Russia’s 5 Athletes Suspended from Olympics
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has notified the All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) about suspending seven athletes of Russia – Elena Soboleva, Daria Pishchalnikova, Gulfia Khanafeeva, Tatiana Tomashova, Yulia Fomenko, Svetlana Cherkassova and Olga Egorova from all competitions under its aegis, including the Beijing Olympics that opens in a week. The reason is the doping offenses, the IAAF said.
According to IAAF, the Russians were subjected to provisional suspension because of the mismatch of dope-test samples taken this year and the previous one. The rule violations were established, as IAAF deliberately stores samples and applies comparative DNA techniques for re-analysis.
The strength of the blow for Russia’s Olympic squad is hard to overestimate. Five of suspended athletes were the real challengers for Olympic medals, including the gold ones. Elena Soboleva (800m/1,500m), Gulfia Khanafeeva (hammer throw), Daria Pishchalnikova (discus), Tatiana Tomashova (1,500m) and Yulia Fomenko (1,500m) were bound for the Olympics as the favorites of Russia’s team.
Indeed, Soboleva is the reigning 1,500m world indoor champion and the global leader of 800m and 1,500m, while Tomashova was the champion in 2003 and 2005 and won silver at the Athens Olympics. Pishchalnikova is the Europe discus champ and Khanafeeva was the record holder in hammer throw past year. Fomenko is still one of the leaders in running.
The loss of the Russians and the extent of the scandal could be comparable only to the loss of the U.S. squad in time of the Athens Olympics. But the difference is crucial. Formally, none of the girls has been caught in using the doping drugs or being involved in distributing them.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 01, 2008
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