IOC Publishes First Full Decision From Oswald Commission

(ATR) The IOC publishes the first full decision on the reasoning behind a decision by the Oswald Commission to ban an athlete for life for doping.

Alexander Legkov was one of six Russian cross-country skiers sanctioned by the IOC earlier this month. The decision was published on the date of the sanctioning, but the reasoning was not released until today. The reasoning can be read here in full.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) said last week it would wait until the IOC published the full reasoning against the cross country skiers before reviewing the results and issuing sanctions. FIS is responsible for whether medals in skiing disciplines from Sochi 2014 would be reallocated pending the results.

All Russian athletes sanctioned by the IOC have the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

In the decision the IOC Disciplinary Commission concurred with the findings of the independently funded McLaren Report. Both reports by McLaren said that Russia manipulated the anti-doping testing in the Sochi laboratory to constitute the "disappearing positive methodology".

In addition, the Disciplinary Commission noted that based on evidence present it was impossible for the system used in Sochi to work without knowledge from the athletes. In the report the disciplinary commission compared the cover-up system to an intricate Swiss watch where "the athletes were one such wheel" in the system.

The reanalysis of Legkov’s sample yielded a "strikingly high level of doping," the commission concluded. Legkov was also included on the "Duchess List", a list of athletes that formerMoscow Lab director Grigory Rodchenkov gave a specially designed drug cocktail during the Sochi Olympics.

That combined with clearly defined tampering marks on the sample bottle led the commission to conclude an anti-doping violation took place. Further testimony from Rodchenkov mentioned Legkov’s sample, corroborating the evidence presented.

"The Disciplinary Commission first concludes that it finds established beyond any doubt, which also means to its comfortable satisfaction, that the cover-up scheme, which has been described in the McLaren Report based on the explanations of Dr. Rodchenkov, was indeed implemented in Sochi," the decision read.

"The athlete has sought to challenge each individual piece of evidence, but when all pieces match and comfort each other, no doubt is possible."

The commission ruled that Legkov’s participation in the cover-up during Sochi was damaging to the 2014 Olympics and to the entire Olympic Movement. The ruling states that participating in future Olympics such as the PyeongChang 2018 Games would be "another blow to the integrity of the Olympic Games". Legkov was banned for life from the Olympics by the commission.

"Given the severity of the prejudice and the long-lasting harm that has been caused to the Olympic Movement, the Disciplinary Commission is further of the opinion that the ineligibility shall not be limited to the next Olympic Winter Games but shall apply to all subsequent editions of the Games of the Olympiad and Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC Executive Board will determine the fate of the Russian team at the 2018 Winter Olympics at its next meeting on Dec. 5. Before taking a decision the board will hear the results of the Schmid Commission that has been tasked with investigating the strategic manipulation of results in the Sochi anti-doping lab. The Oswald Commission has been investigating individual anti-doping violations from Sochi 2014.

More Russians Sanctioned

In addition to releasing the first decision taken by the Oswald Commission, the IOC has sanctioned five more athletes for anti-doping rule violations.

The athletes include Sergei Chudinov, Aleksei Negodailo, Dmitrii Trunenkov, Yana Romanova and Olga Vilukhina.

Chudinov competed in the skeleton at the Sochi Olympics. Negodailo and Trunenkov were members of the Russian bobsled team in Sochi. Negodalio won a gold medal in the two-man bobsled, while Trunenkov was a member of the four-man team with other athletes sanctioned by the IOC. Romanov and Vilukhina were members of the silver medal women’s biathlon relay. Vilukhina also won a silver medal in the women’s sprint.

The five athletes won three medals that could be deducted from Russia’s dwindling total from the Sochi Games.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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