The whole thing stinks. The argument that athletes weren't aware of doping is utterly contradicted by the WADA reports. Russian athletes were actively complicit in evading doping controls. The doping problem goes well beyond Sochi and permeates Russian sport. Shobukova is being called a whistleblower, but she only grassed to reduce her sanction - she had previously paid at least €300,000 in bribes to cover up her doping activity.

As a cyclist, it frustrates me that most other sports are blind to the reality of doping. Cycling and athletics have earned a bad reputation for actively hunting down dopers - everyone else has just swept it under the carpet. Nobody seems concerned that only two-thirds of Premiership footballers were tested at all last year, with the majority of those tests being out-of-competition. The R&A sees no problem when Rory McIlroy says that he could get away with doping. More rugby players have failed dope tests than in any other British sport, but the number of tests conducted remains grossly inadequate.

Anyone who imagines that their sport doesn't have a serious doping problem is deluding themselves. If your sport requires endurance, EPO is widespread. If your sport requires strength, steroids and HGH are rife. If your sport requires a steady hand, look out for beta blockers and anti-epileptics. Doping is an inevitable part of professional sport and can only be eliminated with concerted effort from the grass roots up. Most sports would rather remain in denial.

https://wada-main-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/resources/files/2016.06.15_russia_testing_update_final.pdf
https://wada-main-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/resources/files/wada_independent_commission_report_2_2016_en_rev.pdf

>>7858
Isn't it funny how when meldonium was banned a whole load of well-known Russian athletes were suddenly found to have medical conditions for which it was indicated?

>>7857
Comparing South African apartheid regime to Russians doping. Nice. Very nice.

>>7861
What's the matter? They are both examples of nations being suspended.

>>7861

Russia has not met its obligations under the WADA code, therefore it is ineligible to compete at the Olympic games. This is not a matter of discretion. Allowing Russian athletes to compete under the Russian flag is contrary to the Olympic charter.

The IOC decided not to invite South Africa to the Olympic games on political grounds. This ban was sensible and decent, there was a popular mandate to do so, but the IOC was not obliged to do it.

That's the point being made here. The IOC have banned countries from the games before and has no legitimate reason to allow Russia to compete.

>>7861
I guess discriminating against entire groups of people is deplorable but neutering the whole anti-doping regime within the country is just fine.

I for one wouldn't mind seeing doping not only 'legalised' in the Olympics but actively encouraged. For the casual observer it would be far more entertaining. To me, the Olympics should represent the absolute pinnacle of human physical achievement and if taking certain chemicals allows athletes to push themselves to super-human levels then I cant see how that wouldn't make for better viewing - who wouldn't enjoy watching steroid-popping beasts lifting entire trucks?

It would also add an extra dimension to the competition in terms of drug R&D (sure western nations like the US and UK would crush developing nations but it's not like that isn't the case already with most events outside of track and field). It'd be more like F1, where the team engineers are as instrumental as the driver/athlete.

Basically what I'm saying is that Russia should start their own Olympics, with blackjack and hookers and six-legged sprinters.

I feel really sorry for the Polish guy in the road race.

The IPC have scheduled a press conference tomorrow about the status of the Russian Paralympic committee. Rumour has it that there will be a blanket ban on Russian athletes. I wouldn't be surprised - the IPC has always shown greater integrity than the IOC.

https://www.paralympic.org/news/media-alert-ipc-press-conference-regarding-membership-status-npc-russia

Today's road cycling race was a bloody shambles. Daft course, bidons that didn't fit the cages, a total lack of time gap updates. I hope Richie Porte isn't too badly injured.

>>7884
If they're talking "membership status" I imagine they're likely to chuck them out of the IPC entirely.

>the IPC has always shown greater integrity than the IOC.
n2 m7. To be fair, the IPC had a massive advantage over the IOC here. They've had three weeks to consider their decision and ask for further evidence, and if they make a decision that requires any action there'll be four weeks to do it. On the other hand, the IOC took just a matter of days, and even then some of the Russian team had already arrived in Rio and more still were in the air.

>>7885

The IPC provisionally suspended Russia's membership as soon as the McLaren report was published. The "membership status" discussion is whether that temporary ban will be revoked before the games.

