The coming clustermess that is the Rio Olympics just keeps getting more and more cluster-y.
Comes now the news that the World Anti-Doping Agency's executive board is pushing the International Olympic Committee to kick the Russians out of the Games. This is because WADA just finished an investigation that showed the Russian government was complicit in a widespread scheme to circumvent drug testing.
Apparently the Russians went around the rules by hiding positive tests, especially among its top-tier athletes. It was effective; between 2012 and 2015, this system allegedly covered up 643 positive doping tests. And it was apparently most rife among the winter athletes -- who, after all, needed to be fully juiced in 2014 because Russia was the host nation and no host nation likes to lose on its home turf.
It worked. The Russians led the medal count at Sochi with 13 gold and 33 total medals.
And now?
Now one of the powerhouse nations of the summer games is in dire peril of being banned from Rio. Which is yet another blow to an event already dealing with a widespread Zika outbreak, contaminated and unfinished sites, political instability and a bankrupt national treasury.
Welcome to Moscow 1980 (in which the U.S. declined to participate). Welcome to Los Angeles 1984 (in which the Soviets, in retaliation for 1980, declined to participate). Now with added disease, corruption, crime and open sewers masquerading as venues!
And, of course, more drug cheats, because it's the Olympics and there are precious few Polly Purebreds out there -- even among nations that sanctimoniously claim to be so.
I can't wait.
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