Russian Official Expresses What Putin Won’t In Doping Scheme: Remorse
A Russian doping official pleads with Twitter to allow athletes to participate in the Summer Olympics.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has run a doping program for athletes that would leave the former East Germany in awe. According to reports, one-third of Russia’s 33 medals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were awarded to athletes suspected of doping. The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into Russian government officials, athletes, coaches, anti-doping authorities, and anyone else who benefited from drugs banned by world sports authorities. Doping is so widespread within Russia that the International Olympic Committee is considering banning all Russian athletes from the upcoming Summer Olympics in Brazil.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has run a doping program for athletes that would leave the former East Germany in awe. According to reports, one-third of Russia’s 33 medals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were awarded to athletes suspected of doping. The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into Russian government officials, athletes, coaches, anti-doping authorities, and anyone else who benefited from drugs banned by world sports authorities. Doping is so widespread within Russia that the International Olympic Committee is considering banning all Russian athletes from the upcoming Summer Olympics in Brazil.
Russian officials are desperate to keep the ban at bay. Their despair is so deep that Natalya Zhelanova, Russia’s newly appointed doping advisor, took to Twitter on Monday for a bizarre Q&A revealing a trait Putin has never shown publicly: remorse.
Zhelanova came close to admitting wrongdoing without actually owning up to broad doping in Russian sports. Below is a sampling of the conversation.
Here’s a tweet responding to a question from New York Times reporter Rebecca Ruiz, who broke the story about Russian doping. She’s referencing Grigory Rodchenkov, who ran the laboratory that handled testing for thousands of Olympians.
Another question from Ruiz about Evgeny Blokhin, a Federal Security Service agent who reportedly acted as a liaison with Putin’s government and the doping scheme.
Then, in response to a question about Russian cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency:
Here is what comes close to an admission of guilt:
And, finally, in a last-ditch bid to allow Russian athletes to compete in Brazil:
Photo credit: Getty Images
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