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stumpy wrote:

Listening to the radio news this morning and heard that the Russian field and track athletes team has been banned from the games.

I read the same, it has to do with doping. I read there's more to come. What a mess, this is all bad timing.

Fred wrote:

Supposed to be about doping, but I'm willing to bet politics are in there somewhere.

Possibly (even likely perhaps), but I feel pretty certain that it is indeed based primarily on doping, as it's recently been found that there is widespread doping going on with Russian athletes, both amateur and professional (e.g Tennis star Maria Sharapova and former Olympic gold medalist boxer Alexander Povetkin have recently been banned/disciplined for testing positive for Meldonium.

stumpy wrote:

Listening to the radio news this morning and heard that the Russian field and track athletes team has been banned from the games.

I find that interesting as it comes with news of Russia's lab being closed down, the press making it sound as if Russia alone has a problem.

About a quarter of the lab suspensions published on WADA’s website have taken place in 2016. In the last three months alone, WADA announced more suspensions than it had in the preceding three years combined. Those suspensions — of antidoping labs in Beijing; Lisbon; Madrid; Bloemfontein, South Africa; and now Rio — affect more than 10 percent of WADA’s testing facilities.

No doping scandals in these countries?

A quick 'google' show doping problems and tampered samples, but hardly a mention to be had that doesn't mention Russia as Satan, even though Russia is nothing to do with the other problem labs.

If I was to put my tin foil  hat one, I'd suspect there was a political motive behind much of this.