The names of the two suspended biathletes. McLaren reached the biathletes. What does all this threaten?
Of the 31 names of our athletes. "The Great Whistleblower" Richard McLaren accuses, and legendary biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen defends. How could another collision end?
Anton Shipulin is not on McLaren's new list. And so everyone is mixed up on the list: those who are already serving or have served their sentences, those who have already finished their careers, and the names of some are completely unfamiliar.
Yesterday the third stage of the Biathlon World Cup started in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. The men's sprint took place, in which Anton Shipulin took second place. He lost to Martin Fourcade by just one and a half seconds.
The sprint took place against the backdrop of another doping scandal. A few hours before the start, the President of the International Biathlon Union, Andres Besseberg, said that they had received from WADA a list of 31 Russian biathletes who would be accused of violating anti-doping rules.
“I think that there is no sports component there anymore, there is no longer any,” notes St. Petersburg athlete, two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev. “It’s all politics. What to do? We just live in such conditions today. We shouldn’t “In no case should we complain about this. We just need to professionally respond to the attacks that the Russian Federation is now subjected to.”
There are 31 biathletes on the list, and we are talking about their possible use of doping for the period from 2011 to 2015.
An important point: among the biathletes from the notorious list, many have already been disqualified, and many have already completed their careers. Some biathletes competed only in domestic Russian competitions, whose names are not even known to the general public.
And only a part are active biathletes who compete at the World Cup stages.
"Only at the domestic level, at the stages of the Russian Cup, at the Russian championships, about 15 athletes have been disqualified in recent years. Can you imagine the scale? Disqualified by RUSADA - our anti-doping service. Several more athletes were disqualified at international competitions. There was a case with Latypov, who found meldonium, but was acquitted because he had taken it last year. Accordingly, all these cases are reflected in McLaren’s report. And it turns out to be such a large list - some of these athletes are unknown to the wider world, some have already completed their careers. according to the President of the International Federation Besseberg, there are also those who are active athletes,” explains the sports expert.
If there is anything that can reassure Russian biathlon fans, it is the absence of Anton Shipulin from the “thirty-one” list. The leader of our team does not appear there, but Shipulin did not remain aloof from the scandal on December 15. At the press conference after the sprint, the question about the list was one of the first.
“Everything in sports has been mixed up lately. It’s very disappointing. I always thought that sports are above all this. But, in any case, I’m not one hundred percent worried about myself. I have nothing to worry about. We’ll look at what happens next ", emphasized 2014 Olympic biathlon champion Anton Shipulin.
Another important point: this is a calendar. In March 2017, the World Cup is scheduled to take place in Tyumen, and the World Championship is planned there for 2021. Against the backdrop of the recent transfer of the Bobsleigh World Championships from Russia and against the backdrop of all the seriousness of world sports officials, Tyumen is at risk. Another thing is that IBU President Andres Besseberg is considered in the biathlon world to be a trustworthy and wise man.
“I wouldn’t want to deprive the Russian people, who love biathlon so much, who root so much for everyone, not just Russian athletes, of this magnificent sports festival. Therefore, I hope that justice will again prevail and everything will be fair. If they do If there are any accusations, then there must be good evidence,” Anton Shipulin emphasized.
This whole story is the consequences of the second part of Richard McLaren’s report, which the Canadian lawyer presented on December 9.
The IBU has already created a special commission. Next Thursday, December 22, there will be a meeting, after which possible sanctions or punishments will be announced. This is another day from which nothing good is now expected in sports Russia.
“It’s difficult to say anything now. Only after this we can make a decision whether to suspend these athletes or not,” explained Anders Besseberg.
What sanctions will there be? Until next Thursday, one can only assume a huge number of punishment options: international biathlon competitions in our country may be taken away - here not only the World Cup stage, but also, for example, the Junior World Championships. Individual athletes or the entire team may be suspended for the entire season. The worst forecasts even talk about preventing Russian biathletes from participating in the Olympics in Korea.
