IOC/OAR/ROC Info

[anonymoose_au]

it is being reported that a Russian curling athlete has tested positive for Meldonium of all things. Here's an article with the latest updates: https://www.insidethegames.biz/arti...-bronze-medallist-reportedly-fails-drugs-test

It was first reported by Sport Express. This reporter has a few tweets about it:

https://twitter.com/ZelenovZ/status/965148280525963266

I saw this too! I wonder how long it will take to test the B sample? I hope they don't delay because this rather serious.

Would an OAR athlete really risk everything to dope?!

 

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Would an OAR athlete really risk everything to dope?!

It could be in theory if it was needed because of the health condition and an athlete could not get a TUE (it's a privilege only for certain countries). It could be in theory if it was something that substantially increases performance and can be hidden by something else. Here there is the most stupid situation one could imagine. Forget that taking meldonium has very little to do with the term "to dope" - its effect over a placebo has not been proven. The only important thing is that meldonium is easily detectable and his detected level is very high. So if he took meldonium consciously he would know that the next thing would be this scandal. As people say he is devastated now. Only die hard russophobes could joyfully say that yet another Russian cheater has been caught.

 

[treeloving]

And in curling out of all sports, I don't understand. How would it help?

 

[LadyB]

It could be in theory if it was needed because of the health condition and an athlete could not get a TUE (it's a privilege only for certain countries). It could be in theory if it was something that substantially increases performance and can be hidden by something else. Here there is the most stupid situation one could imagine. Forget that taking meldonium has very little to do with the term "to dope" - its effect over a placebo has not been proven. The only important thing is that meldonium is easily detectable and his detected level is very high. So if he took meldonium consciously he would know that the next thing would be this scandal. As people say he is devastated now. Only die hard russophobes could joyfully say that yet another Russian cheater has been caught.

Well said.
I just refuse to believe that someone can actually be so incredibly stupid. I'm dying to know the real story behind it.

 

[NoStefaniaNo]

I was a bit surprised by the concept of doping in curling, but this case isn't the first.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/spo...st-rink-suspended-for-doping/article12948139/
https://deadspin.com/5893881/what-is-going-on-with-all-the-doping-in-wheelchair-curling
There was also a case involving a Russian athlete with a disappearing positive sample. ETA the name: Russian curler Ekaterina Galkina

 

[Andrea82]

B sample turned out as positive.

He is apparently saying he fears someone contaminated his drinks with meldonium during the training camp in Japan
https://www.insidethegames.biz/arti...arged-with-doping-offence-at-pyeongchang-2018

 

[Tigerlily87]

Wow

 

[anonymoose_au]

B sample turned out as positive.

He is apparently saying he fears someone contaminated his drinks with meldonium during the training camp in Japan
https://www.insidethegames.biz/arti...arged-with-doping-offence-at-pyeongchang-2018

Wow, not good.

But is he accusing some other country of doing it? I assume so, since why would you sabotage your own countryman.

What does melodium do anyway? I know it's supposed to be a heart medicine, but what would it do for a healthy person? Or is it a masking agent or something?

 

[gmyers]

Wow, not good.

But is he accusing some other country of doing it? I assume so, since why would you sabotage your own countryman.

What does melodium do anyway? I know it's supposed to be a heart medicine, but what would it do for a healthy person? Or is it a masking agent or something?

Russia invited noninvited russians to the training camps too. He’s saying a Russian was so angry that they sabotaged an invited Russian out of anger!

 

[anonymoose_au]

Russia invited noninvited russians to the training camps too. He’s saying a Russian was so angry that they sabotaged an invited Russian out of anger!

Wow...no way can this end well...either he cheated and has cast yet more darkness on Russian sports or a fellow Russian threw his countryman under the bus due to anger.

OR if something else happened and everyone is innocent then he sure won't be popular with his teammates for accusing them of this.

 

[colormyworld240]

Wow...no way can this end well...either he cheated and has cast yet more darkness on Russian sports or a fellow Russian threw his countryman under the bus due to anger.

