Stiff sanctions imposed on Russian Triathlon in doping clampdown

Russia has once again been plunged into a sporting doping scandal as World Triathlon impose stiff sanctions on the Russian Triathlon Federation in response to a recent spate of doping offences by their triathlon stars. 

World Triathlon’s measures won’t stop Russian triathletes competing, but they bar Russia from hosting world and European-level events until the end of 2022, suspend Russian officials from international positions, and mandate more drug testing. 

Even during a global PR campaign by Russia – following their exclusion from the Olympics – to persuade the world its athletes are clean; the bad news keeps on coming. If their claims of stamping out doping is full of broken promises then sanctions are the correct medicine to stop the new generation of clean Russian triathletes being punished for the sins of the past.  

In addition, honest Russian triathletes who have dedicated their whole lives to the sport are being deprived by a few – Igor Polyanskiy, Alexander Bryukhankov and Vladimir Turbayevskiy – who were caught using EPO and/or blood manipulation to enhance performance. 

How can these doping scandals keep recurring in Russia. It could be that the sporting success in the old Soviet era – as now – is entwined with national pride where a win at all costs culture was allowed to develop.  

Many of the coaches were themselves athletes under the old state-sponsored doping regime and possibly continue to encourage today’s athletes to take illegal performance enhancements – as they once did. 

We can now only hope with the sanctions imposed the old Soviet cheating era will become ancient history.  The Russia Triathlon Federation must learn that doping tests are far more stringent, cheating athletes are being caught and punished more frequently and that their sport needs to quickly wake up to the scale of its internal problems. 

The sanctions approved by the Executive Board of World Triathlon, consists of the following: 

• The Russian Triathlon Federation will reach an agreement with RUSADA to test all Russian athletes, especially all those athletes who will be competing internationally. 
   
• The Russian Triathlon Federation will, together with World Triathlon, create an education plan for Russian athletes and coaches in regard to doping issues. 
   
• The Russian Triathlon Federation will compensate and refund the prize monies previously awarded to the Russian triathletes sanctioned with doping offences. 
   
• Russian Triathlon Federation officials must resign from any World Triathlon and European bodies for the period of one year. 
   
• The Russian Triathlon Federation cannot organise any World or European Triathlon events for one year (until the end of 2022). 
   
• The Russian National Federation is to reimburse World Triathlon for all costs (including but not limited to laboratory fees, hearing expenses and travel) related to any of the violations of the Anti-Doping Rules committed by their athletes and coaches. 
   
• Sanctions must be taken inside the Russian National Triathlon Federation for any coach or official that is involved in any doping violation, and collaboration must be made with World Triathlon disciplinary bodies.