In December 2014, amidst all the qualification rounds and preparations for the Rio Olympic Games, a German documentary rocked the whole sporting world. It featured Russian athletes, coaches and anti-doping officials who revealed that the Russian government was involved in obtaining performance-enhancing drugs for athletes, which also included them covering up positive test results of their athletes.
The World Anti-Doping Agency took up the matter seriously and reacted by forming an independent commission to investigate the consequential issue. The agency released two reports in December 2015 and January 2016 which revealed that there was substantial evidence of a state-sponsored drug program in Russian track-and-field athletics.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) acted on the recommendation of WADA and decided to ban Russia from competition in any international events. Referring to Russia’s ban at the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that individual international sporting federations were free to decide which athletes will be competing at the Games.
112 athletes out of 387 athletes initially named have been banned by their federations. These banned athletes include any competitors with previous doping suspensions. However, with the rulings on the athletes still an ongoing process, the figure might well come down from the remaining 275. Some Russian athletes have finally started to arrive in Brazil ahead of the Games, but some of the biggest names will not be present. We take a look at the big name Russian athletes who will not be in Rio:
1) Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Isinbayeva is a pole-vaulter from Russia who has thrice won the World Championship, in 2005, 2007 and 2013. The Russian has won two gold medals at the Olympic Games when she successfully defended her medal in pole vaulting at 2008 Beijing which she had first won at Athens 2004. Russia’s most decorated athlete will not be able to participate at the Rio Olympics because of the ban.
The IAAF did not accept her request to participate in the Olympics even though the 34-year old had a clear record and had never been found guilty of doping. Isinbayeva had previously said that she will go to the court if she was not allowed to participate at the Games, as she said it was a clear “violation of human rights.”
Her fate had been dependent on the Court of Arbitration for Sports’ (CAS) ruling on the matter which was announced on 21 July 2016. The decision of the IAAF was upheld by the CAS, therefore none of the 68 athletes who had filed the case will be in Rio.
The Russian had finished third in the last London 2012 Olympics, winning a bronze medal and was hoping to finish her career at a high by bagging a third gold medal at Rio 2016. But sadly, the decorated Russian athlete will not be featuring at the Games.
2) Yulia Efimova
Yuliya Efimova is a Russian competitive swimmer who will not be featuring at the Olympic Games due to the seven Russian swimmers being banned by the governing body FINA from competing at Rio.
However, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) has said that the "exact implication for the Russian Swimming Federation is still to be clarified" and an "ad-hoc commission will have to investigate". It further added that all samples collected from Russian swimmers at the 2015 world championships are being re-tested therefore the decision will be confirmed in the coming days.
Efimova has represented her nation at both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. The swimmer had won the bronze medal in the 200 metres breaststroke in the latter. She had also created a 50m breaststroke world record at the Barcelona 2013 FINA World Championships.
The Russian swimmer had also won the gold medal in the 50 m and 200 m breaststroke events at the same Championships.
But in 2014, the swimmer was reported to have failed a drug test which led to her getting disqualified from 31 October 2013 till 28 February 2015. The Russian was also stripped of her world records. Hence, with the IOC’s verdict that previously banned athletes will not be competing at the Games, we think that Efimova will need a miracle to be able to compete in Rio.
3) Alexander Dyachenko
Alexander Dyachenko is a Russian sprint canoeist who has represented his country at various international competitions. His achievements include winning the gold medal (K-2 200m) at the 2013 Duisburg World Championships, winning three silver medals (K-1 4x200m: 2011, K-1 4x200m: 2013 and K-2 200m: 2015) at the World Championships and two bronze medals (K-1 4x200 m: 2010 and K-4 200 m: 2009).
But his best major victory was that at the 2012 London Olympics where he won the gold medal in the men’s double kayak 200m with Yury Postrigay. Just like Yulia Efimova, Alexander Dyachenko, is one of the five canoeists who have been ruled out after being named in a recent report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren alleging a state-sponsored doping cover-up.
All the athletes who have been named in the McLaren report have been denied the chance to participate at the Games. Dyachenko’s absence at the Games means that Russia has already lost several medals even before the Games have started.
4) Nikita Lobintsev
Nikita Lobintsev is a Russian freestyle swimmer who is famous for winning the silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the bronze medal in the 4x100m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympic Games. The 27-year-old freestyle swimmer carries a medal-winning reputation with himself as he has been so successful in various international competitions.
But the Russian will not be featuring at the Rio Olympics due to the International Water Sports Federation (FINA), denying him the chance to participate in the grandest event of them all. FINA was one of the first federations to respond to the IOC's position about Russian athletes.
The body also announced that seven Russian swimmers are no longer eligible to compete in Rio due to their names having been mentioned in the McLaren report. Unfortunately, the two-time Olympic medal winner will not be able to make an impact for his country again.
5) Tatiana Kashirina
Tatiana Kashirina is a Russian weightlifting champion who has won the world championship four times. She won the title in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2015 in the +75kgs category. Kashirina has also won the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games in the women’s +75kgs category with a total of 332kg. She also holds the world record in a snatch with the 155kg she lifted in 2014.
The 25-year old weightlifter also holds the clean and jerk world record of 193kg as well as the total world record of 348kg. However, she will not be going to the Rio Olympics as in September 2006, the athlete was suspended from competition for two years after failing an anti-doping test.
She will be a huge miss for the Russians as the weightlifter had won consecutive gold medals in the last three years as part of her preparation for the Olympic Games.
It would have been her second Games, and the Russian could have made history by winning the gold medal but she will now have to sit out the event.
