So, something like the big Russian state doping frenzy of 2014 is not happening this time. Those responsible at the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) are very, very sure of that. And of course, their arguments are totally impressive: There is now an independent observer and a lot of other security measures. The control laboratory is in a closed circuit, and the manufacturer of the vials in which the doping samples are kept has also been changed.
Yes, who knows, maybe Wada even sent out a squad of craftsmen who knocked down every wall in the laboratory with a hammer so that this time there couldn’t be a mouse hole like there used to be in Sochi, which at the time made it possible for the secret service to break the swap clean and contaminated urine samples?
The Russians Alexander Bolschunow (left) and Denis Spizow start under a neutral flag – but they start.
(Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa)
It is actually stunned how Wada and some national doping agencies downplay the issue of manipulation these days. Where exactly such a belief comes from in a host country like China, which now shows obvious parallels with Russia not only in terms of the form of government but also in terms of the doping past, remains a mystery.
The Russians start under a formally neutral flag this time – but they start
There have been countless doping cases in China in recent years, not least in core Olympic sports such as swimming and athletics. The Beijing control laboratory has already been suspended, and there can be no talk of independence in the anti-doping fight. And how extensively the system works was described, for example, by sports doctor Xue Yinxian after fleeing to Germany in 2016 – incidentally, she still feels persecuted by the Chinese rulers to this day. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the history of sports manipulation, it’s this: before the doping hunters have made any progress, something has already progressed in the world of mouseholes.
Of course, you don’t have to and shouldn’t just look at the host country. A small tour of the opening weekend from a slightly different perspective is also permitted. The first gold of these games was won by the Norwegian cross-country skier Therese Johaug, who was once banned because of the detection of the banned steroid clostebol – it was a stupid lip cream against sunburn! In the men’s skiathlon, on the other hand, the Russian Alexander Bolschunov broke up the field and won in front of his compatriot Denis Spizow.
Because of the big state doping scandal, the Russians are starting under a formally neutral flag this time too. But they start. And the trainer of the cross-country skiers is still that Yuri Bondarowko, who has been involved in Russian cross-country skiing for a quarter of a century, despite all the doping scandals, and who has been banned himself before.
In addition, the control system, which only catches a few fraudsters anyway, is still not up to the level it was before Corona. As always, the world will only find out in a few years how clean or not clean these games are.