Editorial Coverage Sponsored By FINIS
After yesterday’s decision by the International Olympic Committe (IOC) to place the final determination of individual Russian Olympic entries to the appropriate International Federations (FINA in swimming’s case), FINA has declared seven Russian swimmers ineligible for the Rio Games.
They are: Mikhail Dovgalyuk, Yulia Efimova, Natalia Lovtcova, Anastasia Krapivina, Nikita Lobintsev, Vladimir Morozov, and Daria Ustinova.
Dovgalyuk, Efimoca, Lovtcova, and Krapivina were officially removed by the Russian Olympic Committee while FINA declared Lobintsev, Morozov, and Ustinova not eligible after last week’s report from WADA.
Just two weeks ago, FINA declared Efimova eligible for the Games after a meldonium suspension. However, in 2013 she was banned for 16 months after testing positive for 7-keto-DHEA in an out-of-competition testing in Los Angeles.
Additionally, FINA announced that it will be re-testing all of the samples from Russian athletes at last summer’s World Championships.
Read the full statement from FINA below:
FINA acknowledges and supports the IOC’s position in respect of the participation of clean Russian athletes to the Olympic Games in Rio.
The WADA Independent Person (“McLaren”) report has shown that anti-doping rules, i.e. the FINA Doping Control (DC) Rules and the WADA Code were not correctly implemented in Russia, i.e. within the jurisdiction of the Russian Swimming Federation.
The exact implication for the Russian Swimming Federation is still to be clarified. For this purpose, the matter has been forwarded to an ad hoc commission, which will have to investigate. The Commission will notably have to consider any further information to be received from the continuing IP investigation.
In the meantime, the IP report already clearly establishes that the anti-doping rules were not properly applied and notably that a number of samples collected from swimmers were not correctly reported in accordance with FINA DC Rules.
In this context and as a decision made as an emergency in the context of Rio 2016, and in application of art. C 17.14.8, to protect the integrity of sport and the clean athletes, the FINA Bureau has decided that it will subject the eligibility of Russian athletes to specific additional criteria, such criteria being consistent with the IOC’s requirements published on July 24, 2016:
• First, no athlete corresponding to the samples mentioned in the IP Report will be declared eligible.
• Secondly, every Russian athlete’s entry will be analysed in respect of doping tests conducted either by FINA and/or other NADOs and not analysed in Russia. The FINA Doping Control Review Board will conduct a review and issue a recommendation in respect to whether Russian athletes were subject to a reliable anti-doping scrutiny, for a decision to be made by the FINA Executive.
• FINA has noted the requirement that the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) shall not enter any athlete having been already sanctioned. Accordingly, no such athlete will be declared eligible.
The above measure applies to the Russian Swimming Federation. As an immediate effect of the above mentioned criteria, seven swimmers are not eligible to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games:
Athletes withdrawn by the ROC:
– Mikhail Dovgalyuk
– Yulia Efimova
– Natalia Lovtcova
– Anastasia Krapivina (Marathon Swimming)
Athletes appearing in the WADA IP Report:
– Nikita Lobintsev
– Vladimir Morozov
– Daria Ustinova
There is no indication in the IP report that athletes of Russian Synchronised Swimming Federation, Russian Diving Federation and Russian Water Polo would be implicated (1).
Finally, after the publication of the WADA IP Report, FINA has decided to re-test all the samples of Russian athletes collected at the Kazan 2015 FINA World Championships. After the conclusion of this competition, these samples were transferred and are now stored at the WADA-accredited laboratory of Barcelona (ESP).
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(1) After check, the single case mentioned in the IP report in respect of Water Polo was a case effectively reported and the male athlete was sanctioned. Russia’s Men Water Polo Team is not qualified for Rio.
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Glad to see FINA stand up against drug cheats. Those who lose out to an athlete using enhancing drugs miss out on their moment on the podium, the shear joy at the end of the race for some it may never happen again, a strong message needs to go out, it will not be tolerated.!
You are right but they are not being even handed. Others with similar doping are still in the pool because they are not Russian. They should all be put out.
Peter Scott I agree completely, it’s the only way there is any chance of stopping the cheating.
I still want to know why they have not gone after the female swimmers of Beijing games? They looked like men. No way a woman could
look that way with out some help.
You would of thought their trainers would know better. Knowing they would get tested, was it really worth it? They get what they deserve. Ultimately, it was up to each swimmer to take the drugs. They could of just said NO.
Not necessarily. Russia and China are still the same entities they were during the Cold War. As an athlete you do as you’re told or you AND your family will suffer.
