Calls begin for Banning Russia from ALL IAAF International Sports!

We've all become a bit numb to headlines of the latest Sports Hero to be caught doping on performance enhancing drugs. Personally when Anderson Silva just recently got nailed I really got upset. The Spider is a UFC great without question...well, he was without question until now.

www.torontosun.com...

However one country has taken performance enhancing drugs to an all new level!

www.heraldscotland.com...

The president of the Russian Athletics Federation, Valentin Balakhnichev, stepped down yesterday. The IAAF, one of the highest international bodies in sports, has declared a difficult crisis due to the sheer number of Russian athletes being caught doping at competitions. Since the introduction of biological passports getting caught is becoming much easier. You see historical records of each athletes bio markers are being saved and compared to future tests. Significant variances trigger a failed test where as before athletes only had to stay under specified testing limits.

en.wikipedia.org...

It seems the Russian Athletics Federation didn't get the memo on these changes. Out of 37 athletes caught since the passports began 23 are Russians. That's a really high percentage considering the IAAF tests all sports around the whole world. Dozens more Russian athletes are already serving doping suspensions prior to the passports starting. Calls are starting to come out in the media to Ban Russia from ALL athletics for a period of time until their Federations gets control of the doping problem. Many feel that the Russian Sports Federations have actively been promoting and assisting in doping athletes in fact.

Balakhnichev says this is "a pack of lies". Which isn't very surprising. What does ATS think? Is Russia somehow special in athletic doping or are they just getting caught more at this time? Is there really a Russian desire to be the best so strong that international rules become meaningless, much like international boarders?

Edit: WADA is currently investigating Russia for systemic doping.
www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/valentin-balakhnichev-quits-russian-athletics-chief-fires-parting-shot-over-doping-scandals-10052629.htm l

Russia has only one suspension in cycling which is dominated by Italy and Spain, from your link.

Are we scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything to flame Russia with?

originally posted by: MALBOSIA
Russia has only one suspension in cycling which is dominated by Italy and Spain, from your link.

Are we scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything to flame Russia with?

I don't think Russia is big into Cycling is it? They are big into getting defensive when anything negative is discussed thou!

a reply to: noeltrotsky

Why would you ban those athletes that have spent most of their lives working on a goal and did nothing wrong? Let those caught be banned and leave the others alone. This just sounds like more hate on Russia. I'll bet we have had a high amount of athletes found doping. Look how many times Armstrong won and he was doping. It is sad that someone would go to those lengths,but it happens. How ever many we have had, I would hate for all of our athletes to be banned because some decided to cheat.

a reply to: noeltrotsky

Oh my god man

How come you didn't tie this in with Ukraine problem too

What's next you'll start reporting if someone steals a cookie in Russia

And all your sources are biased to the bone

a reply to: Dimithae

It is terrible to punish athletes that haven't been found guilty of anything. In fact I don't even know if it's legal to be honest. They surely can appeal any blanket ban.

I think it stems from the allegations of systemic doping in certain sports inside Russia. WADA is trying to find evidence that doping was not only condoned by Russian officials but actively provided to athletes along with support to avoid detection. That's going to be tough to prove, but if they do then a complete national ban could be possible.

Balakhnichev resigning is a move to get ahead of the scandal. When any report comes out he can be blamed and the new boss can be committed to cleaning it up.

originally posted by: MALBOSIA
Russia has only one suspension in cycling which is dominated by Italy and Spain, from your link.

Are we scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything to flame Russia with?

What I wanted to say but you are so much more eloquent

originally posted by: PizzaAnyday505
a reply to: noeltrotsky

Oh my god man

How come you didn't tie this with Ukraine problem too

I did...just for you! The last sentence was for you Pizza boy!

Russian Leader steals Cookie!

Yes, it's true!

www.funnyjunk.com...

If you see this man please don't attempt to confront him. Simply pass him a cookie and reaffirm your membership in NATO and that Article 5 provides you protection from his cookie aggression.

Leave the rules in place and let the ones who test clean compete. Athletes are a brotherhood (and sisterhood), and despite the general contempt that people seem to hold them in they form a network with each other. They are one of those open lines of communication between groups that might otherwise be enemies that sort of might help to keep things breaking completely down.

If you kick the Russians out entirely, you lose that line of understanding between nations that otherwise might not have it and might lose those small lines of potential understanding.

originally posted by: noeltrotsky

originally posted by: MALBOSIA
Russia has only one suspension in cycling which is dominated by Italy and Spain, from your link.

Are we scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything to flame Russia with?

I don't think Russia is big into Cycling is it? They are big into getting defensive when anything negative is discussed thou!

I'm not sure if your Assuming I am Russian. I'm not but I appreciate the complement.

You took a topic that could have been about sports doping, which is a problem in all developed nations, and turned it into border politics.

Does a nations desire to win at sports, spilling over on their foreign borders policies, count in any sport or just track and field?

.... sarcastically

a reply to: ketsuko

Agreed. Country wide bans seem pretty draconian. Only a Nazi loving, Swastika flag waving Junta would do something like that.

That's for you too Pizza boy!

Seriously thou...banning a whole country is crazy.

a reply to: MALBOSIA

There was a Dark Matters episode that suggested sports doping got its start in a Cold War race in weightlifting between the Americans and the Russians back in the days following WWII.

a reply to: noeltrotsky

I hope this is not so, that is quite an accusation and unfair to all those russian athletes who dont use doping which is a far higher number than 23.

I hope while the conflict is ongoing between Ukraine and Russia, we can enjoy our russian friends during sports.
Last week, Denis Yuskov won the 1500 mtr skating with a wonderful time, he set a new track record in Thialf, he did that without using doping.
For athletes like him, i'd say, don't make them suffer for the mistakes of others.

a reply to: noeltrotsky

I just hope that they don't refuse those athletes that are clean and don't get this settled before the events.

a reply to: noeltrotsky

Talk about stupid.....So a few athletes have doping issues and they want to ban everyone. This sounds like propaganda too me.




It is amazing people minds are so corrupted and simple they can not even see things clearly anymore. This world is in a sad state and stories like this prove me right.

Who cares whether UFC fighters use steroids or not?

The 'sport' already leaves the 'athletes' brain damaged and crippled.

originally posted by: Psynic
Who cares whether UFC fighters use steroids or not?

The 'sport' already leaves the 'athletes' brain damaged and crippled.

There goes American Football as well then as it causes brain damage. Since it's the biggest sport in North America by far I didn't think brain damage matters much.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: MALBOSIA

There was a Dark Matters episode that suggested sports doping got its start in a Cold War race in weightlifting between the Americans and the Russians back in the days following WWII.

Here's WADA's official 'history' of doping. It's pretty thin to be honest. Highly sanitized it seems...

www.wada-ama.org...

originally posted by: noeltrotsky

originally posted by: Psynic
Who cares whether UFC fighters use steroids or not?

The 'sport' already leaves the 'athletes' brain damaged and crippled.

There goes American Football as well then as it causes brain damage. Since it's the biggest sport in North America by far I didn't think brain damage matters much.

Good one.