Many biathletes already expressed their position on the new scandal yesterday. The most radical of all was the leader of the world biathlon of many recent years. He said that he was ready to initiate a boycott and encourage many colleagues to join him if there were no sanctions or disqualifications. And Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, on the contrary, has so far stood up for the Russians. For the legendary Norwegian. Until he sees evidence to the contrary.
But Anton has something to worry about.
For the third race in a row, Anton Shipulin reached the podium. A curious coincidence: the series began on a nightmarish day for all Russian sports - December 9, when Richard McLaren presented.
You can be sure that Anton is not mentioned in the Canadian lawyer’s documents in any way – neither in coded (that is, suspicious) form, nor by name. But the leader of our team has something to worry about: it may turn out that silver in the sprint in Nove Mesto is one of his last awards for the season.
What happened again in biathlon?
The International Biathlon Union (IBU) recently received from McLaren a list of 31 names - all of these athletes are suspected of doping in 2011-2015.
The head of the organization, Anders Besseberg, indirectly let it slip - the list is conditionally divided into three groups:
– biathletes who competed only in Russia (not compilations);
– biathletes who have completed their careers (this is already unpleasant - it is possible that you will have to be very disappointed in someone);
– active biathletes – separating them into a separate segment causes the most serious concern.
Think about it 31 surnames is a catastrophically high number. Even for such a period of time. Even if the vast majority of the participants did not compete in competitions higher than the National Cup.
What does all this threaten?
There are a lot of possible sanctions (if they follow).
1) Russia, as a country, the host of several important competitions, has something to take away: the Junior World Cup in Ostrov (in two months), the debut stage of the World Cup in Tyumen (in less than three months), the 2021 World Cup in the same Tyumen.
No one will be confused by the proximity of the first two starts; rescheduling tournaments is not a problem. This generally happens regularly with stages - mainly, of course, due to problems with the organization (weather, lack of snow, etc), but still this is easily dealt with in world biathlon.
With regard to the World Cup, no one’s hand will waver either - especially since the corresponding recommendations have been received, as well.
Losing a few home starts is bittersweet and painful, but not tragic.
2) Suspension of current athletes, review of the results of the Olympics in Sochi (in the biathlon part). This is already significant.
3) Inadmissibility of biathletes to the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. Alas, the Russian team’s credit history is monstrous. Two raids in recent years: in 2009, three were caught (Ekaterina Yuryeva, Albina Akhatova, Dmitry Yaroshenko), in 2014, three again (Alexander Loginov, Irina Starykh and the same Yuryeva).
If cheating is discovered now, both the old biathlon scandals and the entire situation in our sport will come into play. Moreover, there is a precedent here - the athletes did not make it to Rio.
4) Withdrawal of the entire team from the season. Among the listed options, this is the least likely, but not excluded. Dmitry Guberniev, a man who knows more about biathlon than other coaches, in an obviously thoughtful speech allowed the following situation:
“Let's take off the rose-colored glasses, we need to prepare for the worst. I think we are all guaranteed a bad result next week. No need to say which one. It is clear that Besseberg spoke in a very veiled manner about the possibility of some decisions after the meeting of the special commission.
Now, first of all, the participation of the national team in the World Cup, the holding of the Junior World Championship in Ostrov and the World Cup stage in Tyumen are very much in question.”
When will everything be decided?
They are going to make it before the holidays - even European ones. Andres Besseberg promised that A full answer will be given on December 22.
What does Shipulin think?
“Naturally, we watched the news, but it didn’t bring me anything but a smile. I looked at it without panic, because it wasn’t serious.
They mixed politics with sports too much, blaming Russian athletes who are not guilty of anything like this is too much. They seriously go too far.
I think the fans who support us know that the athletes are confident in themselves and watch this from the sidelines. I try not to think about it, I’m at competitions and I only think about them” (live on Match TV).
And Fourcade?
“The IBU must be strict against those who cheat. This is not one or two, but 31 people.
I hope the IBU has the courage to disqualify them. If not, then the athletes will act.