Finally some guts by a Sports Organization. No Russian athlete is beyond suspicion as the doping scandal was so wide and pervasive in Russia.
All so uneven handed and a mess. We still have dopers Park and (FINA golden boy) Sun etc in the pool. The penalties are not even and a complete farce.
Aren’t they out for the Olympics? Tested positive for something – steroids / hormones?
Hi Heather Long Yes both tested positive and have served some sort of ban but only token ones and in the case of Sun there was long delays in the process which was suspect of attempted cover up. In the case of Park he served short ban. But then Korean’s themselves banned him for 3 more years. He went to CAS and the 3 year ban was overturned. CAS comming out in favour of the doper and undermining countries tough stand on dopping! FINA gave man of the meet award to Sun at world champs. After he had tested positive been banned and returned to swim! Putin awarded by FINA for services to swimming! Yes the Russian President! Sending the wrong messages to young swimmers. Yes both now back to swim in Rio unfortunately?
I do kind of feel a little bad for Efimova, having her chain yanked so hard.
Really!!!! No feeling for those deprived of the oportunity to stand on the podiums due to dopers??? Why shed tears for her. Far to much publicity for her and all bad. Hope that is the last we hear of her.
I said a little.
The little the better in my opinion!?
Not at all.Bye,Yulia.
I want more info on how Morozov and Lobintsev ended up on this list.
is that THE real reason????? Maybe Political things can be included
What a coincidence
Jono Dixon hope this makes you happy! Didn’t think they’d do it!
Great, keep drugs out of sport, especially during Olympics.
Shaheen Alghofari yet they won’t even reveal the Americans who dope ? #doublestandards #politics
Well atleast some are banned cos all Russians are basically on drugs
Yes but the same point stands for americans. I can just about trust the British , but from my experiences with cycling the USADA and World Anti Doping agency are ironically the biggest threats to clean sport
Well they may be exposed soon
They won’t no way, they make too much money. Once Mr Phelps, Lochte, and that generation retires and public interest with regards to them decreases (10 years probably) they will be exposed, the same way lance was exposed.
Let’s not forget, before he was exposed and during his career lance was literally portrayed by the media as a saint, not only as a supreme athlete but as a charitable and honourable man. Everyone worshipped and loved him. Now hes basically presented as a demon.
The point is I’m very very sure this fate is awaiting the generation of athletes that are about to retire. But to be fair, even if they’re caught doping, I don’t really blame them. I wouldn’t be angry. Why? Because that’s pro sport, it’s a business.
Mathew, the US swimming team has produced stars for decades, and been one of the glamour events of the Olympics, Remember Mark Spitz, Matt Biondi, Rowdy Gaines, Janet Evans? They have all passed multiple drug tests and been clean, lets not presume they are cheating.
Lance Armstrong never failed a drugs test. Lance was officially Americas most tested athlete. Neither did Marianne Jones… Or George Hincapie, or Floyd Landis… What’s your point?
What’s his point? His point is that professional cycling has had a well documented culture of cheating for generations. Competitive swimming in this country has not. For you to draw parallels between Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps based merely on their success in their respective sports is reckless, on the one hand, and completely uninformed on the other. What a pathetic little box you must live in if you truly believe that the likes of Biondi and Spitz may well have been doping too. Why not throw Weissmuller and Kahanamoku into the mix too? According to your logic, since they were dominant during their eras they must have been cheating also. With your lack of knowledge of competitive swimming history, it’s a wonder why you are even visiting a swimming site to begin with.
Well phelps and lochte don’t have as much power as Lance did so they would be exposed easier. Also they lose races!! Unlike Lance who won every one
Lance didn’t win every race. In fact he has many notable losses. For example in the 2001 Amstel Gold race he bonked as happened in a mountain stage in 2003 Tour de France. Lance was dominant not because of drugs but because of his tactical and team strategic superiority, now since this is a swimming post I won’t go into details unless you ask, but that still renders the previous point invalid. And phelps and Lochte both make a hell of a lot of money for sponsors. Just like lance for cycling, people who don’t watch swimming can still name Lochte and phelps – they do have a lot of “power”.
if you follow Phelps and Lochte’s careers, you wouldn’t doubt them. These guys work their butts off.
And I don’t doubt that, Terri. However, it’s simply naive to think that they’re clean. Very few if not any Athletes at that level are clean. And that’s not a criticism of them at all, that’s as I stated earlier just the nature of professional sports at elite level. I admire both Ryan and Michael, the same way I admire other “doped” athletes like lance. It’s naive to think that they are totally clean but in the same light it’s naive to think that these guys don’t work their butts off, of course they do. Their dedication to their passion is admirable and exemplary. So don’t take this the wrong way I’m not calling Ryan and Michel cheats, because even if they were caught for whatever EPO , steroids etc… I wouldn’t see them as cheats at all. They’re obsessed and incredibly hard working specimens. A positive test? That wouldn’t take away anything from their successes in my eyes because that is a simple norm or precondition that inevitably needs to be engaged in when one wishes to compete at such a level.
