UKC

Should Russia be banned from the Rio games, or is the rest of the World just being horrible to them?

They won't admit they are in the wrong, and like naughty children being ticked off are feeling isolated and victimised. It's a mind set away from the West's concept of fair play, and you can only wonder at what they had hoped to gain from it, because they were bound to get caught.

Trouble is the more victimised and isolated they become, the more dangerous they become - see thread on Trident.

In reply to Trangia:

I thought it was largely in the past but Sochi 2014 on a mind blowing scale of state sponsored doping......I despair of it all.

Really sad for the athletes who were robbed.

In reply to Trangia:

can't help but question this - " It's a mind set away from the West's concept of fair play"

do you remember a certain cycling related drama not long back?

In reply to Scarab9:



We all do but was that 'state sponsored' or specifically a western thing? Lance A was probably working to his own agenda rather than that of the US sporting hierarchy, for example.

There are many cheaters in sport but the difference here is a conveyor belt of corruption, promotion and cover up of sporting filth on a national scale.

In reply to Trangia:

I can completely believe the allegations - corruption is so rife in Russia it's not hard to see it being extended to sport. I do, however, think it needs to be handled sensitively, because as you allude to, there's potentially more at sake than a few gold medals.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:


The Spanish "investigation" into Fuentes operation does come across as a tad suspicious and deliberately blind.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Nonsense. Ban the bastards.

Ok, ban them sensitively.

In reply to Scarab9:



If you are referring to Lance Armstrong, that was not state sponsored but personal cheating. Big difference.

In reply to Trangia:

The irony being the State is now in hot pursuit of Mr Armstrong and his pals.....

If he wasn't banned Bruce Hooker would be along to tell us it's all our fault and we made Putin do it.

Bruce of course conveniently forgets that in Russia, when you mix a journalist, a red light and a motor cycle it generally does not end well for the journalist.

In reply to Nevis-the-cat:

I miss Bruce, he was contrarian in an educated and entertaining way.

In reply to Trangia:

The Russians understand fairplay, they also understand that cheating is fine if you can get away with it. They will consider the IOC to be weak and malleable if they are not banned. They understand strength and respect it, that's why Putin is still powerful.

In reply to Trangia:

of course they should be banned.
your hint of military intimidation should play no role in the decision.
as a running enthusiast I am absolutely disgusted by their behavior.

In reply to Trangia:

Jess Ennis coach arguing that they shouldn't be banned?

http://coachtorio.com/toni-minichiello-russian-doping-problem/

In reply to Trangia:

I think a blanket ban for a full Olympic cycle is the most appropriate sanction, given the extent of the allegations. I appreciate this catches the clean and tainted athletes. However, what's different is this was state sponsored, not an individual athlete trying to get one ahead of the competition. Therefore, it should be Russia which gets the ban. Maybe the carrot is the next but one World athletics champs. I think the 2017 comp may be too soon.

In reply to Trangia:

Inordinate amount of wins from the host country teams, I'd imagine it was an international phenomenon. They have always been at it. Suddenly everything they do in sport gets the medusa stare? Nothing to do with geopolitics? Maybe.

D