OR if something else happened and everyone is innocent then he sure won't be popular with his teammates for accusing them of this.

Not really. Theres 2 options:
1) He's an idiot who took meldonium knowing that he'd be tested rigorously and in doing so screwed over all of the OAR. Not sure how anyone could be that stupid.. It's not like he was any other athlete, he was 100% going to be tested multiple times as their country is literally banned because of doping.

2) Someone spiked his drink/food. Actually, it's not that uncommon. If you look, the first doping case at this Olympics was a Japanese athlete who spiked his teammate's drink because they were rivals.... lol.

Bottom line: This is the Olympics. People do stupid/crazy things. They just have to figure out which this was, though I'm not sure how they would.

 

[anonymoose_au]

2) Someone spiked his drink/food. Actually, it's not that uncommon. If you look, the first doping case at this Olympics was a Japanese athlete who spiked his teammate's drink because they were rivals.... lol.

Bottom line: This is the Olympics. People do stupid/crazy things. They just have to figure out which this was, though I'm not sure how they would.

Wow for real? That's messed up like Hell.

But how did the Japanese athlete prove his drink was spiked? Like did the other athlete confess? Did someone see him messing with his teammate's drink? And is the drink spiker banned for life after that?

 

[lappo]

Wow for real? That's messed up like Hell.

But how did the Japanese athlete prove his drink was spiked? Like did the other athlete confess? Did someone see him messing with his teammate's drink? And is the drink spiker banned for life after that?

The story of the Japanese athlete with the spiked drink is actually another one, unrelated to the Olympic games: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/10/japanese-kayaker-banned-spiking-competitors-drink/
As you see, in this case the spiker admitted himself what he did and got banned.
The Japanese who tested positive at the current Games is this one: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/02/12/sport/japan-doping-kei-saito-olympics-intl/index.html
He says that he has no knowledge of how the substance finished in his body.

 

[Imagine]

Not really. Theres 2 options:
1) He's an idiot who took meldonium knowing that he'd be tested rigorously and in doing so screwed over all of the OAR. Not sure how anyone could be that stupid.. It's not like he was any other athlete, he was 100% going to be tested multiple times as their country is literally banned because of doping.

2) Someone spiked his drink/food. Actually, it's not that uncommon. If you look, the first doping case at this Olympics was a Japanese athlete who spiked his teammate's drink because they were rivals.... lol.

Bottom line: This is the Olympics. People do stupid/crazy things. They just have to figure out which this was, though I'm not sure how they would.

Or, a third possibility is he took the offending substance before the whole Russia being banned from 2018 situation blew up, so maybe he thought he had a good chance of getting away with it. It would still be cheating if this were true, but I'm just saying. I actually watched this guy compete with his wife(???) by chance the other day...it was my first time watching curling and yeah...that is not a sport where you'd get a real advantage from doping...lol, no offense. Just like figure skating. Thats why I find the possibility that this could be sabotage really compelling.

 

[anonymoose_au]

The story of the Japanese athlete with the spiked drink is actually another one, unrelated to the Olympic games: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/10/japanese-kayaker-banned-spiking-competitors-drink/
As you see, in this case the spiker admitted himself what he did and got banned.

That's nuts!

What's even more nuts is that I see he only got banned for 8 years? WTH what if the guy had an allergy to steroids and died or something?!

Makes you wonder what you gotta do to get a lifetime ban!

 

[russianfan]

Statement from Russian Olympic Committee

We express our sincere regret over this incident,” the statement reads.

“Along with this, the circumstances of the incident do not now answer the questions of how and when meldonium got into the athlete’s body.

“It is well known that the effect of meldonium is achieved by its regular usage, and metabolites are fixed in the human body about nine months after the end of the drug’s intake. The concentration of meldonium found in the sample indicates a single use of the drug, which is not used in medical practice, is absolutely meaningless from the point of view of achieving any therapeutic effect on the human body.