Well if they are on drugs which atm they aren’t since innocent till proven guilty, but if they were on drugs and others aren’t then I do see them as cheats – which they aren’t
Dopers are dopers but not cheaters. They’ve broken the rules yes but haven’t cheated because the net effect in performance advantage has been neutralised by the widespread prevalence of PED usage , that’s always been my argument mate
Well many athletes definitely don’t use any drugs and phelps probably doesn’t since he’s not been proven so and they compete with and against phelps at similar times. If phelps was on drugs the gap would be bigger than it is
Okay believe that
Well it’s true the difference between 1st and 8th is under 1.5 seconds in a 100m. If phelps uses drugs he would have a larger lead to non drug users
Not necessarily, look at Ben Johnson…. 100m sprint times
Who?
Was he in the 100m final at worlds or olympics ?
He was a sprinter , as in a runner not a swimmer but the principle still stands (margin of difference). Admitted doping
100m run is like 25m swim so not comparable
Shaheen pal I don’t think you’ve this this through ?.
Your argument is the shorter he margin of victory the less likely there is a case for doping.
25m is less than 100m (year 1 maths)
therefore this only strengths my case
In swimming 25m takes about 10secs for pros same as 100m running for pros so if you just though through it you’d have abit of insight and not jump to irrational conclusions ?
What about the Chinese Swimmers?
Yes thank you I have asking this for years!
Not only swimmers. Their runners too. The WR for the 10,000 was set by a Chinese runner. Her last 3,000 was faster than the 3,000 WR!!!! She then went on to break the 3,000 WR by 10 seconds in the heats and a further 6 seconds in the final at the Chinese Championships. Complete and utter BS.
Yoh. Probably state doping too
Keep the sport clean
3Yes !Cheaters really never win.
Unfortunately, cheaters often win because they cheat.
Where does it get them for cheating
Good job FINA! Now, do more-look at everyone!
Thanks FINA.
WTF!
Katja Gorzolla??
José PaulaCarvalho RIP lel
FODASSSS mixed feelings. Finalmente mas fds podia ser antes de entregar a aposta crlhhh
Bryan O’Sullivan morosov out ?
Maybe the same rules for cheating should be applied to Hillary and the DNC…. but then again we don’t want to pollute sports do we?
Karen Pilgrim
I understand that the decision is being left to each International Federation. Not sure how this guarantees that officials who were involved in doping are not part of the Rio contingent
As well as the fact that if it was as wide spread as they say, then there may be more than just 9 swimmers involved.
Elizabeth Taylor
About time
Horus Briseño Ramirez
Does anyone else find it comical how careful that statement was? They bent over backwards to repeat time and again that “standards were incorrectly applied” when in reality the standards were callously and purposely manipulated.
Good news but they also need to concentrate on other nations such as China that commit state sanctioned doping.
So they ban some athelets just based on to what Federation they belong to and not based on tests? The notion of collective punishment is a bit outdated?
The IOC dropped the ball. Russia and most probably China commit state sanctioned doping. Athletes have no choice but to dope or are shunted out of the system. The only way to stop them is to ban the country. A girlfriend of mine won a Silver in Moscow in 1980. They have the medical records of the East German who beat her, she’d been doping since she was 13!!!
Rich Davis Hi Richard, so individualne responsibility and innocent until proven guilty no longer apply? Or we have one rules for western athletes and collective punishment for the Russians? How fair is that? Are you telling me that ALL Russian doped? Where is the proof? So when American sprinters doped en masses the whole team should have been suspended? I don’t think so! The guilt must be individualized to those who cheat and those enabling them. So some Russian swimmers trained really hard, were completely clean and now can be banned because of the actions of the others? How would Canadian swimmers feel if the shoe was on the other foot? They would probably scream “injustice” from the rooftops!
All these coaches should be banned who push the players to take these drugs, hope the IOA is Considering.
Why is Park going?! And what about Mellouli?! He is even going to be a flagbearer for Tunesia. FINA is as before full of crap and not doing anything, but what the media wants to see.
What about the American Swimmers?
Sad for those who didn’t cheat
Aaron Glas
Shame (tilt tilt) shame (tilt tilt) shame (tilt tilt) shame (tilt tilt) shame