If there are no consequences, I will encourage my partners and other biathletes not to participate in competitions. But I think the IBU will do everything right. They have a lot of evidence, they must take serious measures" (NRK)
Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexey Filippov, Mikhail Voskresensky (2)
He reported that the organization received from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) a list with the names of Russian biathletes suspected of violating anti-doping rules. According to him, 31 athletes appear in it.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
The lists for federations are compiled on the basis of documents from the second part of the report of an independent investigator on the use of doping by Russian athletes at the Sochi Olympics, as well as before and after the 2014 Games. McLaren claims that more than 1,000 athletes were involved in or benefited from drug test manipulation.
Some of the biathletes on the list have stopped performing or are disqualified, but there are also those who participate in international competitions, VG quotes as saying Besseberg. - We will give recommendations within a week. The IBU may screen out those athletes who should be provisionally suspended.
WHO IS RUNNING THE BUSINESS
The IBU has created a special group, which consists of lawyers and anti-doping experts, to study the issue.
“Everything related to the commission meeting is classified information. The IBU indeed received information from the independent WADA commission led by Richard McLaren and is studying it, but cannot disclose its contents. You will learn about all the details from the IBU release,” the press reported -IBU service to SE correspondent Maria MARKOVA.
WHAT IS THREATING AND WHEN WILL THERE BE A SOLUTION
Russian biathletes suspected of using prohibited substances and mentioned in the WADA list may be suspended from competition until the start of the fourth stage of the World Cup, VG claims. The start will take place in Oberhof from January 5 to 8, 2017.
Besseberg provided details about the WADA list and gave an approximate time frame for possible decisions.
We actually received a list of 31 Russian athletes, but it seems impossible for me to talk about how many of them are currently competing at the World Cup. There are three groups of athletes on this list: active biathletes, those who have already completed their careers, and those who are not included in our database,” the IBU head said in an interview with TASS. - As for the last group, we only have their names, and we can only assume that they represent various Russian sports societies. They never started at international competitions.
We hope to receive a decision and recommendations from the working group that will study the documents as quickly as possible,” Besseberg added. - I hope that this will happen before the start of the World Championship (in Hochfilzen from February 8 to 19, 2017. - Note "SE") so that we have time to make decisions. But in this matter everything will depend on how much time it takes to collect and analyze materials.
ABOUT THE 2021 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN TYUMEN
Anders Besseberg emphasized that a decision on the 2021 World Cup could be made at the organization’s congress next year. Previously, the IBU received a request from WADA to explain the reason for choosing Tyumen as the host city.
There is no urgency in the issue of holding the 2021 World Cup, VG quotes Besseberg as saying. - It may be considered at the IBU Congress next year.
REACTION OF THE RUSSIAN BIATHLON UNION
The Russian Biathlon Union () is ready to personally consider the accusations of its athletes if the IBU addresses them. At the same time, the RBU is in close contact with the IBU regarding the future of the 2021 World Championships.
Besseberg said in a statement that they (the IBU) received this information from McLaren's report. We are talking about the period from 2011 to 2014 inclusive,” R-Sport quotes the president of the SBR. - What can you comment on here? They will send us to the federation, if they have formal charges against someone, we will consider them personally. The SBR does not have these names. The IBU, as the official recipient of information from WADA, does its job step by step.
There is no need to make any announcements here that nothing threatens us, for example. “We are working together with the IBU,” added the head of the RBU about the 2021 World Championships. - Today, on a formal basis, what can the IBU present using McLaren’s report? Or what did the authors of this report present to the IBU itself? The fact that some kind of manipulation was carried out with the samples. In any case, the athletes themselves did not participate in this; they did not stand and pour from one test tube to another, and the SBR did not participate in such manipulation, if it took place.
Still, not everyone is against us. The first suspicions crept in in the summer, when the IOC allowed the Russian team to participate in the Olympics in Rio. Not in full force, but it's still better than nothing. Now we have friends in the International Biathlon Union (IBU).
