Twenty-eight Russian athletes have doping bans overturned by Cas

Twenty-eight Russian athletes had their Olympic doping bans overturned on Thursday, throwing the International Olympic Committee’s policy on Russian doping into turmoil.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Thursday that evidence was “insufficient” that the 28, including several medallists, had broken anti-doping rules at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

The 28 who had their bans lifted could now seek late entry into the Pyeongchang Games, which start on 9 February.

Eleven more were ruled to have been guilty of doping, but had lifetime bans cut to a ban from the Pyeongchang Games alone.

Cas said it “unanimously found that the evidence put forward by the IOC in relation to this matter did not have the same weight in each individual case. In 28 cases, the evidence collected was found to be insufficient to establish that an anti-doping rule violation was committed.”

Jim Walden, the lawyer for the Russian whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov – whose testimony and evidence was behind the initial bans of Russian athletes – reacted with dismay to the news. “Dr Rodchenkov testified fully and credibly at CAS,” he said. “His truth has been verified by forensic evidence, other whistleblowers, and, more recently, recovery of the Moscow lab’s secret database, showing thousands of dirty tests that were covered up. This panel’s unfortunate decision provides a very small measure of punishment for some athletes but a complete ‘get out of jail free card’ for most. The Cas decision only emboldens cheaters, makes it harder for clean athletes to win, and provides yet another ill-gotten gain for the corrupt Russian doping system generally, and Putin specifically.”

The IOC has already invited 169 Russians to the Pyeonchang Olympics under a neutral flag, but may now be forced to allow in athletes it deems dopers, eight days before the Games begin.

Those reinstated at the Sochi Olympics include the skeleton gold medallist Alexander Tretiakov and cross-country ski gold medallist Alexander Legkov. Russia won’t win back some medals, such as in the men’s four-man bobsleigh, where two crew members were disqualified and two reinstated. Both of the gold medal-winning two-man bobsled crew remain banned.

The IOC last year banned 43 Russians over doping offences at the Sochi Olympics, ruling they had been part of a scheme to dope. The Russian government vehemently denies ever supporting doping. Three more appeals, all involving retired biathlon competitors, will be heard later.

(GUARDIAN)