“The test taken from Alexander Krushelnitsky before the start of the Olympic Games, on January 22 – as well as all the previous ones – was negative. Thus, the fact of conscious or systematic use of a prohibited substance is not confirmed.

“In this regard, the Russian Olympic Committee is initiating a comprehensive investigation of the circumstances of the incident, which will continue, including within the criminal law of the Russian Federation, to establish the details of what happened.”

i just still asking myself, is it even possible for a person to be that stupid to take that drug only ONCE just to get caught?

P.S. after all that enourmous hype about meldonium, may be i should also try it? if it's so good

 

[EdgeCall]

There are several possibilities how Kushelnitsky could come to a positive test on meldonium:

1. He took the stuff deliberately. If that's true the question is what he tried to accomplish.
1.a) because he tried to cheat at the Olympics. In that case, he is a certifiable moron. There was no chance in hell he could win a medal without getting tested and the meldonium found. Or he thought he had a masking agent for meldonium which did not work.
1.b) because he wanted to get caught. This is of course a far-fetched theory, but not completely impossible. It's clear this case will not only have consequences for him but also for Russia. Maybe his political stance is as such that he wanted these consequences to happen, or someone bribed him and promised him a bailout after his career is over. Rodchenkov did worse things and it looks like he comes away with a good life.

2. He took the stuff without knowing. Again, several causes are possible.
2.a) He was negligent. Afaik the amount of meldonium in his sample points to a full dose, so it could not have been a case of him using an unwashed drinking glass from someone else who took the drug. He must practically have confused some pills.
2.b) Someone spiked his food. He already said he suspects something like that. Question is if it happened from within the Russian team or with outside influence. Whoever did this to him must have known he would not only hit Kuchelnitsky but Russia resp. the Russian government as a whole. The motivation could be similar to 1.b)

3. He did not take the stuff at all, but the sample was fixed. Again, a far-fetched theory but not impossible. Who says what Rodchenkov did in Russia could not happen elsewhere, particularly since it appears the bottles are not tamper-proof. And there is political interest in Russia getting another positive test.

I think the more likely case is that Kushelnitsky did not know the drug was in his body. I wonder if the Russian team thought about taking another urine sample from him and have it analyzed by an independent lab, just to make sure. As we know, meldonium stays traceable in the body for quite a long time.

 

[colormyworld240]

Or, a third possibility is he took the offending substance before the whole Russia being banned from 2018 situation blew up, so maybe he thought he had a good chance of getting away with it. It would still be cheating if this were true, but I'm just saying. I actually watched this guy compete with his wife(???) by chance the other day...it was my first time watching curling and yeah...that is not a sport where you'd get a real advantage from doping...lol, no offense. Just like figure skating. Thats why I find the possibility that this could be sabotage really compelling.

I don't think that option is possible though because he was tested January 22nd and was clean. So it had to have been between then and the olympics

 

[lappo]

Here the interview with the Russian curler: http://tass.com/sport/990979

I find it interesting that he says he took the meldonium up to 2015; then the substance was banned and the doctors allegedly stopped giving him those pills. It would be interesting to know from him or the doctors which kind of conditions he has that requires the use of this substance.
However, in the specific occasion of the Olympic games I wouldn't rule entirely out the idea that his drink/food were spiked, since there is no evidence of prior use and so much political stuff is at stakes between various politic players.

 

[russianfan]

Here the interview with the Russian curler: http://tass.com/sport/990979

I find it interesting that he says he took the meldonium up to 2015; then the substance was banned and the doctors allegedly stopped giving him those pills. It would be interesting to know from him or the doctors which kind of conditions he has that requires the use of this substance.
However, in the specific occasion of the Olympic games I wouldn't rule entirely out the idea that his drink/food were spiked, since there is no evidence of prior use and so much political stuff is at stakes between various politic players.

As far as i understand meldonium used quite widely in Russia, almost like vitamins for heart or something like that. I even have a friend who takes it. So it's not like a person should have some special condition to take it.