On the other hand, they had nothing left to do. McLaren's report included 31 Russian biathletes. For 22 of them, a specially created IBU commission suspended the cases. There is no evidence, even if you crack it. The suspension of two Sochi medalists, Olga Vilukhina and Yana Romanova, was upheld. The general conclusion of the IBU Executive Committee: the Russian team can continue to compete wherever they want. At least at the World Cup stages, at least at the Olympics. “And even Alexander Loginov is allowed?” - an incredulous reader will ask. And IBU President Anders Besseberg will answer him: “All athletes in biathlon, regardless of nationality, have the right to start if this is allowed by the rules. Loginov has served his sentence and, according to our rules, has the same rights as all athletes. He might even compete in the Olympics."
And the coaches of the Russian national team were afraid to include Loginov at the World Cup stages. Suddenly someone will say something or look askance. Although the law was on our side. Loginov was caught for doping. Nobody argues with this. But he served his disqualification, which means he has every right to start wherever he wants. More precisely, where the coaches want. And let Martin Fourcade burst with indignation.
The Frenchman, by the way, was very angry at the decision of the IBU executive committee. The main demands of pure biathletes were left unattended. No one is yet going to reduce the quota for two years for a country whose biathlete was caught doping, like Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, to suspend suspected athletes until a full investigation (when it is over) or not to allow caught biathletes to participate in the World Championships and the Olympics.
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen also did not express delight. “We don’t want to wait a year and a half until the next congress, which could change something. I’m disappointed that we are treated like errand boys,” the 42-year-old Norwegian shared with TV2. The IBU leaders seemed to hint to Fourcade and Co. that their job was to ride on the track and shoot at black circles, and not to write petitions, no matter what smart things they contained.
Ours, meanwhile, quietly rejoiced at the victory. The Russian team continues to perform at major competitions - this is the main thing. The IBU was going to change its anti-doping rules only in a year and a half, when the next congress will take place. Nice too. This means we’ll definitely get to the World Championships.
However, yesterday it became known that the IBU nevertheless followed the lead of lovers of the epistolary genre. An extraordinary congress, where new anti-doping rules will be adopted, will take place on February 9. On the day of the start of the World Championship. Then it will become clear whether the world championship in 2021 will be taken away from Tyumen or not. And perhaps they will name seven Russian biathletes who continue to be under suspicion. For now, we can only guess who it is, but it is unlikely that the IBU commission would waste time on the little-known participants of the Izhevsk Rifle.
results
Men. Individual race. 20 km. 1. Shipulin (Russia) - 50.38.1 (1 penalty loop); 2. M. Fourcade (France) +41.0 (2); 3. Semenov (Ukraine) +56.8 (1)… 7. Tsvetkov +1.28.7 (1)… 12. Garanichev +1.46.7 (2)… 39. Babikov +4.49.5 (4)… 64. Malyshko +6.19.2 (4)… 87. Eliseev (all - Russia) +8.22.6 (6)
Mass start. 15 km. 1. Be (Norway) - 37.04.3 (0); 2. Maillet (France) +3.7 (1); 3. Shipulin +21.7 (1)… 13. Tsvetkov +1.19.3 (3); 14. Babikov +1.23.2 (3); 15. Garanichev (all - Russia) +1.25.8 (3).
Relay 4x7.5 km. 1. Germany - 1:13.57.2 (0 penalty loops + 7 additional rounds); 2. Norway +0.1 (0+9); 3. Russia (Tsvetkov, Garanichev, Malyshko, Babikov) +33.6 (0+9).
Women. 4x6 km relay race. 1. Germany - 1:09.12.4 (0 penalty loops + 12 additional rounds); 2. France +24.2 (0+8); 3. Italy +33.4 (0+9)… 5. Russia (Slivko, Akimova, Glazyrina, Podchufarova) +1.16.0 (0+5).
Mass start. 12.5 km. 1. Horchler - 36.11.5 (0 penalty loops); 2. Dahlmeier (both - Germany) +3.1 (3); 3. Koukalova (Czech Republic) +8.0 (2)… 16. Akimova (Russia) - +46.3 (3).
|On topic
The baby will be tested at the European Championships
The coaching staff of the Russian national team is in no hurry to name the composition for the World Cup. If women feel completely hopeless, then our men can win several medals in Hochfilzen. Anton Shipulin's chances are especially high in the relay race. If only the coaches didn’t make a mistake with the final squad that will be named after the European Championship.
