Putin’s Doping Denialism Only Hurts Russia’s Athletes
The stars may have to compete under a neutral flag because the leader doesn’t have a reverse gear.
He knows judo.
Photographer: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images
On Dec. 9, the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, may ban Russia from major international sports events for the next four years. This is, effectively, a reaction to one of the defining qualities of President Vladimir Putin’s Russia: Its inability to admit that it’s ever done anything wrong or to apologize when faced with proof of wrongdoing.
The ban, which would cover next year’s Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 soccer World Cup in Qatar, has been proposed by WADA’s compliance committee. If the proposal is approved by the organization’s executive committee, the Russian flag won’t be flown at any major international competition; Russian officials will be excluded; and Russian athletes can only compete if they prove they’ve never taken forbidden substances, and even then under a neutral flag.