Who gives a shit.The Olympics is a billionaires playground. 20% sport 80% profitt. I sound like a Pareto libta rd.

I want to have sex with this northern bird on the right.

>>7888

Are you sure? She's from Cumbria, that's really, really Northern. Practically Scotch even.

>>7888
>>7889

Gaw blimey guvnor check aht her jubblies

http://www.spankwire.com/Helen-Skelton-Topless/video1495176/

>>7889

>Scotch

Lad.

>>7887
>The Olympics is a billionaires playground

So is football but its fun when I put bets on and/or get drunk only now with the added bonus of eye-candy.

>>7892
Hard to believe that she is part Abo.

The events are not in British hours. Why are the Olympics being held in a place that makes it hard for me to watch?

>>7888
What's the bloke from River Monsters doing there?

IPC have upheld the suspension of Russia, and their NPC will not be able to enter athletes at Rio. Sir Philip Craven makes clear that this situation was not "athletes cheating the system" but a "system cheating the athletes".

>>7887
Playgrounds for people in their overdrafts are shit. Fuck off.

>>7896

I'm in my overdraft and I have a pretty good clean and jerk.

IYKWIM.

>>7897
I've always thought that was in the wrong order.

>>7897
Something something something Russian women.

I once accidentally poked a member of team GB's judo team in the eye during newaza practice and he threw a right strop and said I was playing too rough. No wonder we can't win any medals at it.

Sage because I'm pissed and probably in the wrong thread.

>>7900

I've heard some teachers who believe that it's because schools in this country have created a culture that doesn't teach people to fail. Whether it's academically or in sports, kids go through schools which are constantly trying to remove competition because of the belief that everyone has to be a winner all the time. Then they end up not knowing how to respond to their own failures in the real world.

Currently watching the finals of the 58kg Group A on iPlayer; anyone else following the lifting this year? There's some tremendous totals happening from the Southeast Asians as expected, not expecting anything to touch Kostova's title though.

>>7902

Mate, drop some links. The weightlifting is virtually the only event I go out of my way to find. Tanasan was brilliant in the women's 48kg. Nothing like watching a 21 year old Thai girl clean and jerk more than twice her own bodyweight.

>>7901

I'd go a step further, drawing from my own experience I'd say it'd be good to have a culture where it's encouraged to fail. Really, I remember a large part of the complete disengagement from most sports and topics stemming from the fact people were too afraid to embarrass themselves or get something wrong. Ideally failure would be treated as a natural part of trying to continuously improve yourself, rather than an ultimate decision on your place within a hierarchy.

Yes I have been reading John Dewey.

>>7903
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p04250vq/olympic-weightlifting-final-womens-58kg#group=p04375l6

You've missed most of the final though. For later tonight and the rest of this week, if you click around to find "Schedules" you can pick which sport you care about and see when the sessions are happening in UK time.

I was impressed with Tanasan, but more impressed with Miyake yesterday. Andoh just lost a 126kg PB on the c+j, still looks like she's going to get silver. I'm honestly more interested in watching the older lifters though, lifters like Guerrero have excellent composure and their technique is flawless.

I hate to think about it but this is sort of making me want to listen to my trainer when he said he wanted to take me to a meet or two by this year. I shot him down immediately because I hate failure of any kind, but idk. It might be fun to actually lift in front of a crowd.

>>7903
Oh wait no I take that back I'm clearly full of shit and the Thai are going to clean the board with all of them and take both gold and silver. I must be tired. I wasn't even squatting much earlier. Pffft.

Looks like Team Pharma are doing rather well. 12 medals so far, including three gold.

Does anyone else feel coverage of stuff on the BBC as a whole is just too fluffy? I'm watching them discuss swimmers 'olympic experience' and all that shite when there's a fucking Olympic race behind them to discuss. The sames true in football where we end up talking about stupid mind games instead of technical deficiencies of players, and BBC documentaries that spend half the programme showcasing some unusual thing in Mozambique before actually saying what the hell they're talking about.

Well what do you know? The one Russian track and field athlete that managed to reach the IAAF's standard actually wasn't clean after all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37073758