoppen-har-sendt-over-6000-doser-astmamedisin-til-ol-1.13880280
This is the Olympiatoppen (the Olympic committee in Norway) that is doing this systematically. Even the usually Russophobic ARD/Hajo Seppelt, found it rather suspicious:
http://www.ardmediathek.de/tv/Sportschau/Seppelt-über-Asthma-Präparate-Ein-mas/Das-Erste/Video?bcastId=53524&documentId=50292870
Since 1992, almost 70% of Norwegian medals in xc have been won by asthma ‘sufferers.’
https://www.vg.no/sport/langrenn/langrenn/69-prosent-av-norske-ol-medaljer-er-tatt-av-loepere-med-astma-medisin/a/23747305/
Is this the ‘level playing field’ that Mr. Steve Simmons was talking about? And who are those ‘many in the international community…?’ Because it’s the usual suspects, the self righteous, political hypocrites (or xenophobes?) in N. America that are whining and moaning about this, yet when it’s clear that the Norwegians are doing and have been doing something that’s clearly illegal and unethical, these hypocrites don’t say a word. Why was Sundby allowed to compete in Pyeongchang? He failed doping tests in two different races? Why did he go, and why didn’t somebody like Ustiugov, who has never failed a test, never been on any list never had irregular numbers, get to go? Hypocrisy and double standards at the highest order.
If Mr. Simmons and Mr. Johnson really want to watch ‘clean’ sport, they should probably change the channel and switch to MLB, NFL and NHL….plenty of ‘clean’ athletes there….oh wait…
February 28th, 2018 at 3:10 pm
I couldn’t agree more, Montana!
I saw Spitsov in person at the Under 23’s in Gom. He is a true talent, also, and did very well at the Olympics. Who knows if he is doping? But then I don’t for an instant believe Norway is clean, nor a few other specific athletes that people cherish, from specific nations.
Why doesn’t Harvey say that everyone that beat him is cheating–not all were Russian in this or other races.
There is no level playing field in Nordic sports and it is not just because of Russia. When in the women’s field someone takes off in the first few k’s and beats the whole field by minutes, no one suggests she is playing unfairly.
February 28th, 2018 at 10:16 pm
Truth is the Russians should have never been invited to these Olympics in the first place.
For those commenting about Norway: wake me up when Norway implements a state sponsored doping program, have their secret service infiltrate testing laboratories to swap samples or when people in Norway start mysteriously dying.
Russian athletes will be tainted for generations, some of them might be clean but the sad truth is that there will now always be a doubt. I wouldn’t even be surprised the slightest if Harvey receives a medal in the mail in the future.
March 2nd, 2018 at 4:10 am
Phil, OC: As for Norway, their cross country skiers, whether suffering from asthma or not, are given ten times the normal dose of asthma medicine. Apparently all Swedish medalists in the lastest worlds and Olympics also use asthma medicine, whether suffering from asthma or not. Dopoing? I’d say yes.
Further, as rightly pointed out by xcskier22, Sundby failed doping tests, but were allowed to compete in the Olympics, while a number of Russian athletes who have always tested clean were not.
The McLaren report relies on entirely on hearsay from the somewhat mentally deranged Rodchenkov.
It’s all politics, some major powers want to get at Putin in any way they can. The article that spawned this exchange smells badly of poor loser. A pity.