Russia Is Out

   Due to past doping infractions, Russia will not be able to send participants to the upcoming Winter Games in South Korea. The IOC made the announcement yesterday. Does that mean all Russian athletes have been banned? No. In a bid to protect “innocent athletes” the door has been left open for Russians to compete as an “Olympic Athlete of Russia”, as long as they satisfy strict conditions that show they have a doping-free background.
   All the ban really means is the athletes won't be able to compete under the Russian flag. Which for them is truly a pity
   There have been accusations fired off at Russia and the former Soviet Union for using performance enhancing drugs, but this is the 1st time the IOC has acted on them.
   Needless to say, reaction from quite a few sport organizations in the country is negative, with Alexei Kurashov, president of the Russian freestyle federation, saying: ”The Olympic movement has discredited itself and there will be fundamental consequences to this".  But just in the past month, the IOC  has banned 20 Russian athletes from the games.
    My 2 cents: It really is sad that the majority of Russian athletes will now not be able to compete due to the actions of a few, and with the approval of their respective organizations. But I also feel the IOC should treat all countries fairly, and look at doping in all nations.

TTFN