Virginia wrote:Ellen, he may think he's the dictator of the free world, but I assure you that Trump has no representation on either the IOC or the World Anti-Doping Agency. He had nothing to do with those suspensions.
A more likely place to place blame would be the Russian government and sports officials who ordered and organized the campaign of doping and urine-switching at Sochi. "The result matters; it is not important how it is achieved" is a perfect expression of the attitude that permitted this level of state-sponsored cheating.
I still think every single Russian placement at those games should be voided. The punishment hasn't been anywhere near strict enough.
I have answered many times such statements. Again.
State-sponsored cheating... This cliché was replicated in Western media and everyone there believed in it. As proof, they pulled out the crazy Rodchenkov (a psychiatric hospital patient) who, for money and revenge for his dismissal, said a lot of all delirium .. Nobody checked, did not gather evidence about this "state-sponsored cheating". McLauren report doesn't have any serious evidence, only statements beginning with "highly likely", "it could be", etc.
From the ocean he wrote about a hole in the wall and the substitution of samples, although no one saw the hole and the scratches on tubes is the only proof. But who and when did the scratch - no answer.
Of course the Swiss court did not take the McLaren report seriously.
The IOC is funded from the American media holdings, so IOC is under their influence and pressure. To prevent a repeat of Russia's triumph in Korea like in Sochi, they "did not invite" the strongest athletes in sports where the Gold medal was guaranteed:
Ski: not invited the World champion and the Tour de Ski 2017 winner.
Speed skating: removed the current World record holders at distances of 500m and 1500m
Short-track: many were not invited, including Victor An, and Russia could not even gather the relay team.
Biathlon: out of 11 members of the men's team allowed only 4, the rest "were not invited"
etc. Not to mention Ivan Bukin
If all the above athletes were in Korea, then Russia would be in the top three at least. Naturally, the IOC could not allow that, because they declared that the success in Sochi was due to doping, and then in case of success in Korea, how would it be explained?
The Russian people will never forget and will not forgive such arbitrariness with the Olympics and such aggression in the Cold War.
If in 4 years before the next presidential election again such media injections begin, then I would not be surprised.
But you there certainly believe the insane Rodchenkov, the Russian doping, many other things, but do not believe the facts.