A number of candidates for the trip to Hochfilzen will go to Duszniki-Zdrój: Daria Virolainen, Irina Starykh, Alexander Loginov and Dmitry Malyshko, who replaced Alexander Povarnitsyn at the last moment. Since the coaches sent the 29-year-old St. Petersburger to the European Championship, it means they doubt him. So Malyszko needs to prove himself in Duszniki-Zdroj, otherwise for the first time since 2011 he will be watching the World Cup on TV.
Composition of the Russian national team at the 2017 European Championship
Men: Alexander Loginov, Alexey Slepov, Petr Pashchenko, Yuri Shopin, Alexey Volkov, Dmitry Malyshko, Evgeny Garanichev.
Women: Daria Virolainen, Svetlana Sleptsova, Irina Starykh, Svetlana Mironova, Anna Nikulina, Olga Yakushova.
All data was sent to the relevant international organizations, which after some time will publish the names and take adequate measures.
But while the federations are in no hurry to inform the public, we can ourselves figure out the names of the athletes who, according to McLaren, participated in doping schemes.
So, on the WADA website there is a document called "Duchess.xlsx". The table shows the codes of athletes who allegedly took the “Rodchenkov cocktail” - a mixture of alcohol and steroids. This scheme was revealed by Rodchenkov himself and described in detail in McLaren's first report. Let me remind you that according to the version of McLaren and Rodchenkov, the athletes prepared in advance for the substitution of samples and gave clean urine before the Olympics.
Here is the list for cross-country skiing:
20 Russian skiers took part in the Olympic Games in Sochi 2014: 12 men and 8 women.
- Belov Evgeniy
- Bessmertnykh Alexander
- Volzhentsev Stanislav
- Vylegzhanin Maxim
- Gafarov Anton
- Glavatskikh Konstantin
- Kryukov Nikita
- Legkov Alexander
- Petukhov Alexey
- Ustyugov Sergey
- Chernousov Ilya
- Yaparov Dmitry
- Dotsenko Anastasia
- Zhukova Natalya
- Ivanova Yulia
- Kuzyukova Olga
- Matveeva Natalya
- Khazova Irina
- Chekaleva Yulia
- Shapovalova Evgeniya
There are 14 skiers on the list.
According to my calculations, the codes correspond to the following names (the decoding is tentative and will be adjusted as new information becomes available):
A0999 Yulia Chekaleva
A0291 Yulia Ivanova
A0132 Olga Kuzyukova
A1285 Natalya Zhukova
A1281 Evgenia Shapovalova
A1282 Natalya Matveeva
A0525 Anastasia Dotsenko
A0858 Maxim Vylegzhanin (this number is questionable, most likely Vylegzhanin owns number A0958)
A0467 Alexander Legkov
A0086 Dmitry Yaparov
A0081 Alexander Bessmertnykh
A0431 Nikita Kryukov
A0772, A0654 - male sprinters, 2 people from the list: Anton Gafarov, Alexey Petukhov and Sergey Ustyugov
Apparently, Rodchenkov did not participate in the cocktail program:
Bronze medalist of the Sochi 2014 Olympics at 50 km Ilya Chernousov, Evgeny Belov, Stanislav Volzhentsev, Konstantin Glavatskikh and one of the sprinters - Anton Gafarov, Alexey Petukhov or Sergey Ustyugov. Among the women - Irina Khazova.
Disclaimer: In this article I do not accuse any of the athletes of doping, this is only an attempt to establish correspondence between the codes in the McLaren report and the names of athletes based on the data that the report and accompanying documents offer.
Maya GUSEINOVA
PS: If the information is confirmed that Legkov and Vylegzhanin participated in the doping scheme, but Chernousov did not, then Ilya will become the Olympic champion at 50 km.
UPD: The biathletes most likely included the women's relay on their list.
