Russian Olympic Committee Suspended by IOC
Russian Athletes to Compete Under IOC Banner at PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games
On Tuesday, December 5, 2017, IOC President Thomas Bach announced the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), and the process by which Russian athletes will be allowed to compete in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
This action comes as a consequence of the conclusion of the Schmidt Report that it had found “the systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia, through the Disappearing Positive Methodology and during the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, as well as the various levels of administrative, legal and contractual responsibility, resulting from the failure to respect the respective obligations of the various entities involved”
The IOC announced the following actions against the ROC and Russian sports and government officials:
To suspend the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) with immediate effect.
To invite individual Russian athletes under strict conditions (see below) to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. These invited athletes will participate, be it in individual or team competitions, under the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)”. They will compete with a uniform bearing this name and under the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony.
Not to accredit any official from the Russian Ministry of Sport for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.
To exclude the then Minister of Sport, Mr Vitaly Mutko, and his then Deputy Minister, Mr. Yuri Nagornykh, from any participation in all future Olympic Games.
To withdraw Mr Dmitry Chernyshenko, the former CEO of the Organising Committee Sochi 2014, from the Coordination Commission Beijing 2022.
To suspend ROC President Alexander Zhukov as an IOC Member, given that his membership is linked to his position as ROC President.
In addition the IOC reserved the right to take additional measures against and sanction other individuals implicated in the system.
The IOC will also require the ROC to reimburse the costs incurred by the IOC for the investigations and to contribute to the establishment of the Independent Testing Authority (ITA) for the total sum of USD 15 million.
These sanctions will be in effect through the end of the 2018 games and beyond, until such time as the ICO decisions "are fully respected and implemented by the ROC and by the invited athletes and officials."
The IOC will determine those athletes, officials and support staff who will be allowed to participate in the 2018 Games. No member of the leadership of the Russian Olympic Team at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 will be included on the invitation list. The invited athletes will participate under the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR),” and will compete with a uniform bearing this name and under the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony where the Russian anthem would otherwise have been played.
Coaches and medical doctors of an athlete who has committed a doping violation will not be allowed to participate in the 2018 Games either. Thus, a clean athlete whose coach has had a dirty athlete, may find themself without that coach at the games.
In full, for the participation of Russian athletes in the games the IOC announced:
The invitation list will be determined, at its absolute discretion, by a panel chaired by Valerie Fourneyron, Chair of the ITA. The panel will include members of the Pre-Games Testing Task Force: one appointed by WADA, one by the DFSU and one by the IOC, Dr Richard Budgett.
This panel will be guided in its decisions by the following principles:
It can only consider athletes who have qualified according to the qualification standards of their respective sport.
Athletes must be considered clean to the satisfaction of this panel:
Athletes must not have been disqualified or declared ineligible for any Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
Athletes must have undergone all the pre-Games targeted tests recommended by the Pre-Games Testing Task Force.
Athletes must have undergone any other testing requirements specified by the panel to ensure a level playing field.
The IOC, at its absolute discretion, will ultimately determine the athletes to be invited from the list.
These invited athletes will participate, be it in individual or team competitions, in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 under the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)”. They will compete with a uniform bearing this name and under the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony.
These invited athletes will enjoy the same technical and logistical support as any other Olympic athlete.
The panel, at its absolute discretion, will determine an invitation list for support staff and officials.
This panel will be guided in its decisions by the following principles:
No member of the leadership of the Russian Olympic Team at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 can be included on the invitation list.
No coach or medical doctor whose athlete has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation can be included on the invitation list. All coaches and medical doctors included on the invitation list must sign a declaration to this effect.
Any other requirement considered necessary to protect the integrity of the Olympic Games.
The IOC, at its absolute discretion, will ultimately determine the support staff and officials to be invited from the list.
No time table was given for the selection of Russian athletes, officials and support staff. For skating, it is yet to be determined how this will be implemented for the team event, and for the assignment of Russian officials to the skating events.
Copyright 2017 by George S. Rossano